"I will transplant them!"
Sasuke tightened his grip on the scroll. "No matter what, I need to first possess power equal to his, before I can choose the future I want!"
"Just a heads up, Shisui is only a distant relative of yours. Transplanting his eyes carries a risk of failure." The girl shoveled food into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out.
Sasuke, whose fighting spirit had just been ignited, turned his head in confusion upon hearing her words.
'Seriously?'
'We're comrades, shouldn't you be saying something encouraging at a time like this?'
'And also, why does an outsider know so much about my clan's Kekkei Genkai? Could it be you're not just 'Senju Sakura' but also 'Uchiha Sakura'?'
"As I told you before, Danzo coveted your Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai. Later, he died by my hand. I also led the Anbu to confiscate the research data from the Root." Sakura swallowed the food in her mouth, giving him a smug eyebrow raise.
"So now, the entire Uchiha Clan knows less about their own bloodline than an outsider like you?" Black lines seemed to appear on Sasuke's forehead. "And don't read my mind!"
The irritated boy snatched the other bento from the girl's hands and began eating it voraciously.
Meanwhile, at Konoha's main gate, a girl draped in a white haori slowly approached.
As she walked forward, a massive fog began to rise from the forests on either side outside the village.
"Hey, people from other villages need to register to enter!"
Kotetsu, one of the eternal gate guards, stepped forward to stop her. But as soon as he stood up, he felt a wave of dizziness.
"Not good... an enemy... Izumo..."
In his fading consciousness, Kotetsu tried to raise his hand to alert his companion beside him.
But as his arm touched the other man, he was pulled to the ground, and both lost consciousness.
"How boring..."
The girl in the white haori walked up to the two, poking their cheeks with her finger.
Dense clusters of small snakes slithered out from the forest, wrapping up the two men and carrying them back into the woods.
Then, the standing girl's body began to change. Bones twisted, flesh swelled until her physique and appearance completely transformed into Kotetsu's likeness. The Chakra aura emanating from her also matched theirs perfectly before she stopped.
"Heh heh heh, now we can have some real fun!"
The newly-formed 'Kotetsu' twisted his neck, baring two sharp fangs as a slender tongue licked his lips.
He took a step forward into the range of Konoha's barrier, easily deceiving the Chakra-identifying seal, and infiltrated the village.
As if prepared in advance, he headed straight from the southern part of the village to Training Ground 3 in the north.
After several minutes of running and jumping, 'Kotetsu' arrived outside Training Ground 3, looking down to see the boy and girl eating bento inside.
"Found them!"
'Kotetsu' narrowed his eyes, bringing his hands together to form the final hand seal.
– Sage Art: White Rage Technique!
Ultrasonic waves undetectable by the human eardrum were transmitted through 'Kotetsu's' Chakra Vibrations. The Sage Art, fused with Natural Energy, possessed unparalleled stealth and high potency.
The resulting Genjutsu instantly crashed into the minds of the two below, disrupting their senses and projecting the illusion's contents onto their retinas.
Sakura and Sasuke, who had been chatting idly, suddenly found their surroundings drastically changed.
They were transported from the forested training ground into a dark, deep stone cavern.
"Who's there!"
Sasuke pulled out a kunai, positioning himself in front of Sakura.
"Well, are you the 'Dragon' who's been appearing in the Ninja World lately? Come play with me~"
'Kotetsu' opened his mouth, but a crisp, feminine voice came out. "If you don't have the appropriate level, then I'll devour your flesh and blood to evolve!"
'Kotetsu's' face, which had already begun to contort, pressed his crossed hands against the ground. Invisible waves spread outward from his palms.
The entire floor of the stone cave suddenly writhed. Two enormous snakes with gaping, ferocious maws surged up from the paste-like ground, roaring as they lunged to bite the pair.
Sasuke drew his sword, slashing at the earthen serpent.
Beside him, Sakura was even more direct. She didn't even bother to move, letting the giant snake bite down on her.
With a crunch, the hard earthen snake shattered upon biting and impact. In contrast, Sakura's skin wasn't even scratched.
'Hmm? A bit like Charlotte Linlin's [Steel Balloon]. Wait, will I become like that when I get old?' Lifting her perfectly unscathed arm, Sakura frowned with concern.
"Hisss!"
Both Sasuke and the floating 'Kotetsu' sucked in a sharp breath upon seeing Sakura take a Ninjutsu head-on with zero effect.
'What kind of Ninja can just tank a Ninjutsu with their bare body? Which one of us here is not human?'
"Sasuke, don't mind me. Go all out and take it down. There might be a surprise."
The moment the other party attacked, Sakura had already entered the flow state that triggered her future sight.
Having glimpsed events three seconds ahead, she raised her hand, calling out to Sasuke.
"Understood!"
Sasuke, who had been frustrated with pent-up anger and nowhere to vent it, slowly drew his longsword. Lightning Release chakra was released without restraint.
Simultaneously, the tomoes in his eyes spun, converging into the pattern of a blood-red hexagram.
His right eye's gaze fixed upon the opponent. The Mangekyo's Dojutsu, Ame no Tokotachi, activated, tearing open her Senjutsu Chakra to reveal the figure of a girl in a white long robe and pure white haori.
"What?"
The golden crown atop the floating girl's head swayed, revealing a surprised expression.
What followed was the blade in his hand. The longsword, burning with Armament Haki, howled as it tore through the air, emitting a long, low hum.
– One Sword Style: Thunder Dragon Chasing Fang!
The longsword, slashing from a tricky dead angle, broke through the girl's defenses, directly piercing her body and leaving a terrifying wound.
"Gah!"
Blood sprayed as the girl was struck down from mid-air, her entire body scorched by the blazing lightning.
She crashed heavily into the ground, creating a large crater.
At the same time, the fabricated surroundings dissolved. The two Chunin guarding the main gate were discovered, and a long alarm resounded throughout Konoha.
Anbu patrols swiftly arrived at Training Ground 3, surrounding it multiple layers deep.
Tsunade arrived with Shizune and Jiraiya, who happened to have returned to the village, finding Sakura standing innocently at the scene.
"Why is it that every time there's trouble, you're involved?"
Tsunade said with exasperation, stepping forward to lightly tap Sakura's forehead.
"Believe me, Tsunade-nee, I'd really like to know the answer to that myself."
Sakura stuck out her tongue playfully, hugging Tsunade's arm and nuzzling affectionately against her master.
"Traces of Natural Energy... this person used Senjutsu Chakra?"
After examining the girl collapsed in the crater, Jiraiya walked over to them.
"Let's go, take this one back first!"