Sakura sat in the Hokage's office, looking utterly defeated, rubbing the massive bump on her forehead with teary eyes. Her expression screamed that she had completely given up on life as she tried to explain what had just happened to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
However, compared to the incident with Uchiha Itachi, what concerned both Sarutobi and Tsunade more was Sakura's mention of a so-called second personality.
Tsunade aside, Sarutobi had practically considered Sakura his successor.
If something went wrong with her mental stability, that would be a huge problem.
According to Sakura's description, it was after falling under Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan—specifically his Tsukuyomi—that this mysterious second personality had emerged. It helped her break free from the illusion, then directly took over her body to fight against Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame.
Tsunade stood beside her, arms crossed and glaring at the pink-haired girl, who was still rubbing her bruised head. Tsunade had every reason to believe this so-called second personality had exaggerated on purpose.
It was pure envy, jealousy, and resentment!
Standing opposite Sakura, Sarutobi frowned as he watched his young disciple. A wave of helplessness surged in his heart.
Orochimaru was obsessed with human experimentation, Tsunade was addicted to gambling, and Jiraiya... well, he was a well-known pervert.
Now, after finally managing to train another promising student, it turned out she might be mentally unstable?
Sarutobi felt like the world had marked him as a target of its cruelest jokes.
"So... what now?" he asked gently. "What's the personality of this second self like?"
Sakura carefully rubbed the painful bump Tsunade had given her.
When she'd accidentally angered Tsunade earlier, that damned inner self had immediately withdrawn and pushed Sakura out to take the fall—leaving her to suffer Tsunade's full-powered affectionate bonk. That punch nearly knocked her unconscious.
"She's a little shit," Tsunade grumbled from the side, still glaring daggers at Sakura.
"Uh... haha... yeah, her personality is kinda terrible," Sakura replied with an awkward chuckle.
Sarutobi couldn't help but chuckle a little at the sight. When had he ever seen Sakura look so embarrassed?
"Heh, second personalities are usually born from the subconscious thoughts of the original self," Tsunade said, pulling Sakura's cheeks with a vengeance. "I wouldn't be surprised if that's your real personality!"
"C'mon, I didn't ask for this either..." Sakura grumbled, pulling away from Tsunade's grip, clearly unhappy.
In fact, Sakura already had a suspicion about this so-called "Inner Sakura."
It was likely a fusion of her previously hinted second personality and the growing self-awareness she'd developed over time. It had grown stronger as she matured.
After all, in the original story, Sakura's "Inner Sakura" was practically a representation of her talent in genjutsu—her mental strength so potent it could resist and even forcibly break through the Yamanaka clan's Mind Body Switch Technique.
"But I can feel that she doesn't have bad intentions," Sakura said, rubbing her red cheeks. "She's just a bit... mischievous."
Whether in the original series or in this incident, the inner self had clearly helped her fight.
Though that version of herself was indeed a little more wicked in nature.
Could this mischievous side truly be her real self?
Sakura found herself doubting everything.
This inner version of her talked like a delinquent, fought with brute force, and wasn't afraid to provoke Tsunade. When danger loomed, it would instantly throw her under the bus to take the hit.
What kind of decent person would act like that?
"Is that so...?" Sarutobi stroked his chin, deep in thought as he looked at her.
The emergence of a second personality could be both a blessing and a curse.
If Sakura's main personality was the representative of Yang Release—with her expertise in medical ninjutsu and the potential to master the Strength of a Hundred Seal—then this Inner Sakura, born of immense spiritual strength, was clearly the embodiment of Yin Release.
In all his years, Sarutobi had never encountered such a bizarre existence.
Yin Release and Yang Release.
These were among the most complex and mysterious realms in all of shinobi training.
But that also meant one terrifying thing—Sakura could be taken over by this Yin-aligned Inner Sakura at any time.
A deeply unstable variable...
Sarutobi suddenly felt a wave of melancholy.
His successor might be a ticking time bomb.
"It's okay, old man," Sakura said quickly, noticing the change in his expression. "I can feel it—although her personality is rough, she really does want to help me."
"It's kind of like a shadow clone. They have independent consciousness, but they're still born from 'me.'"
Given Sakura's current strength and her deep understanding of ninjutsu, she was able to explain the existence of Inner Sakura rather clearly.
"I know," Sarutobi replied, still staring at her with a tinge of worry.
If Sakura couldn't gain full control over this so-called Inner Sakura... then the seat of Hokage—
He would need to think carefully.
If worst came to worst, he might have to let Tsunade take the position temporarily, giving Sakura more time to properly master her second self.
If Sakura ascended to the Hokage position before completely stabilizing this second personality, who knew what chaos might ensue?
"For now, go home. And tidy up your hair," he said after a moment.
Due to the fiery blast from Itachi's Great Fireball Technique, Sakura had used the Strength of a Hundred Seal to tank the hit head-on. In the process, Inner Sakura had taken the liberty of cutting off her long hair.
Not that Sakura minded much—she had wanted to chop it off for a while anyway.
"Alright then," she replied, though a bit reluctantly.
She cast a hopeful glance at Tsunade, only to sigh.
Damn it...
Her hopes of accessing the Senju clan's secret library today were now dashed!
When would her Yang Release Taijutsu Project ever begin?
Sakura had big plans: combining Yang Release Taijutsu with the Strength of a Hundred Seal, along with her medical ninjutsu, and leveraging Karin's regenerative healing abilities to withstand the harsh training of Mount Shikkotsu's Sennin Mode!
As these thoughts whirled through her mind, she pouted and muttered:
"Tsunade-sama... can I sleep at your place tonight?"
"???"
Tsunade blinked in confusion but didn't particularly mind. "Sure. Might be nice to have someone around for a change."
"Oh, and bring that red-haired girl with you."
Upon hearing this, Sakura finally received some good news today.
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama!"
With that, she dashed out of the office like the wind.
Time was running out—tomorrow she would head to the Land of Frost battlefield alongside Kakashi.
She had already decided: she wouldn't sleep tonight.
She was going to spend the night in the Senju Clan's secret archives!
As for Karin?
Sakura could already guess Tsunade's intentions.
After all, Karin was a true-blooded member of the Uzumaki Clan—her lineage even purer than Naruto's mother, Kushina.
Kushina hadn't possessed the Kagura Mind's Eye or regenerative healing after all.
It was clear Tsunade saw a glimpse of someone precious in Karin too.
(End of Chapter)
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