Konoha Forest
Sakura looked at the unconscious Sasuke, feeling utterly helpless. She didn't understand the principles behind curse marks, and had no idea how to treat one.
All she could do was listen to Sasuke's pained moans as he lay in a fitful sleep. The question now was whether to find Naruto and regroup, or take Sasuke back to the village.
Naruto's group was likely still engaged in combat, and bringing Sasuke along would be a burden. But abandoning him was out of the question.
Curse marks required sealing techniques, and sealing was precisely the area Sakura had neglected in her studies.
As she hesitated, a sudden rustling came from the bushes behind her.
Sakura drew a kunai, warily focusing on the shrubbery. "Who's there?"
"It's me, Sakura." A figure emerged from the bushes – Kakashi Hatake.
"Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura sheathed her kunai upon seeing him. "Is everything alright in the village? What are you doing here...?"
"Ah... the situation in the village has stabilized," Kakashi said. "The Third Hokage has broken free and is leading the ANBU to eliminate the remaining enemy forces."
"Huh?! The Third Hokage didn't die...?" Sakura was slightly surprised.
"...Sakura, watch your words..." Kakashi chided her, a bit exasperated.
"Ah, no, Kakashi-sensei, that's not what I meant..." Sakura quickly explained. "I thought the Third Hokage was trapped in the Four Violet Flames Formation? How did he escape...?"
If Sakura's calculations were correct, even without Orochimaru, the First and Second Hokage should have been more than enough to handle the Third, even as weakened Edo Tensei summons. She couldn't understand how the Third had managed to break free.
"The Orochimaru inside the Four Violet Flames Formation was a clone. He used the forbidden Reanimation Jutsu to summon the First and Second Hokage," Kakashi explained. "Then he disappeared. The ninja maintaining the Four Violet Flames Formation were attacked by the Third Hokage..."
Sakura understood at this point. The First and Second Hokage, controlled by the talismans, were simply acting on instinct to attack the Third. Without their full personalities, they lacked the judgment to assess the situation.
If the real Orochimaru had been present, he would never have allowed the Third Hokage a chance to attack the Sound ninja maintaining the barrier.
Normally, a barrier is maintained from the outside, but to avoid being disturbed, the Sound Four had set it up from the inside.
It seemed Orochimaru had abandoned the assassination of the Third Hokage in favor of Sasuke. This explained why Orochimaru had appeared here.
Once again, Sakura felt the tangible impact of her actions. If Sasuke had been cursed in the Forest of Death, Orochimaru likely wouldn't have been here.
Now that the Third Hokage was alive, Sakura couldn't predict how things would unfold.
"Where's Naruto? Why are you alone...? Uh...? Is Sasuke injured...?" Kakashi only noticed Sasuke lying on the ground when he approached Sakura.
"Sasuke, he was bitten by Orochimaru..." Sakura said.
"Hmm... This is... a curse mark..." Kakashi examined Sasuke, discovering the curse mark on his neck. "It seems we couldn't stop him..."
"Kakashi-sensei... We were intercepted by Orochimaru midway. I told Naruto and the others to go ahead and provide cover for the sealing team's retreat, in case something unexpected happened..." Sakura reported her decision to Kakashi, aware that she had essentially modified the mission parameters on her own.
"Mm, you did well. Leave the rest to me," Kakashi said. After all, it was an unexpected situation, and Sakura had made the correct choice based on the circumstances.
"Take Sasuke back to the village and find Anko Mitarashi. She was once Orochimaru's student; she'll know how to handle Sasuke's situation," Kakashi instructed. "I'll go support Naruto..."
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura replied, relieved. With Kakashi's support, Naruto and the others should be safe.
When Sakura arrived back in Konoha with Sasuke, the first thing she saw was the destroyed gate. The sounds of fighting still echoed sporadically throughout the village.
Sakura carefully avoided any potential enemies. She was carrying an injured person, and getting caught in a fight would be a huge problem.
Finally, she found the Third Hokage again at the Konoha stadium. The Third Hokage's condition looked quite poor, and ANBU members were maintaining a tight perimeter around him.
Nearby, the Sound Four were under guard by the ANBU. The stadium was littered with corpses, both enemy and Konoha shinobi.
It was, after all, a battle. Casualties were inevitable.
Sakura carried Sasuke toward the Third Hokage, but two ANBU members appeared, blocking her path.
"I'm Sakura Haruno, Kakashi Hatake's student. I need to see the Third Hokage," Sakura said urgently.
With Konoha in such chaos, where was she supposed to find Anko? Her only option was to seek out the Third Hokage. There were many dignitaries at the stadium, so there would surely be a large ANBU presence there, and possibly the Third Hokage himself. Sakura had, in fact, found the right place.
The two ANBU members didn't move, despite hearing Sakura's words. The Third Hokage's safety was paramount, and even village ninja had to be treated with caution.
"Hey, can you hear me? This is Sasuke Uchiha. He was attacked by Orochimaru. Let me through!" Sakura, growing desperate, pressed the issue with the seemingly inflexible ANBU.
The curse mark had just been applied; there might still be a way to remove it. If Sasuke adapted to the curse mark, removing it would become truly difficult.
"Is that Sakura? Let her through..." The Third Hokage had noticed Sakura being stopped by the ANBU and gave the order.
Only then did the two ANBU members step aside, though they continued to watch Sakura closely. Any suspicious movement would result in her immediate elimination.
"Third Hokage-sama, Sasuke was attacked by Orochimaru. Is there any way to remove this curse mark from Sasuke?" Sakura reached the Third Hokage, laid Sasuke on the ground, and revealed the three-tomoe pattern on his neck.
"...What...? You encountered Orochimaru...?" The Third Hokage was slightly surprised, muttering to himself, "...I see... That's just like him..."
Sakura detected a hint of regret in the Third Hokage's words. Regret, perhaps, at not being able to personally atone for his past mistakes...
"Third Hokage-sama, please look at Sasuke's condition. Is there still a chance to save him?" Sakura pressed again.
The Third Hokage examined Sasuke, using his chakra to assess the situation. He shook his head and instructed an ANBU member nearby, "Go inform Anko to go to the hospital."
"Anko was also cursed by Orochimaru. Let her handle it first. I need time to prepare," the Third Hokage said. "Until then, we can use a sealing technique to suppress the curse mark's spread."
"Sakura, take Sasuke to the hospital. I'll give some instructions here and come over shortly."
"Yes," Sakura replied. Hearing that even the Third Hokage had no immediate solution, she could only carry Sasuke on her back, resigned to heading to the hospital.
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