Early December, Konoha Year 60 – Land of Grass
"Hehe, we meet again."
His smile was warm and affable, making it almost impossible to dislike him. Despite his harmless appearance, Haruno Sakura's stance grew even more guarded than before.
"Yes, we meet again, Kabuto!" Her voice was tight, wary. Shielding Junko behind her, Sakura flooded her body with chakra, ready to unleash a lethal blow at any moment.
Kabuto's strength was considerable, easily on par with Kakashi's current level – Sakura knew that much. More importantly, he was Orochimaru's man. His sudden appearance here left Sakura uncertain of his motives. Was he seeking revenge for her interference in Orochimaru's plans? That didn't seem like Orochimaru's style.
"No need to be so tense." Kabuto held up his hands placatingly, that same pleasant smile fixed on his face. "I'm here to help you."
"You're here to help me?" Sakura's fists clenched tighter at his words. "You really think I'd believe that?"
"Ai, it seems you have some misunderstandings." Pushing up his glasses, maintaining that same warm smile, Kabuto explained, "To help clear things up, let me reveal a little something: I am a spy Konoha planted by Orochimaru's side. Konoha dispatched six Jonin and ANBU operatives to the Land of Grass."
He paused, then continued, "Their objective was to find you. After days without success, they activated me, this hidden pawn. Orochimaru has numerous eyes and ears in the Land of Grass, so finding you was quite simple for me."
Kabuto finished with a shrug. "That's the situation. Please keep my status confidential; otherwise, I won't be able to remain by Orochimaru's side."
His calm demeanor and gentle smile lent his words a surprising degree of credibility. For a fleeting moment, listening to him, Sakura almost believed it.
But ultimately, Sakura wasn't a native of this world, nor was she Naruto. A small smile touched her lips. "I see. So, am I free to go now?"
"Of course. But what do you intend to do with this Grass ninja?" Kabuto gestured towards Yuichi with a smile. "I used a Chakra Scalpel to sever his meridians. He's completely powerless now."
Hearing Kabuto's words, Yuichi's already terrified expression turned deathly pale. Looking between Sakura and Junko, he began begging, "S-sorry… Please spare me… I'll give you money… Lots and lots of money… Please, let me go… I was wrong… Please… All my money, you can have it all…"
Kabuto casually placed a hand on Yuichi's neck. Instantly, Yuichi's mouth continued to move frantically, but no sound emerged.
Though Junko didn't fully grasp the situation, her enemy was right before her, helpless. Gripping the shuriken—the only weapon between them, the very one Yuichi had thrown at her—she started forward.
Sakura's ninja tools had all been lost or expended fighting Hanzo.
Just as Junko took a step, Sakura reached out, stopping her. Turning her head slightly, she said, "Sorry, let me handle this." Junko froze, about to protest, but then she saw Sakura make a subtle hand signal from an angle hidden from Kabuto – a danger sign, one of the simple signals Sakura had taught her during their chakra practice.
Seeing the signal, Junko held back, though reluctance warred within her. Sakura felt increasingly satisfied with Junko's response; she wasn't letting hatred cloud her judgment, calmly obeying orders. She truly had the aptitude for being a ninja. But satisfaction mingled with self-reproach. If Junko dies because of this, I'll never forgive myself.
Sakura slowly advanced on Yuichi, who stood beside Kabuto. Chakra surged into her right hand. A punch with this much force could shatter steel plating. As Sakura drew closer, Yuichi's eyes widened, reflecting only boundless terror. His boar-like complexion turned as white as paper.
The Yuichi of his youth hadn't been like this; he hadn't feared death so acutely. But since becoming a Jonin, life had grown comfortable. Death felt distant. Dangerous missions were handled by cannon fodder. It had been a long time since he'd felt death's approach. Now, watching it step closer and closer, Yuichi felt nothing but terror.
Sakura finally stood directly before Yuichi. Kabuto watched from the side, a faint smile playing on his lips as he observed the unfolding scene. Sakura raised her right fist and punched.
BOOM!!!
The searing pain Yuichi expected never came. He hesitantly opened his eyes. The girl was gone.
Sakura landed roughly where Kabuto had been standing moments before. She picked herself up, slightly disheveled, brushing dust from her clothes. Looking at Kabuto, who now stood beside Junko, she realized with frustration that he had dodged her attack despite showing no prior sign of moving. She had put too much force into the blow, missed entirely, stumbled, and delivered a powerful strike straight into the earth. What a waste.
Sakura rubbed her wrist, her gaze fixed intently on Kabuto. "How did you know?"
"Quite simple." Even having narrowly avoided Sakura's potentially lethal blow, Kabuto showed no sign of anger. He pushed up his glasses. "This area is already surrounded by snakes."
"I see." Sakura nodded. She didn't possess the Byakugan or Sharingan, and her sensory abilities were limited. It was understandable she hadn't noticed.
"I advise you not to touch her," Sakura said coldly, her eyes on Junko, now held loosely by Kabuto. "Otherwise, you won't be leaving here alive today."
"Hahaha…" Kabuto let out a hearty laugh, yet even his laughter somehow lacked malice. Truly a natural talent for espionage. "I have no intention of harming her. You managed to kill Hanzo of the Salamander; I trust you're capable of killing me too."
"Nn!" Sakura felt a deep unease. Kabuto's words implied he had a complete grasp of the situation. "How did you know I killed Hanzo?"
Kabuto shook his head. "I don't know the details. I only need to know that in the confrontation between you and Hanzo, you were the sole survivor."
So Kabuto wasn't present at the time. That relieved Sakura slightly. Nearby, Yuichi, overhearing this, began to tremble violently, utterly broken. Hanzo… killed by her… The thought echoed endlessly in his mind, erasing all other cognitive function. Any hope of survival vanished from his eyes.
"State your purpose," Sakura demanded, her gaze cold. "Maybe Naruto or Sasuke would fall for your act, but I won't."
Kabuto didn't reply immediately. Instead, he swiftly chopped the back of Junko's neck. Her eyes rolled back, and she slumped, unconscious.
"She's merely unconscious, don't worry. I prefer our conversation remain private," Kabuto said quickly, holding up his hands as Sakura glared furiously at him.
Sakura didn't know what Kabuto truly wanted. Due to her miscalculation, Junko was now his hostage, a fact that filled Sakura with self-blame. However, the opportunity to potentially eliminate a major future antagonist was tempting. Sakura had to try, to mitigate future troubles.
"What do you want to talk about?" Sakura asked through gritted teeth.
"First, I need to confirm something. You seem quite familiar with Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto stated.
"That's right. I am familiar," Sakura admitted readily.
"Oh?" Kabuto looked slightly surprised by her quick confirmation.
"He's one of Konoha's Sannin. Defected after being caught using villagers for human experiments. Quite a few Konoha ninja should know that much, shouldn't they? You didn't know?" Sakura countered, feigning innocent surprise.
Kabuto's smile remained fixed, his composure impeccable. "You know that's not what I'm referring to."
"But that's all I know," Sakura replied with a shrug, knowing this wasn't the answer Kabuto sought.
"Very well. In that case, how about we make a trade? Information for information. Anything I know is potentially on the table," Kabuto proposed smoothly. He was intelligent; capturing Sakura wouldn't be easy, given her strength. Even if he succeeded, with the Godaime Hokage searching everywhere for her, Kabuto wasn't confident he could avoid leaving traces. Besides, his current actions were… unauthorized by Orochimaru-sama…
He considered using Junko as leverage, but doubted the girl's value was high enough to truly coerce Sakura. Kabuto didn't want to risk it.
Sakura found Kabuto's proposal unappealing. She already knew the broad strokes of his and Orochimaru's futures; any unknown details were unlikely to be crucial. Trading her knowledge felt like a losing proposition. Refusing, however, might make Kabuto suspect she already knew too much about Orochimaru.
This is likely a trap. Trading my valuable future knowledge for information I already possess… anyone would see it's a bad deal.
Studying Kabuto's expression, Sakura mulled it over. Suddenly, she realized there was something she could ask him…
"Alright. But I ask first," Sakura declared, watching Kabuto's face intently. "Your actions today, Orochimaru doesn't know, right? This is you acting alone."
Kabuto's expression flickered momentarily, but he answered readily, "Correct. Orochimaru-sama is unaware. Now, my turn. Did you know about the Konoha Crush plan in advance?"
"Yes, I knew beforehand," Sakura answered just as readily. Kabuto hadn't asked how far in advance she knew; there was no harm in admitting it.
This first exchange served as a test for both, probing the waters with relatively minor questions.
"I want the cultivation method for the Yin Healing Wound Destruction," Sakura stated. She remembered this as Kabuto's signature healing ninjutsu before he achieved Sage Mode. While not as powerful as Creation Rebirth, it was a valuable supplementary technique with significantly fewer side effects.
Kabuto paused, surprised, then his expression turned peculiar. "This jutsu took me years to develop myself. I'm surprised you even know of it. Though I don't know how you learned of it… I can give it to you."
Sakura blinked, stunned. She had assumed Orochimaru collected the technique and Kabuto learned it from him. She hadn't recalled Kabuto developing any significant jutsu in her memories; most seemed derived from Orochimaru's research.
"Do you have a pen and paper?" Kabuto asked.
"In Junko's backpack. Get it yourself," Sakura gestured towards the unconscious girl. "But how do I know what you write down is correct?"
Kabuto opened Junko's pack, rummaged inside, and produced the writing materials. He sat cross-legged on the ground and began writing. "You really don't need to be so wary of me. I have no intention of being your enemy."
"But you're Orochimaru's man!" Sakura retorted coldly.
"..." Kabuto fell silent for a moment before replying, "That's true. But if your information satisfies me, perhaps… I truly am a spy…"
Like hell I'd believe that, Sakura thought, watching Kabuto write without further comment.
After a short while, Kabuto finished, rolled up the paper, and tossed it across to Sakura. She caught it, unrolled it, scanned the contents, and tucked it away. Even if Kabuto had tampered with it, she couldn't verify it here. That would require careful experimentation later.
"Now then, it's my turn to ask." Kabuto stood up, pushing his glasses back into place. "From the moment you requested that specific jutsu, I confirmed my suspicions. You truly know many things. I don't know the source of your information, but I don't particularly care about that."
"What do you want to know?" Here it comes, Sakura thought. His real reason for being here.
"After the Chunin Exams, I attempted to lure Sasuke Uchiha to Orochimaru-sama's side, but I failed," Kabuto stated, his eyes suddenly sharp, serious. "The reason was you. Something you said solidified Sasuke's wavering resolve. You understand what I'm referring to, don't you…?"
Even before Kabuto finished, Sakura had a sinking feeling. By his last word, she understood completely. Kabuto overheard my conversation with Sasuke back then.
Sakura wasn't sure how to feel. She hadn't detected Kabuto's surveillance then, nor could she now. But that was a minor issue. The real question was Kabuto's ultimate goal.
In the entire shinobi world, only Orochimaru and Kabuto truly seemed to embrace science, specifically biological science. Science was a double-edged sword: a powerful tool if used well, world-destroying if misused. Information about the Rinnegan absolutely could not fall into Kabuto's hands, at least not until Naruto and Sasuke were strong enough to stand at the pinnacle of the ninja world. Knowing this, these two science fanatics would be a catastrophe.
"Hehe, so that's what this is about," Sakura said, forcing a relaxed tone. However, the slight widening of her pupils when Kabuto first mentioned it hadn't escaped his notice.
Kabuto pressed, "Judging by your tone, it seems such information is trivial to you."
"How could it be trivial? Is something like that common in the ninja world?" Sakura countered evasively.
"Then what is your answer?" Kabuto persisted, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
"I can tell you," Sakura paused deliberately, "but the Yin Healing Wound Destruction alone isn't enough payment for this information."
Kabuto nodded in agreement. "I understand. State your conditions. If it's within my power."
"This operation… you're keeping it from Orochimaru?" Sakura asked again, abruptly.
"Yes. Orochimaru-sama does not know," Kabuto confirmed, pushing up his glasses. "And rest assured, any information you provide me, I will not share with Orochimaru-sama either."
His ambitions must be significant, Sakura realized. He revered Orochimaru like a god, yet was willing to betray him. This made Sakura even more determined not to reveal crucial future knowledge. Orochimaru merely sought immortality. Kabuto… his motives were opaque.
"I need the Edo Tensei… and Cursed Seal data and samples."