Sakura unrolled the mission scroll on the cold ground, her gloved finger pointing to a marked spot indicating the Cloud Village's supply logistics location.
"We're not far from here," she stated, her voice calm but focused.
"At our current pace, we should arrive before dawn."
Sasuke stared at the mapped route, narrowing his eyes. "That's assuming we're traveling at full speed."
They were already pushing their limits, trekking through howling winds and relentless snowfall. If they reached the destination exhausted, there'd be no strength left for combat.
Sakura nodded, acknowledging the concern. She reached into her ninja pouch and retrieved a small scroll. With a quick "Release!" a small bamboo basket appeared in a puff of smoke in front of them.
Sasuke's eye twitched slightly at the familiar sight of that basket.
"These are my custom-made soldier pills," Sakura explained. "They might taste… well, let's just say the flavor is a bit hard to describe. But their effectiveness is ten times that of a normal pill."
She glanced at Sasuke with a sly smile. "I'm sure Sasuke can vouch for that."
"There are 24 in total—six each."
She distributed the pills and, without hesitation, popped one into her mouth, chewing twice before swallowing the large, baby-fist-sized pellet.
"Take one now before we depart. Another right before we engage, after a ten-minute rest. The remaining four, use as needed—but if your chakra drops below one-third, take another immediately. Don't risk chakra depletion."
Kiba picked one up, sniffed it with his highly sensitive nose… and instantly gagged.
"Ughhhh…"
The scent alone nearly knocked him off his feet. But under the stern gaze of his teammates, especially Sasuke's indifferent stare and Sakura's no-nonsense look, Kiba braced himself like a man facing execution.
He shoved the pill into his mouth and swallowed hard.
In that moment, Kiba swore he saw lightning strike his brain. His eyes rolled back involuntarily.
Sakura quickly pressed her hand to his forehead, green healing chakra glowing from her palm.
"You're not allowed to faint," she said firmly. "You will eat the soldier pill."
To her surprise, Shino downed his pill without so much as flinching, as if he were eating a mochi ball.
"I've tasted worse," he said matter-of-factly. "The Aburame clan nurtures insects within our bodies, so…"
"Stop right there," Sakura interrupted, holding up a hand. "I really don't need the details."
"Alright," she said, pulling up the white hood of her snow cloak and sliding on her protective goggles, covering her signature pink hair. "Let's go."
"When this mission's over, I'm treating everyone to yakiniku."
Kiba, still struggling to swallow, immediately perked up at the mention of grilled meat.
"Alright! I'll be looking forward to that!"
"Woof!" Akamaru barked from his coat, clearly in agreement.
"Move out!"
---
To be honest, Sakura had felt uneasy about this mission from the very beginning. But she couldn't reject it. The orders had been given. Now all she could do was push forward and pray that her instincts were just being overly cautious.
The wind howled, bitter and sharp, cutting through their cloaks. What had once been an enchanting novelty—snowflakes swirling in the air—was now a miserable hindrance.
Sakura glanced behind her at the three silently following teammates. She quickened her pace.
Time was everything now. They had to make it to the objective before anyone realized the last patrol had gone missing. That slim window of opportunity was closing fast.
As they drew closer to the marked coordinates, the number of Cloud patrols and sentries increased, both obvious and hidden. Even in the snowstorm, trained shinobi weren't impeded much—only the most extreme natural disasters could slow them down.
As enemy surveillance thickened, the team had no choice but to slow their pace. Over the course of an hour, they covered only three kilometers.
But finally, they were within visual range of their objective.
Sakura signaled for a rest. They found cover behind a snowy ridge, crouched low, and checked their gear.
Fifteen minutes. That's all they had for final preparations.
This was it—the climax of the operation. Even Sakura had to admit: this might be the most dangerous mission of her entire shinobi career.
And judging from the five visible guard posts and countless shadowy hidden ones, it seemed this truly was an important logistics base for the Cloud.
When the short break ended, the four exchanged glances, then melted into the shadows, creeping toward their target.
Sakura's gaze settled on the looming silhouette behind the base—a massive black outline against the snowy sky.
The only mountain in the Frost Country.
Dark and towering in the moonlight, the mountain seemed to watch over everything like a slumbering beast.
A chill ran down Sakura's spine.
Why would the Cloud set up their logistics base right at the foot of this mountain?
She knew the answer, and it made her sick.
Avalanche.
If attacked, they would trigger an avalanche to bury the entire base—along with any invading enemies.
A last resort tactic. Desperate, but effective.
Sakura was certain there was a Cloud unit stationed at the summit, ready to unleash destruction the moment things went south.
But there was no turning back now.
She exhaled slowly and pressed forward, signaling the team to search for a way in.
Unlike Konoha's sturdy logistics outposts, this base was made primarily of wood—deliberately weak in structure. Clearly built with the avalanche tactic in mind. Disposable.
If necessary, they could always dig out the supply crates later.
Hidden beneath a snowbank, Sakura turned to Shino.
"Send in the bugs."
He nodded and released a tiny, inconspicuous black beetle. It crawled through a crack in the wooden wall and disappeared.
The team waited in complete silence as minutes ticked by.
Finally, the beetle returned, settling into Shino's open palm.
"It's real," he said quietly. "Cloud logistics confirmed."
Sakura's heart leapt. She had overthought it. This was the place.
"Let's go."
At her command, the three shinobi vanished into the darkness, each infiltrating from a different corner.
Sakura followed suit, flipping over a low wall with practiced ease and landing inside the base.
But what she saw made her freeze.
A tall figure was waiting for her, arms folded, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Well, well."
"I was hoping to catch a big fish tonight."
"I thought we might lure out the Copy Ninja himself, but getting the Hokage's apprentice? That's not bad at all."
The woman's long blonde hair shimmered under the moonlight. She radiated confidence and raw power.
Sakura's eyes widened.
Yugito Nii.
The Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails.
---
(End of Chapter 119)