In the forest, Sakura Haruno's group sped towards Mioka Villa. None of the three spoke during the rush. Kurenai was preoccupied with thoughts of Yakumo.
Sakura, on the other hand, was contemplating how to deceive Kurenai. As for whether Karin could actually seal the monster generated by Yakumo Kurama's subconscious, honestly, she didn't know.
Regarding bringing Yakumo into her little team, Sakura preferred to follow proper procedures if possible. After all, she couldn't completely break away from Konoha just yet.
Whether for intelligence gathering or as a temporary protective umbrella, Sakura needed Konoha's resources, especially for intelligence. If she rashly left Konoha, then even if she knew the general direction of world events, it would probably be very difficult to achieve her goals.
For example, Sakura now wanted to capture Tailed Beasts. Although she knew who the jinchuriki of those Tailed Beasts were, she had no way of knowing when and where they would be. Not to mention, she had already stirred the waters; who knew what changes would occur?
Konoha's intelligence network had been established over decades. It was far more efficient than her searching for Tailed Beasts single-handedly. Therefore, when operating in Konoha, she should adhere to the rules as much as possible, though she could still employ some tricks while staying within those bounds.
If Yakumo could openly join her team, then future actions wouldn't have to be so secretive. Sakura had reached this conclusion the moment she dealt with the ANBU guarding Yakumo. So, even though she knew the carrier pigeon she had let escape was reporting to Tsunade-sensei, she wouldn't stop it.
Because as long as Yakumo was handled, the rest would be simple.
The three arrived at Mioka Villa unobstructed. Just then, with two swish sounds, two ANBU operatives appeared before them.
"Stop!" one of the ANBU operatives barked.
"I am Jonin Kurenai Yuhi, entrusted by the Fifth Hokage to resolve the matter of Yakumo Kurama," Kurenai stepped forward and explained.
However, the two ANBU operatives showed no signs of relaxing their guard. They raised their right arms, gripping the hilts of the swords on their backs, and stared at the three. "I cannot believe what you say. Just now, we were attacked by Sakura Haruno."
"The one who attacked you was not me," Sakura Haruno said, shaking her head. "You should be well aware of the abilities of the person you are guarding."
"This..."
The two ANBU operatives hesitated. Just a short while ago, they had been awakened by the other two medical-nin stationed here. According to the testimony of those two medical-nin, the one who attacked them was indeed Sakura Haruno. Yet now, Sakura Haruno, who had come with Kurenai, claimed they had fallen under a genjutsu.
"This is the Hokage's directive." Kurenai took out a scroll and tossed it to the two. "Lady Fifth Hokage sent us to resolve the matter of Yakumo Kurama."
The ANBU operative caught the scroll, opened it, and examined it carefully. It seemed there was indeed no problem with the directive. After a low-voiced discussion, the two of them sheathed their weapons. "Understood. You may pass."
Sakura Haruno looked at the bewildered expressions of the two ANBU operatives and felt a little like laughing. They couldn't distinguish between truth and falsehood, unsure of what was real. However, this indeed demonstrated that Yakumo Kurama's genjutsu was very powerful.
Arriving at the main door of the small building, Sakura Haruno stopped and said to Kurenai, "Kurenai-sensei, let the two of us go in first. If we fail, then you can handle the aftermath."
"Let me go first. Yakumo is my student. I want to talk to her. If... I fail, then you two can seal her," Kurenai said, shaking her head in refusal after some thought.
Hmm... Sakura quickly weighed the pros and cons in her mind. Originally, she had wanted to go in first and thoroughly convince Yakumo, then have Yakumo cooperate with her using genjutsu to make Kurenai believe the matter was resolved.
If Kurenai were to contact Yakumo first, Sakura couldn't guarantee what changes might occur. However, thinking about it differently, she had already planted a seed in Yakumo's mind, and Yakumo definitely knew the three of them were outside the door now.
So, if Kurenai went in first, Yakumo would probably attack her directly with genjutsu. Then, Sakura could go in and negotiate with Yakumo. Afterward, they would just need to coordinate their stories, and they could deceive Kurenai without her knowing.
Letting Kurenai go in first might risk the situation spiraling out of control, but it was worth a try. Having made up her mind, Sakura nodded. "Alright, then Kurenai-sensei, you go in first."
Kurenai, suspecting nothing, pushed open the door and entered the small building. Sakura didn't remain idle either. She said to Karin, who was beside her, "After I go in later, you guard the entrance. Don't let anyone in."
"Hmm? Don't you need me to perform the sealing?" Karin asked, looking puzzled.
"That's right, but that's the last resort," Sakura said, forming hand seals.
Instantly, the Strength of a Hundred Seal spread from Sakura's forehead, its markings covering her entire face. A continuous stream of natural energy frantically surged into Sakura's body.
A bitter smile appeared on Sakura's face. As expected, she still couldn't use it proficiently so quickly. It seemed she would have to carefully study the reverse application of the Strength of a Hundred Seal when she had time.
If natural energy were likened to an electric current, then the Strength of a Hundred Seal, for Sakura, was equivalent to a transformer. Though this analogy might not be entirely accurate, it was indeed serving that function at the moment.
Seeing Sakura activate the Strength of a Hundred Seal, Karin suddenly felt immense pressure. Although she already knew the ins and outs of this mission, in Karin's eyes, no matter how strong Yakumo Kurama was, she couldn't be stronger than two jonin-level ninja, especially Sakura.
But now, seeing Sakura even activate the Strength of a Hundred Seal, Karin instantly felt a sense of pressure.
Sakura didn't know that her actions had been misinterpreted by Karin. When she had brought Karin along, Sakura hadn't told her about her plan, but had described it to Karin as an ordinary mission.
It wasn't that Sakura didn't trust Karin, but rather that it didn't make much difference whether Karin knew about this matter or not. Originally, Sakura bringing Karin along was just an excuse; she had never considered letting Karin take action.
After waiting outside the door for a moment, Sakura felt it was about time. She pushed open the door and went in. It was still that dim corridor. At the end of the corridor, the double doors were still slightly ajar.
Sakura approached, pushed open the doors, and went in. She found Kurenai Yuhi lying on the floor, and Yakumo Kurama standing beside Kurenai, holding a palette knife in her hand.
At this moment, a crazed look was on Yakumo Kurama's face. Her trembling hands gripped the palette knife, and it looked like she was about to stab it into Kurenai's back. Seeing this, Sakura rushed over directly, grabbed Yakumo's arm, and immobilized her.
"Wh... why are you stopping me?" Yakumo slowly turned her head to look at Sakura, her tone sinister.
"If you only want to kill Kurenai Yuhi alone, then please, go ahead," Sakura said indifferently, releasing Yakumo.
"What are you trying to say?" Yakumo said, her tone unfriendly. "Are you here to stop me?"
"I'm here to offer you help," Sakura said slowly. "But if you kill her now, then..."
"Next year, I'll be mourning you!" Sakura sneered.
"Damn... damn it, as expected, you... you're here to kill me. I shouldn't have believed your words. Konoha... no one in Konoha can be trusted..." Yakumo stumbled back two steps, clutching her head and squatting on the ground in pain.
"Is this the extent of your vision?" Sakura said, crossing her arms and looking at Yakumo Kurama. "Is Kurenai Yuhi the only one you want to eliminate?"
"I... I... I... Ah!!" Suddenly, Yakumo Kurama shot up, her eyes vacant. Her whole body was enveloped in a light-colored, indistinct smoke, and then a thick plume of smoke billowed from her mouth.
Sakura was slightly surprised. What's going on? Immediately after, the black smoke gradually solidified, slowly transforming into a demon-masked figure dressed in plain clothes.
"I... I will eliminate all of you! I won't allow you to harm her!" the demon-masked figure shrieked as it pounced towards Sakura.
When Sakura saw the demon-masked figure, she understood. This was probably the monster brewed from Yakumo's subconscious, Yakumo's other self.
I wonder how strong it is. The moment it pounced, Sakura's figure flashed away. The demon-masked figure immediately missed, but it turned and continued to pounce at Sakura.
Sakura didn't get entangled with it, flashing away again while secretly observing this demon-masked figure. The only place that could manifest a subconscious mind like this was Kumogakure's Waterfall of Truth.
And Yakumo's ability was indeed formidable. To be able to manifest something from the subconscious level using only genjutsu—this ability was no longer as simple as mere genjutsu. If properly trained, perhaps she could... make her thoughts reality...
This was practically on par with the Uchiha clan's ultimate genjutsu, Izanagi. No, it should be said that it was even more powerful than Izanagi. It didn't seem to carry the risk of losing one's sight.
Although it sounded incredibly powerful, the law of conservation of energy was immutable. The use of any ability required a price. The more powerful the ability, the truer this was. It was just that she didn't know it yet.