Somewhere in the Land of Waterfalls, a massive cascade of water thundered down. Behind it, concealed by the curtain of water, lay a large, flat expanse of land. The unique geographical environment made it completely undiscoverable to outsiders.
This was the location of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. Although the village was secluded, a traitor emerging from within their ranks a year ago had forced them to begin interacting with the outside world. However, these interactions were limited, and for the most part, the village remained closed off.
Within the village, several wooden training dummies stood quietly in an open area. A few small birds perched on them, seemingly dozing. Suddenly, one of the dummies vibrated slightly. The birds scattered into the air as a kunai embedded itself in the dummy's face.
A few more thuds followed as shuriken and kunai struck the dummies' vital points one after another. Then, the sound of running footsteps approached from a distance. A young girl, short sword in hand, viciously slashed at a dummy.
"Looks like I win," the girl said, stopping her movements. She turned to a boy who had arrived shortly after her. "You need to step it up, Village Leader."
"Hah... hah..." A boy ran over, panting for breath. He looked at the triumphant girl and said, "D-Don't get... cocky... N-Next... time I'll... I'll beat you... Fu..."
"You won't beat me next time either," Fu said smugly. Two pairs of transparent wings unfurled from her waist, and she instantly flew into the air. "Can you do this?" she asked with a grin.
"Hey, you idiot!" Shibuki quickly scolded. "You can't use that! Put them away, now!"
"Hmph, why can't I?" Fu pouted, dissatisfied.
"You just can't! If an outsider sees you, it'll be dangerous," Shibuki said nervously.
This boy was Shibuki, the current leader of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. After the incident a year ago, he seemed to have matured, no longer the timid and fearful boy he once was, but the leader of his village.
As he changed, he gradually came to learn some of the village's highest secrets. For example, the girl before him, Fu, was the village's greatest secret besides the Hero Water.
After Shibuki gradually took power, some of the Waterfall ninja who had been wandering outside returned. Previously, because Suien had been Shibuki's teacher, Shibuki was the village leader in name only; Suien was the one in actual control. Because Suien was the strongest, many ninja had left in dissatisfaction. Suien had been happy to see them go, as it made his subsequent plans easier.
After Suien was dealt with, some of the scattered Waterfall ninja who heard the news returned, which gradually gave the village a bit more confidence. They began to selectively interact with the outside world and cultivate new talent. And Fu, as the inherited Jinchuriki of the Seven-Tails, naturally received training.
Fu was indeed very talented. After only a short period of training, she was able to develop unique ninjutsu based on the Seven-Tails' power. She had yet to go on a rampage, which gave the old-guard ninja of the village hope, and they became even more enthusiastic about her training.
"Outsiders, outsiders, outsiders! You all keep talking about outsiders, but I've never even seen a ninja from another village," Fu complained.
Fu had lived in the Waterfall Village her entire life. It wasn't until the incident a year ago that she had come into contact with people from the outside. Since then, she had had no further contact with the outside world. As a result, she now had an infinite longing for it, but she was watched so closely that she couldn't sneak out.
"You can go out when you can defeat everyone in the village without borrowing that power," Shibuki could only comfort her. After the wandering ninja returned, he had learned of a secret even more classified than the Hero Water. He had never imagined that the Waterfall Village also possessed something like a Tailed Beast. He suddenly felt the weight of responsibility and matured overnight.
Looking at the pouting Fu, Shibuki was at a loss. To protect her, this was the only way. The Waterfall Village was, after all, a small ninja village, possessing a treasure without the corresponding strength to protect it.
Sakura looked at the enormous waterfall before her with a sigh of nostalgia. The easiest way to stir up memories was to revisit an old place. Standing by the lake at the bottom of the waterfall, the image of Naruto picking up trash here seemed like it had happened only yesterday.
After a moment of reminiscing by the lake, Sakura followed her memory and walked across the water's surface toward the waterfall. If the Waterfall Village hadn't changed its entrance, then it should still be behind the cascade.
Sakura didn't want to enter the village so openly, but this was the only entrance she knew. As long as no one was guarding it, she was confident she could sneak in quietly.
However, things didn't always go as planned. The moment Sakura stepped into the hidden cave behind the waterfall, she was ambushed by shuriken. A pang of regret hit her. It seemed a quiet infiltration was out of the question.
The few shuriken flying toward her were a trivial matter. Sakura didn't even bother to dodge. Although they were aimed at her, they flew past and embedded themselves in the rock wall behind her. If the person throwing them wasn't terrible at it, then it was just a warning.
Sure enough, after the shuriken, a voice came from a distance. "Halt! This is not a place you should be. Please turn back."
Looking at the ninja, Sakura was a bit surprised. Where did this ninja come from? Although he wore a Waterfall headband, if she remembered correctly, the village had almost no ninja left.
"Are you a ninja from the Waterfall Village here?" Sakura asked curiously.
"You know this is the Waterfall Village! It seems I'll have to take you down." The Waterfall ninja was startled. It wasn't strange to know of the village, but knowing that this was the entrance was highly suspicious.
With that, the ninja pulled out a kunai and threw it at Sakura. This time, he didn't miss, aiming accurately for her heart and eyes.
Sakura dodged the attack and quickly formed hand seals. "Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!" The ground instantly turned into a muddy swamp. In this narrow space, there was nowhere to dodge. The Waterfall ninja had no choice but to leap into the air, but Sakura was waiting.
A whip made of water shot out from Sakura's fingers, instantly binding the ninja who was in mid-air with no leverage.
The inspiration for this Water Whip technique had come from the Rain ninja she had encountered here last time.
The bound ninja fell onto the swamp. Sakura stomped her foot, and the effect of the Swamp of the Underworld disappeared.
"Don't waste your energy," Sakura said, watching the ninja struggle relentlessly on the ground. "Even a jonin might not be able to break free from my jutsu."
"Who are you?" the Waterfall ninja asked, gritting his teeth and staring at Sakura.
"Me?" Sakura chuckled. "Who are you? And why are you here?"
"Hmph, I am a ninja of the Village Hidden in the Waterfall, on patrol under the orders of our leader." The ninja seemed to be angered by Sakura's question, as if he were the intruder.
"Oh, the leader?" Sakura mused, then asked, "Is your leader's name... Shibuki?"
The ninja's pupils contracted. He stared intently at Sakura. "How do you know that?"
Heh, so it really is Shibuki, Sakura thought with a silent laugh. She remembered that coward. Hearing this ninja mention a leader, she had thought there had been another coup in the village, but it turned out to be that same timid boy.
The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. The coward who used to be frightened by the slightest sound was now the leader. It gave Sakura a sense of dissonance.
"I am a ninja from the Village Hidden in the Leaf," Sakura said, pulling out her Leaf headband from her pouch and showing it to him.
"A... a Leaf ninja." The Waterfall ninja was stunned for a moment, then his eyes sharpened. "Stop lying! Why would a Leaf ninja be here?" he questioned.
"I was just passing by after completing a mission and wanted to visit an old friend," Sakura explained, then added, "You wouldn't happen to not know who took care of your village's traitor, Suien, a year ago, would you?"
"Who?" the ninja asked subconsciously.
"..." Sakura was speechless. He still couldn't guess after such a big hint? Helplessly, she said, "Of course it was me. I am the disciple of the Fifth Hokage, Sakura Haruno!"
Since she had been discovered, she might as well make a peaceful visit. Her purpose this time was just to gather information anyway. Being secretive would only arouse more suspicion.