Nightfall – Haruno Residence
Sakura Haruno sat on the couch in the living room, her pink hair still damp as she flipped through a scroll on medical ninjutsu. Beside her, a red-haired girl was gently drying Sakura's hair with a towel.
Initially, Sakura had wanted to refuse. In her opinion, as long as her hair was mostly dry, a quick shake followed by letting it air-dry was more than enough. She'd been doing it that way for years.
Worried about catching a cold? Please—her body, capable of shattering wild boars with a single punch, didn't fall ill that easily.
But in the end, Sakura couldn't win against Karin's enthusiasm. She relented and let her continue.
"Hehehe… Sakura's hair~~~"
An eerie voice that could only be described as 'non-human' floated up behind her.
As days passed, it seemed Karin's true nature—once carefully restrained—was starting to leak through. Her obsessive personality was gradually showing itself, like a dam breaking under pressure.
"Karin?"
Sakura's voice cut through the tension at just the right moment.
"Hmm?"
Karin snapped back to her senses, wiped the drool at the corner of her mouth, and responded.
"Speaking of which… how much longer will it take for your Konoha registration to be completed?"
Karin scratched her head and answered, "It's nearly done. But wow, Konoha's intelligence division is amazing. They even dug up details about my great-grandfather."
"They said I even had a distant relative who once lived in Konoha."
"Something like… Uzumaki Kushina? I think that was the name?"
"But it seems she passed away."
Sakura blinked at that. Her expression froze for a brief second.
"Oh… I see."
Her reaction was far too obvious, and Karin noticed, raising an eyebrow in mild confusion. But she didn't dwell on it. Instead, she looked a little downcast.
"I guess it won't be long before I have to move out…"
Once her residency was finalized, Konoha would assign Karin her own place to live. When that happened, there'd be no more reason for her to stay with the Haruno family.
Sakura picked up on her disappointment, closed the scroll in her hands, and glanced back at her.
"Hmm… well, if you pass the Konoha Genin exam…"
"I can recommend you to join my team."
"…Huh?"
Karin blinked in surprise, not quite understanding what Sakura meant.
She knew how the Konoha team structure worked—usually one Chūnin or Jōnin led a team of three Genin.
Sakura pointed to the green flak jacket hanging on the coat rack by the door and smiled.
"Actually, I'm a Special Jōnin now~"
Karin's eyes moved from the vest to Sakura, her confusion giving way to wide-eyed delight.
"Sakura!"
The red-haired octopus of a girl never did understand the concept of subtlety or restraint. With an excited squeal, she lunged at Sakura, pinning her to the couch in a tight embrace.
Sakura, now squashed under Karin, couldn't help but wear a speechless expression.
Knock, knock, knock—
Just then, the door of the Haruno household rang out with a series of knocks.
Sakura managed to wriggle out of Karin's grasp, her hair still slightly damp, and headed to answer the door.
"Who is it?"
Opening the door, she was greeted by a masked ANBU standing on her doorstep.
"Haruno Sakura. The Hokage has summoned you. You are to report to the Hokage Tower immediately."
Sakura looked at the ANBU, confused.
It was nearly midnight—what could the old man possibly want at this hour?
This had never happened before.
Late Night – En Route to the Hokage Tower
A slender figure darted across the rooftops, casting a fleeting shadow under the moonlight as she made her way toward the Hokage Tower.
Though it was nearing ten o'clock, the tower was still ablaze with lights.
Even from a distance, Sakura could spot the bustling silhouettes of the staff inside, hurrying about their duties.
Seeing this, a sense of foreboding weighed down in her chest.
Something's wrong…
She quickened her pace, nodding briefly to a few familiar staff members before heading straight for the Hokage's office without pause.
Without hesitation, she pushed open the doors—and immediately felt as if she couldn't breathe.
A cloud of pale blue smoke hit her square in the face, rolling through the room like a tide and enveloping her completely.
The entire office looked like a misty dreamscape—though, really, it was just thick with secondhand smoke.
Amid the haze, she could barely make out the figures of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shikaku Nara sitting inside, puffing away.
"Oh, Sakura, you're here."
Hiruzen's brow relaxed as he saw her standing in the doorway. He was about to call her in when he noticed her glaring expression.
He blinked, then smiled awkwardly as realization dawned. He got up, pushed the window open, and waved his hand.
A small Wind Style jutsu swept through the office, instantly clearing out the "heavenly fog."
Only then did Sakura step in, her face less than pleased.
"You're almost seventy, and you're still smoking like this."
"Be careful, or you'll smoke yourself to death."
She shot a pointed glance at Shikaku too, her green eyes clearly saying, And you're not much better.
The pineapple-haired strategist looked down at the half-smoked cigarette in his hand, gave a dry chuckle, and stubbed it out in the ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts.
"So? Old man, what did you call me here for?" Sakura asked, dropping onto the couch.
"Well… it's like this…"
Hiruzen took a deep breath of the fresh air and began laying out the latest intel.
Reports from the Land of Frost, combined with cross-verification by Konoha's intelligence division and spies stationed in the Land of Lightning, confirmed one undeniable fact—
Kumogakure had made their move.
Even though Konoha had anticipated conflict with the Hidden Cloud, their swift and decisive action caught Hiruzen off guard.
Sakura listened quietly as the Hokage explained everything. After a long silence, she turned to Shikaku, who had barely said a word since she entered.
"Kumogakure attacked right after the Kazekage left the stage. Can we assume they've already reached some kind of agreement with Sunagakure?"
Her question caused Shikaku's eyes to narrow.
He had considered the same possibility. But without definitive proof, it was just speculation.
And no one dared to act based on speculation—if Wind and Lightning formed an alliance, Konoha's pact with the Land of Earth would lose significant influence.
"That's exactly what I'm worried about," Hiruzen said with a heavy sigh. The wrinkles on his forehead deepened once more.
"What's there to worry about?" Sakura replied flatly. "You must have expected this possibility, didn't you?"
She picked up a fresh teacup from the coffee table and poured herself a glass of water.
Even as she said it, Hiruzen couldn't help but reflect on his decades-long career as Hokage. He'd lived through the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars.
And now, just as he was preparing to hand things off to the next generation…
Was the Fourth Great Ninja War already upon them?
(End of Chapter)
---