Exhausted from using two Mangekyō abilities in quick succession, all the while regenerating her failing body with the Creation Rebirth Jutsu, Sakura's eyes rolled back in her head, and she fainted. She had repaired most of the critical damage to her body, and, most importantly, restored her spine… but she remained in mortal danger.
Shinnō lifted his foot above Sakura's head. It would be all too easy to crush it, like splitting a watermelon at the beach…
"Sen…sei…" Amaru croaked, stretching out her hand towards him.
Doubt crept into Shinnō's heart as he shifted his gaze between his disciple and Sakura. Was the path of vengeance truly as righteous as he had believed? Was a legacy of terror really what he wished to leave behind? Had he not done far more good for the world as a doctor?
All he needed to do was sit upon Ancor Vantian's throne and activate its ultimate weapon. The Hidden Leaf Village would be wiped from the map, and the other four great villages would soon follow, and the Land of Sky's ambitions would at last be realised. He was so close, and yet...
The image of Amaru's face, smiling and calling him master, kept appearing before his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Amaru," said Shinnō softly, as he strode towards his throne with renewed determination. "I now know what must be done."
…
Meanwhile, the Hidden Leaf Village below was on high alert, and the Konoha Council had gathered in the Hokage's office to discuss the emergency.
Hyūga Hinata, along with the few shinobi who had mastered the Super Beast Scroll Ninja Art, had been sent on an away mission to pursue the Land of Sky ninjas who had attacked the village— and they had not yet returned, leaving the village defenceless against the flying fortress that loomed on the horizon.
"What use is there in sheltering and feeding a useless Jinchūriki," Danzō said witheringly, "if we cannot make use of him?"
He slammed his fist on Tsunade's desk and stared provocatively at the two other members of the Konoha Council, his old friends. It was, he thought wryly, rather satisfying to be on the other side of this desk, to be the one shouting from behind it for a change.
"I understand your concerns, naturally," said Homura peaceably, "but what about the Akatsuki? If they find out that Gaara is being kept here in the Hidden Leaf…"
"Homura is correct," said Koharu, peering at Danzō through narrowed eyes. "It is far too soon to reveal our cards. We should wait and see. The flying fortress has stopped moving."
Danzō snorted.
Cowards, the pair of them. Just like that overly cautious monkey, Hiruzen. What was there to consider? The Akatsuki had already stripped the other villages of half of their Tailed Beasts, while the Hidden Leaf now possessed twice as many. What better time, he thought, to launch another war and reap even greater benefits for the village?
"Enough!" roared Danzō. "Don't you forget, I am the Hokage!"
"Acting Hokage, you mean," said Koharu drily. "You'll regret this, Danzō."
"Look!" Homura suddenly shouted, pointing at the window.
Danzō swivelled around in his chair and stared out of the window. The Ancor Vantian was falling out of the sky! While he'd been wasting time arguing with the Konoha Council, the problem had solved itself of its own accord!
He was a hero!
"The Zero-Tails," he growled. "I must have it!"
With unlimited Zero-Tails and Hashirama cell samples, Shigaraki Tanuki would be able to create as many yōkai embryos for Project: Gozu Tennō as he needed, allowing him to eliminate Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure in one fell swoop! It was all falling into place: soon, Konohagakure would become the only hidden village the world needed…
…
Sakura woke up with a start.
"An unfamiliar ceiling…" she murmured.
Sensing a heavy weight pressing on her chest, Sakura propped herself on her elbows and struggled into a sitting position in her hospital bed. She stared at the undulating expanse of creamy white breast flesh before her: she had run out of chakra regenerating herself, so her Transformation had come undone, restoring her U-cup breasts. She lifted an arm and checked her sides and her backside. She was fully healed, but she was almost certain that she hadn't finished restoring her body back then…
"You've just missed your parents," came a familiar voice from behind the curtain dividing her bed from the one on her left. "Shall I call them back for you?"
"Lady Tsunade!" Sakura exclaimed.
In her excitement, Sakura leaned over the side of her bed to draw back the curtain, but, owing to her rather high centre of gravity, she toppled over, dragging the dividers with her in her fall and becoming tangled in the white fabric like a mummy.
"Lady Tsunade!" Sakura squealed again, popping to her feet once she had freed herself from her bindings. "You're okay!"
The Fifth Hokage lay in bed, a towering stack of paperwork sitting pell-mell on her bedside table. Much to Tsunade's surprise, Sakura flung herself into her arms and hugged her tightly. With a resigned sigh, the older woman patted her disciple's head gently.
"In no small part thanks to you and Team 7, I hear," said Tsunade. "You brought back Doctor Shinnō— okay, that's enough skinship, already!"
Tsunade pulled Sakura's head out of her own generous cleavage. Disappointed, Sakura returned to her bed and sat down, her enormous breasts pooling in her lap.
"What happened, Milady?" asked Sakura tentatively.
"I was hoping you'd tell me," Tsunade grumbled. "I'm told you were found in Shinnō-sensei's arms, in the midst of the ruins of the Land of Sky's flying fortress. He brought you and that little disciple of his back to the hospital and treated you, telling us that you were a hero and that you had saved the entire village."
Sakura was astonished. The last she had seen of Shinnō, he had snapped her in half with a single punch and had been on the verge of sitting in his doomsday chair… had her Talk no Jutsu actually worked?
"We spoke a little; Doctor Shinnō gave me a few helpful ideas on how to treat Isaribi-chan's mutations, and then he left, leaving his disciple here in the next bed. You were both badly hurt," Tsunade continued. "So, how about that mission report? How did you get involved in all of this?"
So, Shinnō had finally seen the light, yet he had not turned himself in. Perhaps he thought the best way to atone for his sins was to continue his work as a doctor. It seemed that Amaru's fellow villagers were all safe as well. They probably hadn't witnessed Shinnō's betrayal firsthand, and so, in all likelihood, Sakura and Amaru were the only ones who knew that the doctor was, in truth, the self-proclaimed Sky Emperor. Knowing that Shinnō had held her life in the palm of his hand and still chose to spare her, Sakura decided against tattling on him.
"Where should I begin?" said Sakura helplessly, scratching her head. "I think I was asleep half the time…"