Night fell like a curtain, the cold moon hanging silently in the sky.
Across the endless desert of the Land of Wind, three figures trudged forward, their steps deep and shallow in the shifting sands.
At the front walked a young woman with long cherry-pink hair tied back by a black ribbon. On her smooth, fair forehead was a delicate purple diamond-shaped mark.
Her slender pink eyebrows, gem-like emerald eyes, straight nose, and thin lips all carried an air of icy detachment. Clad in standard Konoha jōnin combat gear, she looked proud and unapproachable.
At her waist hung a ninja blade in Konoha's style—one glance was enough to tell it was no ordinary weapon.
She was none other than Sakura Haruno, daughter of the Fourth Hokage, Haruno Chō.
Behind her followed two companions, dressed in similar attire.
"Karim, how much farther until we reach the Land of Fire?"
Sakura asked calmly, her tone cold.
"At our current pace, about four more hours,"
Uzumaki Karin replied. She looked rational and composed, also wearing jōnin gear.
"Tch… I really don't get why Menma has to cause so much trouble,"
the only man in the group, Uchiha Sasuke, muttered as he scratched his head.
"There are so many cute girls in the village waiting for me to take care of them."
Karin glanced at his handsome face and felt a chill run down her spine.
"Sasuke, shut up,"
Sakura said flatly.
"Yes, yes, yes… but—"
Sasuke grinned flirtatiously.
"Hey, Saku-chan, once we bring Menma back, how about going on a date with me?"
He looked at her expectantly, wearing his usual playboy smile.
Sakura Haruno—daughter of the Fourth Hokage—had perfectly inherited her father's talents.
She was the pride of her generation, someone countless young people admired from afar.
There were even rumors that the higher-ups had already decided she would be the next Hokage.
This mission—capturing Uzumaki Menma, who had escaped from Konoha Prison due to Minato's private interference—was said to be part of her promotion path.
"If you don't want to die, shut up, Sasuke,"
Sakura replied indifferently.
She was familiar with this last surviving Uchiha.
After Uchiha Itachi massacred the clan for unknown reasons, only Sasuke remained.
To revive the Uchiha name, he now flirted everywhere, hoping to rebuild the clan by himself.
It sounded absurd, but on second thought, it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
Even so, Sakura kept her distance.
No one liked a walking breeding machine.
As they continued forward, Karin suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" Sakura asked.
"There are people ahead. Quite a few," Karin replied.
Her Mind's Eye of the Kagura had an enormous range and had never been wrong.
Sakura trusted her completely.
Almost as if to prove her words, five or six figures appeared in their field of vision.
They wore sand-colored combat uniforms, white face coverings, and camouflage paint. Forehead protectors gleamed faintly in the moonlight.
"They're from Sunagakure," Sasuke said casually.
"If we explain things, they should let us pass."
Sakura neither agreed nor disagreed.
Avoiding unnecessary trouble was best.
She watched as Sasuke swaggered toward the group.
"Hello~!"
"Friends from Sand Village!"
"Good evening, everyone!"
With his arms open, Sasuke signaled that he meant no harm.
Suddenly—
A kunai coated in purple liquid shot toward him with a sharp whistle!
"Damn it!"
Sasuke barely dodged, staring in shock at the weapon buried in the sand.
"Are you guys crazy?!"
"You attack people the moment you see them?!"
He glared at the murderous-looking Sand ninjas.
"You Konoha dogs!"
"Die!"
Before Sasuke could react, they charged straight at him.
"Eh?! What the—?!"
—
Sasuke dusted off his hands and sat helplessly on top of a tightly bound Sand ninja.
He poked the man's face, only to provoke furious struggling.
"You Konoha bastard!"
"Kill me if you've got the guts!"
"Don't humiliate me!"
The captured ninja roared as if he had a blood feud with them.
"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke complained.
"You tried to kill me first."
"I was just defending myself."
"Damn you!"
"Haven't you Konoha dogs killed enough people in our village already?!"
"Come on!"
"Try me!"
"If I flinch, I'm your grandson!"
Annoyed, Sasuke ripped off the man's shoe and stuffed it into his mouth, then tore a strip from his pants to tie it in place.
"Mmgh! Mmgh!!"
The Sand ninja's eyes bulged in rage as he struggled helplessly.
"Let's go,"
Sakura said, glancing at her unreliable teammate.
Still, doubt lingered in her heart.
From that man's words, it was clear that Konoha and Sunagakure were not on good terms.
That wasn't surprising.
In this timeline, they were in the Third Shinobi World War era.
Konoha and Sand being enemies was normal.
But his words troubled her.
"What do you mean, 'last time you came and killed so many people'?"
Had Konoha ever breached Sunagakure itself?
Sunagakure might have been the weakest of the Five Great Villages, but it wasn't easy to attack.
The vast desert alone was a natural barrier.
Not to mention the narrow canyon entrance—an ideal defensive choke point.
And even if they did break in, what was there to gain?
Eat sand?
Sakura didn't dwell on it.
Her mission was to capture Uzumaki Menma.
This world's affairs had nothing to do with her.
Completing her task was enough.
That was all.
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