"Are you okay, Sakura-chan? Your hands... are trembling a little," Hinata asked in a soft voice, as she chopped vegetables beside her in the kitchen.

The clinking of bowls mixed with the warm steam from the soup, but the air remained thick with tension, as if Tazuna's house still vibrated from the battle.

Sakura looked up, forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"I'm... I'm fine, Hinata. Just tired. Let's move on, okay? How are you feeling after the battle?"

Hinata hesitated, her Byakugan deactivated but her empathy active. She took a step closer and gently touched Sakura's arm.

"You don't have to pretend with me. What happened today... it was horrible for everyone. I also saw... I saw what you did. It was brave, but I know it hurts."

The knife fell from Sakura's hands with a metallic clink, and her shoulders slumped.

"Brave... Is that what it was? I feel like I've lost something. Like I'm not the same person anymore."

Hinata gave her a brief hug, a quick but firm gesture.

"You didn't lose it. You transformed it into strength. Let's talk about it later, okay? For now, let's help Tsunami-san. She needs to see us strong, too."

Tsunami, who had been watching silently from the stove, chimed in with a trembling but grateful voice.

"Girls, I don't know what we would have done without you. That Gato... he was a monster. But seeing you here, helping... it gives me hope."

Sakura nodded weakly and picked up the knife again.

"Thank you, Tsunami-san. We're just doing our job as shinobi of Konoha."

In a corner of the main room, Kakashi pretended to read his book, but his exhaustion was evident. The prolonged use of the Sharingan and the battle with Zabuza had left him drained, a shadow of the unshakeable jōnin he pretended to be. From the porch, Sasuke watched the forest with an icy fury. The humiliation burned within him. "The last line of defense." Kakashi's words echoed in his mind like an insult. While he was swatting insects, a real battle had been fought elsewhere.

Sasuke approached Kakashi, interrupting his "reading." The sunset tinted the porch orange.

"Sensei... why did you leave me behind? Why didn't you put me on the front line?" he growled, his voice low but laden with fury.

Kakashi lowered the book slightly, his visible eye showing fatigue.

"Sasuke, it wasn't about weakness. You were the last line of defense. If we had failed, everything would have depended on you."

Sasuke clenched his fists and turned toward the forest.

"'Last line of defense'... That sounds like an excuse. While you guys were facing Zabuza, I was crushing guards. I'm not a babysitter."

Kakashi sighed and closed his book.

"Combat isn't just about brute force. Learn from this: the team wins wars, not individuals."

Sasuke didn't reply, letting his resentment grow in silence. He remained standing, watching the forest, his determination to become stronger turning into a visceral need.

*****

Later, when the house had sunk into darkness, the fragile silence was broken.

A choked scream, sharp and filled with pure terror, escaped from the room where the girls were sleeping.

Naruto sat up abruptly on his futon, the sharp pain in his shoulder a flash that woke him completely. Sakura's scream had torn through the night's stillness. He stayed still, listening, his heart hammering in his chest. He knew what it was. The weight of a first kill.

With a grunt of pain, he stood up, holding his injured arm with his good one. He left his room without a sound, moving with a stealth that contradicted his usual personality. The door to the girls' room was ajar. He saw Sakura's silhouette, sitting on her futon, hugging her knees, her body wracked with silent sobs.

He said nothing. He offered no empty words of comfort. He simply approached, knelt beside her, and with a gentleness that surprised her, took her hand. Hers was ice-cold.

"You need some air," was all he said.

His voice, low and devoid of its usual shrillness, gave her something to hold on to. Sakura looked up, her reddened eyes shining in the dim light. She didn't protest. She let him guide her.

He led her out of the house, into the forest lit by a nearly full moon. The night was cool and the air smelled of damp earth and salt. He didn't press her to talk. He didn't tell her everything would be okay. Instead, he started talking about trivial things, his voice a constant murmur in the stillness.

"You know, one time I tried to convince Iruka-sensei that ramen bowls should be considered an official ninja weapon. I said you could throw them like a frisbee. He almost failed me for that."

They walked aimlessly among the trees. Naruto's presence was solid, calm. He wasn't trying to understand her, not trying to fix her. He was just there, sharing the weight of the silence.

"And another time, I tried to paint the Hokage Monument so they all had cat whiskers. The Third said I had 'artistic spirit,' but that my color choice was a disaster."

Sakura didn't laugh, but she listened. The absurd normality of his stories began to push away the horrors replaying in her mind. Slowly, the sobs that had been choking her subsided, replaced by deeper, though still shaky, breaths.

"Remember when I tried to clone ramen in the academy? I thought if I multiplied one bowl, I could feed the whole village. Iruka-sensei caught me with flour on my face," Naruto recounted, his voice a steady murmur as they stepped on damp leaves under the moon.

Sakura let out a choked laugh, surprised by the sound.

"You're an idiot, Naruto. Why do you always do such... absurd things?"

Naruto shrugged, smiling slightly.

"Because life is too serious sometimes. Like today. You... you made a decision I couldn't. Do you want to talk about it?"

Sakura stopped and hugged herself.

"I don't know. Every time I close my eyes, I see his face. What if there was another way? What if I'm a monster?"

Naruto turned to her, his expression serious.

"You're not a monster. You're a ninja who protected innocent people. I... I haven't been through that exactly, but I've seen the weight people carry on missions. It hurts, but it saves lives. Let me carry some of that with you."

Sakura looked at him, tears still flowing, but her voice was firmer.

"Thanks, Naruto. I don't know what I'd do without you tonight."

They continued walking and Naruto went on with another anecdote.

"And what about when I tried to use a wind jutsu to dry my clothes after falling in the river? I ended up blowing a whole branch off. Kakashi-sensei just shook his head and said, 'try not to destroy the entire forest'."

This time, Sakura managed a small smile.

"That sounds like you. Always causing chaos, but... somehow, you fix it in the end."

Finally, they stopped in a small clearing. Exhausted, Sakura let herself fall, leaning her back against the trunk of an old tree. The tears came again, this time silent, a slow and painful release. Naruto sat a short distance away, not touching her, but close enough for her to feel she wasn't alone.

That's when he saw it. The familiar, bright blue text appeared in his inner vision.

[Major Achievement Unlocked: "Hunters of the Demon and his Shadow"]

[Warning: Accumulated Excelia cannot be assimilated and converted into real power until a Status Update is performed.]

Naruto closed his eyes, the pain in his shoulder mixing with the urgency of the notification. They had to do it. Now.

"Sakura-chan," he said softly. She looked up, her eyes swollen.

"We got... a reward. For today. A new power. But to activate it, to make it real... we have to do the ritual. Again."

Sakura stared at him. The idea, which would have once seemed humiliating, was now simply a tactical necessity. She nodded without hesitation. They called for Hinata, who hadn't been able to sleep for worrying about them and found them quickly. In the moonlit clearing, the ritual was performed with a solemnity that bordered on sacred.

There was no awkwardness. Hinata, first, offered her back with the calm of a soldier preparing for battle. When Naruto's fingers traced the invisible symbols upon her, the blue text appeared again in his mind, this time detailing the reward.

HINATA HYUGA Level: 2

BASIC ABILITIES (INVISIBLE BASE LEVEL 1):

STRENGTH: G-205

ENDURANCE: G-230

DEXTERITY: F-378

AGILITY: F-395

MAGIC: F-310

BASIC ABILITIES (LEVEL 2):

STRENGTH: H-110

ENDURANCE: H-125

DEXTERITY: G-280

AGILITY: G-295

MAGIC: F-350

[Magic Acquired: Hyuga Lunar Barrier]

[Allows the user to shape her chakra into a nearly invisible defensive barrier that can deflect physical attacks and low-level jutsus. The barrier's strength and duration are directly dependent on the Magic statistic.]

"This... Hyuga Lunar Barrier. I feel the chakra flowing differently," Hinata said, testing an invisible barrier that shimmered faintly in the clearing.

Naruto nodded as he traced the symbols.

"It's great, Hinata-chan. Imagine deflecting kunai like it's nothing. Do you think you can practice it tomorrow?"

Hinata smiled shyly.

"Yes, but only if we practice together. Sakura-chan, do you feel the same with your new abilities?"

Then it was Sakura's turn. The contact of his finger was a point of warmth in the coldness of her shock. As he touched her, a new series of notifications filled his vision.

SAKURA HARUNO Level: 2

BASIC ABILITIES (INVISIBLE BASE LEVEL 1):

STRENGTH: E-498

ENDURANCE: G-215

DEXTERITY: F-360

AGILITY:

G-245

MAGIC: E-455

BASIC ABILITIES (LEVEL 2):

STRENGTH: H-105

ENDURANCE: H-130

DEXTERITY: F-380

AGILITY: H-150

MAGIC: E-410

[Special Achievement: "Stained Hands"]

[Requirement: Be the first Believer to take a life in the fulfillment of the mission.]

[Reward: Two new abilities are unlocked based on the duality of the act.]

[Ability Acquired: Taijutsu: Anatomical Impact]

[Active Focus Skill. Allows the user, through an almost instinctual knowledge of anatomy, to identify and strike an opponent's non-chakra-related weak points (nerves, tendons, pressure points). A precise strike can paralyze or incapacitate. Effectiveness depends on Dexterity.]

[Ability Acquired: Chakra Regeneration Technique]

[Active Focus Skill. Allows the user to channel her chakra with medical precision to accelerate the healing of minor wounds in others. It is not a complete medical ninjutsu, but an intuitive application of chakra control to stimulate cellular regeneration. Effectiveness depends on the Magic statistic.]

Sakura, after her update, flexed her fingers.

"Taijutsu: Anatomical Impact... and Chakra Regeneration Technique. It's like the system knew I needed to balance destruction with healing. Thanks, Naruto... for reminding us of this."

Finally, once the power had settled in his comrades, the system showed him his own gains.

NARUTO UZUMAKI Level: 2

BASIC ABILITIES (INVISIBLE BASE LEVEL 1):

STRENGTH: G-250

ENDURANCE: G-270

DEXTERITY: H-190

AGILITY: G-210

MAGIC: H-135

BASIC ABILITIES (LEVEL 2):

STRENGTH: H-140

ENDURANCE: H-160

DEXTERITY: I-90

AGILITY: H-115

MAGIC: H-155

[Physical Ability Acquired: Uzumaki Resilience]

[Passive Skill. Drastically increases the recovery rate of stamina and accelerates the healing of minor wounds. Reduces the effect of poisons and toxins.]

[System Evolution Unlocked: Controlled Release of Kyubi Chakra]

[Evolved Effect (Active): By concentrating, the Host can now consciously draw a small, stable amount of the Kyubi's chakra without losing control. This chakra temporarily boosts all basic abilities, but prolonged use causes extreme fatigue and may attract unwanted attention.]

"This is incredible," Naruto murmured, feeling the flow of energy. "Uzumaki Resilience... and I can control a little of the fox's chakra. But I won't use it unless I have to. What do you guys think?"

Hinata placed a hand on his injured shoulder, subtly testing her new barrier.

"It's a step forward. Together, we'll be stronger. Sakura-chan, are you ready to test yours?"

Sakura nodded, still processing.

"Yeah... tomorrow. For now, I just need... to rest."

When it was all over, a new energy coursed through the girls. It wasn't a cure for the trauma, but it was a tool. A promise that next time, they would be even more prepared.

Sakura, finally overcome by emotional and physical exhaustion, fell asleep leaning against the tree. Naruto didn't move. He stayed by her side, on guard, watching the shadows of the forest until the first rays of dawn painted the sky.

****

The days passed. The atmosphere in Tazuna's house changed. The team remained in the Land of Waves, recovering and acting as a silent guard for the bridge's completion. Kakashi led light training sessions, but the real transformation was happening in the silences, in the shared glances between Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata. Sasuke trained alone, consumed by a cold fury, but he watched. He saw the new strength in Sakura's fists, the lethal calm in Hinata's stance. And he saw Naruto, the idiot, become the focal point of a power he didn't understand.

Finally, the day came. Tazuna, his face streaked with tears of joy, proudly announced that the bridge was finished.

In a small, improvised ceremony on the structure, surrounded by the workers who had returned, emboldened by Gato's defeat, Tazuna raised a bottle of sake.

"Friends! We've done it! This bridge is the symbol of our freedom! And we couldn't have done it without the brave ninja of Konoha! Especially, without the young woman who freed us from the tyrant who oppressed us! Therefore, I declare that this bridge shall be named 'The Great Sakura Bridge'!"

Cheers erupted. Sakura blushed, overwhelmed. The honor was immense, but it came with a painful memory.

It was then that Naruto, to everyone's surprise, shook his head. He walked over and, with a naturalness that left everyone breathless, took Sakura's hand.

"No, old man," he said, his serious voice carrying over the fading cheers. "It's true that Sakura-chan freed the country from a tyrant, and she's the most incredible person I know."

Sakura looked at him, surprised by the warmth and pride in his voice.

Naruto turned to a confused Inari, who was watching the scene from the side.

"This country already had a hero. Someone who fought and died for all of you long before we arrived. This bridge was his dream."

Naruto looked at Tazuna, his blue eyes shining with an unbreakable conviction.

"The bridge should be called 'The Great Kaiza Bridge'."

The silence that followed was absolute. The wind seemed to carry Naruto's words to every corner of the island. Tazuna collapsed, crying openly, not from sadness, but from a gratitude so deep it robbed him of his strength. Tsunami, at his side, sobbed quietly.

And Inari... Inari looked at Naruto. For the first time, there was no hatred in his eyes. No resentment. Just a deep, overwhelming confusion that was beginning to crack his cynicism.

"Why... why are you saying that? Kaiza was my dad, but you guys did the work," Inari asked with a trembling voice, approaching Naruto through the silent crowd.

Naruto knelt to his level, smiling.

"Because heroes don't die, Inari. Kaiza inspired everyone. We just finished what he started. Don't you think he'd be proud?"

Inari nodded, tears falling.

"Yeah... thank you. You're like him, Naruto. A real hero."

Tazuna, drying his eyes, raised the bottle again.

"To Kaiza! And to the ninja who reminded us of his legacy!"

The cheers returned, louder this time. The workers came over, congratulating the team. One of them clapped Sakura on the back.

"Miss, you're our savior. Without your courage, Gato would still be crushing us."

Sakura, blushing, replied:

"It wasn't just me. It was the whole team.

Later, when they were alone, Naruto scratched the back of his neck, a strange shyness on his face.

"Hey, Sakura-chan… sorry about that. I got carried away. The name belonged to you."

Sakura shook her head. The tears shining in her eyes were not of sadness or anger.

"No, Naruto. It was the right thing to do. I'm… I'm happy," she admitted, and the word felt true. "I'm happy that Kaiza's dream was fulfilled."

****

The next day, Naruto asked Kakashi for them to stay one more day. The Land of Waves was a different place. With the bridge open, the first merchants were arriving, bringing fresh food, fabrics, and tools. People were coming out into the streets. Music was heard for the first time in years. The smiles, shy at first, grew wider.

They considered Sakura their hero. They gave her fruit, small wooden carvings, flowers. They thanked her with bows and words of gratitude that made her blush to the tips of her ears.

"Thank you, pink-haired ninja! You freed us!" an old woman shouted, offering her an apple.

Sakura accepted, smiling.

"Please, it's not necessary. I just did what I had to."

In the midst of the celebration, Naruto pulled her out of the crowd.

He took her to the center of the bridge, now bustling with the comings and goings of people. They leaned on the railing, watching the village come back to life.

"Look at this, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, his voice calm amidst the happy noise. He pointed to a group of children running and laughing. "All of this… is thanks to you. I yelled a lot, Sasuke fought, and Hinata saw the danger. But you were the one who made the hardest decision. You stopped Gato. Every one of these smiles is owed to you."

Sakura swallowed, the lump in her throat tightening.

Naruto looked at her, his eyes serious, understanding.

"That doesn't take away the weight of what you did," he continued, and she silently thanked him for not minimizing the horror. "I know it doesn't. But it gives it a purpose. What you did wasn't just an act of violence. It was a sacrifice. And this," he said, gesturing to the reborn village, "is the result. You are the hero of the Land of Waves, Sakura Haruno."

"Naruto... how do you do it? How do you carry everything and keep smiling?" Sakura asked, looking at the vibrant town.

Naruto scratched the back of his neck.

"I don't carry it alone. You, Hinata, even Sasuke... we're a team. And from now on, if the weight is too much, tell me. We'll share it."

Sakura extended her fist first.

"Together, then. Promise me."

Then, he extended his fist toward her, the gesture so familiar, so him.

"And I promise that from now on, you'll never have to carry a weight like that alone. We'll do it together."

Sakura looked at him. She saw the idiot, the clown, the boy with the bandaged shoulder. But she also saw the one who had been her support in the storm, the strategist in the shadows, the hero who had taught her the true meaning of that word.

With tears in her eyes, but a genuine smile on her lips for the first time in days, she bumped her fist against his.