Konohagakure
Hokage Tower
Hokage's Office
Bang!
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the battle report in his hand, his face alight with uncontainable joy.
It's settled!
The Fourth Raikage, the Fourth Kazekage, and the Fourth Mizukage—all felled by Sakura's hand!
The position of the Fifth Hokage was now secure!
Even if some fool dared to object, they'd be drowned in the villagers' scorn before Hiruzen even needed to say a word, thanks to this outrageously impressive record of achievements!
Gazing at the victorious report, even the usually composed Hiruzen couldn't help but lose his cool, slamming his hand on the desk with a resounding thud.
What a pity, though…
Hiruzen stroked the short beard on his chin, a hint of regret flickering in his eyes.
Why hasn't that old man Ohnoki named the Fourth Tsuchikage yet?
"Someone, come here!" Hiruzen bellowed.
Instantly, an ANBU appeared before him.
"Immediately dispatch a team with supplies to the front lines for support."
"Also, arrange for Elder Koharu to head to the Land of Whirlpools to handle negotiations with Kirigakure."
"And finally, spread this battle report throughout Konohagakure!"
In his elation, Hiruzen's gaze drifted to the Hokage Rock outside his window.
Following the Fourth Hokage, another unparalleled genius had emerged out of nowhere.
Single-handedly crushing the five great nations and decisively ending the war.
And most importantly, this person was his very own disciple, Haruno Sakura!
A disciple like Sakura was the pride of any teacher!
From now on, if anyone dared to cause trouble for Sakura, Hiruzen would be the first to charge in and deal with them!
"Emmm…"
Still basking in his good mood, Hiruzen's thoughts turned to Sandayu and his group, who had been in Konoha for some time now.
"Someone, summon Sandayu!" he called out.
"Ha?!"
Sakura stared at the mission scroll in her hand, feeling like her head was about to explode from frustration.
Mission Rank: B
Mission Details: Escort the Princess Gale Ninja Chronicles film crew to the Land of Snow for location shooting, to be completed upon the conclusion of the film production.
Issued by: Sandayu
Assigned Ninjas: Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Karin, Aburame Shino
Sakura's mouth twitched as she glared at her own signature scrawled on the mission scroll.
When the hell did I sign this thing?!
They really don't treat me like a human!
After taking down the Kazekage and the Mizukage, they wouldn't even give her a moment to catch her breath!
The intelligence extraction on Yagura Karatachi was in full swing, and now they wanted her to leave?
"The Hokage's orders are clear, Lady Sakura. Please return to Konoha immediately. Lady Tsunade will take full responsibility here," an ANBU said, having traveled tirelessly to deliver the message.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it," Sakura replied, waving the scroll with her "signature" in exasperation.
The old man had even forged her signature—clearly, this mission was non-negotiable.
And with this lineup?
Sasuke alone could probably flatten the Land of Snow by himself.
Why did they even need her for this?
Sakura tucked the mission scroll into her ninja pouch, already planning to inform Tsunade of her departure.
She didn't need anyone to spell out the old man's intentions.
Not even giving her time to return to Konoha with the troops showed this wasn't an ordinary mission—definitely not a B-rank one.
The so-called "film crew" was just a cover.
The real goal was to get Fujikaze Yukie—no, Koyuki Kazahana—installed as the daimyo of the Land of Snow, bringing the country under Konoha's control.
In other words, Hiruzen's will would become the will of the Land of Snow's daimyo.
The old man was clearly eager to step down and was already paving the way for Sakura's ascent to Hokage.
"And what about Karin?" Sakura asked, glancing at the ANBU.
Karin had accompanied her to the Land of Rivers, but after Sakura used the Flying Thunder God Formation to zip over to the Land of Whirlpools, Karin had been left behind in the Land of Rivers.
"The Uzumaki clansman will be escorted back by a dedicated team. She's likely already on her way to Konoha," the ANBU replied.
It was worth noting that Karin had gone from simply "Karin" to "Uzumaki Karin." She hadn't had a surname before, but after becoming Tsunade's disciple, Tsunade had bestowed the Uzumaki name upon her.
Given that Tsunade's grandmother was Uzumaki Mito, a princess of the Uzumaki clan, and Tsunade was Karin's master, Karin had no objections.
It was just a name, after all.
"Fine, fine, I get it," Sakura said, rubbing her forehead in resignation. She left to find Tsunade and inform her of the situation.
Tsunade, predictably, didn't care. With a carefree shrug, she said everything on her end was handled, and they were just waiting for Koharu to arrive and wrap up the negotiations before heading out.
Seeing Tsunade's nonchalant attitude, Sakura didn't bother lingering and walked off without looking back.
Night
A Rainy Night
"Yagura Karatachi…"
Under the dim, flickering light, Uchiha Obito crushed the chess piece in his hand, his brows furrowing tightly.
Following the Raikage, the Kazekage and Mizukage had also fallen.
This gave Obito a very real sense of crisis.
For him, the threats were mounting: Sakura Haruno on the outside, and Pain on the inside.
He couldn't defeat either of them.
Sakura was an outright enemy, her hostility unmistakable.
As for Pain, he was growing increasingly domineering, treating Obito more like a pawn.
The phrase "trouble within and without" couldn't describe his situation better.
And within the Akatsuki, it wasn't just Pain—there was also Uchiha Itachi to contend with.
In that moment, Obito truly felt the weight of his struggles.
He realized that without the name "Uchiha Madara" backing him, everything had become exponentially harder.
"Obito."
A figure pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The newcomer had a black-and-white, yin-yang patterned face, resembling an aloe plant.
It was Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu had taken time away from the Hidden Cloud Village to come here specifically for the man who carried Uchiha Madara's legacy.
"Zetsu…" Obito said wearily, his voice heavy.
"Obito, you were reckless a few days ago," Black Zetsu said, having already learned from White Zetsu about Obito's clash with Itachi.
"I know," Obito replied, not lifting his head, his gaze fixed on the dim light before him.
Seeing Obito's silence, Black Zetsu's expression tightened.
Though he was frustrated with Obito, Black Zetsu knew he wasn't the type to give up easily.
And neither was Black Zetsu himself.
Even if he had considered abandoning Obito for Nagato, Black Zetsu wouldn't give up on him so readily.
"Are you wallowing in self-pity?" Black Zetsu asked.
Obito looked up at him.
"Feeling defeated because you can't beat a twelve-year-old girl? Or because of Pain's orders? Or perhaps because of your schemes against Itachi?"
Obito remained silent, simply staring at Black Zetsu.
"Obito, have you forgotten your dream?" Black Zetsu pressed. "Isn't this cruel world exactly what you wanted to change?"
Black Zetsu shut the door, and Obito silently activated a barrier, shielding them from the relentless rain outside.
"Faced with this harsh reality again, are you wavering?"
"No. I'm not," Obito finally spoke.
Black Zetsu looked at the man before him, a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes.
"If that's the case," Black Zetsu continued, "where's the Uchiha Obito who unleashed the Nine-Tails and killed the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze? The Obito I remember isn't someone who sulks alone in a dark corner, drowning in his own sorrow."
Black Zetsu's words plunged Obito into silence once more.
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