"Summon someone!"
"Call for Aburame Shibi and Aburame Shikuro!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately issued the order, commanding the former and current heads of the Aburame clan to come at once!
Soon, both clan leaders arrived at the Hokage's office simultaneously.
The two Aburame clan heads, dressed in similar attire, looked uneasily at Sarutobi Hiruzen, whose face was as dark as storm clouds.
"Take a look at this battle report."
Without wasting words, Sarutobi Hiruzen tossed the report in front of the two clan leaders.
After just a quick glance, even behind their sunglasses, the shock on the faces of the two Aburame leaders was unmistakable.
Aburame Torune had been sent by Shimura Danzo to assassinate the immortal ninja Kakuzu. The assassination failed, and Kakuzu seized Torune's heart. The nano-poison insects went out of control, rampaging and devouring countless Leaf and Sand shinobi!
Preliminary estimates put the death toll in the Land of Rivers at four thousand Leaf shinobi!
"How do we resolve this?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, seated in the main chair, spoke with a grim expression.
The top priority now was no longer the war but how to deal with this insect calamity!
"If Kakuzu had intended to control the poison insects, this situation would never have occurred."
After a long moment of contemplation, Aburame Shikuro cautiously spoke up.
However, his answer clearly didn't satisfy Sarutobi Hiruzen, who remained silent, his face still dark.
Intended to control?
Control them and then turn them against the Leaf?
What a joke!
"What I need is a solution to deal with Kakuzu."
Hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, Aburame Shibi tensed up and immediately spoke: "We will return and research how to counter the nano-poison insects, but we need samples of the insects."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression softened slightly, and he replied, "Very well. The insect samples will be delivered to the Aburame clan grounds within three days."
After the two clan leaders left, Sarutobi Hiruzen's low voice echoed in the office: "Issue the order: Shimura Danzo is stripped of his frontline command and is to return to the Leaf immediately. Mitokado Homura will take over the frontline operations in the Land of Rivers."
"If Shimura Danzo disobeys, use force to bring him back."
"No exceptions."
Rain Village, a mysterious location.
Under a sky of dark clouds and rain, a terrifying giant statue loomed. On its outstretched ten fingers, nine ethereal, colorful figures appeared.
"Nanato."
Pain, representing Zero, turned to Kakuzu, whose codename was Nanato.
"What happened on the battlefield in the Land of Rivers?"
Before Kakuzu could speak, Zetsu, codenamed Genbu, chimed in with a playful tone:
"Ara ara, I know this one!"
"Kakuzu stole a Leaf shinobi's heart and almost died!"
"Then, that Leaf shinobi's insects went berserk!"
"They devoured six or seven thousand Leaf and Sand shinobi in one go!"
"Even one of my clones got caught up in the mess~~~"
Kakuzu calmly looked at Zetsu and said:
"If you didn't speak, no one would mistake you for a mute."
"Wow! So many people died at once!"
"Lord Jashin would be thrilled!"
Hidan, codenamed Sanko, immediately cheered for his old buddy.
"Kakuzu, can you control those poison insects?"
Pain didn't bother asking about the Leaf or Sand shinobi. Instead, he focused on the poison insects.
In Pain's eyes, Kakuzu gaining a new ability and becoming stronger was far more important than the Leaf and Sand's situation.
As for whether his subordinates might rebel?
He was a god.
An invincible existence.
And this insect rampage, in Pain's view, was merely a way to make the Leaf and Sand feel a bit of pain.
"I can."
Kakuzu looked at Pain and responded.
Even with his new ability, he dared not directly oppose this leader.
"Heh, with Kakuzu causing such a mess over there."
"Can we still trust the Sand Village?"
Kisame, who had been helping the Sand Village fight against the Rock Village, spoke with a sinister tone.
Facing the Rock's, who was known for his combined ninjutsu, Kisame's water-based techniques had struggled to gain an advantage.
"They have no choice but to trust us."
"The Sand has no other options."
"Without us, the Sand would have already fallen."
Pain spoke coldly, laying out the Sand's current situation.
Even if two or three thousand shinobi were devoured by the insects, so what?
The Sand couldn't do without the Akatsuki.
They would simply blame the Leaf for this disaster, even though that was indeed the truth.
They would loudly proclaim that the Leaf shinobi, in their desperation to defeat them, used a forbidden technique that harmed both friend and foe. Fortunately, with the help of the Sand shinobi and the immortal ninja Kakuzu, the insect calamity was brought under control.
Kakuzu would become a hero of the Sand.
How ironic—a mercenary becoming a Sand hero.
But wasn't that the truth?
Itachi Uchiha silently observed everything, his Sharingan eyes unreadable.
He seemed like an outsider in this moment.
"Itachi, do you have any thoughts?"
Pain turned to the silent Itachi.
"......…No."
Itachi's response clearly displeased some.
"Hey hey, is our little Itachi upset because so many Leaf shinobi died? Huh!"
Deidara, codenamed Seiryū, was as mouthy as ever.
"Deidara, if you want to die, I won't stop you."
Kisame, who was partnered with Itachi, let out a sinister laugh.
"Oh, really?"
Seeing his comrade threatened, Sasori, codenamed Gyokukō, turned his emotionless gaze toward Kisame.
"What, you want to fight?"
"Remember, I'm fighting for your former village right now, heh."
Kisame met Sasori's cold eyes with a provocation look.
"Kisame......"
A hoarse voice came from Sasori.
"You shark-faced bastard, want to taste my art? Huh!"
Deidara also glared at Kisame, standing with his comrade.
"Just a kid playing with mud."
Kisame sneered at Deidara.
"Enough!"
Pain finally spoke, cutting through the increasingly tense atmosphere.
At Pain's words, everyone fell silent.
This was the deterrent of power.
No matter the conflict, in the face of absolute power, even this group of arrogant individuals had no choice but to submit.
Pain looked at the scene before him, further convinced of the correctness of his beliefs.
--
Elsewhere, in the Leaf Village.
Golden chains snaked through the air like snake. Karin watched the scene, her eyes lighting up with interest.
To expedite the mastery of the Adamantine Sealing Chains, Tsunade had taken a shortcut.
She had drawn the sealing array for the chains directly on Karin's body, allowing Karin to supply the chakra needed to activate the technique.
This way, Karin could not only experience the process firsthand but also quickly prepare for the next suppression of Inner Sakura.
Three days after Karin began familiarizing herself with the chains, Sakura arrived at the third training ground.
This time, everyone had learned from the previous incident. Tsunade had even set up a sealing barrier across the entire training ground to contain Sakura and prevent Inner Sakura from going berserk again.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, weighed down by his concerns, also arrived to oversee the procedure.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains."
Tsunade formed a hand seal, and golden chains shot out from all directions, binding Sakura tightly.
At the same time, Karin activated the chains on her body, extending a single golden link to carefully pierce Sakura's chest. She began slowly infusing her chakra into Sakura through the chain.
Bright red blood dripped from the golden chain, making Karin wince slightly.
"Begin."
Feeling Karin's vibrant chakra within her, Sakura spoke calmly.
Tsunade then turned to Sasuke, who stood nearby.
Sasuke, following the order, activated his Sharingan and locked eyes with Sakura.
In that moment, Sakura's head slumped weakly.
This time, Inner Sakura did not appear.
Tsunade frowned at the scene.
Knowing it was futile to emerge, so she chose not to?
However, Sasuke's unusual state caught Tsunade's attention.
The black-haired boy's lips were tightly pressed, his face twisted in discomfort.
Had Sasuke failed to enter?
Just as Tsunade was about to ask, Sasuke spoke in a trembling voice:
"I... was thrown out..."
"The moment I entered Sakura's inner world..."
--
Sakura's Inner World.
Blue sky.
White clouds.
Skyscrapers.
Sakura looked around in a daze, taking in the familiar surroundings.
Sasuke wasn't with her this time—she was alone.
Sakura stood on the rooftop of a tall building, the wind tousling her short pink hair as she scanned the area.
Silence. Emptiness.
The countless versions of herself from before were nowhere to be seen.
It was as if they had never existed.
This broken, chaotic world was now filled with an eerie stillness.
"Yo, King."
A pink figure appeared behind Sakura.
Sakura turned to see someone who looked exactly like her, standing casually at the edge of the rooftop.
The wind whipped at her clothes, making them flutter wildly.
Unlike Sakura's ninja attire, this version wore only a white bandeau top, leaving much of her pale skin exposed, showcasing her slender frame.
And unlike Sakura's short hair, this version had a long pink ponytail...
Her smile was wild and unrestrained.
She radiated an intense aggression.
"So, how did you like the gift I prepared for you last time?"
When addressing others, she referred to herself arrogantly, but with Sakura, she used a more respectful tone.
"Hmph, if I'm not mistaken..."
"Your power has hit an all-time low, hasn't it?"
Sakura ignored the mention of a "gift" and slowly slipped on her brass knuckles.
"Power, you say?"
Inner Sakura seemed to find the term amusing, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Hey..."
"Sakura..."
Inner Sakura grinned widely...
"Do you know the difference between a king and a steed?"
Sakura's expression grew serious:
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm not asking you some childish riddle about 'man and horse' or 'two legs versus four legs'..."
"Whether it's posture, ability, or strength."
"If there are two beings who are completely identical!"
Inner Sakura clenched her fist, a pink glow forming around her hand as a brass knuckle with a cat's smiley face appeared.
"One becomes the king who dominates the battle!"
"The other becomes the steed that enhances the king's power!"
"What's the difference between them? That's what I'm asking!"
Sakura watched her calmly, the air between them growing increasingly tense.
"There's only one answer!"
"And that is... instinct!!!"
"What two beings of equal power need to unleash greater strength."
"What the one who becomes king needs!"
"Is an unrelenting desire for battle, a pursuit of power, and the ruthlessness to crush and destroy their enemies!"
"An absolute craving for combat!"
"That primal instinct etched into our very genes!"
Inner Sakura's grin widened, her emerald eyes filled with pure malice as she stared at Sakura.
"You don't have that raw instinct!"
"You fight with reason, using logic to defeat your enemies."
"Wielding a sword but keeping it sheathed—who can you possibly kill?!"
"This body... I'll be taking it now, Sakura..."
--
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