Watching Sakura's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Anko clenched her fists tightly but ultimately didn't pursue. The disparity in strength was undeniable; charging in now would achieve nothing. The headless corpse of the Kiri ninja served as a stark reminder of that fact.
Anko couldn't help but marvel at Sakura's explosive growth. During the Chunin Exams just over a year ago, she had merely been one of the standout Genin. Now, in such a short time, she had reached a level where even Anko felt she couldn't guarantee victory. How on earth had she achieved it?
Anko hadn't even been able to clearly track the movement Sakura used to instantly subdue the Kiri ninja. One moment Sakura was standing there, the next, in the blink of an eye, the enemy was pinned to the ground. It was like a visual glitch, a skip in perception. Was it an afterimage technique? The sheer speed seemed to surpass even the Body Flicker Technique. Was it ninjutsu, or was it purely her physical velocity?
"Anko-sensei!"
Kiba's voice pulled Anko from her thoughts. "What is it?" she asked, turning to him.
"What do we do with… this?" Kiba asked, gesturing awkwardly at the grisly corpse on the rocks.
Anko looked down at the body. Definitely Kirigakure, she thought, recalling his use of the Hiding in Mist Technique.
"Anko-sensei, here's his headband!" Neji called out, holding up a blood-spattered Kiri forehead protector that had been neatly sliced into two pieces. Sakura's attack had bisected it along with the man's skull.
Confirmed, Anko thought, frowning at the broken symbol. Kirigakure and Konoha were not allies. Kiri's sneak attacks during the Third Shinobi World War had only escalated the conflict, making them enemies in truth, despite any superficial peacetime relations. We should take this body back to Konoha for intelligence.
Hinata watched Anko begin to search the corpse, the gruesome sight of the cleaved skull, spilled greyish brain matter, and still-pooling blood turning her stomach. The acrid, metallic stench stung her nostrils. She instinctively wanted to shrink back, to turn away, but Sakura's sharp words echoed in her mind: "A shinobi needs to act like one. If you can't handle this, perhaps you should go back home and resume your life as the Hyuga heiress."
I… I can do this! Hinata told herself fiercely, forcing her eyes to stay fixed on the horrific scene, though her body trembled uncontrollably.
"Don't force yourself, Lady Hinata," Neji snorted, noticing her pale face and trembling. A faint, almost disdainful smirk touched his lips. "That wasn't what she meant. She was referring to a shinobi's resolve, not simply enduring gore."
"N-Neji-nii-san," Hinata stammered, taken aback. His tone wasn't exactly kind, but it was the first time Neji had ever offered her anything resembling comfort. Sort of, she amended silently.
After a few moments of searching, Anko pulled a small, blood-soaked booklet from inside the dead ninja's flak jacket. Flipping it open, she saw pages filled with sketches and photographs of various shinobi, accompanied by brief descriptions. Some entries were marked with a cross. Kiri's Bingo Book.
She turned a few more pages and froze. Staring back at her was a sketch of Haruno Sakura. Her eyes scanned the entry, her expression growing increasingly grim. Under the section detailing known crimes, one line stood out, chilling her to the bone: Assassination of the Fourth Mizukage and Hozuki Mangetsu of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Assassinating the Mizukage?! Anko felt her throat go dry, her mind momentarily blanking from shock. Assassinating a Kage?! Is she insane?!
"Anko-sensei? What did you find?" Kiba asked, noticing her stark reaction.
Anko snapped back to attention. "You three," she said sharply, "you mentioned earlier there might be extenuating circumstances behind Sakura's defection. Tell me everything you know, in detail."
"Honestly, we don't know much," Kiba admitted, scratching his head. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have needed to ask her. Our team, Team 8, and Team 10 were part of the pursuit squad that night. I couldn't believe she'd actually defected. I asked Shikamaru and the others about it later, but they were really tight-lipped, wouldn't say much."
Anko bit her lip, her brow furrowed deeply. This is bad. Really bad. If Sakura truly was framed for her initial defection, but was later proven innocent, Kirigakure finding out she also allegedly assassinated their Kage would inevitably lead to demands for accountability from Konoha. It could easily escalate into war. That was the worst-case scenario.
How could a standard mission turn into something like this? This information needed to reach the village immediately. But their original mission remained…
And this wasn't news that could be trusted to a messenger hawk. It was too critical. If intercepted, the leak could trigger unforeseen crises. Sunagakure's surprise attack last year had already stirred unrest among neighboring powers; Konoha couldn't afford another major incident. They needed to implement countermeasures before this information became public knowledge, or they'd be caught completely off guard.
Sakura was Lady Tsunade's apprentice. If she was framed, Tsunade would move heaven and earth to protect her. But now, what madness had driven her to assassinate the Mizukage? Even if Tsunade managed to clear Sakura's name regarding the original defection, the diplomatic fallout from the Kage assassination would be catastrophic. It was an impossible situation, a true dilemma.
Anko didn't want war. In that moment, she found herself almost hoping Sakura had genuinely turned traitor, had committed these acts of her own volition. It sounds callous, she knew, but that outcome, ironically, would simplify things immensely on an international scale and prevent a potentially devastating conflict. It wasn't cowardice; war was something no sane person desired. Besides, Sakura was currently a missing-nin, someone Anko barely knew. Why should Konoha – her friends, her comrades, her family – be dragged into a war because of one seemingly unhinged individual?
Looking at the three troubled Genin before her, Anko felt a headache building. Entrusting the original mission solely to them now felt irresponsible. There was only one option. Lady Tsunade will understand.
"Alright everyone," Anko announced decisively. "Mission aborted! We return to Konoha immediately!"
"What? Why, Anko-sensei?" Kiba protested instantly.
"Because," Anko replied, her voice grave, "Sakura's situation must be reported to the Hokage without delay. Failure to do so could lead to catastrophic consequences!"
"What exactly happened? What did that booklet say?" Kiba pressed, realizing the contents must be incredibly serious for Anko to make such a decision.
"Byakugan!" Neji declared, activating his dojutsu to read the booklet still in Anko's hand.
Reacting instantly, Anko tossed the bloodstained Bingo Book into the air. A swift hand seal, a burst of flame – Fire Release! – and the booklet disintegrated into ash.
"This matter is critically sensitive," Anko stated firmly, turning her sharp gaze on Neji. "If you three truly care about her, don't ask any more questions. This is something only the Hokage can decide how to handle." She locked eyes with Neji again. "If you saw anything in that book, you keep it absolutely to yourself. Do not speak of it to anyone. Lady Hokage will make the final judgment. Understood?"
"I… understand," Neji nodded, his expression serious. He had clearly seen something significant in that brief moment.
"Hey! Neji! What the heck is going on?!" Kiba demanded, rounding on his teammate. "What did it say?!"
Neji simply shook his head. "It's nothing." He then turned back to Anko. "Sensei, there's no need to abandon the mission. We can still complete it."
"Too late," Anko stated flatly. "You three must return with me to the village now. If I have to, I'll tie you up and drag you back myself."
"Urgh… Yes, Sensei," Neji sighed, conceding defeat.
Anko's extreme caution wasn't unwarranted. Information contained in village Bingo Books, especially regarding high-profile missing-nin carrying sensitive village intelligence, was not freely shared. Only the most infamous defectors became widely known throughout the shinobi world. Generally, only information on wanted ninja from other villages was disseminated broadly.
Sakura was wanted by Konoha, and she was the current Hokage's apprentice. She had (allegedly) murdered the Fourth Mizukage. Based on the dead ninja's reaction, Kirigakure didn't yet know she was a Konoha missing-nin. Furthermore, Neji and the others suspected Sakura was framed for her initial defection. If Kiri intercepted intelligence confirming Sakura's identity, her Konoha ties, and her supposed crimes… they could secretly build up their forces, wait for Konoha to potentially exonerate Tsunade's apprentice, and then attack Konoha or demand massive concessions, using the Kage assassination as justification. Or, they could immediately form alliances with other villages, using the incident to pressure Konoha, demanding reparations or territory. The chain of events leading to the Third Shinobi World War served as a chilling precedent.
Damn it! Anko cursed inwardly. Is her head broken? Why in blazes would she assassinate the Mizukage?! Defecting was bad enough, but causing this much potential trouble for the village… This truly counts as betrayal.
What Anko didn't know was that Hanzo of the Salamander, the legendary leader of Amegakure, had also fallen by Sakura's hand. If that information ever leaked, Akatsuki – specifically Pain, and by extension, Obito – would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to stir the pot, muddy the waters, and plunge the world into the chaos they desired, making their Biju collection far easier. A peaceful shinobi world was the last thing Obito wanted; chaos provided cover for his actions.
Meanwhile, Sakura sat aboard the commandeered ship, quietly observing Mei Terumi.
Earlier, after leaving the Konoha team, Sakura had dragged Mei straight back to the docks and onto the ship belonging to the lecherous boatman who had harassed them. A swift, decisive, and rather messy beatdown had ensued, after which the ship's captain became remarkably compliant – even more so than the amnesiac Mei. He agreed to do whatever Sakura commanded, only balking when she ordered him to set sail for the Land of Tea.
He'd paled, babbling fearfully about the sea monster terrorizing the route, insisting it was a suicide mission. Sakura, having no patience for delays, had simply beaten him again until he and his terrified crew reluctantly weighed anchor and set course as ordered.
Now, under Sakura's scrutinizing gaze, Mei began to fidget nervously. "S-Sister Mikoto," she asked timidly, "why… why are you looking at me like that?"
"Oh, nothing!" Sakura replied with a cheerful, slightly unnerving smile. "Just thinking. Aren't you curious about what happened back there on the beach?"
Mei's expression immediately fell. "I dragged you down again," she mumbled guiltily. "I promise, I'll work harder. Next time, I definitely won't be a burden to you."
Sakura sighed internally. "It's okay," she said gently. "You have amnesia right now. It's only natural that I protect you." She then launched into her carefully constructed narrative. "That ninja back there, he mistook you for someone else – a Kiri shinobi named Terumi Mei. Apparently, you look exactly like her." Sakura paused, letting that sink in before continuing, "The battle where you lost your memory… it was actually between me and that Terumi Mei. She was the one who attacked us. It was a fierce fight... She was killed in the struggle, and because you look so much like her, that ninja assumed you were the one responsible for her death and the Mizukage's."
"B-but why would we fight?" Mei asked, confused but intrigued to hear about the 'events' leading to her memory loss.
"Simple," Sakura explained smoothly, adopting a sympathetic tone. "Kirigakure is a very isolationist village. They saw me traveling with you, someone who looked identical to one of their own elite ninja, and immediately assumed the worst – that you were a spy or an imposter I was using. They attacked without even giving us a chance to explain." She leaned closer. "It was chaos. You were gravely injured by Mei during the fight, but bravely, you managed to knock her unconscious before you collapsed. I had to get us away quickly. I carried you to a hidden cave… that's where I treated your injuries. Remember the scars? Those are from the emergency surgery I had to perform."
"A cave?" Mei echoed, frowning and pressing a hand to her temple as if trying to grasp a fleeting image. A flicker of pain crossed her face.
"Are you remembering something?" Sakura pressed gently, keeping her voice even. "It was difficult. We had no proper medical supplies. I had to sneak into a nearby town and steal surgical tools. I hunted game for us to eat, prepared meals… For a while, you could only manage liquid food because of your injuries. You even got quite grumpy with me about it, remember?"
"Ooh…" Mei winced slightly, then her brow furrowed in concentration. "Maybe… It feels… familiar? Like it could be right? But the memories… they're so blurry, like looking through fog."
"Don't worry," Sakura said, her eyes glinting with hidden purpose. "I'll help you remember everything."
Sakura's objective, of course, wasn't to restore Mei's true memories, but to systematically overwrite them – to brainwash her. She knew that even severe amnesia often left behind fragmented impressions of significant events; Mei recalling their shared meal from earlier was proof. Sakura was now exploiting a cognitive phenomenon known as perceptual completion – the brain's natural tendency to fill in missing information in incomplete patterns or memories based on prior experience or suggestion, commonly referred to as 'filling in the blanks'.
By carefully weaving bits of truth with carefully crafted lies, Sakura was planting suggestive seeds, subtly guiding Mei's mind to 'fill in the blanks' with a fabricated narrative, reinforcing it until Mei accepted it as reality. Sometimes, the brain could indeed be tricked by its owner, especially when memories were already damaged.
Sakura didn't know if it would ultimately succeed. But for someone suffering from such profound memory loss, a cleverly constructed story blending fact and fiction, presented consistently and without directly contradicting Mei's core sense of self, stood a decent chance of taking root.
The potential long-term consequence, she acknowledged grimly, was severe psychological damage – perhaps even dissociative identity disorder or personality fragmentation if Mei's true memories ever fully resurfaced and clashed violently with the implanted ones. But, Sakura justified silently, who told Kirigakure to attack indiscriminately? Don't they investigate before jumping to conclusions? Is their Intelligence Division completely useless? Assassinate the Mizukage? She wasn't even there. Hozuki Mangetsu? Who the hell knew how he really died?
Fine, Sakura thought with a surge of dark, rebellious satisfaction. Since you're so determined to blame me and hunt me down… I think I'll just keep your future Fifth Mizukage for myself. Let's see who you manage to pick for the job now. A truly wicked little smile played on her lips.