A chill surged from Sakura's heels to the top of her skull.
She dropped the explosive tags on instinct and formed seals at lightning speed. "Hidden Mist Technique!"
Dawn was near. Her mist combined with the forest dew, thickening into a heavy fog that crushed visibility to almost nothing.
She bit her lip hard until blood seeped at the corner. The pain yanked her mind back into focus: fear dulled, movement returned.
Run now? The thought came automatically.
No—wait.
A normal enemy wouldn't kindly warn their prey first. They'd wait for an opening and kill cleanly.
So why the warning?
Maybe acting directly would make them hesitate, while forcing her to run would make it easier to strike?
Sakura immediately thought of her traps.
Compared to canon, her trap web was deadlier and more thorough—better hidden, harder to spot, using higher-lethality tools.
But… that still didn't quite answer it.
Traps were only support. They weren't a real threat to someone strong.
Then her eyes widened in sudden understanding.
Naruto.
If she ran, Naruto would need time to find them again. And the enemy had already passed Naruto notes, implying they'd discovered his "secret."
As a jinchūriki, Naruto was a much bigger threat than any trap. So the enemy's real concern wasn't her—it was Naruto.
With that in mind, Sakura backed up to Sasuke's side. She'd hold the fort until Naruto returned. It wouldn't be long.
She stared at Sasuke. A faint black smoke was already beginning to seep off him.
"He'll wake soon," she murmured, eyes scanning the fog.
Inside a concealed brush patch near the hollow.
"We found them… Per Orochimaru-sama's instructions, we move at daybreak. Target: Uchiha Sasuke."
Dosu stood between the other two. Kin and Zaku wore amused, predatory smiles as they watched Sakura's position.
"Can we kill the other one too?" Zaku licked his lips. "Her Mist technique is annoying."
Dosu snorted. "Do you even need to ask?"
Morning came fast.
To conserve chakra, Sakura let the mist thin out. Fatigue showed in her eyes.
"He still isn't back… Did he really find Orochimaru?" she fretted while organizing her tools. Her gaze stayed locked forward. "If nothing changes, the siege on Sasuke should start any moment."
A small, furry blur darted by. Sakura calmly flicked a kunai, cutting off its path. It was a squirrel. It squeaked and bolted the other way.
She stepped forward two paces and said coldly, "That's enough probing."
The Sound trio's eyes jumped.
"Did she notice us?" Zaku whispered, shocked.
But then Sakura pulled a cord hard.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Explosive-tag kunai shot forward like a volley of arrows. The three scattered instantly. The kunai hit the brush and detonated.
BOOM!
Smoke billowed. Amid a screeching sonic blast, a clearing was blown open. The trio stood there. Dosu slid his hand back into his sleeve, wearing a crooked grin as he stared at the pink-haired girl.
"Wake Uchiha Sasuke. We want to fight him."
"Sasuke?" Sakura showed no fear—only a mocking smile, like she was the one doing the encircling.
Then her voice snapped like steel:
"Why don't you worry about beating me first? Three dogs at Orochimaru's heel, daring to bark in my face!"
A savage aura erupted around her. With her hair whipping in the wind, she looked like a victorious general returning from war.
Dosu realized her earlier "exhausted" guard-dog act had been a trap to lure them in. His expression hardened.
"Then let's do this—"
Dosu burst forward like a wild beast, right hand hidden behind his back, left hand rolling up his right sleeve.
Her "Orochimaru's dogs" line had struck a nerve.
Sakura's silhouette grew in his vision… but she didn't move. She only sneered.
Trap?
Dosu glanced aside for an instant—
A green blur flashed in at his flank.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
A fierce kick slammed Dosu sideways. His visible eye widened in disbelief as Rock Lee settled into a fighting stance.
"Y-you who—" Dosu growled.
"The beautiful blue beast of Konoha—Rock Lee." Lee bowed slightly, one hand behind his back, one forward, eyes shining. His bowl cut somehow made him look cleaner, sharper, more heroic.
"Thanks, Lee." Sakura stepped up and patted his shoulder. Lee flushed bright red.
"I-I should do this… I said I'd protect you…"
"Mm. Watch for sneak attacks."
Sakura hadn't forgotten the transmigrator was still out there. She'd been scanning the whole time, but nothing in the surroundings had changed. No sign.
She passed Dosu—whose eyes were now full of killing intent—and locked onto Zaku.
If I remember right, Lee's Front Lotus got sabotaged by Zaku in canon. So if I keep Zaku busy through that moment, Dosu goes down, and it becomes two-on-two.
She slid behind Lee and began forming seals.
At the same time, Dosu watched Lee unwrap the bandages from his hands, and a bad feeling crawled up his spine. He charged in.
Lee vanished with a blink and reappeared, low stance, then kicked Dosu skyward.
Sakura seized the opening. As Dosu flew up, she lunged, chakra-wrapped fist slamming toward the ground.
She was going to crack the earth and split the battlefield—
But a kunai with a white note suddenly flung in from an unknown direction. Sakura dodged. The kunai buried itself in the soil, the note fluttering into view.
Two words:
[Hee-hee.]
Sakura froze for half a beat. She whipped toward the thrower's direction—
No one.
Her heart dropped.
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