"Being liked by someone like you is the worst luck imaginable."
Sakura's pink hair was tousled by the wind as she looked down on Naruto.
Compared to her dream guy, Sasuke, Naruto was just a pile of mud, a monster that could go berserk at any moment.
"Even if, by some remote chance, I had any interest in you, I could never marry a stray dog with no parents!"
Venomous words spilled from Sakura's mouth.
Spoiled by her parents since childhood, she never thought before she spoke.
She attacked with whatever she thought would hurt Naruto the most.
However, what she didn't expect was…
Swish!
Naruto's eyes instantly turned crimson, the pupils of the demon fox swirling within.
His right hand, now tipped with sharp claws, tightly gripped Sakura's neck.
Blood trickled out.
"Don't... insult my parents."
A low growl rumbled from Naruto's throat.
Everything Sakura had done to him was his own fault.
But she dared to slander his deceased parents…
Naruto's Shinobi Way: Repay hatred without mercy!
Even if it was Sakura.
She must die.
"You..."
Sakura hadn't reacted at all.
'How did Naruto, the perpetual dead-last, suddenly manage to grab me, a Genin?'
'And...'
'That look in his eyes.'
"No! Don't kill me! I... I was just joking before! I like you, I like you the most! See, Naruto, you wouldn't hurt your own girlfriend, right?"
All of Sakura's earlier arrogance and scorn vanished in the face of mortal threat.
She forced a disgusting smile, wagging her tail and begging for mercy before Naruto.
Compared to her life, what was a little insignificant pride worth?
However, Naruto's demon fox-like pupils just stared coldly into her eyes.
"Haruno Sakura... just someone like this after all."
Looking at Sakura's twisted face, a scornful curve lifted the corner of Naruto's lips.
For the first time, he experienced the thrill of power.
Those with power could easily shatter fragile happiness.
The Sakura he yearned for, the Sakura he admired…
Before absolute power, she would also show such a pathetic expression.
"Yes, I'm a terrible person. Let me go. I still have my life, a bright future ahead. For the sake of your crush on me, spare me this time."
Sakura struggled to speak, desperately fighting to survive.
But in her heart, she thought maliciously, 'If I could escape this ordeal, I would definitely publicize this disgusting orphan's actions with added drama.'
'I'll just say he was brainwashed by the Demon Fox, intent on massacring the village.'
'That he violently assaulted me, was utterly brutal.'
With the right propaganda, even the Hokage wouldn't be able to protect Naruto.
The villagers already hated that demon fox quite a bit.
If something like this happened, even if Naruto didn't die, he'd be locked in a cage for life.
"If you hadn't said that last sentence, I would have left silently, blessing you from the bottom of my heart."
"But…"
A bloodthirsty glint flashed in Naruto's demon fox eyes.
Those who have darkened follow their hearts, never suppressing their inner emotions.
"You should never, ever have insulted my parents."
This was Naruto's final stand.
The last bit of softness in his heart before his complete darkening.
Absolutely not allowed to be tarnished by anyone!
Slash.
The crimson claws coldly traced a cruel arc.
Sakura's body, like a kite with its string cut, fell heavily from mid-air, covered in blood.
Naruto looked at her wretched state.
His face was utterly indifferent.
"Six years ago, when we first entered the Ninja Academy, you spoke up for me once. Just once. I always remembered it."
"Back then, I thought you were special, that you were treating me as a friend. Even if you were violent, cold, it was just playful banter between friends."
"I was wrong."
Naruto looked at his blood-stained hands and laughed mockingly.
"Thinking about it now, that time you spoke up for me was probably just to leave a gentle, virtuous impression on Sasuke, right?"
"But, even if it was fake, even if it wasn't for me…"
"It was still one of the few bright spots in my darkest childhood."
Naruto looked down on Sakura from above.
Like a god pronouncing judgment, he said:
"Repay kindness without fail, repay hatred without mercy. That is my Shinobi Way."
"Insulting my parents is a blood feud. So you must be killed."
"Past kindness is a tiny favor. So it must be repaid."
"Combining the two, I have severed all your Chakra Pathways. From now on, you cannot work, cannot train. You will live an ordinary, mediocre life. Take care."
This time, Naruto truly let go.
If he killed Sakura in a fit of rage to vent his anger, it would only show he still cared too much, that he couldn't forget her.
But to examine the harm Sakura had done to him from an absolutely objective and calm perspective…
That was truly treating her as a stranger in his heart.
From now on…
"There is only Uzumaki Naruto of Ryuchi Cave, no more Dead-Last Shinobi of Konoha."
The orange jumpsuit he had worn for almost six years was taken off by Naruto, and was thrown to the ground.
He instead put on a black cloak sent by Hattori.
It's a combat suit from the One Piece World, with stealth and concealment effects.
Sakura's earlier shouts had already attracted many people who were moving towards the park.
Naruto didn't have the ability to go on a killing spree yet, so he could only use the combat suit to leave silently.
However, something no one, including Naruto himself, expected was
That when he returned again…
That day, he'll let the world feel pain.