One above, one below, the two young women stared at each other. Neither spoke first. The chirping of cicadas rose and fell around them, as if time had frozen in that instant.
Sakura Haruno sized up the pale-faced girl. Beside her stood an easel. At a glance, she looked very much like a young artist sketching outdoors.
However, Sakura knew that was impossible. A two-story building appearing so suddenly in these deep mountains was problematic no matter how one looked at it. This place was far from any residential area; ordinary civilians wouldn't live here.
The girl looked down coldly at Sakura Haruno and slowly spoke, "You've come?"
"What?" Sakura was slightly surprised, not understanding what the girl was saying. But even though she didn't understand her meaning, judging from her words, the genjutsu earlier seemed to be her doing.
"Was it you who cast the genjutsu?" Sakura asked.
The girl stared at Sakura without answering. Seeing this, Sakura didn't want to waste any more words. She leaped directly towards the second-floor balcony.
However, at that very moment, something unexpected happened. Several whistling sounds tore through the air, heading towards Sakura. Although Sakura was already mid-air, having activated Seijutsu, her reaction speed was greatly enhanced.
Those whistling sounds were from several shuriken. Mid-air, Sakura's eyes narrowed. Just as the shuriken were about to touch her, she extended an index finger. After a blur of motion, the shuriken were all threaded onto her finger, their momentum still causing them to spin continuously.
But because of this sudden attack, Sakura's attempt to jump to the second floor failed. After landing, Sakura looked in the direction from which the shuriken had flown. There, two ANBU operatives suddenly appeared.
"Oh, ANBU?" Sakura asked faintly. "Why did you attack me?"
One of the two ANBU operatives spoke, "Please state your identity. Otherwise, we can only arrest you as a spy."
Sakura pulled her forehead protector from her pocket and showed it to the two ANBU. "Sakura Haruno, disciple of Lady Fifth Hokage."
"Sakura Haruno..." The ANBU operative was slightly taken aback. He seemed to observe her more closely, and the face covered in markings did look somewhat familiar. He nodded. "This is not a place you should be. Please leave."
"Who is she?" Sakura asked, pointing at the pale-faced girl.
"We are under no obligation to answer your questions. Please leave immediately," the ANBU operative said coldly.
"Was it her who cast the genjutsu on me earlier?" Sakura continued to ask.
"..." The two ANBU operatives drew their kunai, warning Sakura, "Although you are Lady Fifth Hokage's disciple, you have a prior record. If necessary, we will not show mercy. Now, please leave this place."
"I just want to know if she was the one casting genjutsu on me," Sakura asked again, an indifferent expression on her face.
"Attack!"
The two ANBU operatives instantly tensed and lunged towards Sakura, throwing their kunai at her. Then, they drew short swords from their backs, ready to strike her down as soon as they got close.
"This counts as self-defense..." Sakura muttered to herself, then erupted with a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, rapidly pouncing on the two ANBU.
The two ANBU operatives' vision blurred, and the Sakura Haruno before them vanished. The whistling kunai landed on empty ground. Instantly, their hair stood on end, and cold sweat drenched the clothes on their backs.
Although an immense sense of danger came from behind, the two ANBU's movements couldn't keep up. Before they even had time to turn around, they felt their consciousness drifting away from their bodies.
Thump, thump. The sound of two bodies falling to the ground.
Sakura Haruno looked at the ANBU operatives lying prone on the ground and shook her head. The difference in strength was too vast; they were no match at all. She then looked up again at the girl on the second floor.
And that girl seemed to have lost her earlier composure. Sakura's display of strength had truly frightened her.
This time, Sakura easily leaped to the second floor. The girl, like a startled fawn, hurriedly picked up her paintbrush and moved towards the easel. However, how could Sakura let her have her way?
She raised her hand directly, and a Lightning Release laser shot towards the easel. The easel was instantly obliterated without a trace.
"So it was you." Sakura looked at the girl with a half-smile. "Yakumo Kurama!"
In the distance, a white dove took flight. Sakura glanced at it but didn't try to stop it. She knew this dove was flying towards the Hokage's office to deliver a message. There were still people in this house.
The two ANBU operatives weren't dead either, just knocked unconscious. When those two ANBU had suddenly attacked her, Sakura had abruptly remembered who this girl was.
Genjutsu comparable to the Uchiha clan, being guarded here by ANBU—when these two clues were connected, the answer was obvious. She just hadn't thought of it immediately.
"Are you... are you here to eliminate me?" Yakumo Kurama asked, biting her teeth, her expression tense.
"Your talent is excellent," Sakura said with a smile, not answering the question.
"Is... that so..." Yakumo Kurama's expression suddenly changed, her eyes dimming. "Kurenai-sensei isn't coming herself?"
"You want revenge?" Sakura asked.
"I... I..." Yakumo Kurama took a step back. "What do you want?"
"I didn't come for you, but I've heard about your situation." Sakura paused, then continued, "The young mistress of the Kurama clan's main family, possessing extremely high talent in genjutsu, but unable to become a ninja due to physical reasons. So, the Third Hokage invited Kurenai Yuhi to be your private tutor, correct?"
"Don't mention her!" Yakumo Kurama suddenly roared. "Kurenai-sensei... Kurenai-sensei wasn't here to teach me at all! She... she was sent by the Third Hokage to kill me...."
"She was indeed here to kill you," Sakura said, nodding.
"Wh... wh... what..." Yakumo Kurama was stunned upon hearing Sakura's affirmation. Although her heart was filled with hatred for Kurenai Yuhi and Konoha, a tiny sliver of fantasy still remained within her, hoping it wasn't true.
But Sakura's words had destroyed that last bit of fantasy in her heart. She didn't doubt Sakura's words, not only because she had just learned that Sakura was the Fifth Hokage's disciple, but also because Sakura knew everything about her so clearly.
Yakumo Kurama suddenly collapsed to the ground, her face even paler. She was now utterly devoid of hope, staring blankly ahead.
"But I'm not here to kill you," Sakura continued. "I sympathize with your situation..."
Hearing Sakura's words, Yakumo Kurama suddenly let out a hollow, cold laugh. "Stop lying to me... You're here to eliminate me too, aren't you... You're the Fifth Hokage's disciple..."
"I'm not. I have no such intention," Sakura interrupted her.
"Stop lying!!!" Yakumo Kurama suddenly shot up, forming hand seals. "I won't go down without a fight!!!"
A slight smile touched Sakura's lips. "Then let me see your strength!"