Sakura Haruno boarded the ship. Seeing her, Terumi Mei hurried over, jogging lightly, and asked, "Is everything taken care of?"
"Mhm, all done. Let's go," Sakura nodded. They had already been delayed a day and a night; they needed to hurry to the Land of Tea.
The matter of Junko made Sakura inwardly impatient. She didn't quite believe the investigation results her master Tsunade had given her. After all, she had spent half a month with Junko, and no matter how much Sakura thought about it, she couldn't recall anything being wrong back then.
Now, to suddenly be told that Junko was someone who didn't actually exist, that the person she'd spent half a month with wasn't Junko at all – it was like something out of a ghost story. Every time Sakura thought about it, a cold sweat broke out on her back.
"Huh? Are we taking her too?" Mei peeked behind Sakura and pointed, asking.
Sakura turned around and saw Isaribi had followed them. She asked, "Didn't I tell you I wouldn't take you with me? Why are you still following me?"
Isaribi's gaze was somewhat evasive. Clasping the hem of her clothes with both hands, she said timidly, "I... I want to... ride on your ship."
"Oh, is that so?" Sakura touched her chin. "But this ship is heading to the Land of Tea. Are you going there too?"
Isaribi hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I want to live somewhere else."
"Since that's the case, then come along. But let's get this straight first: once we arrive, you're not allowed to follow us!" Sakura warned her in advance. Seeing Isaribi's shifty eyes, she figured there was an eighty percent chance she wasn't telling the truth. But even if Isaribi wanted to follow them later, she wouldn't be able to keep up.
"Um..." Mei pulled Sakura aside and whispered, "Can't her condition be cured?"
Sakura shook her head. "It's not that there's no way, but it would take a very long time. We don't have that much time to spend on her. Besides, we have no connection to her."
Mei asked, "Then how long would it take?"
"Huh?" Sakura looked at Mei strangely. "What, you want to help her?"
"I... I just think she's pitiful," Mei said, her tone somewhat dejected. "All her relatives died as experimental subjects. Even though I've lost my memories, I still have you, little sister, to take care of me. But she's all alone."
Sakura stared at Mei, somewhat dazed. This sympathy of hers, appearing out of nowhere – why did Sakura find it so repulsive? This damned compassion, how could it appear in you? You should kill her, kill her.
A voice in the depths of her heart was constantly screaming at Sakura. Looking at Mei's worried expression, the more Sakura looked, the more agitated she felt.
"Kill her! Kill them all!!!" The voice screamed relentlessly.
Everything in Sakura's vision gradually turned blood-red. She looked coldly at the people around her; these ants filled her with an indescribable disgust.
"That's right. You possess immense power. Why compromise with them? Kill them all," the voice whispered in Sakura's ear. "Come on, unleash your power! Start with them!"
"Then let's start with them!" The feeling of annoyance gradually subsided. Looking at the boatmen on the ship and Mei, Sakura felt as if she were looking at insignificant ants, devoid of any emotion.
She walked lightly towards Mei, raised her fist, and struck out. In Sakura's vision, Mei's face was filled with terror as she dodged to the side, but Sakura felt nothing stir within her.
Sakura, having missed Mei, paid it no mind. The force of that punch landed directly on the boatman behind where Mei had dodged. With visible speed, the boatman's body disintegrated bit by bit, until he turned entirely into a mist of blood.
And the power didn't diminish in the slightest, a fan-shaped shockwave surged towards the ship's hull and the remaining boatmen.
In that instant, sound itself seemed to vanish. Mei, who had thrown herself down behind Sakura in the chaos, found her ears instantly deafened. The scene before her eyes changed bit by bit. From where Sakura stood, everything the shockwave touched turned to dust; the boatmen caught in it dissolved into blood mist.
A moment later, the shockwave, its force undiminished, spread out towards the sea. Instantly, a huge cavity was punched into the ocean, and the sea level in the harbor dropped by several meters. The ship, with only half its hull remaining from Sakura's attack, was beached.
Mei, her face pale, stared at the aftermath of the sudden attack. She didn't know why Sakura had attacked her. The power of that blow clearly held nothing back; Sakura had meant to kill her.
"Wh-why?!" Mei's expression grew even more dejected. "Does little sister think I'm a burden, so..."
After throwing that punch, Sakura's vision went black. She felt dizzy, her legs turned to jelly, and she collapsed onto the deck of the half-destroyed ship.
After a while, the dizziness gradually subsided. Lying on her back on the deck of the wrecked ship, staring up at the sky, Sakura's mind was a complete blank. Huh! What am I doing? What am I doing? What am I doing?
With difficulty, she pushed herself up with her hands, sitting in a W-sit, and rubbed her aching lower back. Then, looking at the scene before her, she froze. "Huh? Did I do this? Huh? Did I really do this? Ehh~? I actually did this!"
"What's going on?!" Sakura's mouth fell open, and she froze for a moment. She hadn't lost her memory; after the dizziness faded, she remembered what she had just done. It seemed a voice had been whispering to her, and then she had lashed out, even wanting to kill Mei.
But, but why would I do that? I really did this, but Sakura couldn't recall the reason for doing it. No, that wasn't right. At the time, it felt like she just did it because she wanted to, without any reason. Yet, it also felt like it wasn't her doing, even though it truly was.
Sakura's head felt like it was about to explode. How could she do such a thing while she was conscious? But she had indeed done it, and for no reason. And what was that voice? Was it a genjutsu?
"Release!" Sakura formed the hand seal, but the scene before her remained unchanged, and her chakra flow felt normal.
"Not a genjutsu?" Sakura frowned, then suddenly noticed the markings on her arm. "Huh? The Strength of a Hundred Seal! When did this activate?"
Sakura stared at the markings, stunned. If she remembered correctly, she hadn't activated the Strength of a Hundred Seal. Wait... Sakura focused, sensing her chakra, and suddenly a look of realization mixed with dismay appeared on her face.
"No wonder the power was so immense. My senjutsu chakra is completely drained."
But why exactly had she suddenly attacked? She couldn't recall the feeling she had when she launched the attack, and that frightened her a little. She knew clearly that she had done it, yet her actions felt as if she were being controlled. But at the same time, she also knew, with terrifying clarity, that she had done it willingly.
What the hell was going on?!
In a secret room, two people sat opposite each other at a tea table.
The Third Hokage looked at Tsunade, who sat opposite him with a serious and somewhat uneasy expression, and asked, "Well? What is it that required you to bring me to a place like this to discuss?"
"Lord Third Hokage!"
Tsunade had just begun to speak when the Third Hokage choked slightly. He waved his hand. "That sounds a bit odd. Just tell me, what is it?"
"Yes!" Tsunade took a deep breath and said, "It's about Sakura."
"Sakura's matter is currently under investigation. As for whether there's another reason, we can't make baseless assumptions right now." The Third Hokage interrupted Tsunade. "I know you suspect Danzo. I understand him. Although he has always shouldered the village's darkness, he would not do anything to betray the village."
"That's not what I wanted to talk about," Tsunade said, pursing her lips. "Although it is related to her... situation."
"Oh?" The Third's eyes narrowed. "Her 'situation'? So, she has other matters? Has the cause been found?"
"This is Anko's report from her last mission!" Tsunade handed a scroll to the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage's face suddenly flushed red, and he coughed a few times.
"What's wrong? Are you injured?" Tsunade asked, looking at the unusual flush on the Third's face.
"It's nothing, don't worry," the Third Hokage said as he took the scroll and opened it to read.
Tsunade waited quietly for the Third Hokage to finish reading. This matter would sooner or later become known to the council and the Jonin. Before the news spread too widely, Tsunade wanted to discuss it with the Third Hokage first. Although she was the Hokage, she had only held the position for a few months, and the Third's influence had not yet completely faded.
Although the Third, to pave the way for Tsunade, rarely appeared in the village anymore and didn't participate in any village affairs, the time had been too short. If something like this wasn't handled well, Tsunade might find it difficult to command respect, which was also something the Third Hokage didn't want to see.
After the battle with Orochimaru, the Third Hokage had become increasingly aware that his physical condition was far from what it used to be. He also knew very well that his prestige in the village was too high. If he were to die one day and the next Hokage took office hastily, they would likely face conflicts with their subordinates due to the influence he himself had wielded.
Such conflicts would create resistance for the next Hokage when governing. This was the very reason the Third Hokage had stepped down: to leave enough time, at the very least, for his successor to smooth over these problems, so that a situation where the village and the Hokage were united in appearance but divided in spirit would not arise.
After reading the scroll, the Third Hokage remained silent. He gently put down the scroll and picked up his teacup, taking a sip.
"What are your thoughts on this matter?" Tsunade asked when the Third Hokage didn't speak.
The Third Hokage frowned, his eyes closed, and his fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop. He still didn't speak. Suddenly, his face flushed crimson again, and he began to cough violently.
"What on earth is wrong?" Tsunade asked, frowning at the Third Hokage's unnatural flush.
"Cough, cough..." The Third Hokage covered his mouth and coughed a few times before stopping. He looked at Tsunade and said lightly, "It's nothing. The seasons are changing, just a bit of a cold." As he finished speaking, his right hand, which had been covering his mouth, discreetly moved under the tea table, and he gently wiped the bloodstains from it onto his clothes.
"You need to take care of yourself," Tsunade said, looking thoughtfully at the Third Hokage. "How about I give you a check-up? Just a physical examination."
"No need, my body is fine! Hahaha!" The Third Hokage suddenly laughed heartily.
Tsunade looked at the Third Hokage suspiciously but eventually sighed and said no more.
Looking at Tsunade now, the Third Hokage felt somewhat emotional. He had never seen her like this before; it wasn't her usual character. For that disciple of hers, she had indeed changed a lot.
However, this matter was likely to be truly troublesome. The Third Hokage stared blankly at the scroll on the table, his mind racing, trying to think of countermeasures.