Sakura Haruno rushed along with Terumi Mei. They weren't far from Kusagakure now.
Although she didn't know what kind of answers she would get in Kusagakure, this was something happening to her, and Sakura felt she had a responsibility to figure it out.
Even though she had been driven out of the village, her family and friends were still there. Moreover, Junko was with her parents. If something really happened, Sakura would definitely regret it.
They traveled nonstop for two consecutive days. The journey was quiet; apart from Hidan at the beginning, they hadn't encountered any other conflicts. Finally, at dusk, the two of them reached the border of the Land of Grass.
Looking at the Enra Bridge, which connected the borders of the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass, Sakura felt a bit emotional seeing the smoke that perennially shrouded the bridge.
Returning here after nearly a year filled Sakura's heart with complex feelings. It was here that she had been ambushed by Kusagakure and subsequently rescued.
"Is this the place?" Terumi Mei asked, shrinking back a little fearfully as she looked at the smoke-wreathed bridge. "It feels so gloomy here."
Hearing Mei say this, Sakura couldn't help but shiver. The sky was gradually darkening, and there were no pedestrians on the bridge. At first glance, the smoke-shrouded appearance was indeed quite frightening. The Bridge of Helplessness probably wasn't much different.
Although Sakura had never seen the Bridge of Helplessness, she imagined it would be similar to the scene before her.
"Let's go. We'll be there once we cross the bridge," Sakura said, shaking her head.
"Mhm," Terumi Mei nodded and followed closely behind Sakura.
As the two walked onto the bridge and had just passed the halfway point, a figure suddenly appeared silently before them. Sakura tensed up instantly, assuming a battle stance.
Seeing Sakura on guard, Terumi Mei also drew the Executioner's Blade from her back and warily watched the figure that had suddenly appeared.
Could it be Kirigakure ANBU? Sakura cursed inwardly. So that's why I haven't seen them along the way; they got ahead of me. The thick fog on this Enra Bridge is indeed suitable terrain for them.
Red Leaf Village was now close at hand; escaping was not an option. Thinking of this, Sakura directly activated her Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Let's make this quick.
Just as Sakura was preparing to charge, the figure opposite them gradually approached. Seeing the person's face through the mist, Sakura stumbled and nearly fell.
"Long time no see, Haruno Sakura," the figure said.
"Hmph," Sakura deactivated her Lightning Release Chakra Mode and snorted with dissatisfaction. "How did you know I was here? Kabuto?"
"That's not difficult to explain," Kabuto said with a shrug. "After you and Lord Orochimaru parted ways in the Land of Sea, Lord Orochimaru made a trip to the Land of Water."
Orochimaru went to the Land of Water? With his intelligence-gathering capabilities, he must know everything that happened to me in the Land of Water. But this still doesn't explain how Orochimaru would know I was heading to Red Leaf Village in the Land of Grass, unless...
Sakura narrowed her eyes at Kabuto...
"That's right," Kabuto said, pushing up his glasses. "Lord Orochimaru already knows about what happened between you and me last time..."
"Then why aren't you dead yet?" Sakura interrupted Kabuto. "Prying into Orochimaru's forbidden jutsu, you weren't killed by him?"
"Because I never hid anything," Kabuto said, spreading his hands. "Besides, using a forbidden jutsu to glimpse the power of a god is a very worthwhile trade."
"That's not what you said back then," Sakura said, staring intently at Kabuto.
At that time, Kabuto had indicated that his actions were unauthorized.
"Because back then, you belonged to Konoha," Kabuto said. "Now, you're a rogue ninja."
Hearing Kabuto say this, Sakura seemed to understand something. Perhaps Kabuto felt that she was in Konoha's camp, and Orochimaru was Konoha's enemy. If Orochimaru had approached her directly, she might not have agreed at all.
And if it were one of Orochimaru's subordinates acting on their own initiative, perhaps she would have thought Kabuto had rebellious intentions towards Orochimaru and could dismantle Orochimaru's forces from within, thus agreeing. Whether it was a real agreement or a fake one, at least she wouldn't have refused outright.
Furthermore, Orochimaru might not have even known about this matter initially; Kabuto might have reported it to Orochimaru only after the deal was concluded.
If she hadn't been in Konoha's camp, perhaps Kabuto would have reported to Orochimaru immediately after learning she knew a way to resurrect people, and the one who came to make the deal would have been Orochimaru. Unfortunately, at that time, she was in Konoha's camp and was the Fifth Hokage's disciple.
Heh, as expected of a spy who has operated in the Five Great Nations for years. Kabuto, with his spy mentality, acted first and reported later. Even though I knew the plot, I was still deceived by him. No, or rather, I underestimated Kabuto's loyalty to Orochimaru.
No, that's wrong. I should say I underestimated the brainwashing skills of that cult leader, Orochimaru.
Unfortunately, she hadn't thought that much at the time. Even if Orochimaru had come then, she would have made a deal with him. In the eyes of outsiders, she was a representative of Konoha's new generation, educated under the Will of Fire, and the Hokage's disciple, so she was naturally loyal to Konoha.
But how could they know that her worldview had already been formed and was not influenced by the Will of Fire at all? She had indeed underestimated the people here. Although she had a god's perspective, when it came to scheming and power plays, the people here were not necessarily inferior to those in her original world.
Seeing that Sakura seemed to understand, Kabuto smiled and took out a scroll. "What you want is here."
Sakura felt no ripple in her heart. "Where's Orochimaru?" she asked.
"Lord Orochimaru is not here at the moment," Kabuto said. "But rest assured, I'm not deceiving you this time, because you no longer belong to Konoha."
"What are the terms of the deal?" Sakura asked. "My status is different now, so the terms must have changed, right?"
Sakura remembered Orochimaru telling her in the Land of Sea that they would meet again. Could he have been referring to using Impure World Reincarnation to make her follow him?
"Naturally, they've changed," Kabuto said, pushing up his glasses. "Lord Orochimaru is very interested in you right now. He wants you."
Hearing Kabuto's words, Sakura felt a chill run down her spine. "Does he want me as his vessel?"
"No, no, no," Kabuto shook his head. "Lord Orochimaru is not interested in your body. He is interested in your knowledge."
Kabuto pointed to his head.
Sakura was silent for a moment. "I understand. However, I have things to do right now. We can talk about this later."
Join Orochimaru? Don't even think about it. Cooperation is possible, but joining him is just asking for a shorter life.
Pulling Terumi Mei, she walked past Kabuto and headed off the bridge. Kabuto watched Sakura leave so abruptly and said calmly, "You forgot to take this."
With that, he tossed the scroll in his hand towards Sakura.
Surprised, Sakura caught the thrown scroll and asked warily, "What do you mean by this?"
Although she really wanted this forbidden jutsu, she couldn't be sure it wasn't a sugar-coated poison pill or some kind of trap.
"It means nothing," Kabuto said. "This is Lord Orochimaru's intention. Whether you agree or not, this jutsu now belongs to you."
Weighing the scroll in her hand, Sakura fell into deep thought. She didn't believe Orochimaru was being kind. She had just been deceived by Kabuto, and now he was presenting her with a scroll. She wouldn't believe there wasn't a motive, not even if she were beaten to death.
But even if he wanted to recruit her, there was no need to give it to her now, right?
She looked up, preparing to ask Kabuto a few more questions, but found that Kabuto had already disappeared.
Sakura's jaw ached a little. Forget it. If I can't figure it out, I'll just take it and see. If it's a trap, Mei is right here. At worst, I'll use her as an experiment.