Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 646 Naruto Wants to Reconcile

"So you want to surrender?"

"I didn't say surrender!" Naruto reiterated his thoughts. "I said reconciliation! Negotiation! To see if there are any other solutions?"

"There is no other way." Sasuke's voice remained cold. "Naruto, don't be naive! At this point, it's either fight or die. There is no third option."

I'm sorry, Naruto. If you had figured it out sooner, I could have been with you... even if it meant bowing down to the devil.

But right now, all I want is for you to live, even if it's just to barely survive...

"That's enough." A drunken voice came from the doorway.

Sakura Haruno leaned against the door frame, holding a half-empty bottle of sake in her hand, her cheeks flushed with the effects of the alcohol.

She staggered into the room and slammed the wine bottle down heavily on the desk with a dull thud.

"Now you're thinking about making peace?" She looked at Naruto, her laughter almost bringing tears to her eyes. "Isn't it too late?"

"Sakura—"

"Don't call me." She waved her hand, staggering, and barely managed to steady herself by holding onto the corner of the table. "You know, Naruto, this is what I can't stand about you the most. You always wait until it's too late before trying to fix things. Ino is like that, Hinata is like that, and now the whole village is like that."

"You always say, 'Wait a little longer, there will definitely be a way, we can definitely do it'... but in the end, you're the one who chooses to compromise first."

She slid down into the chair, picked up the bottle, and took a big gulp of wine, looking exactly like Tsunade in the past.

Naruto looked at her and suddenly realized how much weight Sakura had lost. Her cheeks were sunken, her eyes were dark and bluish-black, and her once clear and bright eyes were now dull and lifeless.

"Sakura..." He stepped forward, squatted down in front of her, his voice dry and hoarse, "When did you start drinking so much?"

Sakura looked up at him and chuckled softly, "Hahaha, don't you remember? I started drinking a long time ago. Probably after your marriage, the day Neji passed away. It seems you've never really paid attention to me, but I don't need to anymore. Just a month ago, I agreed to be with Lee."

Sakura no longer needed his attention, nor did she need to focus her thoughts on him anymore. For the past month or so, Li had stayed by her side without leaving her side.

Perhaps fearing that she might do something rash and throw herself into the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Lee never forcibly stopped her, even though Sakura drank heavily every day.

"Lee..." Naruto was stunned, as if he had been hit hard on the back of the head.

"I said, I've already agreed to date Rock Lee," Sakura repeated.

That's right. After experiencing a series of changes, Sakura accepted Rock Lee's advances. The reason was simple: she didn't want to die alone, still a virgin, and never having experienced love.

As it turns out, letting go of obsession and choosing someone who truly loves you is far more comforting than clinging to someone you admire.

Upon hearing these words, Naruto stood frozen in place, feeling quite strange; he couldn't muster any genuine desire to offer his blessings.

Seeing Naruto's appearance, Sakura couldn't help but scoff: "Hehehe, it seems you're no different from any other man in the world."

Even she herself knew perfectly well that Xiao Li had always deeply loved her.

Even if Naruto is slow-witted and dull, it's impossible that he wouldn't notice, but he just took this favoritism for granted.

Only after losing it completely did a strange sense of awkwardness and melancholy well up in my heart.

She looked up at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought.

Rock Lee wasn't particularly handsome, but every day spent with him was comfortable and pleasant, and he always accommodated me.

In addition, he has been taking insect medicine to regulate his body and supplement the nutrients his body needs since he was a child, so he did not turn into a small acorn like his master.

Moreover, as a taijutsu ninja, his physical abilities are quite outstanding, so the overall experience is fantastic.

Hurry up and say something.

Naruto suddenly realized that he was tongue-tied and was speechless for a moment.

He didn't know whether to say, "As long as you're happy."

Or should I say, "I'm sorry I didn't notice your pain sooner"?

Or perhaps it's saying, "Sakura, you shouldn't be ruining your body like this."

On second thought, Xiao Li was also a close friend of mine.

Why did he feel that Sakura was being abused when she chose to be with him?

He couldn't help but feel guilty, realizing he had no right to judge Sakura's life choices.

Just then, Kakashi broke the silence: "Alright, let's call it a day. Everyone's exhausted today, so let's go back and rest. We can discuss anything else tomorrow."

Naruto stood up, head bowed, avoiding Sakura's eyes. As he turned to leave the office, he bumped into Lee, who was rushing over.

"Naruto-kun!" Rock Lee's voice was still strong and resonant, but his brows held a maturity he hadn't displayed before. "Are you alright?"

"Ah... I'm fine."

Naruto looked at Lee in front of him: this hot-blooded boy who used to only shout about youth has now lost his childishness and shown the outline of a mature man.

Wearing a Konoha-style vest, with short, neat hair, and increasingly sharp facial features.

He was carrying a thermos, which presumably contained a specially prepared hangover remedy.

"It's alright, I'll go in now! Haha!" Xiao Li nodded and strode into the office, heading straight for the pink-haired girl who was slumped over the table, completely drunk.

"Sakura! Why did you drink so much again! I told you a long time ago that excessive drinking is bad for your health!" Xiao Li's tone was reproachful and full of heartache, revealing his clumsy yet straightforward love.

Naruto stood outside the door, listening to the conversation coming from inside, and a sudden pang of sadness welled up in his heart.

The scene of her and Sakura at the hospital involuntarily flashed through her mind. If it weren't for that glass of water...

However, before he could continue his fantasies, a sudden explosion occurred in the sky above Konoha, creating a rift.

Everyone in Konoha, whether ninja or civilians, looked up at the crack.

Is it finally, finally coming?

Is the devil finally about to appear and end all of this?

For some reason, they felt no fear, but rather a sense of relief.

Konoha is indeed hell; death is easy for them, it's just that they've always been afraid to face it.

It's possible that the crack, after opening for a moment, suddenly closed up again.

A figure fell from the sky, landing on an open area in Konoha with a loud bang that kicked up dust.

Naruto and the others rushed over and discovered that it was a heavily injured Otsutsuki.