"Have the numbers been tallied?"
The morning light of dawn fell upon Tsunade's weary face as she questioned Shizune about the village's casualties.
"Yes, the approximate figures are in." Shizune's arm was wrapped in a bandage; she had clearly been injured in the attack as well.
"According to the preliminary count, the number of injured is 12,401, and the death toll is 168," Shizune reported.
"…" A strange, unreadable expression crossed Tsunade's face as she heard the statistics.
"Are these numbers accurate?" Tsunade asked, her expression laced with doubt.
"The count isn't complete yet, but the final numbers shouldn't be too different," Shizune said helplessly.
She, too, was extremely surprised by the result, but the facts were the facts.
"For an attack of this scale, the death toll is merely under two hundred?" Tsunade pinched her chin, deep in thought.
Given the scope of the attack, it wouldn't have been surprising if that number had an extra zero at the end. For only 168 people to have died was nothing short of a miracle.
"Oh, right, there's one more thing," Shizune said, suddenly remembering something.
"What is it?" Tsunade asked.
"The reported deaths are almost all within the area radiating outward from the Hokage Tower," Shizune said, looking at the notebook in her hand. "Which is to say, the area we are in right now."
"Wh-what…" Tsunade's mouth fell slightly agape, her expression blank.
If… if that was the case… Tsunade felt it was hard to breathe. The majority of the deaths were caused by the collateral damage from the battle between Sakura and Shuying. Shuying's own attack had not directly led to an increase in fatalities.
This… this was completely impossible, yet it had happened right before her eyes. How could Shuying's large-scale attack not have killed a single person? Although it felt wrong to think this way about the civilians who were suffering, logically, it was simply impossible.
"Lady Tsunade…" Shizune called out softly, looking at Tsunade's stunned expression.
"…Verify it again," Tsunade ordered, turning around.
"Yes, ma'am." Shizune left to carry out her orders.
If this is true, then what was her purpose in attacking the village? Tsunade looked at the surrounding area, which had been razed to the ground, a look of utter confusion on her face.
The morning sun shone on Sakura's face as she ran through the village streets. Bustling figures were everywhere. Though the village was always busy in the morning, today's busyness was clearly different.
Sakura slowed her pace as she passed Auntie Misa's snack shop. It was now a pile of ruins, with no one around.
She's probably dead, Sakura thought to herself. If it were the old her, seeing such a sight might have made her sad for a while. But now, she felt nothing as she looked at the rubble.
She hurried away. She had to retrieve her things and leave Konoha before Jiraiya could report to Tsunade. She couldn't stay here any longer. Jiraiya would certainly not let her go. Heh, that man who, like the Third Hokage, saw the village as his life.
Even if Master Tsunade didn't hold her responsible, staying in Konoha would only be a hindrance. It seemed her plan had failed. She had wanted to use Konoha as a cover while she secretly collected the Tailed Beasts, but now, if she stayed, her every move would be monitored. It was better to just leave quietly.
Back at home, the room was just as it had been the night before. It seemed Karin hadn't returned yet. Sakura went to the storage room. A scroll, half as tall as she was, stood in the center of the room.
It was the scroll that stored the "Tailed Beast Containers." This was what Sakura had come back for. With this, her plan could proceed.
Slinging the scroll onto her back, Sakura left the storage room, only to see Karin in the living room, holding a kunai and staring at her blankly.
"Oh, it's you, Sakura. I thought it was a thief. Are you okay? What happened with the enemy last night?" Karin put away her kunai and asked with concern.
"I'm fine." Sakura shook her head to indicate she was alright. Seeing that Karin was alone, she asked, "Where's Yakumo? Where did she go?"
"Yakumo said she was worried about her clan, so she went back," Karin said.
"Oh, I see. The village must be short-staffed right now. You should go find the Fifth Hokage and see if there's anything you can do to help. I have things to do," Sakura said, preparing to walk past Karin and out the door.
"No! Where are you going? I'm going with you." Karin blocked Sakura's path. Even without using her abilities, she could sense that Sakura was hiding something from her.
"Don't be willful, Karin," Sakura stopped, her voice rising.
Looking at Sakura's cold expression, Karin bit her lip and demanded, "If you're just running an errand, do you need to take all the 'Containers' with you?"
Sakura gave Karin a long, deep look and let out a breath. "You're overthinking it. I just don't think it's safe at home. I'm just moving them to another place."
With that, Sakura walked around Karin and headed for the door.
A slender body hugged her from behind, forcing Sakura to a halt. The sound of soft sobs reached her ears.
"Sakura… d-don't… don't leave me… okay?" Karin sobbed, her words broken. Two streams of clear tears flowed down her cheeks.
Faced with this, Sakura was at a loss for words. If Karin came with her, it would save her a lot of trouble. But she… she couldn't do it.
Aside from her parents, Karin was the next most important person to her. When she had first saved her from the Grass ninja, she had had all sorts of motives. But after spending so much time together, those motives were no longer important.
Heh… even though I don't care about anything anymore, there are still people I can't let go of. I guess I can't be completely cold after all. This is the unique trouble of being a higher animal.
Sakura gently pried Karin's arms off her. She turned to face the tear-streaked girl and said earnestly, "Staying in the village is the greatest help you can be to me. Understand?"
"But… but…" Karin sobbed, trying to say more, but Sakura cut her off.
"No buts. Study hard with Master. I'll be more at ease if you stay in the village." Sakura placed a hand on Karin's head, a rare trace of gentleness in her eyes. She said softly, "We'll meet again, if fate allows, Karin."
Tears flowed from the girl's eyes like a bursting dam. She collapsed onto the living room floor. Sakura was already gone.
The final words, "We'll meet again, if fate allows," echoed in Karin's ears. All that was left in the room was her helpless weeping and a deathly silence. She's really gone. She's really… gone…
Leaving her home, Sakura quickly departed from the village without a single look back. Due to the events of the previous night, the village security had been strengthened. Although Sakura had no travel papers, the guards still let her pass. The Hokage Tower had been destroyed last night, and the guards let her through only because of who she was. Anyone else would not have been so lucky.
"Next, I'll go meet up with Shuying. Tanzaku Town, huh… such a familiar place." A cold smile touched Sakura's lips. Soon, she would know the whole truth.