Last Time ....
Yet, in this very moment, Obito truly felt the beauty of the scenery. It was a sensation he hadn't experienced when he had first discovered this place—perhaps it was simply because there was now someone standing beside him to share the view?
Obito and Sakura paused to admire the scene together for a few moments before he spoke. "Well, I'll head back now. Take your time washing up, Sakura—there's no need to rush."
"Okay." Sakura nodded, watching as Obito disappeared into the woods. She waited another five or six minutes to ensure he had gone far enough away, then spent a moment observing her surroundings to confirm there were no signs of intrusion. Only then did she begin to undress completely, humming a cheerful tune as she did so.
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A pair of slender, fair feet gently dipped into the stream. The water's warm, soothing temperature made Sakura let out an involuntary sigh of pure comfort. Then, she submerged her entire body into the water. After washing herself clean, Sakura settled in to soak blissfully; with one hand playfully splashing water over herself, she narrowed her eyes in enjoyment, chuckling softly as she murmured to herself:
"Hehe, it's such a shame Kakashi-sensei and the others missed out on this—it's absolute bliss!"
Just then, a faint rustling sound suddenly came from the nearby bushes. Sakura immediately looked over with heightened vigilance, yet she saw nothing; the surroundings remained utterly silent.
Sakura waited for a moment; finding nothing amiss, she finally relaxed again, chiding herself for being overly paranoid. She stretched languidly.
"It must have been my imagination. There aren't any living creatures here, after all—it was probably just the sound of the wind."
However, a short while later, another rustling sound arose from the stream's edge. This time, Sakura could no longer dismiss it as a mere illusion. Yet, given that no living creatures existed in this world, only one possibility remained. Sakura was struck by a sudden, chilling realization: could someone be peeping at her?
Sakura instinctively clutched at her chest and clamped her legs tightly together. She dared not move from the water; as she was not a sensory-type ninja, she could not detect whether any chakra was present in that spot. Yet, the very thought of someone peeping felt utterly inconceivable to her—aside from herself, the only other people in this entire world were those nine men.
Suppressing her rising anger, Sakura began to systematically sift through the list of potential suspects.
The First and Second Hokage could surely be ruled out. The First—her master's grandfather—had always treated her with the affectionate care of a doting elder; he would never do such a thing. As for the Second, Tobirama... the mere thought of associating him with something as sordid as voyeurism struck her as utterly absurd—two concepts that simply did not belong in the same universe.
Next, the four members of the Uchiha clan: Itachi was a true gentleman with a composed demeanor; he would absolutely never stoop to peeping. Obito—though he had seemed rather brooding during the Fourth Great Ninja War, his "dark side" occasionally manifesting in moments of cunning malice—had appeared to be a man of great propriety after his redemption. Furthermore, his heart already belonged to another, so it certainly wouldn't be him. Madara Uchiha was arrogant and looked down on the world, but surely he wouldn't lack the class to resort to peeping? She didn't know Izuna well, but the Uchiha were a proud clan; besides, he was handsome and likely popular with women, so he would have no need to peep, either.
As for the Fourth Hokage, Minato—Naruto's father—Sakura instinctively ruled him out without a second thought.
That left only Sasori and Kakashi-sensei. These two, Sakura actually found herself regarding with some suspicion.
Sasori was her old nemesis. If he still harbored a grudge against her for being the one to end his life, he might very well be deliberately trying to provoke her—perhaps even hoping to catch her in an embarrassing moment just to mock her.
As for Kakashi-sensei... it might not necessarily be voyeurism on his part. It was just as plausible that he was simply concerned about her well-being and had come to stand guard.
With that thought in mind, Sakura cleared her throat and called out, "Kakashi-sensei? Is that you?"
There was no response. Sakura instantly crossed Kakashi off her list; if he really were nearby, he would have answered her—even if he chose not to reveal himself.
Sakura's anger flared anew. "Sasori!" she shouted. "I know that's you! Come out!"
Yet, still no one answered. Sakura suddenly felt bewildered. Sasori was aloof, yes, but he also possessed the haughty pride befitting a powerful warrior; if he had truly been exposed, he wouldn't have continued to hide. Furthermore, if his intent was to mock her, he ought to have revealed himself to do so; what was the point of skulking around in the shadows like a coward? Surely... surely he hadn't *actually* come just to peep at her?
Sakura began to feel a growing sense of unease. Could she have guessed wrong? Was it not Sasori and Kakashi after all, but someone else entirely? Or—was it neither of them, but rather something else entirely?
The mere thought that it might be "something else" instantly put Sakura on high alert. Then, she suddenly noticed something amiss.
"Strange... were these flowering vines in the water just a moment ago?"
Sometime without her noticing, the stream beside her had become overrun with green vines bearing vivid red blossoms; buffeted by the flowing water, the vines appeared to be swaying gently in the current.
But the very next instant, Sakura's pupils constricted sharply. The vines were not swaying *with* the current—they were moving of their own accord! She scrambled to her feet, attempting to retreat back to the bank, but it was too late. Sakura let out a piercing scream.
Not far away—on the second floor, in the large communal room of the house Hashirama had conjured—several men were busy setting up their sleeping bags.
Suddenly, Kakashi whipped his head around, gazing toward the direction of the hot springs with a look of alarm and bewilderment. "Did I just hear Sakura scream?"
Tobirama and Minato spoke up simultaneously; the two even rose to their feet in unison. Since Sakura had gone to bathe alone, they naturally hadn't felt entirely at ease; consequently, they had been secretly maintaining their sensory perception to monitor the status of her chakra.
Tobirama's expression was grave and solemn. "Haruno's chakra has shifted; it feels as though something has gone wrong."
"Sakura-chan's chakra is acting strangely—I'm going to go check on her!" With those words, Minato vanished instantly, utilizing his Flying Thunder God Technique.
Tobirama watched Minato vanish, his expression tense. He clenched his fists in frustration; he shouldn't have assumed that, simply because Minato had his own kunai, there was no need for him to go out of his way to give one of his own to Haruno. If he had given her one earlier, he could have rushed to her side instantly right now. But then, Tobirama suddenly recalled that he had placed his own Flying Thunder God marker on Minato's *Reanimation* body.
Tobirama hurriedly extended his senses and immediately detected Minato's chakra right next to Haruno Sakura. *Excellent.* It seemed the marker hadn't faded even after Minato's resurrection.
Tobirama quickly tossed out a parting remark, then activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished as well. "I'm going to go check on things, too."
Hashirama, who had been pacing anxiously, saw Tobirama about to leave and immediately grabbed him by the shoulder. "Take me with you." The two vanished together.
Left behind and frantic, Kakashi roughly grabbed Obito and dragged him straight out the window. Only Obito knew the exact location of the hot springs, so Kakashi needed him to lead the way.
Obito nearly stumbled and fell upon landing. His mind was currently consumed by guilt and worry; *he* was the one who had taken Sakura to those hot springs. If something were to happen... *No.* Nothing would happen. He absolutely would not let Sakura suffer the same fate as Rin. This time, he wouldn't be too late!
Madara watched the pair intending to run there on foot and felt a sudden surge of exasperated disappointment. As he stepped out the window, he simultaneously unleashed his Susano'o and bellowed, "Why are you two running? Just activate your Susano'o! It's only a few steps away!"
Izuna reacted instantly, leaping into the opening within Madara's Susano'o.