Last Time .....
Tobirama activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and left, and without Sakura, the Divine Tree's attacks gradually slowed down and finally ceased completely.
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Minato then went to look for the others.
Sakura, in a daze, found herself transferred from the arms of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, to the arms of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Unlike the warm and gentle Fourth Hokage, the Second Hokage, looked cold and serious, expressionless, which made her feel incredibly pressured. Facing his long, narrow red eyes, Sakura Haruno unconsciously swallowed hard and said softly,
"Lord Second, I'm fine now, you can put me down."
Tobirama promptly put her down. Sakura looked around and realized they were in the underground room containing the Uchiha monument. She had been here before—no, that wasn't right, it wasn't *she* who had been here, but the version of her from the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Thinking about the events in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Sakura was momentarily lost in thought. She still couldn't distinguish which world was real. The world of the Infinite Tsukuyomi had caused her immense pain. She had thought countless times about what would happen if she had another chance to choose. But now, facing this real world, she still found it hard to believe that the sixteen years she experienced in the Infinite Tsukuyomi were all just a dream.
Like Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly, and the butterfly dreaming of Zhuang Zhou, the lines between reality and illusion were blurred, leaving her disoriented and unsure which was her true self.
Tobirama silently observed Sakura. He didn't have a very strong impression of her; he had only glanced at her occasionally when his older brother praised her incredible strength. Besides her eye-catching pink hair, which seemed completely unsuitable for a ninja, he remembered her as a lively and spirited young girl. But now, she looked quite haggard, perhaps due to physical weakness caused by the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Tobirama frowned slightly. He cleared his throat to get Sakura's attention, then asked directly,
"Haruno, how did you end up in the Infinite Tsukuyomi? Kakashi Hatake said you were taken away by Kaguya. Do you know where Naruto and Sasuke are? Did they also fall into the Infinite Tsukuyomi like you? And how did you escape the Infinite Tsukuyomi?"
Sakura suddenly looked up, clenching her hands tightly, seemingly trying to recall something, before finally speaking. "After Kaguya brought me back to the real world, she cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi on me. Naruto and Sasuke were both captured by Kaguya, and even the Sage of Six Paths was controlled by her. The last thing I remember is Kaguya saying she was going to leave this world, and then she, Naruto, Sasuke, and the Sage of Six Paths all disappeared together."
Tobirama nodded. "It's just as we suspected, they was indeed taken away from this world by Kaguya. But I didn't expect that even the Sage of Six Paths was taken with them? Why would she take all three of them with her? Was it to prevent anyone from dispelling the Infinite Tsukuyomi? To completely destroy this world?"
Tobirama's later words were mostly to himself, just to clarify his thoughts; he didn't expect Sakura Haruno to answer.
But Sakura, still somewhat dazed, answered absentmindedly.
"Kaguya probably wanted to return to the Otsutsuki clan's home planet. The God Tree has successfully grown, so there's no need to guard it anymore. After it absorbs all the chakra and life force from everyone in this world, it will bear fruit, and then they can send someone to collect it."
"What did you say? What does that mean? Haruno, explain yourself clearly." Tobirama was startled, then his expression turned serious, and he pressed for an answer in a low voice.
Sakura jumped, immediately snapping back to reality. Her face turned pale, and she quickly bowed in apology, stammering,
"I'm sorry, Second Hokage, what I said might not be correct. This is what I understood in the Infinite Tsukuyomi. My mind is still a little confused, so I mixed up reality and what happened in the Infinite Tsukuyomi. I'm so sorry for causing this misunderstanding."
When Minato and his group teleported in, they saw Sakura bowing in apology, Tobirama's expression was stern, and the atmosphere seemed very tense.
"Uh, what's going on?" Hashirama was a little confused. He walked over to Tobirama, both curious and trying to smooth things over, and asked with a chuckle,
"Tobirama, what are you doing? You're making such a stern face, you've scared the little girl."
Kakashi immediately stepped in front of Sakura, turning his head to ask, "Sakura, are you alright? What happened between you and The Second?"
Tobirama then realized that his attitude had probably been a bit cold and harsh in his haste, scaring the little girl. He first retorted somewhat angrily to Hashirama,
"I didn't do anything! Big Brother, do you think I would bully a little girl? It's just that what she said was very important, and I was anxious, which led to a misunderstanding."
"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura called out to Kakashi, just about to explain, when she heard an unfamiliar voice mocking the Second Hokage.
"Heh, Tobirama, you always have that sour face, talking to everyone like they owe you money. Who wouldn't misunderstand?"
Sakura looked over, and it was as if she had been struck by lightning, "Sasuke-kun!"
Was she still in the Infinite Tsukuyomi? Otherwise, why would she see an adult Sasuke?
Kakashi quickly reminded her, "Uh, Sakura, that's not Sasuke, that's Uchiha Izuna, Uchiha Madara's younger brother."
After reminding her, Kakashi found it strange. No matter how similar Izuna and Sasuke looked, Izuna was older than Sasuke, so how could she mistake him?
Kakashi turned back to look at Sakura, only to find her expression extremely complex, seemingly filled with pain and resentment, yet also with a sense of melancholy and relief.
Kakashi was instantly startled and asked cautiously, "Sakura, what's wrong?"
Sakura then realized that her emotions had been exposed on her face. She immediately composed herself and covered it up, saying, "Nothing, I just misidentified him for a moment."
Remembering Kakashi's words, Sakura realized that this was Uchiha Izuna, not Uchiha Sasuke, and secretly glanced at Uchiha Izuna again.
He looked almost exactly like Sasuke in his twenties, but Sasuke had short hair, while Izuna wore a long, thin braid, a section of which was loosely resting on his shoulder. He was wearing the same dark blue, round-necked Uchiha traditional clan robe as Obito, while Sasuke hadn't worn traditional Uchiha clothing since leaving Konoha at the age of 13. Most importantly, their expressions were completely different. Sasuke was usually silent and reserved, showing no emotions, always seeming somewhat troubled, while Izuna wore a relaxed, even slightly mocking smile, standing comfortably beside Uchiha Madara.
Izuna noticed Haruno Sakura staring at him intently and chuckled, finding it amusing.
"So you're Haruno Sakura? You're staring at me so intently, do I look like your teammate Uchiha Sasuke that much? Or are you captivated by me?"
Izuna was curious about this pink-haired, Green-eyed girl who, despite her bright colors, somehow gave off a somewhat gloomy feeling. Mainly, her gaze was too complex. Although she might have mistaken him for that Sasuke person, it made Izuna secretly wonder if there was something going on between this girl and Sasuke.
Sakura immediately averted her gaze. Sasuke was completely oblivious to romance; he would never say something so suggestive or flirtatious.
Tobirama, however, couldn't stand it and interrupted. "Izuna, stop talking nonsense, we have important questions to ask."
Izuna didn't intend to pay attention to Tobirama, but Uchiha Madara was already impatient. He stepped forward, crossed his arms, and asked in a deep voice,
"Little girl, how did you escape the Infinite Tsukuyomi?"
Seeing that it was Uchiha Madara asking the question, Sakura felt some resistance. She didn't understand why he was with Kakashi-sensei and the others. And, she hadn't noticed before, but now that she looked closely, Sakura realized that besides the previous Hokages, not only Uchiha Madara, but also Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Itachi, and Sasori of the Red Sand were present, albeit as Edo Tensei reanimations. Although she didn't understand how this situation had come about, it seemed they were more eager to get information from her. Sakura didn't look at Madara, but respectfully answered Tobirama:
"Second Hokage, I died in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and when I regained consciousness, I found myself still inside the cocoon."
This dismissive attitude made Madara snort. This little girl clearly still considered him an enemy, or perhaps she was holding a grudge because he had hit her with a Black Pole.
Sakura's gaze was unfocused; she simply continued, "I spent 16 years in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, starting from the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. In the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Kaguya was easily sealed away by Naruto and Sasuke, and the Fourth Shinobi World War ended. The Kaguya story I told you about was discovered later during my investigation of the Otsutsuki clan. In that memory, Kaguya wasn't the only Otsutsuki; she was an alien from another world. The Divine Tree was their means of plundering resources and energy from other planets. Planets they visited eventually became death stars, where all life was utterly wiped out. During those 16 years, other Otsutsuki attacked, attempting to completely exterminate our world. I died in the war against the Otsutsuki clan. But these are all things within the Infinite Tsukuyomi; they don't represent reality. I hope you can discern the truth."
Sakura's words contained a tremendous amount of information, and the details about the Otsutsuki clan sounded like something out of a fantasy novel to everyone. However, considering that these events occurred in an illusion, although shocking, no one took them seriously.
Tobirama nodded at Sakura. "No wonder you had that misunderstanding. Don't dwell on the Otsutsuki matter; everything in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, no matter how real it seems, is false."
"No matter how real, it's all false?" Sakura murmured Tobirama's words, as if still trying to shake off a nightmare, and nodded forcefully, as if reaffirming her belief. "That's right, it's all fake!"
Kakashi noticed that Sakura's state seemed a little off. Did something happen in the Infinite Tsukuyomi? He frowned.
"16 years? Is the time in the Infinite Tsukuyomi out of sync with the outside world?"
He hadn't expected Sakura to have spent so long in the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Now Sakura's mental age was probably similar to his own. No wonder she seemed to have suddenly matured so much.
Hashirama's eyes lit up.
"You said you escaped the Infinite Tsukuyomi by dying in it? Does that mean others can do the same?"
If it's impossible to release everyone from the Infinite Tsukuyomi at once, could they awaken by giving each person in the Infinite Tsukuyomi a death stimulus?
Itachi Uchiha pondered. "I could try using Tsukuyomi, but I don't know if it's possible to invade the minds of those already trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi and overlay another layer of death-inducing genjutsu on them?"
Minato stroked his chin, feeling that while this condition for breaking the genjutsu seemed logical, it also felt a bit too simple.
"Could it really be that easy? Escaping the Infinite Tsukuyomi through death sounds reasonable, but why is Sakura the only one who has escaped it after all this time? Have none of the people trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi experienced life-or-death situations, aging, or death?"
Tobirama nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, statistically speaking, it's completely impossible. Speaking of which, what kind of illusion do people in the Infinite Tsukuyomi enter? Is it a reality fabricated by each person's own mind, or is it given to them by the Divine Tree? Madara, where did your foolish belief that everyone in the Infinite Tsukuyomi can achieve peace and happiness come from? If everyone believes that the illusion they live in is the real world, how can they possibly live a life without hardship or disaster? They can't all think they're the chosen ones, destined for a smooth life, turning misfortune into good fortune, can they? Even so, there will always be a day of aging and death. It's impossible for all dreams to be so uniform, with no one nearing old age or death."
"How could Madara have known that he would have been so blinded by greed, so convinced that the Infinite Tsukuyomi would be free of conflict and filled with perpetual peace?" he said, his face tense. He said with a strained face:
"The God Tree can't create illusions for everyone individually; it only provides an opportunity. The rest is up to each person's own thoughts and desires. The illusion given by the Infinite Tsukuyomi is always what that person desires most deeply in their heart, the outcome they most hope for."
Sakura suddenly clenched her fists tightly, as if suppressing something, but Madara didn't notice and continued:
"As for your question about everyone avoiding the possibility of death in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, who knows? Perhaps if given the chance, no one would want to die."
Tobirama frowned at this irresponsible speculation, but having no evidence to prove Madara wrong, he could only ignore him. Obito Uchiha, that simpleton, understood the principles even less. He always thought that the Infinite Tsukuyomi was a wish-fulfillment machine where anything you desired would come true, naturally without death, disappointment, or pain, and everyone would be eternally happy.
Sasori was a little bored. Each person has their own area of expertise, and this wasn't his. Therefore, he had no intention of joining their discussion. He glanced around, and his gaze finally settled on Sakura Haruno.
She felt a little different from how he remembered her. The Sakura of his memories was confident and bright, full of youthful enthusiasm. Now, however, she had a withered, exhausted look, as if all her energy had been completely drained. Her eyes were weary; she didn't even look like a teenage girl anymore. Of course, considering she had been in the Infinite Tsukuyomi for 16 years, this change was possible, but Sasori didn't like this change much. He felt that this young girl shouldn't be defeated by time and age.
Kakashi then spoke up, showing concern. "By the way, Sakura, are you really alright? You seem very tired."
"Huh? I'm fine, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura snapped out of her daze, quickly smiling and raising her arm to strike a pose of 'I'm very strong'.
However, Hashirama was very enthusiastic and eagerly said,
"Hmm? Yes, Sakura-chan, you look very pale. Let me check your physical condition."
Thinking that Sakura was his granddaughter's student, which made her practically like his own granddaughter, Hashirama's tolerance and affection for the younger generation led him to immediately use a nickname for Sakura.
Sakura was instantly overwhelmed and repeatedly waved her hands in embarrassment, refusing.
"First Hokage-sama, there's no need, I'm fine. I can check my own physical condition; I'm a medical ninja."
"Oh, don't be so polite. A doctor can't treat themselves, and besides, if you're not feeling well, you wouldn't have enough chakra to examine yourself, would you?"
Hashirama enthusiastically pulled Sakura closer, and while channeling chakra into her body, he didn't forget to laugh and say,
"By the way, calling me First Hokage-sama sounds so distant. Just call me by my name, Hashirama. My name is Hashirama!"
Afraid that Sakura didn't know his name, Hashirama repeated it twice.
"First Hokage-sama..." Seeing Hashirama's pouting and dejected expression, Haruno Sakura awkwardly changed her address and thanked him. "Uh, Hashirama-sama, thank you, thank you for checking my body."
"It's nothing, it's nothing. Let me see, your physical condition, hmm?" Hashirama smiled, but then his expression suddenly became serious.
"What's wrong? First Hokage-sama?" Kakashi, who had been standing by Sakura's side, immediately asked.
Tobirama also turned his gaze towards them. "Brother, did you find anything?"
"
Hashirama scratched the back of his head, somewhat surprised and confused.
"Ah, it's nothing, I just noticed that Sakura-chan's chakra isn't depleted at all, but rather unusually abundant. Her total chakra seems to be more than mine."
"Huh?" Sakura was also surprised and looked up. "Are you talking about the Hundred Healings Technique? But I don't have that much reserve, do I? I almost used it all up during the Fourth Great Ninja War." First, she saved herself after being attacked by Madara Uchiha, then she saved Naruto, and then she powered up Obito. After all that, Sakura felt it was a miracle that the Hundred Healings Mark was still barely functioning. To think she could catch up to the First Hokage, who was said to have chakra reserves comparable to the Nine-Tails, was simply dreaming.
"No, it's not on your forehead, it's in your lower abdomen. Can't you feel it?"
Hashirama glanced at the Hundred Healings Mark. Mito also had this mark, so he was naturally familiar with it. How could he mistake the location? Didn't the young girl herself feel the enormous chakra in her lower abdomen?
Sakura was startled, and tried to sense and circulate her chakra. Upon doing so, the chakra, which had been in a completely dormant state, suddenly surged out like a flood after finally being discovered. Sakura had never felt such a massive amount of chakra before; she couldn't control it at all. She felt like she was about to explode, immediately spitting out a mouthful of blood and fainting.
"Sakura!" Kakashi was shocked, and before he could catch the collapsing Sakura, Hashirama intercepted her.
He sat down cross-legged, letting Sakura's back rest against his chest, placing his hands on her shoulders. While infusing her with chakra, he also explained to the others. Although his expression was serious, he wasn't worried.
"Don't panic, I'll help her regulate her chakra. There's too much; I might need to draw some out, otherwise I'm afraid she won't be able to handle it." Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Minato, Obito, and Itachi all looked at Sakura with concern. Sasori frowned, watching Hashirama's actions. Although Uchiha Izuna wasn't familiar with Haruno Sakura, he hoped she would pull through. Madara also didn't want to see this pink-haired girl die so soon after emerging from the Infinite Tsukuyomi, so he could only hope Hashirama would be effective.
Hashirama infused his chakra into Haruno Sakura's body, and was immediately shocked by the chaotic situation inside. Unlike Haruno Sakura's own chakra, which was like a gentle stream, this chakra, whose origin was unknown, was like a vast, unfathomable ocean.
Hashirama quickly tried to regulate her chakra, guiding it to all the chakra points throughout her body until they were completely full. He then guided it to the Byakugou seal on her forehead, but even the Byakugou was overflowing. The chakra continued to surge out endlessly. Hashirama tried to draw it into his own body, but his Edo Tensei body didn't have the meridians to contain it; it flowed in and then flowed out again, continuing to wreak havoc in Sakura's body.
Hashirama quickly shouted, "Kakashi, come here!"
Kakashi didn't know what the First Hokage wanted, but he quickly stood beside Hashirama and Sakura. Hashirama grabbed his hand and said quickly,
"Sakura-chan has too much chakra in her body. My Edo Tensei body can't absorb and share the chakra for her; only you can help." Without waiting for Kakashi's reply, he began transferring Sakura's chakra into Kakashi's body.
Kakashi was indeed low on chakra. Ever since Obito's eyes inexplicably returned to him, and both eyes at that, and he couldn't turn them off, Kakashi was constantly draining his chakra. However, these two eyes didn't consume as much chakra as the single eye he had before, allowing Kakashi to barely manage.
At this moment, as the chakra surged in, Kakashi instantly felt his energy levels rise. But Sakura's chakra seemed inexhaustible. Even with Kakashi receiving it at full capacity, his chakra levels increased several times over, completely filling his reserves, yet Sakura's chakra continued to pour out uncontrollably.
Hashirama became anxious. If there was nowhere else to channel the chakra, Sakura would truly explode. He quickly shouted,
"Tobirama! Come help!"
Tobirama had been keeping a close eye on his older brother and Sakura Haruno. He knew something was wrong the moment he saw his brother's expression worsen after letting go of Kakashi's hand. Before Hashirama could even speak, Tobirama was already standing beside Sakura and Hashirama.
With their unspoken understanding, Tobirama didn't wait for Hashirama to explain further, but spoke up himself.
"I can seal away the excess chakra."
Minato was familiar with this technique; it was how he had sealed the Nine-Tails into Naruto. He had the necessary tools readily available. He took out a storage scroll, unsealed the special sealing ink and brush, dipped the brush in the ink, and handed it to Tobirama.
"Second Hokage-sama, here's the brush."
Tobirama didn't hesitate. He lifted the hem of Sakura Haruno's clothes, revealing her flat, firm, snow-white abdomen. He took the brush from Minato and quickly drew a sealing array on Sakura's abdomen. Finally, he patted Sakura's stomach, completing the sealing technique.
"Four Symbols Seal!"
Four lines plus a twisted vortex in the center formed a complete sealing chain that penetrated Sakura's body, heavily locking down the massive amount of excess chakra. But after only a moment, the chain broke, and the chakra surged again.
Tobirama immediately looked surprised. "The Four Symbols Seal isn't enough."
Minato was also surprised. "Then the only option is the Eight Trigrams Seal. This is the same as when we sealed the Nine-Tails. How can Sakura-chan's chakra level be comparable to the Nine-Tails'? Where did it come from? The Divine Tree?"
These questions could only be answered later. Tobirama simply drew the Eight Trigrams Seal again. Fortunately, this time it finally worked. The chakra was finally locked tightly and sank back into his dantian.
Sakura's rapid, painful breathing finally stabilized, but she still hadn't woken up.
"Finally done." Hashirama let out a sigh of relief. Although he was still holding Sakura, his posture relaxed. He was about to pull Sakura's clothes back down, but suddenly stopped, frowning. "Uh, after all, she's a girl. Having such a large seal on her stomach would be too unsightly, wouldn't it? She wouldn't be able to wear pretty clothes anymore, and what if others see it and develop a negative impression?"
Tobirama couldn't understand this delicate way of thinking. The old-fashioned man from the Warring States period didn't understand fashion or bikinis, and immediately dismissed the idea.
"You're making too much of a fuss, Big Brother. What kind of frivolous clothes require showing your stomach? And why would you need to show it to others? Just don't let others see it."
Kakashi wanted to explain, but he was afraid that saying so might seem like he was provoking the Second Hokage.
To Be Continued ...