"Another bowl!" Sakura Haruno wiped her mouth and, holding up her bowl, said to Shizune-senpai.
"This is already your eighth bowl. Can you really still eat more?" Shizune looked at Sakura Haruno with an astonished expression.
Kakashi's summoned dog, Pakkun, had rushed back to say Sakura had been found, and Lady Tsunade wanted her to return and cook... um... cook? Shizune was utterly bewildered. Sakura was awake; shouldn't they bring her to the meeting? But after confirming with Pakkun three times, Shizune reluctantly found that it seemed to be true.
She had finally managed to persuade Lady Tsunade to attend the meeting, and then Sakura just happened to wake up. As a result, Lady Tsunade had stood up the council elders, which naturally incurred their displeasure. However, if Tsunade didn't show up, there was nothing they could do.
They didn't overly blame Tsunade and the Third Hokage for the events of the recent period. With even the Third Hokage siding with Tsunade, they could only try to find a way to resolve the matter with Kirigakure. After all, dwelling on who was right or wrong in that incident was now meaningless.
After the Third Hokage returned, he had only briefly explained the course of events before falling ill. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado had visited him several times, but the Third had refused to see them, stating that everything should be handled by the current Hokage.
And Kirigakure had chosen precisely this moment to come knocking. The council elders couldn't make decisions on behalf of the Hokage, yet Tsunade consistently failed to appear. Village affairs were all being handled by Shizune, which made the two elders feel like "the emperor isn't worried, but the eunuchs are."
Helpless, they could only arrange for the Kirigakure envoys to be lodged first, while closely monitoring their movements. Although on the surface it appeared Konoha was in the wrong, it didn't mean Konoha would allow Kirigakure's envoys to come to the village and steal intelligence. The incident with the Hyuga clan a dozen years ago was a lesson learned.
"I can, I can! You have no idea, these past few months out in the elements, I haven't had a single decent meal. Right now, I could eat a whole cow!" the young woman said with exaggeration.
"Uh... I really give up on you... Kakashi, would you like some more?" Shizune asked Kakashi, who was sitting beside her with his mask removed.
"No thanks, I'm full..." Kakashi said, flipping through a small booklet.
Two people present could access the ninja registration forms; maintaining an air of mystery in front of subordinates was no longer necessary.
Kakashi quietly glanced at Tsunade, wondering when she would start her questioning.
Tsunade cleared her throat twice at Sakura, who was engrossed in wolfing down her food. "Sakura..."
"Hmm?" Sakura paused her eating and looked at Master Tsunade.
"While I don't really want to spoil your appetite, there are some things I need to understand from you," Tsunade said, choosing her words carefully.
"It's about the Kirigakure matter, right?" Sakura Haruno said, taking a sip of miso soup. There was no trace of anything unusual in her voice.
"Yes," Tsunade nodded, her tone somewhat hesitant. "Regarding that previous incident, I... I'm very sorry..."
"Don't say it, Master..." Sakura Haruno stopped all her movements. Staring at the tabletop, she unconsciously clenched her fists, her voice low. "That incident... had nothing to do with you, Master. What's bound to happen will happen... I... I won't dwell on the past..."
Hmm? Kakashi looked at Sakura in surprise. She... she managed to move on so quickly? Though he was reluctant to admit it, this young woman's mental fortitude was even stronger than his own had been back then.
Tsunade looked at Sakura, whose eyes flickered, and sighed inwardly. She's not as composed as her words suggest.
Compared to Kakashi, Tsunade had spent three years with her day and night; she understood this young woman relatively well.
"Thank you..." Tsunade could only manage these two soft words. She blamed herself deeply. If she had been a little firmer, if she could have insisted on her own views even when facing the Third Hokage, perhaps everything would have turned out differently.
She remembered how, back then, to increase the survival rate of squads, she had advocated for each squad to be equipped with a medical ninja. This proposal had been opposed by the three council elders and the Third Hokage. Yet, even so, she had persisted with her viewpoint until Dan's sacrifice finally led to the implementation of the plan.
But Dan's sacrifice had also plunged her into despair for over twenty years. During those two decades of wandering the ninja world, Tsunade suddenly realized she no longer possessed the same perseverance to stick to her opinions. Those twenty-odd years of wandering and the emotional trauma had smoothed away her sharp edges.
Before the incident with Sakura Haruno, she hadn't even noticed she had become like a smooth pebble. It was only after the tragedy occurred, looking back, that Tsunade truly recognized how much she had changed.
Now, she wanted to compensate this disciple whose tragedy she had caused. But seeing her act as if nothing had happened, Tsunade vaguely understood that Sakura had already closed the door to her heart.
"I didn't kill the Fourth Mizukage," Sakura Haruno said, unclenching her fists and resuming her meal, her words muffled. "And I didn't kill Terumi Mei either."
"Terumi Mei?" Tsunade was taken aback, asking softly, "Was that the female corpse in Rika's courtyard?"
Tsunade didn't know if Sakura had been to Rika's courtyard, but logically, she should have.
"Yes..." Sakura's eating movements paused again. She thought of the woman she had brainwashed, who had later become incredibly clingy to her. She... she died to save me...
It was because of her own unfounded suspicions. She... she didn't have to die. At this thought, a sharp pain pierced Sakura's heart, and she clutched her chest in anguish.
Although her identity was Terumi Mei, after losing her memory, a new personality had formed, one that had no connection to Terumi Mei. Several months of being together had caused Sakura to develop some affection for her, not to mention she had died saving her...
"What's wrong... Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" Tsunade asked urgently.
"No... I'm fine..." Sakura Haruno waved her hand, then fell silent for a moment. "Was there another female corpse at the scene?"
"Yes. After investigation, it was a local villager," Tsunade said.
"I killed her. And I killed her child too," Sakura Haruno said calmly.
The moment the words left her mouth, the air in the room seemed to freeze. Kakashi, who had been reading, turned his gaze to Sakura. Shizune looked at Sakura in disbelief. Tsunade remained silent.
For killing two innocent people, Sakura Haruno now felt immense self-reproach. Thinking back on her state of mind at the time, it felt somewhat incredible, as if she had been completely controlled by her emotions. But regardless of the reasons, it had happened. She could only bear this guilt, which would perhaps accompany her for the rest of her life.
As for the crew of the ship in the Land of Sea, she felt no guilt. That crew consisted of bandits – villagers by shore, pirates by sea. But the woman from Red Leaf Village and her child were innocent, and she had killed them with her own hands.
Although ninja couldn't avoid killing, they killed enemies. Ninja wouldn't indiscriminately kill innocent civilians.
"You... why did you do that...?" Shizune asked, her voice trembling slightly. If a ninja began to kill innocents indiscriminately, it meant they were falling into darkness. Such ninja usually didn't have good endings; they either became villains or were killed.
"Edo Tensei..." Sakura Haruno replied calmly, trying her best to keep her emotions stable. "I needed to investigate Junko's matter. The only way to make the dead speak is this jutsu. But... I couldn't find a sacrifice..."
"Is that so... I see..." Tsunade felt no anger towards her disciple for killing innocents, but rather an added layer of self-blame. If she had resolved this matter from the beginning, none of the subsequent events would have occurred.
"Edo Tensei... How did you obtain it?" Tsunade composed herself and continued to ask. The priority now was to understand the truth as quickly as possible. Self-blame could wait...
"Kabuto, Orochimaru's subordinate, gave it to me..." Sakura Haruno didn't hide it. She felt there was no need to conceal such a thing.
"Why did he give you this jutsu?"
"Because I wanted it..."
"..." Tsunade's heart lurched. "What did you exchange for it?"
Kakashi and Shizune looked at Sakura Haruno nervously. They had thought they were only inquiring about the Kirigakure matter, but unexpectedly, Orochimaru was also involved. And Sakura's answers were simply too explosive. Such an act was tantamount to treason...
"I didn't give anything. He gave it willingly... He wanted to recruit me..." Sakura Haruno shrugged. That, at least, was the truth.
Hearing Sakura's answer, Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief and continued to ask, "Then why did you want this jutsu?"
"Because of Sasuke... His family..." Sakura Haruno said.
"The dead cannot be brought back to life, Sakura... Even if... you use that jutsu... it's just a beautiful illusion... Understand...?" Tsunade interrupted Sakura.
"I... I understand. So... I know." Sakura Haruno's lips moved, and she changed what she was about to say at the last moment.
The atmosphere fell silent again. Sakura's collusion with the rogue ninja Orochimaru was an extremely serious offense. However, at the time, her status was that of a rogue ninja, so perhaps it wasn't entirely inappropriate. There had never been a precedent for a rogue ninja being exonerated, so there were no examples to follow. Fortunately, only Kakashi and Shizune were present, so it wasn't a major problem.
"I hope you won't use this jutsu again..." Tsunade said, breaking the silence.
"That's what I was thinking too," Sakura Haruno replied. After a thought, she added, "As for the Fourth Mizukage, I probably know who killed him."
"Hmm? Who was it?" Tsunade asked.
"Itachi Uchiha..." Sakura Haruno uttered a name.
"Wh-what..." Tsunade was shocked by the name. "What proof do you have?"
"No proof..." Sakura Haruno shook her head. "But I followed him to the Land of Water. With him was the Kirigakure rogue ninja, Kisame Hoshigaki. Only they would have the ability to hunt a jinchuriki... I... I didn't have that kind of strength at the time."
"Wait," Tsunade frowned. "The Fourth Mizukage was a jinchuriki?"
Kirigakure had closed itself off after the Third Great Ninja War. There were only rumors about their Kage; the major nations didn't know the specifics.
"I ran into Orochimaru on the way. He told me," Sakura Haruno nodded, stating it as a matter of fact. "Only the Sharingan can deal with a Tailed Beast. That's probably the only proof..."
"Itachi Uchiha... He's Sasuke's older brother..." Kakashi mused. "I never thought things would turn out this way."
"That's all I know," Sakura Haruno said, standing up. "It's getting late. I'm going back. Thanks for the meal."
"Wait..." Tsunade said. "You can stay here with me..."
"No need, Master," Sakura Haruno said, sliding open the door. She paused. "Karin... is still at home..."