After trailing the pair for some time, Sakura realized something astonishing: Itachi and Kisame seemed completely unaware of her presence.
Is this because of the fused chakra? she wondered silently. She had spent the previous night trying to analyze the change, but hadn't reached any firm conclusions beyond the obvious: using this fused chakra dramatically increased the power of her ninjutsu, and her sensory perception was significantly enhanced.
Now, it seemed she could add a third effect: maximum concealment. Considering Uchiha Itachi was a Kage-level shinobi renowned for his skills, Sakura had been tailing them with considerable apprehension, constantly braced for detection and ready for a fight. Yet, they acted as if she wasn't even there.
The feeling was strangely familiar... almost like... Seijutsu!
I'm such an idiot! Sakura mentally cursed herself, suddenly recalling her conversation with Chief Soga in the underground chamber back on Red Aku Island.
According to Chief Soga, the Power of Gelel was remarkably similar to Nature Energy. And now, this Gelel energy – this suspected form of Nature Energy – had somehow merged with her own chakra. Did that mean... this mutated chakra could actually be Senjutsu Chakra?
Sakura's heart began to pound erratically. Sage Arts – the power that marked a true watershed between ordinary shinobi and the legendary Sages. Could she really possess Sage Chakra? It felt completely surreal. Had she somehow just learned Senjutsu? Wasn't it supposed to be incredibly difficult to master?
No, wait, she quickly corrected herself. She hadn't learned any Sage Techniques. She merely possessed what seemed to be Sage Chakra, likely in a limited quantity derived from the fused Gelel energy. Once it was depleted, it would be gone. And she had no corresponding jutsu to utilize it effectively. Thinking about it rationally, her excitement cooled. Of course, it couldn't be that easy to master Senjutsu.
However, another thought struck her, and her heart leaped again with renewed excitement.
Seijutsu!
Chief Soga had called Seijutsu the key to accessing Nature Energy. Sakura had practiced it for a while before, but abandoned it due to lack of progress, planning to revisit it when she had more time. But now... now that she had inadvertently tapped into the power of Nature Energy through the Gelel fusion, could Seijutsu be the key to fully unlocking that door?
Sakura trembled slightly with exhilaration. Her preconceived notions had been hard to shake; she'd always assumed true Senjutsu was exclusive to the three Great Sage Regions. She had remained skeptical about Chief Soga's claims regarding Seijutsu and Nature Energy, viewing them as just another unique power system, perhaps similar to Gelel, derived from a different civilization.
She had dismissed Seijutsu as merely a useful concealment technique and set it aside when she saw no immediate results. But the fusion of Gelel energy and her chakra, and its apparent effects, strongly suggested the possibility of Senjutsu. Perhaps the incredible concealment wasn't from the Seijutsu technique itself, but a property of the Nature Energy it potentially connected her to!
The realization was electrifying. Sakura had planned to spend the next three years begging Tsunade-sensei to teach her Senjutsu, only to discover the potential key had been within her grasp all along.
Up ahead, Kisame, who had been walking silently, suddenly spoke. "Itachi-san, did you sense that?"
"Sense what?" Itachi glanced sideways at his partner, a questioning look in his eyes.
"...Probably my imagination," Kisame shook his head after a moment. "The dock is just ahead."
"Mm," Itachi acknowledged.
Kisame's sudden question jolted Sakura back to the present, and she quickly suppressed her bubbling excitement. Her momentary lapse in focus had almost given her away. Seeing the bustling wharf coming into view, Sakura paused and quickly performed the Transformation Jutsu, altering her features while keeping her apparent age roughly the same. Itachi and Kisame had seen her true face during their previous encounter in Konoha.
Since they were apparently planning to take a boat, Sakura realized she probably didn't need to keep sneaking around. The Akatsuki wasn't widely known to the public yet; most people wouldn't recognize their cloaks or members. It explained how they could travel so openly. She just needed to act like an ordinary civilian.
Her eyes scanned the dock, landing on a large, burly man standing at the gangplank of a docked vessel, collecting fares from boarding passengers. A jolt of panic shot through Sakura as she instinctively reached for her pockets. Damn it! I don't have any money!
The hoodie and shorts she wore belonged to Karin. The fifty ryo she'd found in the pocket yesterday had been spent on ramen right before she fled the village. Besides a few vials of sedative and the wooden necklace she always wore, she was completely broke.
Sakura watched helplessly as Itachi and Kisame approached the boat, nearing the gangplank. Gritting her teeth, she made a decision. What's the worst that can happen? A fight? I really don't believe Itachi Uchiha would try to kill me over something like this.
"How much?" Itachi asked the burly man at the gangplank. Even as members of a terrifying organization, Akatsuki didn't resort to force for every minor transaction.
"Three people," the burly man grunted, glancing down at his ledger, then back at them. "Total, one thousand two hundred ryo!"
"Three people?" Itachi paused, confused. He looked behind him and Kisame. Standing directly behind them, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere, was a young girl about thirteen or fourteen years old.
"She is not with us," Itachi stated flatly, gesturing towards the girl.
"Fine, eight hundred ryo then," the burly man grumbled, clearly impatient. "Hurry it up."
Suddenly, the young girl grabbed onto Itachi's sleeve, her eyes wide and pleading. "Brother! Brother! Are you going to abandon me again?!"
"Your sister, Itachi-san?" Kisame asked, a hint of amusement in his voice as he observed the scene.
"I don't know her," Itachi replied curtly, not even glancing back at the girl. He turned to Kisame. "Pay the fare."
"Brother!" the girl wailed, her voice rising dramatically. "Don't leave me! We only have each other left in the world! Why are you pretending you don't know me?! Brother, please don't abandon me...!"
The girl, of course, was Sakura. She wouldn't dare pull such a stunt on anyone else – she'd rather just fight. But Itachi Uchiha? Sasuke's older brother? A known Konoha double agent? Sakura felt relatively safe pushing the boundaries with him.
Itachi stared speechlessly at the girl clinging to his arm. Since when do I have a sister? I only have a younger brother.
"What an annoying pest, Itachi-san," Kisame remarked, flashing his rows of sharp, pointed teeth in a menacing grin as he looked down at Sakura. "Shall I dispose of her for you?"
Seeing Kisame's terrifying expression, Sakura managed to squeeze out a few convincing tears, hugging Itachi's arm even tighter and starting to sob loudly. "Brother, save me...!"
"Hey!" the burly fare collector interrupted, clearly losing his patience. "Are you two getting on this boat or not?!"
Kisame shot the man a deadly glare. The burly man instantly froze, looking as though he'd been plunged into an ice cave. "Uh," he stammered hastily, "I mean, I can help you... chase her away, if you like."
"Brother, please don't leave me! You're all I have left..." Sakura looked up tearfully at Itachi, whose expression remained utterly bewildered. Inwardly, however, Sakura was having the time of her life. Who knew causing trouble like this could be so much fun?
Being expelled from the village seemed to have truly liberated her inhibitions. Here she was, pulling a scam on the Itachi Uchiha!
"Hey you!" The burly man finally decided to intervene, stepping towards Sakura to try and pull her away. "Get away from them! Stop causing trouble!" Before he could grab her, however, someone subtly blocked his path.
"Three people," Itachi stated calmly, turning back to Kisame. "One thousand two hundred ryo. Pay him, Kisame."
"Itachi-san," Kisame asked, genuinely surprised, "is she really your sister?" He nonetheless counted out the required amount and handed it to the stunned boatman.
"Let's go," Itachi said, ignoring Kisame's question. He began walking up the gangplank, dragging Sakura, who was still firmly attached to his arm, along with him.
Once safely aboard the boat, Sakura finally released Itachi's arm, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. Scam successful.