"Do try to keep an eye on Older Brother for me while we're gone, would you, Monkey?" Tobirama told the Third Hokage, who was now permanently confined to a wheelchair after getting steamrolled by Madara and Obito. "I'd rather not return to find the village has been gambled away."
Many people had assembled by the An Gates on this fine Saturday morning.
Apart from the prisoners of war about to be released back into the outside world, Sakura's advisor Shikaku, Team 7, Team 10 and the First, Second and Third Hokage, there were also members of Konoha's Barrier, Sealing and Intelligence Teams, along with a sizeable contingent of ANBU Black Ops… and, last but not least, a crowd of protesters.
"Milady, a speech may be in order…" Shikaku murmured in Sakura's ear. "The last time the villagers were this discontented with Leaf policy, the Third Hokage was ousted from power…"
The average citizen simply couldn't understand why Sakura was letting their hard-won prisoners of war go without at least ransoming them. Of course, she had extracted value from them and punished them, but she was the only one who had profited from doing so.
The villagers couldn't understand that, now that the Hidden Leaf was isolated from the rest of the world, they simply couldn't afford to feed thousands of enemy combatants while they waited for payment… not until they could master Naruto-style farming methods, that is.
Sakura cleared her throat and raised her voice.
"Now that the Hidden Leaf is safe, the time had come to take a step back and reestablish a foothold on the shinobi continent," she shouted. "Thanks to the Barrier Team's efforts, a physical path out of the pocket world has been identified, which means we can now come and go as we please… and bring back any comrades we have been forced to leave behind!"
Sakura's words were met with murmurs of approval. Many in the crowd had acquaintances who had been outside the village when it was translocated, and they were anxious to see them again, or at the very least obtain definitive answers as to their ultimate fates.
"The goal of this grand mission is twofold: the first is naturally to rescue our friends, and the second is to reestablish communications with the continent," Sakura went on, addressing the various teams she had assembled. "Over the past week, the Research & Development Division has been hard at work creating a prototype cross-dimensional radio, which we will install in Tanimagakure, our allied village in the Land of Fire. This way, we will not be left in the dark while the world continues to turn!"
Several whoops and cheers rose from the crowd at this announcement.
In this era, there was still not much variety when it came to entertainment. There were books, primitive handheld game consoles, cinemas… and, most popular of all, radio talk shows, radio dramas and radio soap operas. Very few people had televisions of their own, and those who did mostly used them to watch films on their VCRs.
To appease the populace, there was nothing better than bread and circuses… which, in the current Hidden Leaf, pretty much translated to rice and radio shows. There was still plenty of food left, since the village always maintained large stockpiles in case of war, but now that the war was out of sight and out of mind, the people needed their entertainment!
"Well, that went better than I expected," Kakashi-sensei commented.
Although the populace had been grumbling over Sakura's recent unpopular and merciful decisions, she was still the war hero who had saved all their lives. And at the end of the day, Sakura was still a pretty girl with massive tits… and it was very hard to stay mad at someone when one was aroused.
"It's the Hokage's job to unite the people's hearts," Sakura said modestly. "And really, it wasn't all that hard. It's all about the fit… it's like these clothes have some kind of magic that makes you trust whoever's wearing them, you know?"
That wasn't exactly true; if the Hokage robes covered her cleavage, then the people would probably riot.
"Whoa, it's true, ya know!" Naruto gasped. "Sakura-chan looks way more reliable than usual like this, Kakashi-sensei!"
"Are you implying that I don't normally look reliable?" Sakura said, frowning.
Sakura didn't actually like wearing the Hokage robes all that much, but today, she had worn the entire fit, complete with the fire hat, for two specific reasons:
The first was to appease the crowd by invoking the Hokage's traditional authority, and the second was to conceal her curves. Using her Sage Arts, she had sent all her extra body fat to her breasts and returned to her normal, graceful self, but the second she started ninja running and jumping, she would quickly turn back into a landwhale.
"Young lady," Tobirama said, turning to Team 10, whose members were standing around nearby. "Link my mind to everyone present but the prisoners."
Without relying on Space-Time ninjutsu, re-entering the Hidden Leaf Village from the outside was a rather complicated procedure. One had to follow a rather convoluted path through the forest, one that was more easily shown than explained.
Ino strode up to the Second Hokage and placed her palm on his forehead and closed her eyes.
"Mind Body Transmission Jutsu!"
Soon enough, Sakura and all others present but the prisoners of war found Ino's and Tobirama's voices echoing within their skull while images flashed before their eyes.
Walk twice around this big tree clockwise, then walk three paces east, then stand before this particularly unassuming boulder for five seconds, then turn around and take one step, duck underneath a non-existent branch, then take twenty more steps before turning anticlockwise around another tree, bow three times before this abandoned shrine in the woods… and then walk through the torii gate, and you're home.
"What happens if one of the landmarks is destroyed?" someone asked. "How do we get back to the village then?"
'I will return every day at five o'clock sharp to this location,' Tobirama's voice echoed in their heads, conjuring an image of the ruins of the Fire Temple in their mind's eyes. 'I will take you back to the village once I have been given the password: Kawanishi-Noseguchi, Kinunobebashi, Takiyama, Uguisunomori, should you have forgotten these simple instructions, or if the landmarks have been moved or otherwise destroyed.'
Tobirama looked at Naruto expectantly.
'You're up, young man,' he thought at him. 'Use your chakra to link us all, including the prisoners… I will use the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to teleport us all to the outside world.'
Naruto grinned broadly as his figure erupted in golden flames. At last, the time had come!
'Remain on guard,' Sakura reminded everyone. 'Due to the limitations of sensory ninjutsu between dimensions, we'll be teleporting to a location near where the village used to stand. There might be enemies, so be ready for a fight!'