The woman in the black coat stood calmly in the alley, the briefcase in her hand humming with quiet energy.
Riv bristled like a scared hedgehog.
Sakura stepped back nervously.
"W-who are you?"
The woman smiled politely, but her eyes were like cold knives.
"I represent an organization called The Archive. We study the cards… and collect them. Like you."
Sakura frowned.
"I'm not collecting them for fun."
"Oh, neither are we."
She opened the briefcase.
Inside were twenty cards, all glowing faintly—icons of warriors, mages, monsters, and heroes.
Sakura's breath caught.
"That's… a lot…"
Riv hissed.
"Don't look, Sakura! Don't trust her!"
The woman ignored Riv and stepped closer.
"We know you're the Chosen Collector. Your mission is impossible alone. But with us… we could gather all 5,000 together. You'll be protected, trained, and rewarded."
Sakura hesitated.
It sounded… tempting.
Power. Safety. Allies.
But something in the woman's expression felt wrong.
Cold. Controlling.
Like Sakura would be just another tool.
"What's the catch?" Sakura whispered.
The woman's smile widened.
"You merely give us the cards after you collect them.
All of them."
Riv practically screamed.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT! She would be handing the world to your organization!"
Sakura's grip tightened.
"…I'm sorry. But no. I'm not giving you that kind of power."
The woman sighed.
"That is disappointing."
She snapped the briefcase shut.
"And predictable."
Before Sakura could react, a blur of orange and black dropped from the rooftop behind her.
A boy landed hard on the pavement, blue cloth fluttering, a glowing card between his fingers.
Riv's eyes widened.
"Sakura! That's—"
The boy yelled:
"NARUTO UZUMAKI — SHIPPUDEN FORM!"
Light flared around him. His hair turned blond, spiked upward as chakra ignited around his body. His eyes turned sharp and fierce.
Sakura's heart stopped.
"Oh no. I'm SO not ready for a Naruto-level fight!"
The Archive woman stepped aside casually.
"Neutralize her. Don't kill her unless necessary."
"Yes, ma'am."
Naruto-card user blurred forward with terrifying speed.
Sakura transformed instantly.
"Sakuyamon—Spirit Merge!"
Golden armor enveloped her, but she barely lifted her staff in time—
BAM!
The Naruto user's Rasengan smashed into her chest.
Sakura was thrown across the alley, crashing into a dumpster.
"GAAAAH—!"
She hit the ground, pain exploding across her ribs.
"Sakura!" Riv yelped. "Get up!"
She staggered to her feet, coughing.
"That… REALLY hurt…"
The Naruto user was already forming hand signs.
"Don't make this hard! Just hand over your card!"
"Not a chance!"
Sakura summoned talismans that spun around her like holy fire.
A golden barrier formed—
The Naruto user charged straight through it.
"What?! That was a STRONG barrier!"
"He's using chakra enhanced with hate," Riv warned. "He's stronger than normal Naruto would be!"
Sakura grit her teeth as another blow struck her side, sending her crashing into a wall.
Her vision blurred.
Her ribs screamed with pain.
She could barely breathe.
But she tightened her grip on her staff.
"I… can still fight…"
She raised her staff, gathering every fragment of strength she still had.
The Second Enemy: Zoro
Suddenly Riv screamed:
"SAKURA BEHIND YOU!"
Sakura spun too slowly.
A new figure appeared behind her—muscular, green-haired, swords drawn.
A glowing card faded in his hand.
"Zoro card user," Riv whispered. "Speed and fatal precision—this is BAD!"
"ONIGIRI!"
His three-sword strike swept toward Sakura's back.
She couldn't block in time.
She shut her eyes—
A cold, sharp voice cut through the air.
"Pathetic."
A purple-white blur streaked between Sakura and the incoming strike.
CLANG!
Zoro's swords were stopped by a single finger.
The newcomer floated in front of Sakura, his body slender and sleek, tail swaying behind him. His aura was icy, terrifying, and overwhelmingly powerful.
Riv gasped.
"F-Frieza…?! Dragon Ball Super version?!"
The Frieza-card user smirked cruelly.
"You insects attacking a child? How utterly disgraceful."
Naruto-card user charged, shouting:
"She's the Chosen Collector! We just need her card—!"
"Silence."
The Frieza user raised one hand and unleashed a thin, invisible death beam.
Naruto user flew backward, crashing into a wall.
Zoro tried another strike—
but the Frieza user grabbed him by the throat effortlessly.
"You're both unworthy opponents."
He hurled Zoro user into Naruto user.
Both collapsed unconscious.
Sakura stared in shock.
"…Wh-who… are you?" she whispered weakly.
The Frieza-user looked at her—cold, dangerous, but strangely controlled.
"A friend," he said. "For now."
Then he turned toward the woman from The Archive.
But she was gone.
Fled.
The Frieza-user scoffed.
"Tch. Coward."
Riv crept forward cautiously.
"You… saved us?"
The man lowered himself to Sakura, offering a hand.
"You're reckless. Weak. Untrained."
His eyes softened slightly.
"But you do not deserve to die. And you are important. So stand up, Collector."
Sakura hesitated… then took his hand.
As he helped her rise, she thought:
I'm REALLY doomed.