"Shintenshin!"
The most powerful illusion jutsu, said to require over a decade to recharge after each use, was unleashed!
But as Danzo Shimura looked smugly at the genius before him, a flicker of shock crossed his eyes.
Whoosh!
A flash of pink light streaked by, and the one meeting Danzo's Shintenshin gaze wasn't Sakura—it was a Root ninja standing behind her.
"No—!"
A piercing wail echoed through the frost-covered forest, tugging at the hearts of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the group of ninjas behind him.
The kaleidoscope of pupil power pierced into the Root ninja's mind, twisting their will and turning them into Danzo's puppet.
The shuriken pattern in his eye faded, reverting to a standard three-tomoe Sharingan.
As the saying goes: life is full of surprises.
And look at that—Danzo Shimura, who just gained an absolutely loyal subordinate, was grinning ear to ear.
The cold wind outside the village stirred up frosty snow. Sakura Haruno pushed aside an ice statue and strolled forward.
Looking at the "overjoyed" Danzo, the girl put her hands behind her back and kicked at the ice crystals on the ground.
A knowing smile spread across her pretty face.
"Congratulations, Lord Fire Shadow Advisor!"
At that moment, Danzo couldn't even hear Sakura's heartfelt congratulations.
Since the Uchiha clan hadn't been wiped out, he only had two Sharingan in his possession.
One of them, Shisui's kaleidoscope Sharingan with Shintenshin, was Danzo's ultimate trump card.
Only a rare talent like Sakura could push him to unseal and use it.
But now… it was gone. Everything was gone!
Shintenshin was wasted, Sakura had escaped, and that jerk Hiruzen Sarutobi brought a whole crowd to witness his Sharingan.
—Oh, life!
While Danzo's heart felt like it was being sliced apart, the others present had a very different experience.
After eight long years, rising from the ashes of silence was the legendary space-time ninjutsu that once shook the ninja world!
Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned. Inoichi Yamanaka, Shikaku Nara, and Choza Akimichi froze. And it wasn't just them.
At that moment, countless ANBU ninjas gasped in unison:
"—Flying Thunder God?!"
Faster than Hiruzen could react was the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
Inoichi Yamanaka flickered forward with a Body Flicker, appearing instantly in front of Sakura, shielding her from Danzo.
Shikaku Nara and Choza Akimichi stood like gatekeepers, blocking the burning gazes of other ninjas from different angles.
"Sakura, are you okay?"
With his teammates watching his back, Inoichi crouched down to check on Sakura.
"I'm fine…"
Sakura started to reassure Inoichi, but when she caught his rapidly blinking eyes, she understood and froze. Her Devil Fruit powers crept up her cheeks, her face turning deathly pale.
"It hurts so bad, Uncle Inoichi, everything hurts…"
The teary-eyed girl collapsed weakly. Inoichi caught her, letting out a pained cry.
"Lord Hokage, we need an explanation for this!"
Shikaku stepped forward at the perfect moment, questioning Hiruzen with a respectful tone.
Don't let their usual loyalty to the Hokage fool you—right now, they couldn't stand by Hiruzen.
Danzo had done something the ninja clans could never forgive: meddling with someone else's bloodline.
As the leader of the jounin squad and a clan head of a secret technique family, Shikaku could speak for the clan-born ANBU behind Hiruzen.
Their clans fought and bled for Konoha on the front lines, while Danzo preyed on their people from the shadows. Even using the Uchiha as a pretext, the clans would never accept this.
If Hiruzen tried to silence them, it would only deepen the rift between the village and the clans.
Better to let Shikaku call it out now and keep things from spiraling worse.
Plus, it'd help Sakura vent some of her anger.
"Hm, well…"
Hiruzen hesitated. He absolutely couldn't admit to this.
Otherwise, not only would his time as Hokage be over, but he'd be nailed to the pillar of shame for decades.
—So, Danzo Shimura, take the fall!
"Danzo, you've gone too far this time!"
Hiruzen's voice boomed, his expression radiating anger as he glared at Danzo.
"Hiruzen, you know I did this for Konoha!"
Danzo caught the hint from his old friend—he was being thrown under the bus.
He knew if this blew back on Hiruzen, they'd both be done for.
So, he took the blame and shot Hiruzen a pleading look.
—Monkey, save me!
But Danzo's hopes were doomed to go unanswered.
"This incident has caused serious harm. You are hereby relieved of your duties as Fire Shadow Advisor and Root leader, and you will be detained in the ANBU prison pending investigation by the other advisors for a final judgment!"
Hiruzen's tone was sharp, his demeanor seemingly righteous, but not a single punishment was concrete.
"Rest assured, everyone, the village will thoroughly investigate this matter and show no leniency!"
The clan ninjas, hearing him say this, had little room to object. What, were they supposed to confront the Third Hokage in public? Or did they actually believe the village's suggestion box worked?
So, many clan-born ANBU lowered their heads, expressing their dissatisfaction with Hiruzen's handling through silence.
Seeing this, Hiruzen wanted nothing more than to drag Danzo back and chew him out.
But right now, the question was how to handle these ninjas and cover this up before public opinion exploded…
His mind racing, Hiruzen's gaze shifted and landed on Sakura, "wailing" nearby.
Look at that—a wild Flying Thunder God user, and she seemed eager to help divert everyone's attention!
"Ahem, Inoichi, I think the priority is getting Sakura to the hospital. She's a rare talent for our village."
His seemingly casual concern made many ninjas temporarily set aside the earlier issue.
Flying Thunder God! A user of Flying Thunder God.
Konoha had a new space-time ninjutsu user. Even if these ninjas lacked the talent to master it fully, they could at least learn a teamwork version like the Fourth Hokage's guard team, right?
For a moment, many ninjas felt their throats go dry, swallowing hard in unison.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Inoichi nodded, scooped up Sakura, and dashed toward the village hospital.
The ANBU ninjas' gazes flickered, following Inoichi's leaping figure through the trees.
Seeing this, Hiruzen lit his pipe, the smoke obscuring his face.
"Go if you want. You're dismissed!"
At his words, the ANBU ninjas vanished instantly.
Hiruzen's gaze turned toward Root, and he let out a sigh.
The real work he had to deal with was just beginning.
---
Meanwhile, at Konoha Hospital.
Sakura was being bandaged by a medical ninja.
"Honestly, I've never seen a patient like her. Good thing you got her here early."
The female medical ninja finished writing the report and looked up at the adult accompanying Sakura.
"Is it serious?!"
Inoichi's heart sank.
The doctor finished bandaging Sakura and shook her head.
"No, I mean, if you'd come any later, her injuries might've healed on their own."
Inoichi: "…"
The medical ninja scribbled her signature on the chart and urged them to leave.
"Anyway, Uncle Inoichi, thanks for today!"
As they left the hospital, Sakura "heard" Inoichi's guilty thoughts and clapped her hands in thanks.
"Sakura, I…"
Before Inoichi could finish, Sakura cut him off.
"If you feel bad, Uncle Inoichi, do me a favor—keep this whole thing a secret from my parents!"
Sakura pressed her hands together in a pleading gesture, her soft, coaxing tone making it impossible for Inoichi to refuse.
Then she waved at him.
"It's getting late, so I'm heading home. See you, Uncle Inoichi!"
With a whoosh, Sakura vanished down the street. Only then did Inoichi realize—how could a Flying Thunder God user like her be so easily caught by Root?
So, the entire night was…
His thoughts stopped there. Inoichi lit a cigarette with a sigh.
"What an… unbelievable kid!"
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