The streets of Konoha Village at night were bustling with activity. Shops on both sides of the road called out to customers amidst the sea of people. Perhaps only Konoha possessed such a vibrant scene. At least, Sakura Haruno had never seen such liveliness in the Land of Sea or the Land of Water as she had in Konoha. Yet, this bustling prosperity was bought with the lives of countless ninja.
Sakura Haruno carried two boxes of ramen towards the hospital. Unlike the bustling commercial district, the road leading to the hospital gradually became deserted. The hospital, like a reaper of life, inspired a sense of awe. It was both a place that welcomed new life and a place that harvested it.
Arriving at the hospital's inquiry desk, Sakura Haruno asked for Yakumo Kurama's room number and headed there. The hospital ward at night felt even more eerie than during the day.
Sakura Haruno gently slid open the door to Yakumo's room. She was slightly surprised by what she saw inside. Karin was sitting on a chair beside Yakumo's bed, dozing off, while Yakumo lay on the bed with her eyes tightly closed.
"Ahem, cough, cough!" Sakura Haruno cleared her throat twice, walked into the ward, and turned on the light. The cool-toned light instantly illuminated the entire room.
Karin was startled awake by the light and Sakura's voice. She raised her hand to rub her eyes, which were irritated by the light, and looked dazedly towards Sakura.
"Why are you still here? Didn't I tell you to go back after bringing her here?" Sakura said, her tone slightly reproachful.
"Yes, but she was all alone, and I wasn't at ease, so... so I stayed," Karin replied, her head lowered as if she had done something wrong.
"Forget it." Sakura Haruno shook her head and handed over the ramen. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? I brought some ramen."
Karin's small nose twitched, and a "grumble" sound immediately followed.
"Looks like you're hungry. Eat up," Sakura said, amused, looking at Karin's blushing face.
"Mm." Karin carefully took the ramen.
Sakura Haruno then looked at Yakumo Kurama. "Get up. You must be hungry too. I brought you ramen. Your body is already weak; I wouldn't want a member of Team Sakura Haruno to starve to death before we even assemble."
Yakumo Kurama, lying on the bed, slowly opened her eyes. She looked at Sakura Haruno without speaking, then sat up on the bed and took the ramen Sakura handed her, saying expressionlessly, "Thank you."
"Eh? Sakura, haven't you eaten yet? Here... this portion is for you." Karin, seeing the other box of ramen being given to Yakumo, felt a little embarrassed. So, her bowl was originally Sakura's. Sakura must not have known she hadn't left, which was why she brought two bowls.
"No need. Something happened earlier, and I don't have an appetite," Sakura said, waving her hand in refusal.
"Hmm..."
Just as Karin was about to say something more, Sakura interrupted, "Did you two hear what I said just now?"
"What?" Karin hadn't been paying much attention earlier and didn't know what Sakura was referring to.
"Are you referring to... Team Sakura Haruno?" Yakumo, who was beside them, said leisurely.
"That's right." Sakura Haruno nodded and took out an appointment letter. "I've already asked the Fifth Hokage to assign you two to my guidance. From now on, Team Sakura Haruno is officially formed."
"So quickly," Karin said in surprise. The proposal made just that afternoon had already been approved.
"Mm, that's right." Sakura Haruno nodded and looked at Yakumo Kurama. "If you have any questions now, ask them as soon as possible. Don't worry about Karin; she's one of mine."
"..." Yakumo didn't speak.
"Is that so? If you have no questions, then I'll ask you." Sakura stared at Yakumo. "Do you want revenge?"
Karin was somewhat surprised on the side, but the atmosphere had suddenly become serious, so she didn't ask anything.
"I..." Yakumo's lips moved, her expression struggling. After a moment, she said, "I don't know."
"Don't know?" Sakura was a little surprised. Could it be that monster didn't affect her?
"You said that monster was my dark side, but..." Yakumo hesitated, then said, "After facing my own dark side, my desire for revenge isn't as strong anymore. I... I just want to protect myself. I want to become a ninja and find out the truth about what happened back then."
"Is that so!" Sakura was somewhat surprised by Yakumo's answer. But after thinking it over, she suddenly understood. When that monster first appeared, it had said, "I won't allow you to harm her." Perhaps the monster's true purpose wasn't to destroy everything, but to protect Yakumo by wanting to destroy everything.
If that was the case, then that monster was formed from Yakumo's subconscious desire for self-protection. Heh, thoughts are truly complex things. Sometimes, even you don't know what you truly want.
"In that case, then I will teach you to become a qualified ninja," Sakura said.
However, Yakumo Kurama suddenly asked in return, "Then, what is your purpose? Going through all this trouble to pull me into your team."
"For revenge!" Sakura said bluntly, then added, "And I can make you a ninja. It's a matter of mutual benefit; your abilities are very helpful to me."
"For revenge? Against Konoha?" Yakumo asked, her voice cold. Although her desire for revenge against Konoha wasn't as strong, Yakumo wouldn't have any good feelings for Konoha. She couldn't find any information about her parents' deaths back then. If she became a ninja, perhaps she could use her abilities to investigate the true cause of her parents' deaths.
"Yes," Sakura paused. "And no."
Yakumo was at a loss for words for a moment. After a long silence, she said, "Can you let me know what you want me to do?"
"Naturally. But not now. Your body is very weak right now and not up to much use. I'll tell you when you become a qualified ninja," Sakura said slowly.
Beside them, Karin's eyes flickered. She seemed to know what Sakura was talking about.
"I accept your proposal. But if you make things difficult for me, I will no longer assist you," Yakumo said faintly.
"Please recognize the situation. You are in no position to bargain with me right now," Sakura admonished.
"But you need my abilities, don't you?" Yakumo Kurama gave Sakura a slight smile.
"Your abilities have no effect on me," Sakura threatened.
"But you still need my abilities, don't you?" Yakumo Kurama still smiled at Sakura.
"....." Sakura was speechless. Could merging with her dark side also increase her IQ? Perhaps she wasn't stupid to begin with; she was just blinded by hatred before and got fooled by me.
"Welcome, members of Team Sakura Haruno, Karin Uzumaki, Yakumo Kurama. Starting tomorrow, we will begin missions." Sakura let out a breath. "Now, let's introduce ourselves so we can cooperate better during missions."
"Yakumo Kurama." Yakumo said while eating her ramen. "You know the specifics. My genjutsu is very strong, but my body is very weak. I am the young mistress of the Kurama clan."
Sakura's mouth twitched. Yakumo's introduction was certainly not modest. Sakura was 100% sure that the monster had ultimately influenced Yakumo's personality. Although she didn't know what Yakumo was like before, she definitely wasn't like this now.
Sakura nodded and looked at Karin. Actually, she knew the situations of both of them. The introductions now were merely for them to get to know each other.
"Karin Uzumaki. I specialize in sealing jutsu and medical ninjutsu. I am a disciple of Lady Fifth Hokage," Karin introduced herself to Yakumo.
"Another Hokage's disciple," Yakumo said, slightly taken aback.
"Yes, Karin and I are both disciples of the Fifth Hokage," Sakura nodded. "But you don't need to worry about that. You probably know my situation roughly. My ninja rank is chunin. Let me add one more thing: I am also a ninja who possesses a kekkei genkai."
"And my kekkei genkai is—Storm Release."
"Storm Release..." Yakumo said. "Can you show me? You said we should understand each other's abilities to cooperate better."
"Naturally." Sakura nodded. After looking around the room, she raised her palm towards the takeaway box Karin had placed on the table after finishing her ramen. Instantly, a thick, bluish-white beam of light covered the takeaway box.
After the bluish-white laser disappeared, the takeaway box also vanished without a trace. Apart from the takeaway box, the table suffered no damage at all, showing that Sakura's control over chakra had reached a state of pure perfection.
"Annihilation is the property of my kekkei genkai, Storm Release," Sakura explained. The primary property of Storm Release was cutting, but Sakura had discovered during its use that it also had the characteristic of annihilation. As for whether it truly possessed this characteristic, Sakura didn't know. Perhaps it did, and it just hadn't been discovered yet. After all, ninja who possessed Storm Release were rare.
Yakumo was dumbstruck, unable to speak. It turned out that the strength Sakura had shown her back then was just the tip of the iceberg. She could actually release ninjutsu without forming hand seals...
"Alright, if there's nothing else you want to say, then that's it for today. I'll come see you again tomorrow," Sakura said to Yakumo.
"Let's go, Karin. We'll head back first," Sakura then said to Karin.
"Mm," Karin replied and followed Sakura out of the hospital room. Before leaving, she turned her head to Yakumo and said, "See you tomorrow then."