Chapter 178: Sasuke Activates Mangekyo Sharingan​1​ (Patreon)

Chapter List: Naruto: Sakura Blizzard

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"I'm really weak, aren't I?!"

Sasuke clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails piercing his palms without any reaction. Naruto had taken a blow for Sakura, leaving himself severely injured. Sakura, on the other hand, possessed near-apocalyptic power, yet Sasuke felt utterly ineffective in the face of Orochimaru. Sasuke had never desired strength as he did now.

"You're not weak; it all depends on how you compare yourself," Sakura replied, feeling the need to console Sasuke. The Uchiha clan had always been known for their extreme personalities, prone to taking the wrong path when they couldn't cope. Sakura had worked hard to change the tragic course of Sasuke's life in the original story and didn't want to see him walk down that dark path again.

"You might think I'm strong, but there are special reasons behind my strength. Haven't you noticed? I rarely use that power you saw earlier. Most of the time, I consider it a supplement. The reason is that great power requires a powerful mind to control it. My strength isn't sufficient to harness that power. If I'm not careful, I might end up taking the entire world with me. So, in my daily life, I avoid using that power too much in battles. I fear its uncontrolled rampage, just like what happened earlier. If Naruto hadn't called my name, I might have blown up the whole Konoha in my anger..."

As Sakura spoke, she rolled up her right sleeve a bit, revealing her forearm. Once fair, it was now covered in crack-like marks, with deep purple energy coursing through them, looking incredibly ominous.

"See, I only used that power earlier, and it nearly shattered my fragile body. If it had gone on longer, all you would see is my soul. The power I used just now is like a drop in the ocean compared to the complete power within me. Being strong is good, but uncontrolled power can bring disaster to oneself..."

"Sasuke, I know you want to become stronger, but before that, I hope you'll consider whether you can bear and control that power. Don't wait until you're devoured by your own strength to regret it!"

"Nah, Sasuke, you're my friend. If you need to get stronger, Sakura and I, along with everyone, will work hard with you. We may not be Orochimaru's match now because we're still too young, but our future holds endless possibilities, right?"

Naruto fixed his gaze on Sasuke and said, "Someday, we will catch up to Orochimaru, no, not just catch up, but become even stronger than him. I hope Sasuke, you can work hard with all of us and not abandon the bonds we share for the sake of power."

"Come on, you guys worry too much. I do want to become stronger, but I understand that everything comes at a price. If you want power, you have to work for it. Power that comes out of nowhere isn't reliable, right?"

Sasuke's lips curled into a smile. "I don't want to casually sever the bonds in my heart. Besides, with you all around, I can better showcase my talents. Without you, even if I gain immense power, it's meaningless."

As the three of them sat there, recovering from their injuries, the Uchiha family and Hinata, Ino, and others arrived at the battlefield. They looked at the devastated surroundings with furrowed brows.

"Sasuke, what kind of enemy did you encounter to cause such intense destruction?" Uchiha Fugaku scanned the nearly decimated battlefield and was visibly shocked.

"Sasuke, are you hurt?" Uchiha Mikoto asked with concern, while simultaneously examining him.

"Um, well, Mom, I'm fine. You don't need to worry like this!" Sasuke blushed and stopped his mother from examining him further, conscious of the many onlookers.

"The enemy was Orochimaru, and we encountered him not long ago," Sakura briefly recounted their encounter with Orochimaru. The accidental reveal of the scars on her arm and neck made Ino and the others gasp in shock.

"Sakura, your body..." Ino pulled Sakura's right hand, raising the sleeve of her skin-tight combat suit to reveal the gruesome cracks. Ino's pupils shrank in response.

"Don't worry, it's just that I used too much power, and my body couldn't handle it. Besides, it's only from my neck to my right arm. The rest of my body is fine. As soon as the energy dissipates from my body, Naruto can transfer some life force to me, and I'll recover instantly, right, Naruto?"

Sakura maintained a nonchalant expression and exchanged a glance with Naruto.

"Uh, well... I think... that should work," Naruto, who had never lied before, touched his nose, avoiding eye contact and stammering.

"Can lying make you a bit more convincing?" Ino expressed her displeasure about their joint act of deception. Then, she looked at Naruto with suspicion. "Naruto, why do you seem so weak, and what's with the wound on your chest?"

Upon Ino's remark, the group noticed that Naruto's clothing was stained with blood around his heart, with a visible mark where a blade had cut through his chest. Next to Naruto, a long sword lay on the ground.

"This sword is Orochimaru's Kusanagi Sword..." Uchiha Fugaku examined it for a moment and then widened his eyes. What had these three rascals done? They had made Orochimaru discard his own Kusanagi Sword.

"We were too careless during the battle. Orochimaru caught us off guard with his Kusanagi Sword. I should have been the one injured, but at a critical moment, Naruto pushed me aside and took a fatal blow through the heart," Sakura explained with a mix of anger and frustration. "Just wait; the next time we see Orochimaru, I will string him up and parade him through the streets naked."

"A blow through the heart? With such a severe injury, is Naruto going to be okay? Should I go fetch a Medical Ninja from Konoha Hospital to check on him?" Everyone was startled, and Uchiha Mikoto even stood up, ready to rush to the hospital to kidnap a doctor.

"I'm fine, Aunt Mikoto. Although the heart injury takes a bit longer to heal, there's no immediate danger to my life," Naruto reassured Uchiha Mikoto, intervening to stop her. His cheeks twitched abnormally while speaking, clearly due to the wound on his heart that hadn't completely healed yet.

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 179: Sasuke Activates the Mangekyo Sharingan