Sakura Haruno

Two months had passed, yet the ANBU ninja was still spying on him as usual. 

However, instead of two, only one ANBU remained. They had long figured out his routine—the same pattern, repeated day after day—so there was no need for extra surveillance. Their interest in Akuma had also begun to wane. 

Still, under the Hokage's orders, the watch continued—a precaution, nothing more. But even then, the surveillance had grown lax. Some ANBU were even jealous of the one assigned to watch him, seeing it as an easy, uneventful task without any danger. 

Noticing all of this, Akuma finally decided to visit his cave for training every two weeks. 

During his training with Guy-sensei, he had already learned the technique to open the Eight Gates in just one day. However, since he had no chakra, he couldn't actually open any of the gates, no matter how hard he tried. 

As the name implied, the Eight Gates consisted of eight stages, each unlocking greater levels of power at the cost of the user's body. 

The first was the Gate of Opening, which removed mental inhibitions and allowed the user to access 100% of their physical strength. 

The second was the Gate of Healing, located in the brain. It enhanced the body's recovery rate, temporarily healing fatigue and injuries. 

The third was the Gate of Life, found in the spinal cord. It caused the skin to turn red due to increased blood flow, pushing the user's strength and speed beyond normal human limits. 

The fourth was the Gate of Pain, also located in the spinal cord. It greatly amplified power but at the cost of intense pain as the body began to strain under the pressure. 

The fifth was the Gate of Limit, which drastically increased reaction speed and agility to inhuman levels, allowing the user to perform techniques that would normally be too fast for the body to handle. 

The sixth was the Gate of View, where the user's body began to emit an aura-like energy, releasing enormous force with every strike. 

The seventh was the Gate of Wonder, granting the user godlike speed and power. However, the muscles and skin would begin to tear apart, causing immense damage to the body with each movement. 

Finally, the eighth was the Gate of Death, located in the heart. This gate unleashed power beyond human capability but at the cost of the user's life. The body would burn from within, leaving death as the inevitable price for its activation. 

As Akuma headed toward his usual training area, he encountered a familiar sight—Uchiha Sasuke stepping into his path. 

Every month, without fail, Sasuke would block his way and challenge him. And every month, he got slapped and passed out. It had happened so often that Akuma was getting used to it. 

"You again? How many times do I have to slap you before you give up?" Akuma said in an annoyed tone. 

Hearing that, Sasuke sneered and declared, "This time, you won't be able to defeat me!" 

Forming a sequence of hand seals—Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, and Tiger—he shouted, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" 

A massive fireball erupted from Sasuke's mouth, roaring toward Akuma. But without hesitation, Akuma charged straight through it with tremendous speed, moving so fast that the flames didn't even touch him. Emerging from the fire, he slapped Sasuke, sending him flying. As usual, Sasuke lost consciousness on the spot. 

However, this time, something gnawed at Akuma. Sasuke had learned the Great Fireball Technique far earlier than he was supposed to. That meant… the timeline was already changing. 

This realization made Akuma uneasy, but he pushed it aside for now and continued toward his training area. 

=== 

Sakura was worried about Sasuke. Every month, he would have a large handprint on his face, as if someone had slapped him very hard. Whenever she asked how it happened, Sasuke would either ignore her or bluntly tell her to mind her own business. This time, she decided to uncover the mystery herself. 

Secretly, she followed Sasuke, worried that someone might be bullying him. She saw him enter the forest and, to avoid being noticed, kept her distance. However, this caused her to lose track of him. She had hoped to save Sasuke from whoever was slapping him and, in doing so, win over his heart—but now, she was lost in the forest. 

After wandering for a few minutes, she suddenly heard a loud noise. Alarmed, she rushed in that direction. After a few minutes of running, she finally reached the source of the disturbance. 

The ground was scorched, as if burned by fire. Seeing all of this, Sakura became worried about Sasuke. Then she noticed him lying unconscious against a tree. 

Seeing him in such a state, Sakura hurried toward him. 

"What happened, Sasuke-kun?!" she exclaimed as she rushed to his side. 

Noticing that he was unconscious, she quickly pulled out a water bottle from her pouch and sprinkled some on his face. After a moment, Sasuke's eyes slowly opened. Noticing Sakura in front of him, he immediately muttered, "What are you doing here? Where is Akuma?" 

Seeing Sasuke finally regain consciousness, Sakura, overwhelmed with relief, hugged him tightly. "You're alright, Sasuke-kun!" she said, tears welling in her eyes. 

But Sasuke pushed her away, standing up with a cold expression. "Where is Akuma? Tell me now!" 

Hearing his icy tone and seeing the sharp glare directed at her, Sakura panicked. "I-I don't know anything about Akuma! When I got here, I just found you unconscious!" 

Sasuke clenched his fists in frustration and, in a burst of anger, punched the tree beside him. The impact left a dent in the bark, and blood dripped from his knuckles. 

Sakura, startled, looked at Sasuke with wide, frightened eyes. But when she noticed his bleeding hand, she quickly reached for it, trying to examine the wound. 

"Sasuke-kun, your hand—" 

Before she could do anything, Sasuke shoved her away. 

"Ahh!" Sakura yelped as she stumbled and fell to the ground. 

Realizing what he had done, Sasuke hesitated for a brief moment, but when he saw that she wasn't seriously hurt, he turned away. 

"Sasuke-kun, is Akuma the one bullying you? If so, I can help you get revenge on him!" Sakura called out as she got up. 

At those words, Sasuke's anger flared even more. He whipped around and glared at her, his voice laced with fury. 

"Mind your own business! He's mine! If I need someone weak like you to help me, then I will never be able to kill that man." 

His cold, piercing stare sent a clear warning—this was not something she should interfere with. Without another word, Sasuke turned and walked away. 

Sakura, stunned, hesitated for a moment before quickly chasing after him. 

If we reach 100 stones, I'll reward you all with a bonus chapter!