Back in the Hokage's office, Tsunade looked at Anko, who still stood before the desk, then gestured towards Neji standing beside her. "Why did you bring him along?"
"Because he is also aware of the situation, Lady Hokage," Anko replied respectfully.
"I see," Tsunade nodded curtly. "This matter must remain strictly confidential. Do not speak of it to anyone else, understand?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," they both answered in unison.
"You may return to your duties for now," Tsunade said, waving a dismissive hand. "I will handle explaining the aborted mission to the client."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Neji offered a slight bow, saying nothing further. He knew pressing the issue now would yield no results.
After Neji had exited the office, Anko hesitated for a moment before asking, "Hokage-sama… how do you intend to proceed with this?"
Tsunade saw the conflict etched on Anko's face and understood her underlying concern perfectly. No one wants war, she thought wearily. After a moment of heavy contemplation, she said, "For now, keep this quiet. I need more time to consider the implications. I will provide a satisfactory resolution."
"Ah, yes! Of course!" Anko replied quickly, feeling a flush of embarrassment realizing the Hokage had clearly perceived her anxieties about the potential conflict. She bowed and quickly excused herself.
Once Anko had left, Tsunade slumped back heavily in her chair, her expression utterly drained, almost defeated. Her gaze drifted sightlessly towards the window, lost in thought. The mess surrounding Sakura's initial framing remained unresolved, and now this… this potentially catastrophic incident involving Kirigakure. She felt utterly powerless.
There were only two realistic options. Protect Sakura, acknowledge the Kiri accusations might be true (or deal with the fallout if they weren't), and risk open war with the Land of Water. Or, definitively declare Sakura a traitor, severing all ties and sacrificing her entirely to appease Kirigakure and avoid conflict.
But it wasn't fair. Sakura hadn't defected willingly; she had been forced out, framed. To sacrifice her now simply to prevent war felt like a profound injustice. Yet, not sacrificing her could lead to a war that would inevitably cost countless more innocent lives.
Tsunade had never considered herself a purely rational person. The horrors of the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars had changed her, hardened her in many ways, but her core instincts often leaned towards passion and loyalty. Now, seated in the Hokage's chair, the weight of responsibility was immense. Every decision she made held the fate of the entire village. She thought she had prepared herself for the harsh political realities of leadership before taking office, but faced with this choice, this impossible dilemma… her heart was in turmoil.
Sakura shook out her hand, flexing her fingers as she looked down at the defeated creature before her – the self-proclaimed fish-man monster, Doctor Tenchi. So, Orochimaru's research… no, wait, Tenchi's own research actually succeeded, she mused. It seemed Tenchi, not Orochimaru, was the one who truly delved deep into the human-fish hybridization, ultimately using himself as the test subject. He had apparently perfected the transformation process, able to shift between human and fish-man forms seemingly at will.
Still seems pretty mediocre, though, she concluded, unimpressed. His actual combat strength was average at best; she'd taken him down with just a few solid punches. Mass-producing creatures like him might offer some tactical advantage against Kirigakure, given its maritime geography, but they'd likely only be effective as cannon fodder against standard shinobi, perhaps struggling even against experienced Jonin.
"Heh. Had enough?" Sakura asked Tenchi, cracking her knuckles menacingly. "Aside from churning out expendable troops, this technique seems rather… limited."
Sakura had to admit, she'd somewhat underestimated the depths of human malice. Upon arriving at the island base, Akado Yoroi had immediately turned hostile the moment he met up with Orochimaru's other subordinate stationed there – Misumi Tsurugi. Not that it mattered; even two-on-one, they were no match for her current strength. Seeing an opportunity, she'd actually let Mei engage them, hoping to help her regain some combat instincts and muscle memory.
(Thinking back, Sakura had to suppress a chuckle. When the ship had been attacked by Isaribi earlier, Mei had apparently slept soundly through the entire violent episode, despite the vessel nearly capsizing. It wasn't until later, when Sakura noticed a large bump on Mei's head, that she realized Mei hadn't been unfazed – she'd simply been knocked unconscious by the chaotic tilting of the ship.)
Letting Mei practice had proven surprisingly effective, if clumsy. Though Mei was currently fighting at a level arguably worse than a fresh Genin, with Sakura providing tactical support and watching her back, she had somehow managed to overwhelm and defeat both Yoroi and Misumi, leaving them battered and barely conscious.
"You! How could you possibly understand?!" Tenchi snarled from the floor, reverting partially to his fish-man form in his agitation. "The strength of the transformation depends entirely on the potential of the base specimen used! If only I had access to stronger genetic material!" He seemed genuinely bitter about the limitations.
"Alright, alright," Sakura cut him off, uninterested. "I didn't come here to debate the ethics of your trans-species genetic engineering." She pointed towards Isaribi, who was huddled nearby, watching fearfully. "Restore this girl to her original form. As for these two," she gestured dismissively at the incapacitated Yoroi and Misumi, "do whatever you please with them. Modify them, experiment on them… the more disgusting the results, the better, frankly."
Tenchi's fish-like features receded as he shifted back fully into his human form, apparently realizing further resistance was futile. He looked from Sakura to Isaribi, then back, his expression conflicted. "I can't," he finally said after a moment.
"Can't?" Sakura raised an eyebrow, then casually pointed a finger at Misumi's remaining arm. A thin beam of Storm Release laser shot out, cleanly severing the limb at the shoulder. Misumi let out a strangled grunt but, perhaps due to Orochimaru's conditioning or sheer shock, didn't scream.
Sakura turned her cold gaze back to Tenchi. "Can, or can't? I'm discovering I have quite an interest in… selective amputation lately." Gods, she thought with a flicker of grim self-awareness, if anyone uninvolved saw me now, they'd definitely peg me as the evil final boss.
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Tenchi's temple. "Even if you kill me," he explained hastily, "I don't have the means to do it! I can modify those two, yes! But I lack the methodology to reverse the process for her! It was never part of the research parameters!"
Sakura glanced over at Isaribi. The girl looked utterly broken, her face deathly pale, her eyes vacant and devoid of hope. Sakura sighed internally. On the journey here, after Isaribi had recovered slightly, Sakura had questioned her. The girl, whose real name truly was Isaribi, had explained that Tenchi and Yoroi had forced her to attack ships by promising that obedience was the only way they would eventually restore her human form. All just flowers in a mirror, the moon on water, Sakura thought – illusions, cruel lies.
"Why?" Isaribi suddenly cried out, finally breaking down completely, tears streaming down her scaled cheeks as she confronted Tenchi. "Why did you lie to me?!"
"Heh," Tenchi scoffed callously. "Only a naive little brat like you would swallow such nonsense. The sole purpose of this research facility has always been the combination of human and fish genes! Reverse engineering was never explored, nor was there ever any need to explore it!"
"If you value your life, refrain from making unnecessary comments," Sakura snapped at Tenchi, cutting off his cruel dismissal. She then turned back to Isaribi, though her question was directed at the doctor. "If you were to attempt reverse engineering now, how long would it likely take?"
"How long?" Tenchi repeated, seemingly ignoring Sakura's implicit threat, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "It took sixteen years of dedicated research and development just to achieve successful combination! Reversal isn't some simple switch you can flip. Even leveraging all existing data, it wouldn't be fast. A simple-minded combat ninja like yourself wouldn't grasp the complexities involved."
Sakura fell silent, momentarily irked. Is this guy seriously looking down on me? While she wouldn't call herself a dedicated research scientist, the breadth of scientific knowledge she retained from her previous life undoubtedly surpassed anyone in this world, potentially even Orochimaru. And that wasn't even counting the advanced biological and medical principles Tsunade had drilled into her, which went far beyond standard medical ninjutsu. Being underestimated by a 'native' scientist, however brilliant in his narrow field, stung her pride.
On impulse, driven partly by pique, Sakura declared, "Bring me all your research data."
"Fine," Tenchi shrugged, clearly doubting her ability to comprehend it. "Don't blame me if you can't make heads or tails of it." He stood up and walked towards a section of the lab lined with storage racks. Sakura noted his attitude – his condescension seemed rooted purely in academic pride, not personal malice towards her. He didn't seem particularly loyal to Orochimaru either; his true devotion was clearly to the science itself.
Tenchi returned pushing a large trolley piled high, incredibly high, with densely packed scrolls. Sakura stared at the mountain of research, an instant headache blooming behind her eyes.
"Okay, okay, forget it!" she backtracked quickly, waving her hands dismissively. "Just tell me! How long would you need to complete the reversal process?" Way too much data, she thought, slightly embarrassed. Let him think I'm just muscle. I should have realized sixteen years of research would generate a massive amount of material. She felt foolish for letting her pride get the better of her.
"At minimum? Six years," Tenchi stated flatly.
"Too slow," Sakura shook her head immediately. Tenchi was only cooperating now because she held a literal laser beam to his head. The moment she left, there was no guarantee he'd continue the reversal research. Besides, she felt she'd already done more than enough for Isaribi, a complete stranger she'd only just met. Getting involved was happenstance.
"That is the fastest estimate," Tenchi insisted. "Leveraging all existing experimental data, avoiding years of redundant trials."
"Whatever. Fine," Sakura sighed, making a decision. "I'm leaving these two," she gestured towards Yoroi and Misumi, "here with you. Do whatever experiments you want on them. I'm leaving now." She then looked at Isaribi sadly. "You heard him. Six years. And I certainly can't stay here for six years to supervise his work."
"I… I understand," Isaribi whispered, her voice low and heavy with despair, her gaze falling to the floor.
Looking at her utterly pitiful state, Sakura felt a pang of helplessness, but pushed it away. She had her own massive pile of problems to deal with; she couldn't afford to get sidetracked indefinitely. Her main purpose in coming here was fulfilled – delivering the captain and boatman to whatever fate Tenchi devised. Since Isaribi's problem couldn't be solved quickly, it was time to move on.
Just as Sakura turned to leave, Isaribi suddenly spoke again, her voice small and weak. "C-can I… Can I come with you?"
Sakura paused, her steps halting. "Hm?" She looked back at the creature-girl. "You don't even know who I am, yet you want to follow me? I'm not exactly a good person, you realize."
To emphasize her point, she glanced dismissively at the forms of Yoroi and Misumi, still lying incapacitated but alive on the floor. With barely a thought, she flicked her wrist. Two swift beams of Storm Release laser lanced out, cleanly separating their heads from their necks. Blood sprayed arcs across the lab floor.
Didn't necessarily want to kill them, Sakura thought with a flicker of grim weariness, but they just kept pushing, kept courting death by provoking me. More sin, more killing karma. She sighed internally. My ticket to hell after I die is pretty much guaranteed at this point.
Isaribi witnessed the casual, brutal executions. Her face went deathly white, and she instinctively stumbled back several steps, eyes wide with horror.
"So," Sakura asked Isaribi, shrugging slightly as if she'd merely swatted a couple of annoying flies, "are you coming, or are you staying here with this guy?" She gestured towards Tenchi.
She figured she'd probably terrified Isaribi into silence. Turning away again, Sakura headed for the exit. Thinking about it, she mused, Tenchi's 'sea monster' attacks mostly targeted ships from the Land of Sea and the Land of Water. Not all those sailors were likely innocent, given what I saw on that ship. Since Kiri was causing her so much trouble… Fine. Let Tenchi continue his work here. Maybe he'll provide a nice little ongoing headache for Kirigakure.
Having endured so much betrayal, accusation, and violence recently, Sakura felt a subtle but undeniable shift within herself. A hardening. A chilling pragmatism taking root where perhaps empathy once might have resided. The world seemed determined to treat her as a monster; maybe it was time she stopped trying so hard not to be one.