𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝒀𝑶𝑼 | 𝑲.𝑰𝑵𝒁𝑼𝑲𝑨

|I{•------» [34] «------•}I|

"She..." Sakura began to tremble under his gaze as she watched Ruka uncontrollably throwing fire towards Kankuro.

Ruka approached Kankuro from behind, jets of fire propelling her forward and forcing him to flee. She chased after him, unleashing another blast of bright blue fire, but he managed to dodge each attack.

"This isn't like her," Shikamaru muttered, observing the girl he cared for losing control. "Why are you dodging?" Ruka growled at Kankuro. "Fight back!"

Noticing her dilated blue pupils filled with anger, Kakashi swiftly appeared next to her, grabbing her hand forcefully to halt her movement. "Are you so arrogant that you would engage in a fight in your current state? Are you trying to prove something? Is your pride really worth all this pain? Did you truly think you were already on my level?"

"It's not all about you!" she snapped at the older male, her emotions getting the best of her. In the next moment, her pale skin took on a colder, icier, more lifeless appearance. "Ruka!" Kiba shouted with wide eyes as she began to tremble, stepping backward and crumbling as if her strings had been suddenly cut.

"It's about me being born powerful only to be turned into a weapon! A weapon for this village! I thought I meant something, but it turns out I'm just a disposable tool."

Ruka panted in anger, clutching her stomach in pain. The perfect heiress, the prodigy of Konoha, Sarutobi Ruka, had finally snapped under the pressure and the pain she felt. Wailing screams of anger escaped her lips as she uncontrollably breathed fire, writhing in an attempt to break free. "I need to... I need to prove that I'm more than that."

"Ruka..." Sakura whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. She could see the pain hidden beneath the mask, beneath the façade of supposed perfection, and it was ready to crumble away. Everything she had crafted and created to fit what she had always believed everyone expected of the princess.

Barely a second later, Sarutobi doubled over with an anguished cry, one hand clutching her stomach while the other clawed at her throat. As her eyes turned as pale as her skin, Kakashi knew she had reached the limit of what she could endure.