As Tsunade listened to the ANBU's report, she felt a headache coming on. She rubbed her temples and looked at Sakura, who stood beside her, remarkably composed. "What did Orochimaru say to you?" she asked.
"Hmm..." Recalling Orochimaru's infuriating words, Sakura pursed her lips. "I think the priority right now is finding Sasuke."
Tsunade nodded in agreement. Then, addressing the ANBU operative who had accompanied Sakura, she ordered, "Notify all available ANBU to begin a search for Sasuke and Orochimaru. Also, bring me a copy of the ANBU's duty roster."
"Yes, Lord Fifth Hokage!" The ANBU operative, never one for unnecessary words, immediately left the office upon receiving his orders.
Tsunade turned her gaze back to Sakura, her brow furrowed. "Now, are you going to tell me?"
It was obvious to Tsunade that Sakura hadn't wanted to speak in front of the others. The fact that Orochimaru had once again appeared within the village infuriated Tsunade. Of course, her anger wasn't directed at Orochimaru himself, but at the fact that Konoha's barrier was proving to be as good as useless. While there were some extenuating circumstances, that was no excuse for failing to detect an intruder.
As for suspecting Sakura of colluding with Orochimaru simply because he had approached her – well, the two advisors might have jumped to that conclusion, but Tsunade harbored no such doubts.
Whether Sasuke had been abducted by Orochimaru or had left willingly was a pressing concern, but Tsunade could only await the ANBU's investigation. She knew a little about Sasuke's situation, so for now, all decisions would have to wait until the investigation yielded results.
Sakura shook her head, her expression resentful. "He insulted me, I sent him flying, and then he left."
"He insulted you?" Tsunade looked a little stunned.
"Mhm," Sakura confirmed with a nod. "I guess I made too much noise. He ran off after I punched him. That's all I know. I was originally looking for Sasuke. Now, it seems likely he went with Orochimaru."
Tsunade frowned. "The investigation isn't complete. Don't jump to conclusions."
"I know," Sakura said, analyzing the situation with a clear head. "But with Sasuke's skills, it's impossible for Orochimaru to abduct him so quietly. Even my punch attracted ANBU patrols. If Sasuke hadn't gone willingly, any struggle would have been detected by ANBU, especially since he is ANBU. They must have special ways of contacting each other, right?"
In the heat of the moment at the scene, she hadn't quite pieced it together. But now, in the quiet of the office, Sakura suddenly saw the issue.
"You have a point," Tsunade conceded after seriously considering Sakura's words. "If that's the case, it complicates things." She then glanced at Sakura, who remained surprisingly calm, and asked with a note of astonishment, "Aren't you worried at all?"
"Would worrying help? I'm not Naruto," Sakura said with a shrug. "Aren't the ANBU investigating now? Besides, if he left willingly, even if we drag him back, he'll just run off again."
"But I heard Orochimaru placed a curse mark on him. According to the Third Hokage's intelligence, he's Orochimaru's next vessel. You're not worried about that either?" Tsunade's brow creased at Sakura's cool demeanor.
Since Sakura's return, Tsunade had noticed a significant change in her personality. Though she appeared the same on the surface, her actions regarding Ryuta and her current attitude towards her former teammate's departure revealed a newfound coldness.
This transformation worried Tsunade and filled her with a measure of self-reproach. If her parents hadn't died, perhaps Sakura would still be that earnest, slightly ditzy, and often smiling girl.
But now, while her speech and mannerisms were the same, her eyes held an endless indifference.
"Curse mark..." Mentioning the curse mark brought back the image of Orochimaru pointing at his own head, a mocking expression on his face as he looked down on her. To think I was looked down upon like that.
Logically, a transmigrator should come equipped with Einstein's intellect, haloed like a divine being, capable of thrashing Madara of the Six Paths and kicking Kaguya's ass. Underlings should flock to her banner, S-rank jutsu should fall into her lap, and forbidden techniques should spring forth with a mere thought – a classic overpowered protagonist.
But here she was. She didn't dare dream of a protagonist's halo, nor did she expect Einstein's IQ. And now, damn it, the one underling she'd tried to recruit to help her out had been snatched by Orochimaru.
She hadn't seen hide nor hair of any S-rank jutsu. The one bloodline limit she'd painstakingly developed, her Storm Release Clone, was still riddled with flaws. Her only forbidden jutsu was an incomplete version gifted by an enemy. Could there be a more pathetic transmigrator than me?
As for the Strength of a Hundred Seal, Sakura didn't count it as an S-rank jutsu she'd earned; she felt she would have obtained that technique even if she'd done nothing.
"The Third Hokage probably didn't tell you that Orochimaru's reincarnation happens every three years," Sakura stated. "Sasuke isn't in any immediate danger."
Tsunade was speechless. Seeing her master silent, Sakura spoke again. "There's something I'd like to ask of you, Master."
"What is it?" Tsunade asked, snapping back to attention.
"I need to leave the village for a while," Sakura said, then added after a thought, "It won't be for long. About a month, probably."
"Where are you going?" Tsunade's voice turned stern.
Village regulations stipulated that, barring special circumstances, registered ninja were forbidden from leaving the village...
Wait a minute. Tsunade's expression shifted. She suddenly remembered that Sakura was no longer a registered ninja. Her ninja qualifications had been revoked.
It had all happened so suddenly. One moment her ninja status was stripped, the next she was framed by Danzo, then listed as a rogue ninja. After that, the advisors had officially revoked her active ninja file, classifying her records under 'rogue ninja.'
Although her records had since been reclassified, her active ninja file had been destroyed. So, strictly speaking, she was currently unemployed by Konoha – a civilian. As long as her identity was clear, no one could stop her from going wherever she pleased.
Travel restrictions applied to ninja, not civilians. If ninja travel wasn't restricted, it would be difficult to consolidate forces and coordinate efforts in the event of war.
"To Red Shoal Island," Sakura replied after a moment's thought. It seemed there was nowhere else she could plausibly make up, so she might as well tell the truth.
"What are you going there for?" Tsunade asked. If she remembered correctly, that was an island where Sakura had undertaken a mission last year.
"Nothing much. The scenery there is nice. Since I don't have anything to do in the village right now, I thought I'd go there to relax," Sakura said, hands behind her head, her gaze averted.
Seeing her insincerity, Tsunade suppressed the urge to explode. "Village regulations state that ninja are not permitted to leave without authori—"
"But I'm not a ninja anymore," Sakura interrupted. "I'm a civilian now. There are no rules preventing civilians from leaving."
It had taken Sakura a week of idling around the village to suddenly remember that she'd already been stripped of her ninja rank. No wonder her peers were busy with missions every day while she was at leisure. At first, she'd thought her master had given her a vacation. Then it hit her – hadn't she been dismissed by her master the day she was declared a rogue ninja?
"Then re-register!" Tsunade barked. "Do you know how many people in Kirigakure want to kill you? If you don't have a legitimate reason, you'll stay put in this village!"
Truth be told, Tsunade was still fuming. Although she felt immense guilt towards Sakura, she couldn't tolerate Sakura repeatedly flouting the village's rules.
If it were some trivial matter, she might turn a blind eye. But Sakura's actions over the past two days couldn't be ignored.
She had killed Ryuta. Even if Ryuta had played a significant role in that incident, it was up to the village to pass judgment. Her taking matters into her own hands was tantamount to murdering a comrade. However, Tsunade understood her feelings, so even knowing Sakura was responsible, she had suppressed the matter.
And now, she wanted to leave for a month. Tsunade had a gut feeling that if she didn't approve this, Sakura might just leave anyway – she'd even brought up the fact that she was a civilian, not a ninja.
This displeased Tsunade. Moreover, the incident with Kirigakure had just passed. Although they had formed an alliance, both sides knew it was temporary. There were undoubtedly many in Kirigakure who wanted Sakura dead. How could Tsunade let her go under such circumstances?
"Fine, forget it then." Sakura sighed. Just as I thought, it's not that easy. Seeing her master's attitude, she had probably hit Tsunade's limit. I'll have to find another way.
"I'm off," Sakura said, turning towards the door.
"Bring a five-inch photo this afternoon," Tsunade called after her.
Sakura didn't say anything, simply gave an "OK" sign with her hand behind her back and pushed the door open, her exit a picture of nonchalance.