Konohagakure Naka River
Sakura Haruno stood expressionless, staring at the river channel where construction had finally been completed.
"Ahem... Sakura-sama, what do you think?"
A curvaceous woman looked at the young girl with a cautious, fawning smile. This woman was a member of the so-called Konoha Military Police Force.
After the Uchiha clan was massacred years ago, the "cake" that was the Police Force had been carved up and divided among all the clans of Konohagakure. The Police Force possessed legislative, judicial, enforcement, and detention powers. Their authority was so absurdly broad that any captain with half a brain could effectively bypass and marginalize the Hokage.
The greater the power, the greater the scope of responsibility. Environmental management happened to be one of the many duties falling under the Police Force's jurisdiction, and the woman standing before her was the person in charge of this specific stretch of the river.
"What is your name?" Sakura asked, noting that the riverbed looked brand new and the foul odor had finally vanished.
"Sakura-sama, my name is Mie Shimura," the woman replied carefully.
There was a good reason for her trepidation. Three days ago, this young girl's critique of her work had been incredibly harsh. Previously, even if Sakura had scolded her subordinates until they were "covered in dog's blood," she had never used phrases like, "If this isn't finished, your head will roll."
Sakura's heart stirred at the name, but her expression remained neutral as she looked coldly at the woman. "How long have you been in this position?"
"In response to Sakura-sama... it has been exactly five years now."
Hearing this, Sakura's fist tightened inside her pocket. If this woman wasn't just occupying a post without merit, then she was a total waste of space! Even the smallest trivialities were being reported upward; she couldn't solve a simple problem on her own and expected the Hokage to handle it personally.
"If I had kept your reports set aside after you submitted them, how did you plan to handle the situation?" Sakura suppressed the rising anger in her heart and spoke in a slow, deliberate tone.
"Uh... this... I would continue to report it?"
You useless thing! You're beyond saving. Just wait for death!
"Forget it."
Ignoring Mie Shimura's frantic calls, Sakura turned and walked away.
Over the past three years, under Sakura's relentless administrative "carpet bombing," the entire governing system of Konoha had become terrified of her. Fearing the wrath of the pink-haired girl, they had become lightning-fast at handling various issues that cropped up. They would then report the problem and the resolution to the Hokage's office, where either the old man or Sakura would simply stamp it to finalize the matter.
Though there had been some friction along the way, things had transitioned smoothly. The personnel trained during this period were slowly replacing those who couldn't adapt to the new pace.
As for this Mie Shimura... Sakura truly didn't know how she had survived her irregular administrative audits over the last three years. It might have been pure "dog luck," or perhaps...
Sakura walked down the streets of Konoha with her hands in her pockets, a trace of chill in her emerald eyes. Shimura...
Mie Shimura's recent file had happened to catch Sakura's eye. Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi dragging his body, riddled with old hidden injuries, just to deal with Mie's trivial nonsense had put the woman directly in Sakura's crosshairs.
Sakura's eyelids lowered slightly, her expression becoming inscrutable. This was just what she could see—what about the things she couldn't?
"Sakura?"
"Sakura!"
A sudden, delighted voice came from ahead, causing Sakura to look up. A purple silhouette lunged toward her.
Ino Yamanaka, now sixteen years old, wore a purple ninja outfit with her hair tied in a long ponytail. She had grown into a strikingly beautiful young woman.
"Why didn't you say anything when you got back?!" Ino threw herself into Sakura's arms and naturally linked her arm with Sakura's.
"...I've been back for three days already. And Ino, you're the one who just returned to the village." Sakura glanced at Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi, who stood a short distance away looking travel-worn.
Three years had passed, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had all been promoted to Chunin. In Sakura's graduating class, aside from Sakura herself, two Jonin had already emerged: Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuga. Aside from Naruto, who remained a Genin, everyone else had become a Chunin. Karin had also become a Chunin, though in terms of actual combat power, she was already at the Jonin level.
"Uh, hehe, I forgot." In the past, Sakura was always the one out on missions while Ino stayed in the village. Now that the roles were reversed, Ino found it a bit hard to adjust.
"If we're going to catch up, it's better to find a quiet place," Shikamaru said as he walked up, looking at his teammate with a resigned expression. "But speaking of which, it seems like every ninja I know has returned to the village recently."
Shikamaru looked at Sakura thoughtfully. Brilliant as he was, he didn't need to actively gather intelligence to deduce what was about to happen based on the small clues in daily life.
The inauguration of a new Hokage. And who that person was... was naturally self-evident.
"Eh? Does that mean Naruto is coming back too?" Choji's eyes lit up at Shikamaru's words. Ever since Naruto went to Turtle Island to train, he had only returned to Konoha a handful of times over the three years. As a loyal friend, Choji was genuinely happy.
"Yeah, as for Naruto..."
Speak of the devil. Before Sakura could finish her sentence, an orange figure appeared at the end of the street, scrambling up a telephone pole in a few quick bounds.
"I! The great Naruto Uzumaki! Am back!"
Reckless as always.
"Eh! Is that Naruto?!" Ino looked at the long-absent Naruto with a joyful expression. Having grown up together, seeing an old friend after a long separation was always heartwarming.
"Naruto! Over here!" Choji waved his hand vigorously at him.
"Choji! Shikamaru! Ino! And Sakura!"
Naruto's eyes lit up the moment he returned. He jumped down from the pole and ran toward Sakura and the others at top speed.
"Good grief, this kid really is something..." Jiraiya, who had returned with Naruto, watched the boy's lively nature and couldn't help but smile helplessly.
"Naruto!" Choji walked up, wanting to give his brother an "affectionate" hug. Naruto didn't mind at all, returning the brotherly embrace.
Then, Naruto bypassed Shikamaru and stepped in front of Sakura and Ino.
"Sakura! Long time no see! Hehe!" Naruto scratched the back of his head, grinning at Sakura while she was still being held by Ino.
I'm pretty sure we just saw each other three days ago... Sakura thought, speechless.
"Hmm? What about me, Naruto?!" Ino felt a bit annoyed seeing that Naruto only had eyes for Sakura.
"Yeah, yeah, long time no see to you too, Ino!" Naruto replied with a playful grin. Seeing his friends again made him incredibly happy.
"What's with that? So perfunctory!" Ino was clearly dissatisfied with his behavior.
Sakura was already used to the interaction between Naruto and Ino. Both of them had been bickering since they were kids; she knew their temperaments better than anyone.
"You're as noisy as ever... Naruto."
The wind caught strands of black hair. A cool, aloof voice drifted down from above.
That voice...
Naruto turned around almost instinctively. "Sasuke!"
A figure stood atop a nearby roof, looking down calmly at the now-grown golden-haired boy. The newcomer wore the standard Konoha Jonin flak jacket, his forehead protector tied neatly. A black katana was strapped to his waist. His gaze seemed calm, but it hid a trace of a smile that was hard to detect.
It was, of course, the sixteen-year-old Sasuke. Jonin of Konohagakure, Sasuke Uchiha. Present!
Beside Sasuke stood a red-haired girl and a girl with the Byakugan.
"Uh... Naruto-kun..." Hinata Hyuga, dressed in a white and purple tracksuit, spoke in a small voice as she looked at the Naruto she hadn't seen in three years.
Evidently, their team had also just returned from a mission, just like Ino-Shika-Cho. It was a team comprised of three top-tier bloodline ninjas: Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Hyuga.
However, at this moment, Naruto's eyes held no one but Sasuke.
"Hmph. It's been a long time. It is a bit nostalgic," Sasuke said, struggling to suppress the corners of his mouth from curling up. He kept his eyes lowered, maintaining his "cool guy" persona while looking at the boy whose gaze was fixed entirely on him.
Just like Naruto, Sasuke acted like he didn't care, but in truth, his world at this moment only contained Naruto.
"Woohoo! Sasuke, I'm super strong now! You're definitely not my match anymore!" Seeing his best friend/rival, Naruto immediately began shouting his challenge.
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