Sakura Haruno strolled leisurely through the village streets. Having just completed a mission, she had nothing to do at the moment. Although her status as a ninja had been restored, Sakura didn't wear her forehead protector on her head as she used to.
Her ninja identity had now become a constraint for her. If possible, she didn't need this status anymore. This identity also meant responsibility, and responsibility meant she would be very busy in the future, with little time for her own affairs.
She casually stuffed the forehead protector into her pocket and slowly walked towards the outskirts of the village. If it were just for storing Shāi, she could use sealing scrolls and keep them at home. But after sealing a Tailed Beast, it would be unlikely she could use Shāi at home.
So, no matter what, she still needed to find a secret place for her own use. And Sakura was now heading towards the village outskirts in search of such a place.
Although she hadn't been in the village for half a year, the village seemed much more prosperous than before. In the park ahead, a group of children were playing ninja games. Shops lined both sides of the street, and the faces of the pedestrians were all relaxed and joyful.
Watching a mother playing with her child in the park ahead, Sakura's eyes dimmed for a moment.
"Soon, it will all be over soon..." Whispering this to herself, Sakura quickened her pace, leaving the beautiful and warm scene behind.
Konoha Village's territory was actually quite extensive. It wasn't just the area around the Hokage Rock that belonged to Konoha; the surrounding forests and mountains were also part of the village's domain. After all, as a military base-style village, it needed large uninhabited areas for training and exercises.
Sakura followed a path she had never taken before, gradually moving away from the bustling part of the village. If she wanted to avoid being discovered, the best places were those not even used for ninja exercises.
After walking in the forest for some time, Sakura suddenly felt that something was not quite right.
"It seems... the surrounding scenery hasn't changed at all..." Sakura stopped and looked at the unchanging scenery around her, nodding thoughtfully. "Is it a genjutsu? Who could it be?"
Sakura immediately formed a hand seal.
"Release!"
Slowly opening her eyes, Sakura found that the surrounding scenery was still the same, without any change.
"Could it not be a genjutsu..." The kunoichi frowned, looking around and muttering to herself.
Sakura was a little unsure. Although she could use genjutsu herself, she wasn't proficient in it. The genjutsu she had used to fool Sasuke Uchiha and Hayate Gekko before was merely an application of natural energy. While ordinary people couldn't break it, it ultimately belonged to a different system of abilities, and its power was still related to the user's skill.
Perhaps in that era, a Tsu God could unleash unparalleled combat power with that kind of genjutsu. But she, having only just come into contact with natural energy, merely used that kind of genjutsu as an auxiliary means.
Under the sunlight, the chirping of cicadas echoed through the surrounding forest. Sakura wasn't alarmed, as she hadn't sensed the presence of any ninja nearby. And Orochimaru, the only one currently capable of evading her senses, wasn't skilled in genjutsu.
Since she wasn't sure if it was a genjutsu, Sakura retreated in the direction she had come from. If it really was a genjutsu, she definitely wouldn't be able to walk out of this forest.
However, the reality was somewhat beyond Sakura's expectations. After running wildly for over ten minutes, Sakura gradually saw the village.
"What's going on?" Sakura turned her head in confusion, looking at the forest behind her. The dark path, shaded by trees, seemed to be mocking her.
"Could I really have been mistaken..." Sakura, somewhat unconvinced, turned around and re-entered the forest.
The same scene appeared before Sakura again. Although she had been running at high speed for a long time, when she stopped, the surrounding scenery remained unchanged.
"Interesting..." A slight smile touched Sakura's lips. Although she didn't know who was casting a genjutsu on her, this person didn't seem to intend to attack her. Since she could still walk out of this genjutsu forest, perhaps they merely wanted to drive her away.
"Who could it be? In Konoha, besides the Uchiha clan, who else can use such advanced genjutsu..." Sakura racked her brains but couldn't think of anyone. However...
If it were before, it might have taken some effort. But now...
Sakura focused her mind, held her breath, raised her hands to form the Tiger seal, and closed her eyes slightly. She then stood motionless. After a moment, the trees in the forest seemed to come alive, their branches swaying as if beckoning to Sakura.
Opening her eyes, the markings of the Yin Seal had already crawled across Sakura's face. Looking at the surrounding environment again, although it hadn't changed, when Sakura walked forward, the surroundings finally stopped remaining static.
Sakura released the Yin Seal not because she was out of chakra. In fact, ever since the Tsu Transformation failed, there hadn't been a shred of chakra in the Yin Seal. And after returning to the village, Sakura hadn't deliberately stored chakra either.
The reason for releasing it was natural energy. The battle on the way to Red Shoal Island had allowed Sakura to use the complete Seijutsu for the first time in a conscious state. However, when the frenzied natural energy entered her body, Sakura had nearly lost control.
Although Seijutsu was developed to control natural energy, Sakura was clearly still a beginner. In order not to be affected by the violent natural energy, Sakura had tried to release the Yin Seal to guide a portion of the natural energy into it.
However, the Yin Seal: Release was ultimately a jutsu for releasing chakra. Reversing the Yin Seal: Release jutsu to store energy wasn't very efficient.
But if she didn't do this, relying solely on the Yin Seal to store chakra refined by herself and absorbed natural energy, not to mention the efficiency, the need to divert attention to storage during battle would be counterproductive.
The channel for fully releasing the Yin Seal was large enough. As long as the jutsu was modified into a two-way channel, she could temporarily store the rampant natural energy in the Yin Seal during battle. This way, she wouldn't have to bear the immense pressure of natural energy, and she could also ensure that the natural energy wouldn't be depleted.
Although Sakura had been deducing this reverse jutsu for some time, she was no genius. Today was her first attempt. As for consulting Tsunade-sensei...
Sakura felt that Tsunade-sensei would definitely give her a disdainful look. Everyone else was short on chakra, and she wanted to absorb it from the outside.
But ultimately, it could be considered a success. Although Sakura was breathing heavily at this moment, it was much better than last time. Of course, this was also related to learning from the previous lesson and not fully unleashing Seijutsu all at once. However, last time, facing that enemy, she couldn't afford to hold back, or she probably wouldn't have made it back.
Slowly walking along the forest path, under the enhancement of natural energy, no genjutsu could affect Sakura Haruno. If there was, it could only be someone who used Seijutsu better than she did.
After walking for about ten minutes, the forest before her suddenly opened up. On a clearing ahead, a two-story building stood there.
As Sakura approached, she saw a plaque on the main gate of the small building with the words "Mioka Villa" written on it.
"Mioka Villa..." Sakura looked up at a girl with grayish-brown hair and a pale complexion standing on the balcony of the second floor.
And that girl was also looking at Sakura, whose face was covered in markings, with cold eyes from below.