Sakura's Resolve

" Sakura's Resolve " ( サクラの覚悟 , Sakura no Kakugo ) is episode 212 of the Naruto: Shippūden anime.

## Synopsis [ ]

Sakura , Lee , Kiba , and Sai make their way to the Samurai Bridge when Sakura suddenly tells them to stop. She asks Kiba where Sasuke's exact position is before trying to drop sleep bombs on the others. Sai manages to restrain her arms, having anticipated her plan, and alerts the team that he had tipped off Kakashi , who was on their way to stop them from trying to kill Sasuke . Kiba suspects Sai of being duplicitous and tries to attack him with Passing Fang , only for Sai to create ink snakes to bind him. Sakura goads Lee into attacking Sai as well, and uses the chance to throw her three sleep bombs at everyone else, knocking them out. On the way there, Sai's ink clone alerts Kakashi of Sakura's actions before dissipating.

On route towards the bridge, Sakura thinks back upon when she first fell in love with Sasuke at a young age and how pleased she was to be placed on Team 7 with him, as it gave her chances to stare at his face many times. However, she admits to herself that she never knew the kind of person he was on the inside, recalling how Sasuke was bit by Orochimaru in the Forest of Death and used the power given to him by the Cursed Seal of Heaven to break Zaku 's arms before she was able to stop him from attacking Dosu . Knowing that the cursed seal caused him immense pain, she told Sasuke that the thought of seeing him in pain was unbearable to her, although he merely brushed her off. She recalls how, in order to validate his strength, he had challenged Naruto to a fight and how the two formed their respective Rasengan and Chidori at one another, only for their attacks to be dispelled by Kakashi, who berated Sasuke for trying to kill Naruto. Shortly after, Sasuke had decided to desert Konoha in order to gain power from Orochimaru. Despite telling him how much she loved him and how happy she could make him, even offering to come with him to help him gain revenge, he merely told her that she was annoying and that he was not like her, as he was an avenger.

As the memories linger on her mind, Sakura steels in her resolve to be the one to eliminate Sasuke. Back at the bridge, Madara and Sasuke look at the damage caused by Danzō 's Reverse Four Symbols Sealing technique. Using Kamui to warp away Danzō's body and proclaiming that Shisui 's Sharingan would be his, Madara warns Sasuke to get some rest before heading to Konoha, reminding him that his eyes would go blind by continually overusing the Mangekyō Sharingan . He adds that Sasuke should finish off Karin if she holds no further use to him, as she knows too much. As Madara warps away and Sasuke approaches Karin, she remembers how he had used his Lion Combo to save her from a bear during the Chūnin Exams and how he had smiled at her, and longs to see that smile once more. However, Sasuke merely activates his Chidori and prepares to end her life, only to be stopped by Sakura, who declares that she has deserted Konoha and wishes to join him.

## Credits [ ]