"Hahahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...!"
Just as a heavy silence hung over the scene, a peal of laughter erupted from the crowd. Everyone turned towards the source of the sound, discovering it was today's main subject: Sakura Haruno.
"S-Sakura, what are you laughing at?" Ino asked, unsettled by Sakura's almost hysterical laughter.
"Hahahaha... haha... ha... huff... huff..." Sakura seemed to have exhausted herself from laughing, her peals gradually subsiding.
"I was too naive!" Sakura took a step forward, her face contorted. "Where there are people, there will be conflict. In the face of collective interest, the individual is insignificant. This truth is the same in any world."
She then glanced at the Third Hokage. "I once thought I could live quietly in the village, train diligently, assist Master in contributing to the village... go on missions with my comrades, rest at a village tea shop after missions."
Silence enveloped the surroundings. No one knew what the young woman was trying to say.
"Third Hokage, I thank you for the opportunity you gave me." Then, she looked towards her master, Tsunade. "Fifth Hokage, I also thank you for your dedicated guidance!"
Her tone then shifted sharply as she stared at Tsunade. "But when faced with the village's interests, even master and disciple will betray each other."
"Sakura, what do you mean by that?! You make yourself clear!!!" Tsunade's face instantly twisted in fury upon hearing Sakura's words.
To help her, Tsunade had gone so far as to risk leading the violation of village regulations by coming here, only to hear Sakura utter such a statement.
"Are you angry, Master Tsunade?" Sakura offered a faint, chilling smile. "Let me ask you, how did the village know I was here?! Answer me!!!"
Instantly, Tsunade froze as if struck by lightning, the furious expression stuck on her face. As Hokage, Tsunade had every right to apprehend a rogue ninja. The crux of the matter, however, was that Sakura had been framed as a rogue ninja – this was Tsunade's own understanding of the situation.
Both master and disciple had tacitly chosen to trust each other. That was why, even after defecting, Sakura had diligently completed the missions assigned by Master Tsunade, never suspecting any ulterior motive behind being sent to the Land of Grass. And it was because Tsunade trusted Sakura that she had assigned her those missions in the first place – assigning tasks to a rogue ninja was tantamount to leaking village secrets.
But now, Tsunade had betrayed Sakura's trust. Being cornered here by the village's ninja was the most damning proof. While Tsunade's actions might be justifiable from an official standpoint, for Sakura and their personal bond, it was an undeniable, stark betrayal.
"No... it's not... it's not like that! Sakura, listen to me..." Tsunade, usually a pillar of strength, found herself stammering.
Sakura shook her head. "The result is what it is. There's no need for any more theatrics. You want to use me to appease the Hidden Mist Village's anger, don't you? Come on, then!"
Sakura was in a fragile state. The emotional rollercoaster of the night had left her teetering on the edge. Now, seeing Master Tsunade step out and contend with the Third Hokage, a profound ache settled in Sakura's heart.
You were the one who ordered me here. And now you're the one trying to protect me. Sakura's trust in Tsunade was rapidly crumbling. She could only interpret Tsunade's current actions with the deepest suspicion: Tsunade was trying to build up her own noble image in front of everyone, thereby enhancing her influence.
Her Master Tsunade hadn't been like this before. But, to be in a position of power is to scheme for it – this incident perfectly illustrated that saying.
Sakura didn't want to view Master Tsunade through the lens of conspiracy. She had lived and trained alongside her for three years; she knew exactly what kind of person Tsunade was. The decision Tsunade had made, given her position, wasn't wrong from an official perspective. But it had wounded Sakura deeply.
The light of her Lightning Release Chakra Mode flared around her body once more. This is the last chance. If I can break free, I'll escape this place. Sakura didn't want to stay here any longer. She wanted to get away from here, away from everything. If her breakout failed...
"Wait, Sakura!" Ino suddenly stepped in front of Sakura.
"Move!" Sakura said coldly. They're probably also part of Tsunade's act.
"Listen to me, you've misunderstood Lady Fifth Hokage," Ino said urgently. "Lady Fifth Hokage was excluded from this operation..."
"Get out of my way!" Sakura's face was as dark as a stormy sea, her voice a low growl.
Right now, Sakura felt she couldn't trust anyone but herself. Resisting the urge to slap Ino aside, she warned, "If you don't move, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Just then, a gust of wind rushed towards the back of Sakura's head. In the nick of time, Sakura hastily dodged.
"All of you, stand down!" Tsunade, seeing the surrounding ninja about to move, barked an order. Then, looking at Sakura seriously, she said, "No matter what you think, today, I am taking you back to the village!"
Tsunade understood that no amount of words would reach Sakura now. At the same time, she had made a firm decision: after bringing Sakura back to the village, she would have a direct showdown with the Third Hokage and Danzo. Danzo hadn't been entirely without leaving traces; those dead ninja were evidence.
Her grand-uncle had indeed left behind a very useful forbidden jutsu. Just last year, this jutsu had even surfaced in Konoha. But if it hadn't been for Sakura's questioning just now, Tsunade would never have considered using this method.
Since becoming Hokage, Tsunade found herself compromising more and more, to the point where even her own disciple was mired in this mess. Perhaps she just wasn't cut out to be Hokage. If it had been Jiraiya, things might not have turned out this way...
Tsunade vividly remembered asking Sakura during her training what she learned ninjutsu for. Sakura had actually said she hoped for world peace, for no more war. A kid her age, and her dream was neither to become Hokage nor the strongest. It had surprised Tsunade a little at the time, but she had just laughed it off. What could a child like her possibly know about peace?
Ninjutsu was the art of killing; ninja were butchers walking the line of death. A ninja's innate instinct was to fight. Yet, that little brat had counted on her fingers, saying that a ninja's jutsu could also make life better: Water Release could irrigate fields, Lightning Release could generate electricity, Earth Release could build houses...
Heh, Tsunade admitted she had been genuinely shaken by the kid's words back then. Shouldn't the first thought when mentioning ninjutsu be battle? Why did this kid have such ideas? Since the Warring States Period, no one had ever said they learned ninjutsu just to farm and build houses.
It was precisely because of this kid's peculiar way of thinking that Tsunade had gradually become interested in her. She remembered the sight of that little brat staying up all night, lamp lit, just to finish the books Tsunade had given her. She remembered her sporting dark circles for extended periods just to learn the Yin Seal.
Such a hardworking kid, so eager to learn ninjutsu, yet she wanted to use it for farming and building houses. Honestly, there was a time back then when Tsunade actually thought Sakura might be able to achieve her dream of world peace.
But now, seeing her in such a miserable state because of Tsunade's own compromises, seeing the icy coldness in her eyes due to Tsunade's own betrayal, Tsunade's heart felt like it was being pierced by needles.
"Come on, let me see if you've made any progress during this time, Sakura Haruno!" Tsunade formed hand seals. The same Strength of a Hundred Seal spread across her forehead, its mystical patterns covering her entire body.