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The moon was bone-white, silent. It offered no answers, only light—a mirror held up to her heart.
Sakura stood under it, Gaara's words echoing in her ears.
The confusion in her eyes faded, replaced by a soft, clear smile.
"Ah… I really am an idiot," she whispered to the night. "In times like this… you just have to look into your own heart and go forward."
"Why did I have to change anyone else?" she thought. "Why did I think I could? What arrogance… just leaning on others."
"The lesson Sasuke showed me… it was harsh enough."
"I'm sorry, Mom, Dad. Sorry to all the elders who cared for me. Sorry to my comrades. Sorry to my friends, fighting right now in that hell. I can't change you. I can't change the world."
"The only thing I can change… is myself."
"Even if my power now is tiny… it's better than staying stuck. I will take a real step. Not a rash one. A solid one. A decision I've thought through… that won't trouble anyone else!"
She told Gaara her resolve.
He studied her. "Are you certain?"
She didn't speak. Her eyes were answer enough.
"If your will is this strong," Gaara said, "I can offer some small help."
"Thank you," Sakura said. "I need a place. Wide, open. Where no one will see."
Gaara thought for a moment. "There is one such place."
He led her to a tomb.
"My father's resting place. His anniversary passed two months ago. No one will come here. Do what you must."
Sakura got straight to it.
"Lady Tsunade is missing. Leaf and Sand have search parties, but that's not enough. Not fast enough. The only way to know her location quickly… is through Lady Katsuyu."
Gaara's brow furrowed. "Katsuyu?"
"Lady Tsunade's summon. Master of the Slugs' Forest. I'm her student—I have the contract. But… I've never managed to summon her successfully."
"The Hokage has another student. Shizune. Wouldn't she be a safer choice?"
"The Leaf's wounded fill the hospital. Shizune is the core of the medical corps. I cannot distract her." Sakura closed her eyes. She remembered the dream—fighting alongside Sasuke. She tried to feel that person, that version of herself. To become that image.
A strange warmth rose in her chest.
This feeling…!
She bit her thumb. Crimson welled. She pressed it to the earth, her will a focused flame, weaving the seals of summoning.
Please. Work.
—Summoning Jutsu!
POOM!
A cloud of smoke. From it emerged a slug, three meters long.
"I… I did it!"
It was the smallest possible form of a summonable Katsuyu fragment. Its drooping, stalked eyes regarded the girl.
"I remember… Sakura. Tsunade's student, correct?"
Sakura ignored the deep fatigue dragging at her limbs. "Lady Katsuyu! It's an honor. But the situation is critical! Lady Tsunade may be in grave danger!"
The slug recoiled slightly. "What? Is that so?"
It lowered its head, communing with some distant self. Moments later, it looked up, grave.
"Indeed. My main body in the Slugs' Forest attempted a Reverse Summoning. It failed."
Sakura's blood ran cold. "Failed? What does that mean?"
"Two possibilities," Katsuyu said, voice solemn. "One: Tsunade is already dead. Two… she is in a space Reverse Summoning cannot reach. A separate dimension."
"A separate dimension…" Sakura bit down on her injured thumb, hard. "Could it be…"
"You have a theory, Sakura?"
"If my guess is right… Lady Tsunade has been captured by… Obito Uchiha."
"Obito Uchiha? Is this information reliable, Sakura?"
"It's… a strong guess," Sakura admitted. "Lady Katsuyu. As master of the Slugs' Forest… you can communicate telepathically with the master of Mount Myōboku, correct?"
"You know even that? Did Tsunade tell you? Yes, it is possible. But it consumes immense senjutsu chakra…"
"Then please! Contact the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku! Ask him to reach Lord Jiraiya!"
"..." The slug was silent for a long time. "This is not a simple matter, Sakura. It is not just the chakra cost. The sacred realms… we have an ancient tradition. We do not disturb one another. It has been this way for centuries."
Sakura dropped to her knees, pressing her forehead to the cold stone of the tomb floor.
"Please. The Leaf was attacked. The casualties are terrible. Lord Jiraiya is the only one who can save her now. But no one knows where he is. This… this is the only shortcut. The only way to get word to him in time. If we delay… Lady Tsunade will die. Please…!!!"
"..." Katsuyu was troubled. It wasn't that she didn't care. She couldn't act on a mere hunch. Her voice became stern.
"I will ask one final time, Sakura. The information that Tsunade is in the hands of Obito Uchiha. Is it reliable? Do not say 'a strong guess.' Answer me. Reliable? Or not?"
Sakura's fists clenched. Her teeth ground together. Her knuckles were white.
"Truthfully… I can't give a definitive answer! I guessed Obito Uchiha… because I refuse to believe she's already dead! I choose to believe she's alive! I can't guarantee my guess is correct. So…"
She lifted her head, meeting the slug's unblinking gaze, her own eyes blazing with a terrifying light.
"If… If Lord Jiraiya goes on a wild goose chase because of my guess… I, Sakura Haruno, will offer my life as recompense to both sacred realms!!!"
A profound silence fell.
Katsuyu's voice softened, filled with deep feeling. "I see now. Tsunade… she truly found an extraordinary student. Very well. Leave this matter to me."
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