"Huff, huff, huff…"
Sakura doubled over, hands on her knees, gasping for air.
Why was it that every time she tried a new technique, it managed to blow up in her face in a spectacular fashion? First, her Wind Style: Chakra Enhanced Strength had wrenched her arm out of its socket; then Fire Style: Rasenshuriken had come close to incinerating her along with her target— and now, she'd nearly been impaled by her own weapons due to a super-electromagnetic Lightning Style: Rasenshuriken!
"And it wasn't even my fault this time!" Sakura grumbled. "It was all those stupid Shadow Clones, running about on their own with those empty heads of theirs!"
Sakura sighed.
It was unfair of her to blame her Shadow Clones, especially since that would only lead back to blaming herself. If she considered herself expendable, she would no doubt have come up with the very same idea. Perhaps it would be wiser to stick with proven tried-and-true techniques, rather than attempting wild experiments in the heat of battle…
"SHA!" Sakura shouted, pumping her fist in the air to psyche herself up. "One Akatsuki member down, so… one, two, three…" She counted the Akatsuki members on her fingers before quickly giving up. "And who knows how many left to go!"
Feeling a cool breeze fluttering below, Sakura glanced down at herself.
"Ugh, this one's definitely earning the Kinjutsu label," she groaned, massaging her forehead in frustration. "Lightning Style: Rasenshuriken is far too dangerous for a beautiful girl like me… good thing Kakashi-sensei didn't make us get matching earrings like Asuma-sensei and Team 10…"
It appeared as though her newest technique was a double-edged sword.
Anything on her person containing even the slightest trace of iron or steel had been ripped away, sucked into the Rasenshuriken. This included, but was by no means limited to: belt buckles, jewellery, senbon, kunai, bra clasps, forehead protectors, and zips. Had she not thought to seal away the Manyū blade in the scroll currently clutched in her fist, it would have been reduced to scrap metal just like the rest of her belongings.
Which meant that, apart from the spats covering her backside, Sakura was completely naked from head to toe, leaving her considerable… forehead, shall we say, exposed for all to see.
She didn't mind losing her clothes and sandals, since a wardrobe full of identical pink and red garments awaited her at home, but the loss of her magical one-size-fits-all brassiere and her ninja forehead protector struck her especially hard.
The System had given her that brassiere as a reward, and it was designed to support her mammoth mammaries how much they might grow. As for her forehead protector, she'd worn that piece of metal embossed with the Konoha leaf-and-whirlpool upon her brow since her very first day in this world…
Oh well.
Since forehead protectors were mandatory equipment for all mission shinobi, she'd just have to get it replaced for a nominal fee. And she could always buy a new bra at the department store, now that they were available, though that would be rather expensive.
Ever since Hyde's attempted invasion force had made landfall in the south two years ago, the inhabitants of the shinobi continent had become aware of Temujin's continent. Sensing profits to be made, some opportunistic merchants had drafted new sea trade routes, allowing for "western" goods such as brassieres to be introduced to the shinobi continent's market.
(Sadly, Sakura had missed her chance to enter the women's undergarments market, choosing instead to focus on her patented miracle cream.)
(Visible results guaranteed within a month, or your ryō back!)
But even though those two items weren't irreplaceable, her precious bra and forehead protector were still meaningful to her, so losing them…
"GYAH!!" Sakura screamed, stopping dead in her tracks. "I forgot all about Guy-sensei!!"
How could she have possibly forgotten about the man she'd stayed behind to save? She'd got carried away by the adrenaline rush of beating one of the Akatsuki on her own! Without hesitation, Sakura spun on her heel and ran back the way she'd come.
"Oh, please, please, please still be alive!" Sakura prayed, clutching her breasts in her left arm as she ran. "Your disciple can't even open the 7th gate, so we need you to stall Madara, Guy-sensei!"
Even though it was only late afternoon, darkness was already beginning to fall. Grey clouds gathered overhead, looking ripe to burst and spill their watery guts upon the land below.
The mountainous Land of Rivers formed part of a chain of mountains separating the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind from the rest of the shinobi continent. This mountain barrier blocked clouds that might otherwise have brought rain to the arid deserts of the Land of Wind, resulting in a markedly wetter climate on the Land of Rivers' side.
In turn, the numerous rivers that flowed from these heights then trickled into the Land of Fire, providing natural irrigation to the continent's most fertile region, while the Land of Wind withered away and suffered from droughts.
Perfectly balanced, as all things should be!
As she neared the scorched battlefield she had left behind a short while ago, scattered voices began to reach Sakura's ears. Instantly, she ceased kneading chakra to lessen the chance of being sensed by the unknown party and slipped behind a tree for cover.
After counting to three, Sakura peeked out from behind her hiding place to see what was going on. Beige flak jackets, turbans, sun robes… they looked like Sand shinobi to Sakura, and they most likely were. Things hadn't exactly happened like in the original timeline, Sakura reminded herself. They were likely giving chase to Gaara's kidnappers… which would be Guy buried somewhere under all the soot.
Sakura hoped Guy's Akatsuki disguise hadn't slipped during Gaara's extraction, or she'd have trouble convincing the Sand people to give him back to her.
"There's someone buried down here!" someone exclaimed. "Weak vitals, but they're alive!"
Sakura let out a quiet sigh of relief… but hang on, who was that wizened, old woman now coming over?
"Let me see," came the crone's ancient voice. "A Leaf shinobi, eh? If someone's buried him alive, then it stands to reason that whoever did so will be coming back for him… expand the search radius."
"Yes!"
Sakura suddenly realised the reason for the disquieting feeling that had settled in the pit of her stomach. That old woman was Granny Chiyo… but back during the Chūnin exams, hadn't Temari claimed that the two Honoured Siblings, Chiyo and Ebizō, had died at the hands of the usurpers before her very eyes?
If that was the case, then who was the old woman standing over Guy's unconscious body? Was it really her, or had the White Zetsu put on a show for Temari, back then…?
Whatever the case, Sakura was in big trouble… and to make matters worse, she was still topless! And she couldn't even use the Transformation Jutsu to make herself presentable, as the activation of Ninjutsu would obviously alert the Sensor-nin among the Sand shinobi trackers!