Once upon a time, Sakura had heard the saying that a criminal always returns to the scene of the crime— and by criminal, she didn't mean herself, even though she had admittedly killed the poor, defenceless Three-Tails who'd only been minding its own business… even if it was ultimately for its own good. No, by criminal, she meant Orochimaru's three subordinates: Kabuto, Nanashi and Guren. Those who had turned Hinata into a sculpture and shattered her without even a second thought!
…
A thin layer of mist had settled over the Three-Tails' lake in the peaceful hours of the morning, and it was only just beginning to lift by the time Sakura reached the shore. All was quiet; not even the slightest breath of wind stirred the lake's surface. The Three-Tails' mountainous corpse had completely vanished, leaving only a massive depression in the beach where Guren had flipped it onto its shell.
"Hm?"
A short boy stood on the shore, not far from where Sakura had emerged from the woods. He seemed to be fiddling with something in his hands.
"Tell me, do you prefer red, or white camellias?" the boy asked Sakura as she approached him. "Did you know camellias don't lose their petals? The whole flower just falls off."
Upon hearing the word 'Tsubaki' escape the boy's lips, Sakura started. The Japanese name for the camellia— Tsubaki— was her genetic clone's name, just as her parents had named her after the cherry blossoms that bloomed in early spring.
"Who starts a conversation like that?" Sakura blurted out. "I literally just got here!"
Sakura glanced at the object he was toying with: a camellia flower, frozen inside an apple-sized chunk of faceted crystal. It caught the morning sun, sparkling prettily in the light slipping through the thinning mist.
"My name is Yūkimaru," said the boy, staring up at Sakura with his amethyst-coloured eyes. "Would you like to hear more camellia facts, Miss?"
"That's a pretty crystal," said Sakura pleasantly, pointing at the pink crystal in his hands. "Let's start with where I can find the lady who gave you that, why don't we?"
"There's no need for that," came a voice behind her back. "I'll take you to her myself."
Sakura whirled around and sprang back five metres, drawing a handful of senbon from her sleeve. Kabuto now stood beside Yūkimaru, a genial smile on his face as he patted the boy's shoulder. A small voice in the back of her mind pointed out that she ought to have taken the boy hostage— but Sakura wasn't so far gone she'd stoop to menacing children.
"I remember you… Kabuto, right? You're the one with the Chūnin Exams flashcards, aren't you?" said Sakura, letting a look of slow recognition spread across her face as she glanced at the leaf insignia on his forehead protector. "What are you doing here, Eternal Genin-san?"
In this timeline, Orochimaru's Konoha Crush had gone perfectly to plan: he'd killed the Third Hokage without losing the use of his arms. Thus, Kabuto had never been forced to accompany him in the hunt for Tsunade… and so, had never blown his cover as an ordinary Hidden Leaf Genin. Thanks to his continued spy work, he'd even managed to help Orochimaru steal Urashiki's Rinnegan from Tsunade's medical ward in the Hokage Residence… but Sakura didn't know that.
"It has certainly been a while, hasn't it? I'm honoured that the Hokage's own disciple remembers my face," said Kabuto, offering a slight bow. "As for your question… I'm a spy, sent by Lady Fifth to gather intelligence from within Orochimaru's organisation. Reinforcements, you might say."
Sakura's lip twitched slightly. A spy? Now that was the understatement of the year.
As if she could ever forget that four-eyed double agent! Unfortunately, he'd never shown a single crack the few times their paths had crossed at Konoha General Hospital over the past two years, so she'd never found a way to unmask him— even though she knew he and his undead summons would one day become Obito's greatest asset in the Fourth Shinobi World War.
"You found Orochimaru's hideout?" asked Sakura. "Where is it?"
"I could take you there myself, but that might blow my cover," offered Kabuto, pushing up his round glasses. "But are you certain it's wise to venture into such a place without backup?"
This was a trap, no doubt about it…
But Sakura needed Guren's Crystal Style to safely decrystallise Hinata. Even if the artisans managed to reassemble her piece by piece, Sakura currently had no way to reverse this kind of Jutsu. The crystallisation reached down to the cellular level, going far beyond any Earth Style petrifaction technique she'd ever seen.
"All right, let's go," said Sakura after a moment's thought. "Take me there."
"We're going to see Guren?" asked Yūkimaru excitedly, to which Kabuto smiled and nodded.
Sakura popped a curry pill into her mouth and crunched down, savouring the spicy juices that spilled onto her tongue before swallowing the thick paste. Warmth blossomed immediately in her stomach, quickly spreading to her limbs as the concentrated nutrients and calories coursed through her system.
Exactly three days had passed since the last one she'd taken, which meant this one would be fully effective!
…
Just like his hideout in Kusagakure, Orochimaru's lair in the Land of Rivers was concealed within an ordinary-looking rock formation — but if you knew what to look for, it was rather easy to spot. Behind a red torii gate at the centre of the rocky outcrop stood a pair of wooden double doors set into the rock face— and rather than leading to a shrine dedicated to the local gods, they opened onto a complex network of tunnels.
"Are your preparations almost complete?" Kabuto whispered.
Sakura activated her Sharingan and summoned a miniature Katsuyu onto her shoulder. Her greatest advantage in the upcoming fight would be that Kabuto had no idea she already knew he was a traitor, so hopefully…
"Nearly done," Sakura mouthed back, gazing into his eyes. "Saimingan: Sharingan Hypnosis— done!"
Sakura's tomoe rotated quickly, and Kabuto blinked.
To Sakura's relief, her unlikely ally did not appear to realise that he had fallen for her Genjutsu. After all, she had not yet begun to alter his consciousness…
"Why is everyone whispering?" Yūkimaru whispered, as Sakura and Kabuto activated the Hiding Like a Mole Jutsu and sank into the ground. "Oi, wait for me!"