The blinding light seared everyone's eyes. When the brilliance faded, the dark clouds in the sky had also vanished. The early morning sun shone upon the land, and the chirping of birds could be heard in the distance. Apart from the parched vegetation and soil on the ground, everything seemed vibrant with life.
"Is it... over?" Tsunade asked, her expression somewhat dazed. The scene that had resembled the end of the world just moments ago now looked as if nothing had happened at all.
"Lady Fifth Hokage, Lord Third Hokage!" Several of the ANBU who had been sent to apprehend Junko, having been further back and thus unaffected, had now returned.
"Mm," the Third Hokage nodded. "What's the situation over there?"
"Only Sakura Haruno is there," an ANBU replied.
"I'll go take a look!" Tsunade rushed forward impatiently.
The Third Hokage couldn't stop her even if he tried. However, seeing that the situation seemed to have indeed concluded, he still felt a lingering unease. He instructed the ANBU, "You go too. Protect the Fifth."
"Yes, sir!" the ANBU acknowledged, then also moved forward.
When Tsunade reached the very center of where the black light had been, she found Sakura Haruno lying on her back, her eyes staring blankly at the sky. Her clothes were so tattered they could no longer conceal her small frame.
And apart from Sakura Haruno, there was no one else.
Seeing this, Tsunade quickly removed her own dark green haori and wrapped it around Sakura Haruno.
The ANBU arrived shortly after, followed by numerous other ninja: Karin, Sasuke, Neji, Kakashi, Team Ten, and, from the perimeter, Team Eight and Team Guy.
Because the scene had calmed down, they could no longer hold back and all converged on Sakura's location. The Third Hokage, seeing Tsunade was unharmed, couldn't stop them either and had to let them proceed.
"Lady Fifth Hokage, Sakura, how is she?" Ino asked impatiently.
Tsunade shook her head. "Sakura's fine. I just checked her. She's just a little weak right now."
"Phew, th-that's good then." Ino let out a sigh of relief, and everyone else who cared about Sakura also breathed easier.
"Lady Tsunade, what was that black light just now?" Shikamaru asked, scratching his head.
Hearing Shikamaru's question, everyone present turned their gaze to Tsunade. The apocalyptic scene from before had shaken each of them to their core; it was a sight they would probably never forget for the rest of their lives. Although they hadn't suffered any harm, the god-like pressure had made it difficult for them to even breathe.
"I don't know!" Tsunade shook her head again. Looking at Sakura Haruno, who seemed to have fallen asleep with her eyes closed, Tsunade's heart was filled with both worry and trepidation. There were many things to worry about: her parents had died during this operation, and the bizarre events that had transpired around her. And she was apprehensive about whether Sakura would harbor resentment towards the village because of this. After all, in this matter... the village had wronged her...
"Sasuke, take your peers and return to the village first," Kakashi said, pulling his forehead protector down to cover his Sharingan. "Lord Hokage will handle things here."
This one operation had led to so many complications: the conflict of transitioning power, the darkness within the village, and these genin who had acted without authorization. Kakashi understood that, upon their return, a major upheaval was likely to occur among Konoha's higher-ups. But that had nothing to do with him.
Kakashi looked at Sakura lying on the ground with a complex expression. How to counsel her when she woke up would be a problem. After all, Sakura was his subordinate. Kakashi knew what it felt like to lose loved ones; he himself had almost been destroyed by it. This damn world...
"Lady Fifth Hokage, how will the village deal with Sakura?" Sasuke didn't move, but instead looked at Tsunade and asked.
"Sakura will be fine. Danzo's framing of a village ninja has now been thoroughly investigated. Sakura will be exonerated. Don't worry, Sasuke."
The Third Hokage's voice came from behind Sasuke. Sasuke turned to see the Third and a contingent of ninja approaching.
"The village must also bear a certain responsibility for this. Sakura did not betray the village. So, you can all rest assured," the Third Hokage said to the new generation of genin. His tone then shifted. "However, what you have witnessed during this incident must not be leaked. Although you acted without authorization, you are considered part of this operation. This mission is classified as top secret by the village. Do you all understand?"
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing the Third Hokage say this, the genin also breathed a collective sigh of relief. As they had acted without authorization in the first place, they wouldn't spread word of what they had seen.
After Sasuke and the other genin departed, the Third Hokage instructed the ANBU to collect the remains of Sakura's parents.
Although Danzo, Root, the other ANBU, and Junko had all vanished, the bodies of Sakura Haruno's parents had not disappeared. And Junko had run off mid-sentence; it now seemed likely she too was dead. What Junko hadn't said would remain unknown...
"Let's go, let's return to the village too, Tsunade," the Third Hokage said, patting Tsunade's shoulder.
Tsunade nodded and lifted Sakura onto her back. After the ANBU collected the remains of Sakura's parents, some were left behind to gather samples from the scene, and then they too departed.
That ability was simply too terrifying. Even techniques like the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing and Kotoamatsukami were ineffective. The Third Hokage felt that, even if only as a precaution, they needed to analyze it and find a countermeasure. As for Danzo's arm full of Sharingan and Shisui's eye, the Third Hokage no longer wished to pursue the matter. After all, Danzo was already dead.
He had seen that Sasuke's expression was normal earlier; perhaps he hadn't noticed Danzo's arm. One can only hope...
A bitter taste filled the Third Hokage's mouth. Because of his mistaken decisions, so many things had transpired. Returning to the village, there would likely be many more troubles awaiting him. This bitter fruit was his alone to swallow.
Although the Konoha ninja had cleaned up the scene, they paid little attention to the snakes slithering through the grass. They only needed to collect some of the ash.
Due to Tsunade's eagerness to return to the village, she didn't stop to travel with the main group. Running at full speed, she reached the village in just half a day.
Shizune breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Tsunade return. Tsunade's unannounced departure had kept Shizune on edge for the past two days. As the village's Kage, she couldn't leave the village without a compelling reason.
Fortunately, everything in the village had been calm these past two days; no one had noticed their Kage was gone.
"Huh, Lady Tsunade, th-this is Sakura?" Shizune immediately recognized the young woman on Tsunade's back.
"Yes. Let's talk after we get back," Tsunade said.
"Back... back where?" Shizune asked.
"Back... home!" Tsunade said, her expression somber, then headed towards the Senju clan compound.
Shizune had intended to give Tsunade a good talking-to upon her return, to lecture her about the Hokage's code of conduct. But unexpectedly, Lady Tsunade had brought Sakura Haruno back. So, she followed behind Tsunade.
The Senju clan compound was no smaller than the Uchiha clan compound; it could also be considered a village within a village. However, due to wars, the number of Senju clan members had dwindled over the years. Coupled with the First Hokage's ideology of the entire village being his family, the Senju clan was the first to allow intermarriage with other clans after Konoha's founding.
War had claimed the lives of many Senju men, while the women had intermarried with other clans and commoners within the village. Under these circumstances of decline and assimilation, although the bloodline still existed within the village, no one bore the Senju surname anymore.
Even Tsunade was not known by the Senju name, but simply as the First Hokage's granddaughter.
Also due to the Senju clan's open intermarriage and the effects of war, their compound had long since integrated into the village, becoming a part of its fabric. Only the residences of the First and Second Hokage remained, marking this place as the former Senju clan compound. However, this was likely the outcome the First Hokage had envisioned: to forsake the clan and merge with the village, the entire village becoming his family.
If Tsunade had no descendants, the First Hokage's direct bloodline would likely end with her. A hundred years later, this place would probably become a monument to where the First and Second Hokage once lived.
But for now, it was still Tsunade's residence. If not for Tsunade, this sole direct descendant, this place would likely have already become a memorial hall.
Arriving before the absurdly large mansion, Tsunade opened the main gate and carried Sakura Haruno inside.
Shizune followed her in. All of Tsunade's relatives were gone. Living in such a large mansion alone was inevitably somewhat melancholic, so she had also asked Shizune to live there with her.
"Huh, isn't that Lady Hokage?" Passersby on the surrounding streets naturally noticed the travel-worn Tsunade.
"It seems so. I wonder who she's carrying on her back," another person said.
"That looks like... it's Lady Hokage's apprentice... Her name is... Sakura Haruno, right?"
"It really does look like her... I remember seeing her at the hospital... But why is Lady Hokage carrying her..."
The commoners and ordinary ninja didn't know what had happened to Sakura Haruno. From the beginning, the matter had been contained within a small circle, partly due to Sakura's special status, to allow for maneuvering room later. If there truly was no room for maneuver, announcing it then wouldn't be too late.
Tsunade and Shizune gave Sakura a bath and changed her into fresh clothes. After they were done, they placed Sakura on a tatami mat and covered her with a blanket. Only then did Shizune have a chance to ask about what had happened.
"Lady Tsunade, what on earth happened?" Shizune asked curiously, looking at the deeply sleeping Sakura Haruno. All that activity hadn't woken her; she was sleeping soundly indeed.
"Her matter has been cleared up. It was Danzo's doing," Tsunade said wearily, sitting on the tatami mat and looking at the serene Sakura.
"Really?" Shizune exclaimed in pleasant surprise. "Then what about Danzo?"
It wasn't that Shizune didn't care about her junior fellow apprentice; it was just that she was more rational and mature in her thinking. She wouldn't impulsively do things that would add to the chaos. She was Lady Tsunade's assistant. While Lady Tsunade went to resolve Sakura's situation, Shizune's responsibility was to ensure the village ran smoothly in Lady Tsunade's absence; that was the best way she could help her.
"What about Danzo? Are you going to issue an arrest warrant?" Shizune asked, somewhat excitedly. She held no fondness for Danzo either.
"He's dead..." Tsunade said faintly.
"D-dead?" Shizune was stunned. "How did he die?"
Tsunade shook her head. "Don't ask. This operation... was very complicated. For the next two days, you handle village affairs in my stead. I'll wait here for her to wake up."
"Wh-what happened?" Shizune asked, her face a picture of astonishment.
"Alright, that's enough. The Third Hokage will probably be back tomorrow..." Tsunade said, her voice laced with exhaustion.
"Yes, ma'am." Seeing Tsunade unwilling to say more, Shizune could only withdraw from the room and head to the Hokage's office.
Tsunade looked at Sakura Haruno's tightly closed eyes and gave a wry smile. She didn't know how she would face her when Sakura woke up... Would Sakura forgive her...
A bitter taste filled Tsunade's heart...
(P.S.: End of Volume 2: Mythological Era.)