"How did you discover you could use this technique?" Sakura Haruno asked Karin curiously, seated in a teahouse.
"Well... ever since we came back from the Land of Grass last time, I found that when I gather and erupt my chakra, this kind of thing comes out," Karin said, holding her teacup. "At first, it wasn't successful every time, and it consumed a lot of chakra. Later, I slowly got the hang of it."
"Oh, is that so..." Sakura Haruno lowered her head in thought. More than a week had passed since the events in the Land of Grass. Karin had mastered the Adamantine Sealing Chains within a week. She didn't know if this was fast or slow; after all, her own Storm Release bloodline limit was artificially synthesized, and she wasn't very familiar with innate bloodline limits.
However, it seemed likely that Karin had initially awakened the Adamantine Sealing Chains in the Land of Grass, probably due to the stimulus she had experienced there. At this thought, a pang of pain shot through Sakura Haruno's heart.
Seeing Sakura remain silent, Karin also lowered her head without speaking. A silence fell between the two.
Just then, a ninja suddenly appeared beside their table. "Sakura Haruno," he said to her, "Lady Fifth Hokage has asked me to take you to see her. Please come with me."
Sakura Haruno looked up and saw a ninja with a somewhat pale complexion. She recognized him: Hayate Gekko, the proctor from the Chunin Exams.
"I understand," Sakura said, standing up. She then said to Karin, "You go home first. I'll be back shortly. That technique... you can practice it more..."
"Yes," Karin replied somewhat reluctantly, not because she was unwilling to practice the Adamantine Sealing Chains, but because she was reluctant for Sakura to leave.
"Lead the way," Sakura Haruno said to Hayate Gekko.
"Follow me. The Fifth Hokage is on the Hokage Monument," Hayate Gekko said, his eyes, as he led the way, were somber, and his expression seemed a little unnatural.
Sakura, unconcerned, followed behind with her arms clasped behind her head. Though she didn't understand why her master was summoning her here instead of the Hokage's office, she figured it probably wasn't anything important. As it happened, she also had something she wanted to tell her master.
Following Hayate Gekko, she ascended the Hokage Rock face area. This was the highest point in the village, and behind it lay a desolate, rocky training ground. Sasuke had once mastered Chidori here.
As they ventured deeper, Sakura noticed they were getting further and further from the village center. Although they hadn't left the village boundaries, they were already approaching the outskirts.
Sakura looked at Hayate Gekko, who was still walking ahead, and, sensing something, spoke, "Actually, Lady Fifth Hokage didn't summon me at all, did she?"
Hayate Gekko's walking pace faltered, his body visibly stiffening. With his back still to Sakura, he said, "That's right. Lady Fifth Hokage didn't summon you. It was... I who summoned you..."
"Oh?" Sakura crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Hayate Gekko. "Then what business do you have with me?"
Hayate Gekko didn't answer, merely standing there silently. Just as Sakura was about to press further, a cold glint suddenly slashed towards her from behind, aiming for her waist. If it connected, Sakura would be bisected.
And the source of that sudden cold glint was Hayate Gekko, wielding a slender longsword. Though his blade had seemingly cut her in two, Hayate Gekko's heart suddenly lurched with alarm. He retreated explosively backward, his gaze fixed warily ahead.
The image of Sakura Haruno in front of him slowly vanished. At the same time, a soft voice sounded from behind Hayate Gekko, "Why did you attack me?"
With a swish, Hayate Gekko spun around, executing a circular slash. But he only heard a thud. His sword was stopped dead in its tracks.
Cold sweat beaded on Hayate Gekko's forehead, his expression one of terror as he saw his attacking sword lightly caught between two of Sakura's fingers. Hayate Gekko tried to pull his sword free, but those delicate white fingers seemed to possess the strength of a thousand jun. Even when he exerted all his might, the sword remained as steady as Mount Tai, firmly clamped between her two fingers.
"You are Hayate Gekko..." Sakura said, looking at him.
"That's right... it's me..." Seeing he couldn't retrieve his sword, Hayate Gekko decisively abandoned it and retreated backward, simultaneously drawing a kunai.
"Since you are Hayate Gekko, why do you want to kill me?" Sakura had initially thought this was an enemy in disguise, but unexpectedly, it was really him.
"Hmph..." Hayate Gekko snorted coldly. "You're clearly a rogue ninja who harmed fellow villagers, yet the Fifth Hokage shelters you. Since that's the case, I have no choice but to eliminate you myself..."
Hayate Gekko glared at Sakura with eyes full of anger and hatred, a gaze that seemed as if it wanted to devour her.
Sakura, seeing that his gaze didn't seem feigned, spoke, "I didn't kill any fellow villagers. The Third Hokage has already confirmed it. It was all Danzo framing me..."
"Stop playing dumb...!" Hayate Gekko roared. "I'm not talking about him at all!!!"
"Hmm?" Sakura was slightly taken aback. Not Danzo? Then what? She mentally reviewed her actions. Although she had killed quite a few people after leaving the village, she knew exactly who each person she had killed was.
First, there were the civilians in the small town in the Land of Water who were caught in the crossfire during her battle with Terumi Mei. Then, there were Orochimaru's two subordinates and a group of pirate crewmen. After that, the Kirigakure ANBU and Danzo's Root members, and finally, those two innocent mother and child in Red Leaf Village.
But try as she might, none of these people seemed to have any connection to Hayate Gekko. Sakura said, "The villagers I killed were all members of Danzo's Root. If you want to avenge them..."
Her tone gradually turned icy. "...I will send you to where Danzo is..."
So, there are still Danzo sympathizers within the village, and ordinary ninja at that. Heh, perfect. I was planning to slowly clean out all of Danzo's remaining assets in the village anyway.
"You won't admit it...?" Hayate Gekko's voice was filled with suppressed fury. "Then die...!"
Saying this, Hayate Gekko threw the kunai in his hand towards Sakura. Simultaneously, he formed seals and, taking out a scroll, summoned another ninja sword.
The kunai flew towards Sakura. She remained motionless. When the speeding kunai touched her body, it miraculously passed right through her and embedded itself in the ground behind her.
Sakura, now holding Hayate Gekko's longsword, rushed towards him. Although Hayate Gekko was in the process of summoning his sword, he was also keeping a close watch on Sakura. When he saw the kunai pass through her body without causing her any harm, his heart sank slightly.
When did I fall under a genjutsu?! I never heard she could use genjutsu! Though he knew her strength was considerable, even comparable to a jonin, Hayate Gekko's hatred for her compelled him to avenge her.
Since it's a genjutsu, Hayate Gekko ignored the Sakura rushing towards him. Instead, he took out a kunai and plunged it into his own arm. The sharp pain cleared his mind. Looking up again, he found the scene hadn't changed. Seeing Sakura swinging her sword at him, Hayate Gekko instantly shivered and executed a donkey roll out of her attack range.
Her attack missed. She didn't pursue but instead, twirling the sword, watched Hayate Gekko with amusement.
"Damn it!" Hayate Gekko clutched his self-inflicted wound, looking at the gash on the ground left by the sword, utterly bewildered.
Earlier, after he had seemingly cut Sakura in two and her figure had slowly vanished, Hayate Gekko hadn't immediately thought of genjutsu. Because throughout their approach, he had his back to her, and his true self had been secretly following behind her. It was impossible for her to have cast a genjutsu on him.
But when the kunai passed through Sakura's body, combined with the earlier scene, it was undoubtedly a genjutsu. Faced with the attacking kunoichi, Hayate Gekko had no choice but to first use pain to try and break the illusion.
But... that sword strike hadn't felt like an illusion at all.
"Release!" Seeing Sakura not pressing her attack, Hayate Gekko formed the hand seals to dispel genjutsu.
But after completing the seals, everything before him remained unchanged. Hayate Gekko gritted his teeth, an expression of extreme unwillingness on his face.
Damn it. In the end, I still couldn't avenge you, Yugao. She's... too strong... I'm no match for her.
Sakura Haruno watched Hayate Gekko form the genjutsu release seal and said coolly, "This isn't genjutsu... Or rather... it's not the kind of genjutsu you think it is..."
"If you're going to kill me, then kill me! What's with all the chatter?!" Hayate Gekko knew he couldn't escape this genjutsu; death was certain. Being trapped in an opponent's genjutsu without being able to break free meant he was completely at her mercy.
"No rush. Let me ask you..." Sakura, holding the sword, twirled it with a flourish and pointed it at Hayate Gekko. "Why do you want to avenge Danzo?"
"I'm not avenging Danzo!" Hayate Gekko roared in anger. "I'm avenging the ANBU member you killed, Yugao Uzuki!"
"Yugao... Uzuki..." Sakura froze, searching her memory. The name sounded female, but she had never killed a female ANBU... What on earth is going on...
"She participated in the encirclement operation in the Land of Grass! Hmph, to think that in the end, you, a rogue ninja, would be protected by the Fifth and Third Hokage! The ANBU who died fighting you all made meaningless sacrifices! Since the village is so corrupt, then I have no choice but to take matters into my own hands..."
Hayate Gekko's face was a mask of derision. It was unclear whether he was mocking the favoritism of the Fifth and Third Hokage, or mocking this village he had risked his life to protect...
Listening to Hayate Gekko's words, Sakura Haruno fell silent. If she wasn't mistaken, the ANBU named Yugao Uzuki must have been one of those who charged at her during her 'Tsu Transformation' and was subsequently disintegrated by her. But at that time... she was basically like a puppet on strings.
Sakura Haruno hadn't lost those memories. She clearly remembered Junko throwing herself onto her at the end. But at that time, she had no control over her own actions. Or rather, even if she could control them, she hadn't wanted to. She was like a puppet on strings, just going wherever she was led. Perhaps it was during that time.
Sakura sheathed the sword and tossed it to Hayate Gekko. Then, without another word, she turned and began to walk back towards the village.
"What is the meaning of this? Are you pitying me?!" Hayate Gekko was stunned for a moment, then roared in anger, as if he had been deeply humiliated by Sakura.
Gripping the sword, looking at her completely unguarded back, veins bulged on Hayate Gekko's forehead. Gritting his teeth, he charged forward again. But before he could reach her, Sakura's figure faded from solid to translucent, slowly vanishing.
"I owe you this. If you encounter any unsolvable problems in the future, I will help you..."
A few words drifted through the air, gently reaching Hayate Gekko's ears.