"Where are you taking me?"
At this moment, Dotō Kazahana was no longer as arrogant as he had been before.
His once carefully groomed hair was now a mess, and stubble had grown wild across his chin.
Sakura Haruno hadn't tortured Dotō; she simply tied him up and threw him onto the carriage. He didn't miss a single meal—whatever Sakura and the others ate, Dotō ate as well.
By now, Sakura's group had already embarked on their return journey to Konoha.
The affair in the Land of Snow had concluded.
Just as Sandayū had wished, Koyuki Kazahana had ascended to the throne as the Daimyō of the Land of Snow.
Using a Ninja Hawk to send the news back to Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already arranged for three hundred ninja to garrison the Land of Snow. Iwagakure would similarly dispatch troops there.
However, the matter of the three hundred Konoha troops had little to do with Sakura; she could already faintly see the gates of Konoha.
"Didn't I tell you?"
"You're working for Konoha now."
Sitting to the side, Sakura toyed with a kunai in her hand and glanced at Dotō with dissatisfaction.
Dotō looked at the cold, intimidating glint of the kunai in her hand and instinctively shut his mouth.
Dotō never imagined that one day he would come to Konoha, and certainly not as a prisoner. Seven days ago, he was the high-and-mighty Daimyō of the Land of Snow; now, he was a captive with no control over his own life or death.
The massive drop in status made him feel a sense of unreality.
Yet, even so, he never thought of escaping. He couldn't defeat a single one of these Konoha ninja.
Sakura poked her head out of the carriage, and upon seeing the long-lost gates of Konoha and the warm sunlight, she subconsciously revealed a smile.
After all, that godforsaken frozen wasteland of the Land of Snow had absolutely nothing—even getting a hot meal was a hassle. Most of the time, they were just living off soldier pills.
Sasuke Uchiha, who was driving the carriage, looked at the pink head popping out from behind him with a bit of resignation.
"Can't you wait, Sakura?"
Sakura replied as if it were a matter of course, "That's a given. Although my soldier pills are effective, there are six people eating them. The first thing I'm going to do when I get back to the village is restock my supply."
"..."
Hearing the words "soldier pills," Sasuke's face couldn't help but darken.
They were effective, true—one pill could last two days. But the taste... it was truly speechless. Hikari had even thrown up from eating them.
"By the way, Sasuke, I was thinking about changing the soldier pills into an oral liquid solution. Do you want to try it later?"
Sakura suddenly remembered she had this idea earlier.
"You'd probably poison this evil Uchiha brat to death."
Before Sasuke could speak, Hikari chimed in from the side with a sneer.
She couldn't eat another one of those damn soldier pills! No, she couldn't even stand the smell! If she, Hikari Uchiha, ate one more of those damn soldier pills, she would take Sakura Haruno's surname!
"Tch, eat it or don't. You say that as if I actually want to give it to you?" Sakura immediately retorted.
"Hah? You bastard, do you want to fight?!" Hikari Uchiha instantly got annoyed.
"You think I'm scared of you?!"
Sakura was stubborn as a mule and had no intention of spoiling this Uchiha ancestor.
Seeing that the two were about to cause a scene again, Sasuke sighed deeply.
He had discovered that Sakura and Hikari were natural enemies. A casual sentence or two could ignite an argument. However, both of them were "trash-talking champions"—all bark and no bite. They had threatened to fight several times, but never actually did. Obviously, they both knew the gravity of the situation. Or perhaps, this bickering was just Sakura and Hikari's way of killing time when they were bored.
Beside them, Karin sat with her chin resting in her hands, watching the noisy Sakura and Hikari, her thoughts drifting away. She had been out for so long; she wondered if Lady Tsunade had made a mess of the house. Has Big Sister Shizune returned yet...
Shino Aburame ignored the noisy girls. Silently, he broke off a small piece of the soldier pill Sakura had given him earlier and placed it in his palm. Black beetles crawled out from his sleeves and began gnawing on the soldier pill.
The effect of Sakura's soldier pills was excellent; his insects liked them very much.
"If Sakura plans to try an oral liquid, I suggest against it."
?
No way, even Shino is refuting me?
Sakura looked at the only person present who didn't mind the taste of her soldier pills and fell into self-doubt.
"I am not saying the effect of the liquid would be poor. With Sakura's ability, I believe the liquid solution would also be very effective. However, it is not easy to use. If you ask why, it is because solids are more convenient to carry than liquids."
Reasonable and logical; it was irrefutable.
Hikari looked at the sunglass-wearing bug man and the corner of her mouth twitched. She thought he was speaking up for her, but unexpectedly, he was considering practical logistics.
Does this guy have no sense of taste?!
Damn it!
But even so, Hikari crossed her arms and looked at Sakura with a mocking expression. "See? No one will like your weird medicine."
Sakura looked at the mocking Hikari Uchiha, and the corner of her mouth twitched.
She has such a punchable face. Can I use my monstrous strength to flick her forehead?
"No."
Shino raised his head at this moment.
"I like it."
"The effect of Sakura's soldier pills is far beyond what the ordinary products on the market can compare to. They are very useful in critical moments; the taste is not important at all. If you ask why, it is because Sakura's medical level is very high."
Hikari Uchiha watched Shino, who had just rejected Sakura's liquid idea, now speak up for the Pinky. Veins popped out on her forehead.
This guy is so punchable. Can I stab him with Susanoo?
As the carriage drove into Konoha, Sakura's group had successfully completed the mission.
Watching the others go back to their respective homes and mothers, Sakura still had to go to the Hokage building to submit the mission report to the Old Man. Then, she had to deal with Dotō Kazahana, whom she had kidnapped from the Land of Snow.
Hokage Building, Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the mission report in front of him and frowned slightly.
Although Iwagakure had interfered, the ultimate goal of this mission was considered complete. It was nothing more than ensuring that no single faction dominated the Land of Snow. But that didn't matter; one of his objectives had already been achieved.
The biggest headache now was the former Daimyō of the Land of Snow that Sakura had kidnapped and brought back.
"Sakura, you really are..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the pink-haired girl in front of him with a headache.
Dotō Kazahana was a Daimyō, after all. And he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was merely a Hokage. A fallen Daimyō was still a Daimyō. How to handle Dotō Kazahana was giving Hiruzen quite a headache.
Couldn't she have just let him die "accidentally" during the conflict with Koyuki Kazahana?
But even so, Hiruzen could understand Sakura. After all, looking solely at Dotō Kazahana's results, this Chakra Armor was worth it. Being able to amplify a Chunin's strength to that of a Jonin was indeed a massive temptation.
"Hehe, Old Man, it's no problem, right?"
Sakura leaned close to Hiruzen Sarutobi, grinning at the old man.
"Sigh..."
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