Within the Land of Fire
Nine figures leaped through the trees, their pace significantly faster now. Haruno Sakura was done wasting time; getting back to the village was the priority.
Despite the recent battle and Kakuzu's damning words, Baki had offered no clarification or confession regarding Suna's alleged involvement. Still, based on Kakuzu's actions and statements, Sakura had already pieced together a likely scenario: The Sand Village had hired Kakuzu, then, for some unknown reason, betrayed him. Kakuzu's attack was therefore an act of revenge. His earlier attempt on the Fifth Hokage might have been purely for money, but his statement during their fight – that killing Sand shinobi was his primary goal, beyond the bounty – strongly suggested a prior relationship gone sour. Considering everything that had happened recently, the conclusion seemed unavoidable: Suna hired Kakuzu, then double-crossed him. Otherwise, why would Kakuzu specifically target Sand ninja for vengeance?
As the familiar walls of Konoha came into view, Sakura slowed her pace, turning to address Baki directly. "Konoha is just ahead. As soon as I enter the village, I will submit a full and factual report of the situation. Based on the enemy's own words, the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on the Fifth Hokage was your Sand Village. You had all better figure out how you're going to explain that."
"Urk…" Baki visibly choked on his words, stunned speechless. He genuinely had no knowledge of such a plot, yet the sudden appearance of that powerful enemy seemed to corroborate Sakura's accusation. His mission was negotiation; lashing out in anger now was impossible, no matter how furious he felt. But he had no explanation to offer, knowing nothing himself. The scroll Juan carried was vital to their mission, something to be protected at all costs; it couldn't possibly be surrendered.
"Sakura-chan…" Naruto finally spoke up, unable to stay silent any longer. "Maybe… maybe it wasn't the Sand Village who did it?"
"Naruto," Sakura cut him off sharply, glancing back at him. "Do not bring personal feelings into a mission." She turned away again. "Let's go."
"Wait," a quiet voice interjected. It was Gaara.
Sakura paused, looking back questioningly. "Is there something you need?"
"Take this," Gaara said, pulling a scroll from within his robes and holding it out to Sakura. "This should be what you are looking for."
"This…! Gaara, how do you—?!" Baki stared at the scroll in shock, then whipped his head towards Juan. "Juan! Is your item still with you?!"
"Yes, it's here!" Juan confirmed, equally baffled by the scroll Gaara produced.
Sakura accepted the scroll from Gaara. "Thank you, Gaara." Without further ceremony, she led her team – Sasuke, Naruto, and Karin – towards the village gates, the five Sand shinobi following behind.
As they walked, Baki moved closer to Gaara, lowering his voice. "Gaara, what exactly is that scroll…?"
"I don't know either," Gaara replied quietly, relaying Elder Chiyo's instructions verbatim. "Elder Chiyo entrusted it to me before we left. She instructed me to use my own judgment and decide its fate at the appropriate time. I believe this is likely what Konoha desires."
"Is that so…" Baki felt a flicker of understanding. Gaara's scroll must be the genuine article. But why had Elder Chiyo given such critical discretion to Gaara…? It was puzzling.
Holding the scroll, Sakura finally allowed herself a small sigh of relief. Once inside Konoha, she guided the Sand delegation to an inn to settle in, then dismissed her teammates. Her next stop: the Hokage's office.
As she approached the Hokage Tower, she nearly collided with a figure exiting the building. Though Sakura had never met him personally, his bandaged eye and arm, and the stern set of his jaw, were unmistakable. Danzo Shimura.
Danzo noticed her staring and paused. "Impressive skills, Chunin Haruno Sakura," he remarked, his voice low and gravelly.
"Eep—!" Sakura involuntarily shivered at the chilling tone. Saying nothing, she quickly skirted around him and hurried towards the Hokage's office.
Danzo watched her retreating back, a flicker of something akin to regret in his visible eye. "A pity," he thought silently. "A pity I didn't recognize her potential back then." He recalled prioritizing the recruitment of a talented Aburame youth into Root, along with several other promising commoners, ultimately overlooking Sakura when the Third Hokage himself had taken an interest in her.
"Knock, knock."
Having learned her lesson from previous encounters, Sakura knocked politely on the heavy door.
"Come in," Tsunade's voice called from within.
Sakura pushed the door open and entered, finding her master seated behind the desk, looking unusually gloomy and frustrated.
"Mission complete, Master," Sakura announced, holding out the scroll Gaara had given her.
"Hm?" Tsunade's eyes immediately lit up. "Quick, let me see!"
She took the scroll eagerly and unfurled it, revealing not plain text, but an intricate sealing formula accompanied by a short passage of writing. Tsunade read the text carefully, her brow furrowed in concentration, then performed a sequence of hand seals. The formula on the scroll glowed briefly, then faded.
Where the seal had been, a small pile of black, crumbly residue appeared on the desk.
"What is that, Sensei?" Sakura asked, peering curiously at the dark substance.
"..." Tsunade stared intently at the black ash, her frown deepening. After a long moment, she said decisively, "Come with me."
She produced a blank sealing scroll, performed another set of seals, and carefully sealed the black residue within it. Then, without further explanation, she stood and led Sakura out of the office.
"Master, where are we going?" Sakura asked, hurrying to keep up.
"The autopsy room," Tsunade replied grimly, not slowing her pace.
"Um, but I haven't given my mission report yet," Sakura reminded her.
Tsunade stopped abruptly. She paused for a second, then turned, a strange, unreadable expression on her face. "You can report in the autopsy room."
"Eh? Okay…" Confused but obedient, Sakura followed her master.
When they arrived at the autopsy room, several members of the Medical Corps were gathered around a table, discussing a sheet-covered figure lying upon it.
"Lady Fifth!" they exclaimed upon seeing Tsunade enter, quickly straightening up.
"Alright, all of you clear out for now," Tsunade ordered, her face stern.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Once the room was empty save for the two of them, Tsunade gestured towards the figure on the table. "Go on. Take a look."
Sakura approached the table, her heart suddenly pounding with an inexplicable sense of dread. She wasn't normally afraid of corpses, but a chilling premonition washed over her. Hesitantly, she reached out and lifted the sheet covering the face.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips. "This—! Him?! How did he die? How is he even in Konoha?!"
Staring back at her was the lifeless face of Kakuzu. It felt utterly surreal.
Tsunade sighed heavily. "Danzo delivered him to me."
Sakura stared, mind racing. Kakuzu. An S-rank missing-nin, someone she had just fought tooth and nail, expending enormous effort just to force his retreat… was now lying dead on an autopsy table, apparently taken down by Danzo's people. Wait, she thought, a flash of indignant realization hitting her. They probably just swooped in and finished him off! I destroyed three of his hearts—weakened him significantly! Danzo's forces likely just picked up the scraps and claimed the kill!
"I just fought him yesterday!" Sakura exclaimed aloud. "Danzo must have had people tailing our group!"
"No," Tsunade corrected her, shaking her head. "Danzo wasn't tracking you, Sakura. He's been tracking him for some time now."
"Then why kill him only last night, after he encountered us?" Sakura asked, confused.
"It likely wasn't that Danzo didn't want to act sooner," Tsunade explained, her eyes sharp. "From what you've reported previously, and considering this outcome, Kakuzu was likely too powerful for Danzo's forces to handle directly. Your battle yesterday must have weakened him considerably, giving them the opening they needed."
"So why did Danzo bring the body here? To you?" Sakura pressed.
Tsunade let out a cold scoff. "The reason? Isn't it obvious? It's a gesture of 'goodwill.' An attempt to appease me, to persuade me to stop scrutinizing his activities now that the Third Hokage is gone and can no longer shield him or Root. Being targeted by the sitting Hokage isn't something he desires. But," Tsunade's voice hardened, "he severely underestimates me if he thinks a single corpse will make me turn a blind eye."
"Root?" Sakura asked, deliberately feigning ignorance. She'd learned her lesson about appearing too knowledgeable.
"The organization formerly responsible for training Anbu operatives," Tsunade explained briefly. "Danzo was its leader." Tsunade had decided Sakura was one of her trusted confidantes; certain information needed to be shared.
"So, what happens now?" Sakura asked. "The Sand delegation is still waiting in the village."
"Then let them wait," Tsunade declared, her expression resolute. "Even if Danzo was pulling strings behind the scenes regarding that initial assassination attempt, the Sand Village itself isn't entirely blameless in all this. They have questions to answer."
"Okay," Sakura conceded, then added hesitantly, "But Master… I think they might genuinely want to reconcile this time." She quickly recounted how Gaara had voluntarily handed over the scroll Chiyo had entrusted to him.
"I understand," Tsunade nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "I will handle the situation appropriately." She shifted topics abruptly. "Speaking of handling things, how is Karin's medical training progressing?"
"Karin?" Sakura thought for a moment. "She has good aptitude. She's already mastered the Mystical Palm Technique."
"Mm, good. Continue training her for now. We can discuss her future placement more thoroughly after this business with the Sand is concluded," Tsunade instructed.
"Yes, Master." Sakura saw her opening. "Well, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now, Sensei!" Mission reported, corpse identified – time to make a strategic retreat.
"Go ahead," Tsunade waved her off, already turning back to examine the body on the table.
Sakura quickly left the autopsy room. The high-level political negotiations between Konoha and Suna weren't her concern; that was for the Hokage and the Council, not a Chunin like herself.
Right now, she had a much more pressing priority: figure out how to fix the critical feedback flaw in her Storm Release Clone technique. If an enemy discovered and exploited that vulnerability, it could easily mean the difference between life and death.