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"The young mistress… she is not in a good state."
Neji's voice was laced with worry.
"Naruto's situation has dealt her a heavy blow. Lord Hiashi has restricted her freedom for now, fearing she might do something rash."
Neji clenched his fist.
"To be honest, her reaction shocked me. That gentle, soft-spoken girl… she was so adamant. She even stood up to Lord Hiashi himself, defending Naruto. I never expected that from her."
He shook his head slowly. "I've been turning it over in my mind, but I still can't figure out what happened between the young mistress and Naruto. Was it because he cheered for her during the Chunin Exams? That she found solace in his support after I… defeated her? It feels like a stretch. Perhaps there's some history between them I don't know about."
Sakura thought: Yes. Naruto walked into her heart when she was just a little girl. Their bond is far deeper, far more profound than you could imagine.
Neji looked at her. "Why ask about the young mistress now?"
"It's nothing. I just haven't seen her and was a little concerned."
Sakura brushed it off lightly and kept walking.
Neji seemed thoughtful but didn't press further.
They walked through the alleyways of the Leaf's temporary settlement. From the other end of the lane, Shizune approached, holding Tonton.
Sakura quickly untied the forehead protector hanging around her neck. She fastened it properly over her brow, covering the Yin Seal.
Shizune walked with her head down… and didn't even notice the two people coming toward her.
She was exhausted.
The Leaf Village was gone. Survivors were refugees in Suna. The wounded—cared for by both Leaf and Suna medical teams—had only just been stabilized.
As a core member of the medical corps, Shizune hadn't rested a moment since last night. Her body and mind were pushed to the limit.
After the last patient was treated, her first priority was finding news of Lady Tsunade.
What she heard was the worst possible report: Lady Tsunade was missing.
"Shizune-san…"
Sakura's greeting, as they drew close, made Shizune jerk her head up. Her eyes were bloodshot. "Sakura!! I've been looking for you!! Where have you been!?"
"I…" Sakura was taken aback. Shizune-san was looking for me?
Shizune rushed forward, steps quick. "Perfect timing! You've also formed a contract with Lady Katsuyu, right? You just haven't successfully summoned her yet! Please, try to summon Lady Katsuyu now! It's the fastest way to get news about Lady Tsunade. My chakra is completely drained. I'd need until tomorrow to summon anything. Please!"
Sakura was stunned. She'd never seen the always-composed Shizune so distraught.
"Shizune-san… I already summoned Lady Katsuyu."
"Wha… What!? You… you're serious?"
Shizune stared, disbelief etched on her face. "You… successfully summoned a slug?"
Sakura nodded, meeting Shizune's desperate gaze. "Yes. And I explained Lady Tsunade's situation. Lady Katsuyu's main body in Shikkotsu Forest tried to reverse-summon Lady Tsunade… but it failed."
Thud.
Shizune's legs gave out. She slumped to the ground.
"Bui bui~~!!" Tonton squealed in alarm.
Shizune couldn't accept it. She knew—knew—what a failed reverse-summon meant.
Sakura hurriedly added, "Shizune-san! It's too early to conclude anything! There's another possibility! Lady Tsunade could be trapped in another dimension!"
The hope was thin. But Shizune clung to it.
"Right… you're right! That must be it! Lady Tsunade can't be dead. She can't!"
Shizune grabbed Sakura's hands. Her own were ice-cold from exhaustion and strain.
"Shizune-san, your chakra is critically low!"
"Sakura… Kakashi used a forbidden Hatake technique. His soul was severely depleted. I expended enormous effort just to keep him alive. He won't be waking up anytime soon. But before dawn, he'll need another round of medical ninjutsu care. Kakashi is too vital to the Leaf right now. I don't trust anyone else with this. Can you do it?"
"Leave it to me!"
"You've only studied under Lady Tsunade for half a year, yet your medical ninjutsu is already competent… When Lady Tsunade returns safely, if she teaches you for another year or two, your skill will surpass mine… You might even master the Strength of a Hundred Seal, something even I couldn't grasp."
Muttering, Shizune's eyelids grew heavier and heavier… until sleep finally claimed her.
Sakura gently held Shizune's cold hand and smiled softly. "Rest well, Shizune-san. I'll watch over Kakashi-sensei until Lady Tsunade returns safely."
Behind her, Neji watched with a complex expression, then lifted his gaze to the moon.
If he hadn't seen it himself, he'd never believe so much could change in a single night. The village destroyed. The Hokage missing. Leaf ninja cast adrift in a foreign land…
Could the Leaf ninja survive this catastrophe? Bring back their Hokage? Rebuild their home?
"We can't just drift aimlessly. But… what can we actually do?"
A time like this… desperately needed a pillar. Someone to step forward, take command in the Hokage's stead, and decide the next path.
Suna Village, Medical & Intelligence Lab.
Wind and sand hissed against the window outside.
Nara Shikamaru leaned against the corridor window, his gloomy eyes fixed on the single tooth pinched between his fingers.
He'd found it under the desk in the Leaf's control room before withdrawing. It was stained with blood.
Shikamaru had a hunch. But he couldn't be 100% sure about the tooth's origin.
What he planned to do next was a risk. He needed absolute certainty.
So… he extracted a sample of the blood on the tooth, along with a sample of Ino's blood. Using Suna's equipment, he ran a test.
The agonizing wait finally ended.
In the dead of night, the lab door opened.
A certain orange-haired woman, also sleepless, handed Shikamaru a test report.
The report stated: DNA comparison of the two blood samples showed a 99.9% match. Confirmed parental relationship.
Shikamaru's grip tightened on the paper.
Just as I thought. This was a tooth Yamanaka Inoichi had spit out… right before his death.
The question was: Why go to such lengths to leave behind a physical clue?
What was Inoichi-san trying to tell him?
To find out… he had to find that one person.
For that, Shikamaru bowed his head to the woman before him.
— "I can't use Leaf intelligence for this. I need Suna's intelligence division. In Suna, the only person I can ask… is you. Please, Temari."
Temari's lips curved into a slight smirk. She reached out, gently tilting Shikamaru's chin up with a fingertip. Her eyes held a playful glint. "To think the ever-lazy, trouble-averse you would come asking for help. Should I help you~? I'll have to think about that~."
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