Chapter 585: Sakura Uchiha's Arrangement (Part 1)
There wasn't much for Sasuke to add.
After all, he and Naruto had basically been acting together the entire time.
"In the final moments, Naruto chose to enter the eight-tailed form to counter Kakuzu's ninjutsu." Sasuke recalled, letting out a sigh. "And then... he succeeded."
The Tailed Beast Bomb in the eight-tailed state, infused with chakra beyond imagination, blasted apart Kakuzu's final Water Dragon Bullet.
However, as the price—
Naruto lost control.
Chakra filled with hatred and malice instantly crushed the utterly exhausted Naruto. He fell unconscious, his consciousness dissipating, and his brain was quickly occupied by the Nine-Tails' crazed spirit.
Kakuzu was very smart and fled far away.
As a result...
The demon fox, unable to find its target, vented its killing intent on the equally exhausted Sasuke.
Sasuke was forced into a desperate chase with the Nine-Tails!
"If Sakura hadn't arrived just in time..."
Sasuke glanced at the girl beside him and let out a long breath.
He didn't say much else, but everyone present could feel Sasuke's state of mind at that time: seeing the enemy already gone, at the final moment when the dawn of victory was about to arrive, he was about to die by a comrade's accidental injury. What kind of despair was that!
"Sakura has already told the rest of the story, so I won't repeat it."
"I understand..." Tsunade nodded, pursed her lips, and summarized, "This mission exceeded our prior expectations. Although the Three-Tails was ultimately taken away by Akatsuki, the fact that you were able to return safely is already the best outcome!"
In the initial intelligence, the enemy was merely a two-man team from Akatsuki. Sending out Team 7 was already Tsunade overestimating the enemy. With Haruno Sakura leading the team, it was impossible for them not to defeat a small Akatsuki squad, especially with the support of the Hidden Mist!
Taking ten thousand steps back, even if an accident occurred, Sakura and Naruto, who had mastered the Reverse Summoning Jutsu, had a means of escape. Even if Naruto lost control, there was still the final failsafe left by the Fourth Hokage to reverse the situation.
However, Tsunade hadn't expected that Akatsuki would mobilize in full force, with even their leader, Pain, personally taking the field!
This resulted in the mission, which originally had many backup plans, ending with constant danger and Haruno Sakura severely injured.
Sending out a luxurious lineup like Team 7, with Mei Terumi leading a team to support from behind, and still having Akatsuki take away the Three-Tails—it could only be said that Akatsuki invested more power. Tsunade didn't want to blame or pursue anyone's responsibility; Team 7 being able to retreat unscathed was already a blessing.
"Don't dwell too much on the mission's failure. You did your best, Sasuke." Tsunade also patted Sasuke's shoulder to comfort him. "Is there anything else you need to add?"
Sasuke opened his mouth. He had some things he wanted to say, but ultimately swallowed his words: "Uh... never mind, it's nothing."
Tsunade tilted her head and looked at him, as if seeing through his heart. After several seconds, she smiled: "Alright! You can go now. I need to have a chat with her next. Go back early and rest... We can talk about whatever it is tomorrow!"
She gave Sasuke a push, sending him out of the Hokage's office.
When he walked out of the Hokage building, Naruto was waiting for him across the street.
Sasuke smiled faintly: "Let's go, time to eat!"
"Aren't we waiting for her?"
Sasuke shook his head: "The Hokage has some business with her. Don't worry about her. Where are we eating? I'm warning you, don't mention Ichiraku Ramen again!"
"Huh? I was just about to suggest Ichiraku Ramen..."
"..."
Under the setting sun, the figures of the youths gradually drifted away.
The Fifth Hokage stood by the window of the Hokage's office, watching the retreating figures of the two. She turned her head, glanced at Sakura Uchiha, and sighed softly.
A Clone Jutsu?
That seemingly obedient disciple of mine, how come she's also a restless soul deep down, always causing these unexpected troubles for me...
Tsunade actually knew that Sakura had her own little secrets where she couldn't see, but she always thought Sakura was just practicing some secret jutsu that were not suitable to show others. In the end, she actually created a human life.
Human experiments and cloning weren't really a big deal. Since Tsunade took office, public opinion had also shifted somewhat under her manipulation. After all, this sort of thing was personally passed down from the Second Hokage. But the problem was, not only did Haruno Sakura create a human life, she also brought her back to Konoha openly and asked her to help clean up the mess!
Truly...
Sakura Uchiha raised an eyebrow, subtly sensing that she seemed to be being disliked.
"Fifth Hokage..." She pulled out a chair and sat down casually.
"Just call me Master." Tsunade also sat back in her seat, rubbing her temples. "After all, you are also her clone."
"I 'was'."
The girl extended her index finger and shook it firmly, putting emphasis on the word "was".
"Alright, alright, you were, and now you are not." Tsunade raised her hands in surrender. "You and she are two different people. So?"
"What I want is very simple." Sakura Uchiha straightened her back, sitting elegantly with a serene smile on her face.
Quietly returning the Hokage's gaze.
Sakura knew Tsunade would absolutely not refuse a Kage-level reliable ninja joining Konoha, especially at a critical juncture when powerful individuals were urgently needed to hold the fort.
And she also needed an independent, recognized identity.
Sakura Uchiha first needed to prove that she was not a tool, but an independently existing person.
Sakura Uchiha inherited the original's frankness, and Tsunade didn't beat around the bush either: "An identity is very easy."
"The village can put you on the roster as a Konoha Jonin, arrange the identity of an Uchiha survivor for you, and give you the best treatment, authority, and everything else. I can show you enough sincerity. And then what?"
Sakura Uchiha frowned, leaning forward slightly, and asked in confusion: "And then what? I don't think there's any problem with this."
"I think you haven't grasped the crux of the problem at all." The Fifth Hokage shook her head. "The village giving you an identity is one thing, whether you can obtain an identity recognized by others is another."
The girl was slightly stunned.
"Just like that guy in Akatsuki who keeps calling himself Madara Uchiha. Until now, no one recognizes him as Madara Uchiha, right? Because whether it's his strength, style of doing things, or temperament, that guy is far from the death-god-like man from back then." Tsunade leaned against the back of her chair and said slowly. "By the same logic, if I say you are another survivor of the Uchiha clan, will others accept it?"
"You've oversimplified the problem." The woman's sharp gaze pierced straight into the girl's face, ruthlessly pointing out the fact she had overlooked. "You speak with Haruno Sakura's voice, wear her face, use her ninjutsu, and even your personality has a few points that are exactly the same as hers. Do you think others will consider you the 'Uchiha survivor' the village claims you are, or 'Haruno Sakura'?"
"Uh—!"
Sakura Uchiha opened her mouth to retort, but found herself speechless.
She bit her lip and said: "In the long run, these are not unsolvable problems. After spending a long time together, everyone will eventually realize that the original and I are two different people."
Tsunade sat quietly, looking back at her with a half-smile.
She didn't speak, but the power of that gaze was comparable to the most forceful questioning.
Under Tsunade's intense stare, Sakura Uchiha quickly realized how unrealistic her words were.
She thought for a moment.
"Um, I can wear a mask to hide my identity—then what's the point of me going through all this trouble?!" The girl frantically scratched her hair.
"Or I could get plastic surgery—no, wait, the original finally gave me such a beautiful appearance, who would want to get plastic surgery?!"
After a few wails, other than almost scratching her hair into a bird's nest, Sakura Uchiha gained nothing else. She put on a wronged expression, her watery eyes looking at Tsunade: "Alright, then tell me what I should do, Lord Hokage?"
She now understood too; in real life, how could one reap all the benefits without paying any price? She had already inherited the original's powerful strength, inherited her superior appearance, and even inherited part of her interpersonal relationships and status. Then, of course, she had to pay a price. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world!