"I agree. What do you need me to do?" Jakuhochi nodded eagerly. This kid clearly hasn't had enough training. If she lets me go back, she can forget about ever commanding me again. Wait... a kid this strong will be a huge threat to Iwagakure in the future. Why not use this opportunity to go back to the village and feed her false information to set up an ambush?
That way, the Kamizuru clan will surely be valued by the village again. Even without the secret scroll, we'll get more resources from the village. Reviving the clan won't be impossible then.
The more Jakuhochi thought about it, the more excited she became. Although she hadn't gotten the Bikochu, she could eliminate a genius from a rival village. Her clan would be recognized for it. An opportunity like this was too good to pass up.
Sakura saw the excited glint in Jakuhochi's eyes and sneered inwardly. "No rush. Before that, I need you to see something."
With that, Sakura began to form hand seals directed at the unconscious Jibachi. As she finished, a complex pattern appeared on the ground with Jibachi at its center.
Jakuhochi stared, dumbfounded, at Sakura's actions, having no idea what she was doing. But a moment later, something strange happened. The dust and dirt around Jibachi began to rapidly adhere to his body.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!"
Though still unconscious, the moment the dirt touched his body, a bloodcurdling scream tore from the depths of Jibachi's soul, as if he were being devoured by hungry ghosts.
Jakuhochi's face turned pale. She had never heard such a horrifying scream. But the truly shocking part was yet to come.
Once Jibachi was completely covered in dust, he transformed into the spitting image of the recently deceased Kurobachi. Seeing this bizarre scene, Jakuhochi couldn't help but cry out, "You... what did you do? Wh-what is this jutsu?"
"Shh!" Sakura raised a finger to her lips in a silencing gesture, then began to form hand seals again. Kurobachi's eyes slowly opened.
"Ugh..." The newly revived Kurobachi looked at Sakura in front of him and was instantly startled, scrambling backward. "I... wasn't I dead...?" he asked in shock.
"Yes, that's right. You are indeed dead. Your body is over there," Sakura said, pointing to Kurobachi's corpse lying nearby.
"Th-this... what... what is happening..." Kurobachi stared blankly at his own body a short distance away, a strange, unsettling feeling washing over him.
Sakura didn't explain. She formed another hand seal, and Kurobachi's eyes immediately became vacant. He stood there, motionless. Although the Impure World Reincarnation scroll Kabuto had given her didn't specify how to control the reanimated, Sakura wasn't one to give up. She had been tinkering with it in her spare time.
Having studied under Tsunade for three years, she wasn't a complete idiot. Through observation and practice, she had finally figured out how to give simple commands to those she brought back.
"Wh-what is this..." Jakuhochi stammered.
"Impure World Reincarnation," Sakura said, a faint smile playing on her lips. "A jutsu that summons the souls of the dead from the Pure Land back to the world of the living, using a living sacrifice."
Jakuhochi's mind buzzed. She stared at Kurobachi, her mouth agape, unable to say a word. After a long moment, she turned her head mechanically toward Sakura, her voice cold with dread. "Y-you're toying with the souls of the dead."
Toying with the souls of the dead? Sakura fell silent. It seemed that ever since she was exiled from the village, her evil deeds had been increasing by the day. Killing the innocent, playing with the dead, sowing discord, slaughtering her own village's ninja... her past actions were all vivid in her mind. Although some of it hadn't been of her own volition, but rather her mind being influenced by natural energy, she was still the one who had done it.
And now, she was blatantly killing people and manipulating the souls of the dead. From her opponent's perspective, she must look like the ultimate, irredeemable villain. Once you cross a line, it's really hard to go back.
Sakura felt like she was splitting into two people. In front of Tsunade-sensei, she was the well-behaved student, yet she roamed the night, bringing her blade down on her fellow villagers.
On the surface, she was loyal to the village, but in the shadows, she was forming factions and plotting against its interests.
To her comrades, she appeared harmless, but in this moment, she was a cruel murderer, a puppeteer of the dead.
The woman who was used as a sacrifice in Red Leaf Village and the innocent children who were killed still echoed in her mind, impossible to erase.
The line between angel and demon was but a single thought. Looking at her own hands, Sakura suddenly felt a wave of disgust. She had never imagined she would become this person.
If she looked at her current situation from a god's perspective, she was just like a villain oppressing the protagonist. But... she had come too far. There was no turning back. One step back, and she would fall into an endless abyss...
"But you have no choice," Sakura said slowly. "He will watch you, and he will tell you how to contact me. I only need information on Han—his missions, his movements, everything. I don't need any other information."
Jakuhochi's face was ashen. She hadn't expected that she was the real fool. But now, she had no other choice.
"One more thing," Sakura added as a reminder. "You'd better keep him with you at all times. Of course, I'm not saying this to monitor you, but because the reanimated brought back with this jutsu become dull-witted when controlled. They can only recognize simple commands. Over time, people will notice."
"Of course," Sakura shrugged, "even if he's discovered, it won't affect me much. Our two villages are already hostile. But if he's found out, I can't say whether the Kamizuru clan will continue to exist."
"..." Jakuhochi was silent for a moment. "Does your promise to me still stand?" This was tantamount to treason. It was death either way. If she failed, the village would execute her as a rogue ninja. If she didn't agree now, she would be disposed of right here. She might as well take the gamble. Perhaps there was still a chance for her clan to rise again.
"Of course, it still stands," Sakura nodded. "But you have to help me with this first."
"Can I know what you ultimately plan to do with Han?" Jakuhochi asked, gritting her teeth.
"...." Sakura was silent for a moment. "It's exactly what you think."
Even though she had Jakuhochi under her thumb, she couldn't tell her about her plan. What if she decided to risk the destruction of the Kamizuru clan to leak the plan to Iwagakure? The loss would outweigh the gain. But not answering would also make her suspicious. So, she gave a vague answer. Whatever you think it is, that's what it is. Once she hesitated, she wouldn't be able to act recklessly.
"Alright, I have to go. You should head back too. As long as you help me with this, I won't disappoint you. I keep my promises," Sakura said with a brilliant smile, then disappeared.
Jakuhochi stood frozen on the spot. In just a short time, she had lost two of her clansmen, her emotions had been on a rollercoaster, and now she was under someone else's control.
But if it could really revive the Kamizuru clan, Jakuhochi felt it was worth a try. Information on Han, is it? I heard that Han is...
When Sakura returned to the camp, Hinata was already awake. Seeing Sakura approach, Hinata looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I made you worry."
"It's fine. As long as we found the Bikochu," Sakura said, her mood now cheerful. She didn't know if the Kamizuru clan would do as she said, but at least she had planted a nail in Iwagakure.
She had come up with the idea the moment the three of them had blocked her path. Although she didn't need to capture the Five-Tails right now, knowing its movements in advance would help her plan her actions.
Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, was also from Iwagakure, but due to his stubbornness and his poor relationship with the Tsuchikage, he had already left the village. So, there was no point in having Jakuhochi investigate him. Since he had left the village, she wouldn't be able to find any useful information anyway.
One step at a time. Capturing the Tailed Beasts wasn't something that could be done overnight. Sakura looked up at the sky. It seemed to be starting to rain.
Which meant the Bikochu was about to lay its eggs...