The towering snow-capped mountains were battered by a fierce blizzard. A tall, burly man stood at the summit, his pure white robe flapping wildly in the wind. The biting cold did nothing to stir even a flicker of emotion on his face. The once unruly temper that defined him had been worn away by the relentless grind of war. Now, only cold indifference remained etched on his features.
"Big brother..."
A man dressed in white ninja attire, wearing sunglasses and carrying seven swords on his back, hesitated as he looked at the figure before him. Killer B, who should have been intimately familiar with the Raikage, now felt an almost imperceptible sense of estrangement from the man standing in front of him.
"B, do you think this war is worth it?"
The Raikage's voice was as deep and powerful as ever, but it lacked the fiery drive that once fueled his words.
"..."
Killer B didn't know how to respond, but he could feel it. Before the Raikage had set out, that unshakable confidence, that unstoppable momentum, had gradually eroded. Now, the Raikage carried a weight that Killer B couldn't comprehend.
Standing behind the two brothers, Darui watched them with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. The death of C was indeed a pity, but it had brought about the Raikage as he was now. If given the chance to do it all over again, Darui would have let C die without hesitation. In his eyes, the sacrifice of one C for the current Raikage was worth it.
Killer B couldn't understand the "weight" the Raikage spoke of, but Darui could. It was a sense of stability, something even the Third Raikage had never possessed.
The Raikage, not hearing a response from Killer B, turned and began walking down the mountain path. His voice seemed to linger in the air...
"Inform Orochimaru. He must appear for the final assault tomorrow. Otherwise, he'll face the consequences."
...
As the towering figure disappeared from view, Killer B's gaze, shielded by his sunglasses, looked down from the mountain peak. The endless expanse of white stretched as far as the eye could see. It was truly cold here...
"B, focus on your duties. The Raikage has been... very tired lately."
Darui stepped forward, patting Killer B on the shoulder, then whispered a few words into his ear. Killer B was left scratching his head in confusion.
"B, be wary of Zetsu around the Raikage. If you get the chance..."
The biting wind drowned out Darui's words.
Unnoticed by anyone, a pair of eyes watched them from an inconspicuous corner.
"Ara~ This guy is quite sharp..."
"Don't worry, he'll be dead soon. We don't need people who are too clever."
"What a shame. He was quite interesting..."
A black-and-white face emerged from the ground, as if engaged in a self-dialogue, two distinct voices emanating from the same mouth.
...
The face slowly sank back into the ground, as if it had never been there. The cold wind swept the snow, stirring the dark clouds hanging over Kumogakure, and ruffling Sakura's pink hair.
Sakura seemed to sense something, her gaze instinctively drawn to the towering snow-capped mountain in the distance. It was the place where she had once fought the Two-Tails. No matter where you stood in the Land of Frost, that mountain was always visible.
A strange premonition welled up in her heart, causing Sakura to furrow her brow slightly. Shaking off the distracting thoughts, she picked up her medical kit and entered a nearby tent.
This was Mei Terumī's quarters. On her second day at the Konoha camp, Mei had come down with a fever. Crossing the sea and enduring the cold wind had taken its toll, and even someone as strong as her couldn't withstand the extreme cold. After all, most ninjas—aside from taijutsu specialists like Sakura and Tsunade—were relatively fragile. A severe fever could easily render them combat-ineffective.
Strictly speaking, even ninjas like Might Guy and the Raikage were vulnerable. A single stab could still kill them.
Pulling aside the tent flap, Sakura saw a figure lying on the bed. She sat down beside Mei, first placing her hand on the other woman's forehead to feel the scorching heat, then pulling out a thermometer from her kit.
"Open your mouth."
Sakura glanced at the dazed Mei and spoke. Mei obediently opened her mouth, her emerald-green eyes fixed on Sakura.
This kid had been hanging around Jiraiya and Kakashi since yesterday but hadn't said a word. She must be some Konoha official's child. After all, only someone with connections could stay close to someone like Jiraiya.
Due to Kirigakure's information blockade, not only did Konoha lack intel on Kirigakure, but Kirigakure was also in the dark about the outside world. Their knowledge was stuck a decade in the past, except for figures so prominent they couldn't be ignored—like Kakashi, the Copy Ninja.
As a result, Mei knew absolutely nothing about Sakura.
Seeing that enough time had passed, Sakura removed the thermometer from Mei's mouth, a thin, glistening strand of saliva trailing behind it. Mei felt a twinge of embarrassment but quickly dismissed it, thinking the kid in front of her was just a twelve- or thirteen-year-old brat.
Sakura wiped the thermometer on Mei's blanket.
42 degrees Celsius. As expected of the future Mizukage—even her fevers pushed the thermometer to its limits.
Medical ninjas and ordinary doctors were completely different. A regular doctor might resort to injections and medication for such a high fever, but a medical ninja...
Sakura placed her hand on Mei's burning forehead, a green glow emanating from her palm. The moment Sakura activated her medical ninjutsu, Mei was momentarily stunned. She had considered the possibility that the kid carrying the medical kit might be a medical ninja, but when Sakura actually used medical ninjutsu, Mei realized she had underestimated her.
The effects of the advanced medical ninjutsu were immediate. A cooling sensation spread through her body, as if she had been plunged into an ice cellar, bringing her immense relief.
Though Mei knew nothing about Sakura, this display of medical ninjutsu alone was enough to surpass 99% of Kirigakure's medical ninjas.
"Are you a medical ninja?" Mei asked, feeling the coolness on her forehead.
Sakura, while maintaining her medical ninjutsu, looked at Mei as if she were an idiot. Was her brain fried from the fever? What kind of question was that? It was like asking an air conditioning repairman what his job was.
"Isn't it obvious?" Sakura retorted, her voice crisp and clear.
"Uh..." Mei pulled the blanket over half her face, leaving only her eyes and forehead exposed. Her emerald-green eyes gazed innocently at Sakura as she mumbled, "I meant your medical ninjutsu is impressive..."
Seeing Mei's childish demeanor, Sakura's expression remained unchanged, though she sighed inwardly. Was this woman really trying to act cute with her? Had the fever addled her brain?
Heh, woman, you've piqued my interest... But alas, your efforts are in vain. My sights are set on the stars and the seas, not on a delicate beauty like you!
Feeling that Mei's temperature had dropped significantly, Sakura pulled out a large, unlabeled white jar from her medical kit, which took up half the space. Under Mei's watchful gaze, Sakura retrieved a black pill the size of a baby's fist.
Sakura's Exclusive Secret Soldier Pill (Enhanced Edition)! A cure-all wonder! One pill to sharpen your mind, two to banish fatigue, three to achieve immortality! Oh yeah!
Mei blinked, staring at the black, unidentifiable object in Sakura's hand. What was this? It looked too big to be an oral medication.
"Open your mouth."
???
Mei instinctively didn't want to comply, but the person in front of her was a doctor, and a doctor's orders were to be followed. Before she could react, the pill was shoved into her mouth!
"Mmmph!"
The moment it entered her mouth, it felt like a bolt of lightning had struck Mei's skull. Even with her taste buds dulled by the fever, the sheer intensity of the flavor overwhelmed her. What was this taste?! Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty—it was as if her tongue had been instantly paralyzed! The texture was gritty, like sand, making it nearly impossible to swallow.
The massive pill triggered an immediate gag reflex, and Mei's eyes rolled back as her body convulsed. But under Sakura's firm grip, her struggles were futile. In fact, watching others suffer through her medicine was one of Sakura's few guilty pleasures. It was a strange satisfaction, knowing that the very thing meant to heal them was also something they desperately wanted to avoid.
The more Mei resisted, the more excited Sakura became!
"Just swallow it! You'll feel better once it's down!"
Sakura's eyes sparkled with glee as she clamped her hand over Mei's mouth, pinning her down and "encouraging" her to take the medicine. To maximize her amusement, Sakura had omitted the licorice root, which would have made the pill slightly more palatable.
After a while, Mei stopped struggling. Tears of helplessness streamed from her emerald-green eyes as the dreaded pill finally made its way down her throat.
"Good girl~ You'll feel much better now."
Sakura smiled with satisfaction, pinching Mei's cheek before climbing off her. Seeing the triumphant look on Sakura's face, Mei gritted her teeth, tears still in her eyes, and angrily asked, "What did you just make me eat?!"
She had thought the pink-haired girl in front of her would be a comforting, angelic figure. Instead, she had been force-fed some monstrous concoction. And to make matters worse, she hadn't been able to resist at all. This pink-haired brat was definitely a sadist! She had been deceived by her innocent appearance!
"Sakura's Exclusive Secret Soldier Pill! Want another one? It'll cure all your ailments! One pill today, and tomorrow you'll be uprooting trees with your bare hands!"
Holding up the pill, Sakura enthusiastically promoted her secret formula. She even planned to turn it into an oral elixir someday, so even unconscious patients could "enjoy" her creation. After all, it wouldn't kill anyone, and it would quickly replenish chakra. Even if you weren't low on chakra, having one now and then wouldn't hurt!
Plus, Sakura's soldier pills had eliminated the traditional side effect of constipation! Such a fantastic product was hard to come by!
"You little brat..." Mei sat up in bed, feeling the urge to vomit. That thing had been so disgusting, it felt like it had taken years off her life. And now this kid wanted to give her another one?! No way! She'd rather die than take a second pill!
Sakura pouted at Mei's reaction. "Actually, taking two at once would be even more effective. But since you don't want it, forget it. You're pretty much healed anyway."
Mei was fuming. What did she mean, "two at once would be more effective"? One was bad enough! But then she paused. She was feeling better?
Mei realized her body no longer felt weak and sluggish. In fact, she even felt a bit hungry.
"Well, that's that. I'm off."
Sakura packed up her things and prepared to leave.
"Uh..." Mei instinctively wanted to call out to Sakura, but before she could, Sakura stopped at the tent entrance and spoke first.
"Oh, by the way. Just so you know, I'm a guy."
With that, the pink-haired figure left.
???
!!!
Mei froze in place. What did she just say? She was a guy? No way! She looked so cute! How could she be a boy?!
--
Sakura left Mei's tent in high spirits. Had she said something wrong? She was a guy, after all. Whether others believed it or not, Sakura certainly did. Messing with the future Fifth Mizukage had been quite satisfying.
Though Sakura had also considered messing with Tsunade... Ehh, better not. Tsunade was so kind and gentle. Sakura would feel too guilty.
She did, however, plan to research how to turn her secret soldier pills into an oral elixir and have the Hokage promote it widely, ensuring every Konoha ninja carried it. That way, even without a medical ninja present, Konoha's casualty rates could be significantly reduced. Sakura was certain of this.
As for the taste? When your life was on the line, did flavor really matter? Sakura was doing this out of the kindness of her heart, for the greater good of Konoha! It was a win-win for everyone!
Sakura felt a swell of self-satisfaction. She'd have Sasuke and Naruto be the first to test it... er, try it out. Oh, and Karin and Ino too. The more test subjects, the better the data.
--
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