"Ninja Art: Super Beast Imitating Drawing!"
Two ink lions surged out from the scroll, pouncing directly toward Sakura.
Sakura looked at the lions rushing at her with a calm, unbothered expression.
Sai.
In the original timeline, he was the member who joined Team 7 three years after Sasuke left Konohagakure. He was also Ino's future husband.
However, what impressed Sakura the most about this guy was his complexion. Someone who had been dead for three days wouldn't be as pale as him!
With a casual strike, she smashed the ink lions into countless splashing droplets. Sakura was about to step forward and subdue him, but under Sai's control, the splattered ink transformed into streams of black water, swirling around to bind her.
Her emerald eyes glanced at the rushing black liquid.
She reached out, grabbed it, and crushed it instantly.
Seeing his secret technique easily countered, Sai prepared to weave more hand seals to stall Sakura, hoping to buy time for Danzo to undo his seal. Yet, the moment he glanced back at Danzo, the pink silhouette had already appeared behind him, completely undetected.
"You dare to look away while facing me?"
"Who gave you the nerve?"
The arrogant yet matter-of-fact words came from Sakura's mouth, causing Sai's heart to thud violently. He tried to draw a kunai from his ninja tool pouch to fight back, but...
A fist had already appeared right in front of his face!
No, it couldn't even be called a fist. Sakura hadn't even clenched her hand; it was as if she were simply swatting at him casually!
Facing that hand just inches away, Sai's expression changed drastically.
Am I... not even worthy of making her clench her fist?!
Under the overwhelming disparity in strength, that hand instantly shattered the mask on Sai's face, revealing his delicate features. The next moment, he was blasted backward by an irresistible, massive force. Clad in his Root uniform, Sai rolled across the ground like a ragged sack before coming to a complete halt, completely motionless.
"Tie him up," Sakura said, glancing back at Sasuke.
Without a moment's hesitation, Sasuke pulled out some ninja wire and deftly tied the unconscious Sai hand and foot.
Cold sweat poured down Danzo Shimura's face as he watched the pink-haired girl effortlessly dispatch his subordinate just a short distance away. At this moment, the seal on his arm was only half undone. If this pink-haired brat decided to strike now...
"Ah, go ahead. I'll wait," Sakura said, as if reading Danzo Shimura's mind. She considerately gestured for him to relax and properly undo the seal.
Danzo Shimura grit his teeth tightly.
Things had already come to this. Framed with the crime of assassinating the Daimyo, there was no way he could clear his name now. His earlier attempt to snatch the official decree could easily be used to solidify the charges with just a bit of manipulation. Especially since that young Daimyo was entirely on Sakura Haruno's side...
Danzo Shimura forced himself to calm down as more and more shinobi began to gather around them. The remaining members of Root closely shielded Danzo Shimura, eyeing everyone around them with extreme vigilance. To these brainwashed operatives, legitimacy mattered little; their only duty was to obey Lord Danzo's orders.
"Sakura Haruno..."
With a grim expression, Danzo Shimura slowly undid the seal on his arm while staring at the pink-haired girl across from him. Since this brat was arrogant enough to give him time to undo the seal, he had to use this window to devise an escape plan.
"What?" Sakura tilted her head. To her, Danzo Shimura was merely making a final, desperate struggle.
The reason she was giving Danzo Shimura time to undo the seal was to crush him so thoroughly that he could never rise again. After all, the so-called assassination of the Daimyo was just a pretext. A brief investigation would easily lead right back to Sakura.
Since the original body left me, a Shadow Clone, here... then the original must be at...
Even on the day of the Hokage Inauguration Ceremony, all departments in Konohagakure operated as usual, never grinding to a halt just because a new Hokage was taking office.
Information. Back when Sakura was tracking down the Seven-Tails, she had specifically gone to the Intelligence Division to look up information regarding Fuu. And as a Jinchuriki, any information concerning Fuu was classified at the highest level—S-rank information.
Tatami Iwashi.
He was the one who had handled Fuu's information for Sakura back then. He was also a member of Minato Namikaze's Flying Raijin Squad.
The three members of the Flying Raijin Squad had gone their separate ways after Minato Namikaze's death, entering different departments within Konohagakure. Raido Namiashi served in the ANBU and had once been Sakura's teammate there. Genma Shiranui had become a regular Jonin, getting by on day-to-day missions. Meanwhile, Tatami Iwashi had joined the Intelligence Division.
Sakura had previously crossed paths with this middle-aged, bearded man during the battlefield campaign in the Land of Rivers. When the Third Hokage ordered Sakura to go from the Land of Rivers to the Land of Whirlpools, he had reformed the Flying Raijin Squad to transport her across the countries using the Flying Raijin Formation.
Having been busy all day, Tatami Iwashi stretched his arms as he looked out the window at the bright, sunny weather.
"Ah, what a headache. There are always so many things to do every single day..."
Complaining out of habit about the heavy workload, the man flipped through the thick stacks of documents before him.
"Takashi, I'm going outside for a smoke. Want to come along?" the man spoke to the colleague next to him, who was just as swamped with work.
"No thanks, I have way too much intelligence to process here. Go ahead without me. Looks like I'll have to work overtime tonight anyway," the man named Takashi shook his head helplessly.
"Tch, alright then. I really envy those guys who actually have the time to attend the Hokage ceremony. Unlike us, working ourselves to the bone all day just to earn a few measly pennies..." Tatami Iwashi stood up and walked out of the room.
"Stop whining. If I recall correctly, didn't you volunteer to join the Intelligence Division back then?" Takashi teased, watching the departing man.
"Ugh, a single lapse in judgment leads to a lifetime of regret~~~" The man shook his head with a helpless laugh.
In the outdoor smoking area, the man found a stone to sit on and smoothly pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He slipped out the final cigarette, tossed the empty pack onto the ground, and with a crisp click of his lighter, a dancing flame licked the tip of the white paper.
He took a deep, heavy drag. Light blue smoke drifted from the man's mouth. The soothing effect of the nicotine briefly washed away his work fatigue.
Suddenly, a figure appeared right in front of Tatami Iwashi.
"Want to try one of these?"
A fair-skinned hand held out a brand-new pack of cigarettes, offering it to Tatami Iwashi.
"Uh, Lady Sakura?" Tatami Iwashi stared blankly at the young girl before him, completely dazed and at a loss for words.
This person was currently the most enigmatic figure in Konohagakure. Everyone thought that with her unparalleled military exploits, the position of Hokage was a done deal for her. Yet, to everyone's absolute shock, Danzo Shimura ended up taking the mantle. If possible, Tatami Iwashi did not want to have too much to do with the girl in front of him.
Having been holed up in the Intelligence Division all day, Tatami Iwashi had no idea what was currently unfolding at the Hokage Residence. Looking at the pack of cigarettes in the girl's hand, Tatami Iwashi felt that it wasn't a smoke at all, but a political hot potato—one he could neither refuse nor accept.
"What's the matter? Not your brand?" Sakura's voice rang out once more, sending a sharp prickle of anxiety straight through Tatami Iwashi's scalp.
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