Forged Beyond

(THIS IS A VERY SAKURA CENTRIC CHAPTER)


The boulder slid aside, revealing the dimly lit corridor within the hideout. Naruto stepped in first, but his eyes were trained on Sakura. Something was wrong. Her movements were too controlled, too precise—like she was walking on a thread-thin edge, barely keeping herself together.

He had seen this before. He remembered those nights years ago, back when they were just kids. He and Sasuke would find Sakura alone in the corner of the playground under the cherry blossom tree—the very same one that stood just outside the academy. She would be crying, shaking, her tiny fingers curled into the fabric of her sleeves, bruises and cuts scattered across her arms and legs.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

Four times.

Five.

Six.

But the seventh time?

There were no more tears. Only silence. Only dullness. Only emptiness.

Sasuke never spoke about it, but Naruto knew—they both saw it. They saw her change. From a girl who sobbed when she was hurt to a girl who didn't react to pain at all. They had tried—tried to be her safe place, tried to make her feel like she had a home with them. Sasuke didn't show it much, but Naruto knew that deep down, he cared.

They were her family. They thought they had helped her. They thought they had pulled her out of that darkness.

But now—Naruto was staring at those same eyes again. Eyes that looked through him. Eyes that stared straight into nothingness. And for the first time in years, he was afraid.

Sakura walked beside Naruto, silent. She hadn't blinked once since they left. Not once. Naruto could see it through her mask—those eerie, unmoving eyes, bloodshot, veins visible, as if the second she blinked, she would break—shatter into something she couldn't fix.

"Sakura-chan—" he started. But what could he even say? How could he possibly understand?

They walked down the dark hallway as the boulder behind them sealed the entrance shut. Their footsteps barely made a sound. As they passed by Sasuke's room, he stepped out, sensing their chakra. His sharp gaze immediately landed on Naruto, but when he turned to Sakura—his breath hitched. Her face was hidden behind the mask, but her eyes...

"What the hell...?"

Sasuke had seen Sakura furious before. He had seen her cry, he had seen her grieve, he had seen her wounded and broken and bleeding. But this—this was different. This wasn't pain. This was emptiness. Something cold twisted in Sasuke's gut.

"...Naruto, wait," he ordered, stepping forward. Naruto stopped beside him, but Sakura kept walking—straight to her room. She didn't pause, didn't acknowledge them. She just opened the door, walked in, and closed it behind her.

Sasuke turned to Naruto, frowning. "What the hell happened?"

Naruto exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Let me tell you—"

But before he could finish, a bloodcurdling scream tore through the hideout.

Both of them froze.

Sasuke's Sharingan activated instantly. Was she under attack?! They both sprinted toward her room.

"Sakura-chan!!" Naruto shouted, grabbing the handle. Locked.

Sasuke didn't hesitate. "Naruto, move."

Sasuke took a step back before kicking the door open. The door slammed against the floor with a loud thud.