Year 68 of Konoha.
The sound of children's clamor came from the streets outside. Gaudy, flowing lights stretched outside the flashy shops. Workers with loosened ties were just getting off work. And, of course, there was the wind chime of the Haruno residence, stirred by the afternoon breeze.
An intense light flashed past. The girl, having returned to normal size using Life Return, fell onto her own bed. Along with her, tumbling from the light, was a night raven that had been sleeping soundly.
"Ugh... so noisy... Sato Sakura." Rolling a few times and hitting the ground, Leviathan used her wing to scratch her belly, then turned over and continued sleeping.
Just as Sakura was using Chakra to transform her ill-fitting feather robe into pajamas, her Observation Haki suddenly detected the tiny life in Leviathan's belly.
Her eyes and mouth turned into dark, hollow voids. The outlines of her whole body began to tremble, becoming abstract.
Heavens above, in her thirty years of life, she had never felt as helpless as she did now.
'How could this damn system be so malicious? Bullying me, an underaged thirty-something, wouldn't its conscience hurt?'
'No, the top priority now was to send Sato Sakura back, before someone discovered her!!!'
[Notification: The special individual does not carry the space-time aura of the two worlds. Therefore, performing space-time teleportation requires an interval to stabilize the individual's time and avoid space-time disorder.]
'Bastard, crook, capitalist, you... cough cough, black-hearted worm!'
The pink-haired girl sat like a duck on her bed, shaking her fist at the system before her. But she had no place to use her strength.
[Hehe~]
'Damn!'
[Notification: This unit can use similar genes to implant the data of Life Return - Kama into the special individual Sato Sakura, granting her the ability to freely control her size.]
'Don't change the subject. This whole mess was caused by you, that crook, trying to scam achievement points out of me!'
If her reputation was completely ruined today, then before her social death, she would use her decayed voice to denounce this heartless being!
'—System, you damn...'
[Free.]
'—System, you're damn good.'
'You agreed to this yourself, remember? I didn't force you!'
[Hmph~]
Just as Sakura was completing her daily task of teasing the system, Leviathan, lying on the room's carpet, turned over again.
The tiny life in her belly, disturbed by two consecutive rolls, stretched its nearly ten-meter arm span out of the cabin.
And then...
Boom!
The tangible large hand smashed through the wall of Sakura's room and extended directly into the street below.
Passersby looked at the flying debris of the house and the giant hand, several times larger than their own bodies, and let out sharp shrieks!
"Ah!!!"
"Another Ninja attack!"
"Guard Squad! Go notify the Guard Squad!"....
The originally bustling street immediately descended into chaos. The crowd jostled as they fled outward. Some even accidentally set their own shops on fire.
—It was as if Pain had descended upon Konoha again!
"Not good, Sato Sakura is already awake. System, how do I implant the data for her!"
Sakura watched the smoke-filled street. Her Observation Haki detected dozens of Ninja presences rushing toward her. She asked anxiously.
[Please maintain direct skin contact with her for ten seconds!]
"Tch!"
Clicking her tongue, Sakura stepped on the air with Geppo, rushed out of the broken room, and spread her arms to hug Sato Sakura's arm.
A golden ball in the depths of her soul extended several data pipes, piercing through her body into Sato Sakura's.
More and more Ninja were gathering toward the Haruno Residence. Fortunately, thanks to the surrounding smoke, they couldn't see the giant arm extending from the Haruno House.
But their approach also made Sakura's heart tighten. She urged, "System, hurry up!"
[Four, three, two...]
The fluctuations of Chakra were now visible to the naked eye. Some Ninja were using the Body Flicker Technique. A pale white color appeared before Sakura's eyes. It seemed the person coming was even an acquaintance.
[Zero! Life Return - Kama implantation complete]
Whoosh!
Kakashi, on duty with the Guard Squad, tore through the smoke and arrived at the central area where the commotion had first started. A giant palm seemed to glimmer for an instant, and then he saw his student, wearing pajamas, fall to the ground.
"Sakura?"
Kakashi's sharp eyes, full of vigilance and hostility, instantly became languid.
"Yo, long time no see, Kakashi-sensei!"
Looking around, Sakura scratched her head and raised her hand somewhat dejectedly to wave at him.
Putting his kunai and wire strings back into his ninja tool pouch, Kakashi stood up straight and walked toward his student.
But years of experience as a Ninja still made him subconsciously analyze the surrounding situation.
Ruins, debris, the open, damaged Haruno Residence... all the clues converged, leading him to reluctantly reach an answer.
—The commotion before him was caused by his talented student.
"Do you have any idea about the damage to this street, Sakura!"
Kakashi walked up to Sakura, lowered his head, and asked gently. But his tone seemed to shroud a black mist.
The other Guard Squad Ninja following behind him also arrived. Byakugan, Sharingan, Ninken, insects... Ninjas with various clan-specific techniques looked at the pink-haired girl and collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hahaha, well..."
Sakura's gaze drifted. Her eyes swayed left and right.
"In short, using a C-rank or above Ninjutsu within the village to cause damage to an entire street violates Article 10 of the [Konoha Public Security Prevention Law]. You are hereby arrested." Kakashi's gesture was gentle, making a 'please' motion toward Sakura.
An honest Guard Squad's Ninja cooperated with Kakashi's words by pulling out handcuffs, but the Ninja behind him hit him on the head.
"Fine, fine!"
Sakura waved her hand, surrendered, and walked onto the path they cleared.
…
Elsewhere, in the Hokage's office.
Just after putting down the documents in her hand, preparing for a wonderful afternoon nap, Tsunade ordered Shizune to leave her office.
Just as she put on a suitable record, wrapped herself in her beloved blanket, and lay down on the office sofa...
The Chakra Fluctuation of the Body Flicker Technique came. A Guard Squad's Ninja carrying an urgent document burst in. He handed over the document, and then met Tsunade's eyes, which were blazing with anger.
"Re... report."
Wiping away his cold sweat, the Guard Squad's Ninja swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his voice trembling.
"Speak!"
Supporting her chin with both hands, Tsunade's low pressure turned into dark clouds that shaded her eyes.
"The Guard Squad's news. Ten minutes ago, an incident of illegal technique use occurred on South Street, causing considerable financial loss. The number of affected individuals is numerous..."
The Guard Squad's Ninja lowered his head and placed the document on Tsunade's desk.
"What is that brat Sasuke doing? Does this kind of trivial matter need to be reported to the Hokage's office?"
Casually grabbing the document pouch and untying the fastenings, Tsunade's brown eyes swept over the Ninja before her.
"No... that's not it. According to the new Guard Squad's regulations, Department Head Sasuke is a person who needs to recuse himself." The Guard Squad's Ninja paused. "But aside from him, the department can't find suitable personnel to handle the case..."
Hearing this explanation, Tsunade immediately understood that the identity of the criminal was not ordinary. Otherwise, the Guard Squad wouldn't be unable to handle it.
So she casually asked, "So, whose divine beast has caused trouble again?"
"It is... Haruno Sakura-sama."
The Guard Squad's Ninja looked up with difficulty, showing a smile uglier than crying.
And this familiar name also made Tsunade, who had just propped her legs up on her desk, her face darken.
'Damn, mine?'