As they sneaked through the dimly lit halls of Orochimaru's hideout, Kabuto kept his voice low as he spoke to Sakura about Guren, describing her sadistic tendencies and formidable powers at length, yet offering nothing in the way of real, concrete information about her weaknesses.
"The Crystal Style user you're after is called Guren," Kabuto explained. "I've never seen her lose a fight, and from what I can tell, her Kekkei Genkai is all but invincible. It's particularly effective against Water and Earth Styles— her abilities let her crystallise some of the more tangible chakra natures and turn them to her own use."
As a double agent, there were perhaps none more experienced than Kabuto, who had, at one point, served four different masters at once: the Hidden Leaf, Danzō's ROOT, the Akatsuki, and Orochimaru. His lack of any real sense of self had served him well in these endeavours— and if it hadn't been for her foreknowledge, Sakura would almost certainly never have suspected him, despite the rather convenient timing of his appearance in her moment of need.
"Her room's just around the next corner, at the end of the hall," Kabuto went on. "Your goal is to capture her, isn't it? Then you're in luck— she likes to sleep in late, so this is the perfect time to strike. I'm not particularly strong, so I'll stay here at the intersection and keep watch while you do what you need to do."
Sakura nodded.
But what was all this talk about not being strong? He might not have possessed any special bloodlines, true, but his unique physique granted him an accelerated healing factor. He was more than capable of holding his own against elites like Kakashi!
Sakura darted past Kabuto and down the corridor he had indicated. Just as he'd described, there was a door at the far end… doubtlessly some kind of trap.
But the question was, what kind?
She didn't believe any grunt-level subordinates or any reinforced walls and doors could possibly hold her, which meant either Guren herself or Nanashi had to be lying in wait inside— and once she stepped through the doorway, Kabuto would only have to follow her in, and the encirclement would be complete.
Once she'd reached the end of the corridor, Sakura pressed her ear to the door and listened. Hearing nothing, she reached for the doorknob with her gloved hand and eased the door open, tiptoeing into the room— where she found Guren sleeping peacefully in a corner, curled up in bed.
The bed itself was, of course, arranged in perfect accordance with feng shui: set parallel to the wall opposite the doorway and pointing south. The woman lying in it even had her back to her.
Coincidence, or superstition? It all seemed rather too convenient.
Sakura poked her head through the doorway and scanned the room, then glanced back over her shoulder at the gloomy corridor behind her. Aside from Guren and herself, the bedroom was entirely empty, which only heightened her unease.
What was Kabuto playing at? Had Guren's usefulness to Orochimaru finally run its course? Did he actually want her to get rid of her…?
Sakura drew a concealed senbon from the lining of her glove and crept to Guren's side, swiftly plunging the medical instrument into the hollow at the base of her neck and pricking the acupoint that would send her into suspended animation. She then rolled over the comatose Guren and lifted her nightgown, revealing her pert breasts. She immediately got to work, laying her hands on the older woman's chest.
"Munamori Style: Breast Flow Massage!"
Sakura immediately realised something was wrong when no Breast Chakra flowed into her own chest— and then the Jade Crystal Clone's eyes flew open.
"Crystal Style: Jade Crystal Prison Jutsu!"
A luminous circle appeared beneath Sakura as her feet shifted and slid across the smooth stone floor, her right foot acting as a hinge while she pivoted swiftly on the spot.
"Gentle Fist Secret Art: Eight Trigrams, Re—!"
In an instant, Sakura's vision was engulfed in pink.
Frozen in place, she could only count herself fortunate that she'd reacted in time and initiated a Rotation, expelling enough chakra from her Tenketsu to form a Sakura-shaped force field that had prevented her from being completely crystallised down to the bone marrow. But as it was, she remained fully encased in crystal, unable to move so much as a single iota!
"I see you haven't lost your touch, Guren," Kabuto's voice rang out as he entered the bedroom, followed by the real Guren. "With such a gift as the original in hand, and the confirmation that Yūkimaru's talents can indeed influence Tailed Beasts, I doubt Lord Orochimaru will have much cause for disappointment, despite the failure of the Three-Tails capture plan."
"Button that up, will you? This isn't a show!" Guren snapped at her Jade Crystal Clone, whose breasts were out for all to see. "Honestly, what a ridiculous ability," she added with a scowl, turning her gaze to Sakura's frozen form. "Thanks to that idiotic clone of hers, my bust is a mere shadow of its former self!"
The real Guren's chest was indeed on the smaller side. Had Tsubaki already drained her?
"How long will she last, fully crystalised like that?" asked Kabuto casually. "She won't be nearly as useful to Lord Orochimaru dead."
"As long as I want her to, Glasses-Boy," said Guren dismissively. "But that's none of your concern— you can run along now, I'll personally take care of presenting the girl to Lord Orochimaru when he returns."
"I'll get someone to put her statue in storage, then," said Kabuto, pushing up his round glasses.
Even though Kabuto had been the one to come up with the plan on the fly, even secretly signalling her that she should prepare to ambush an enemy by purposefully triggering the hideout's silent alarms, Guren had every intention of keeping all the merit of capturing Sakura to herself!
"…!!!"
The warm feeling in Sakura's belly began to rise, sending a tingling sensation through her flushed chest. Now that her body had finished absorbing the immediate energy it needed, the excess calories from Granny Sanshō's Curry Pill were finally being converted into fat and breast tissue!
Crack.
"Hm?" said Kabuto, pricking up his ears and pointedly ignoring Guren, who was telling him to leave well enough alone. "I believe I just heard something."
Sakura's breasts were now sweating profusely, even pulsating. Filled to the brim with hot and steamy soft flesh, they dearly wanted to expand, but there was no room for them to do so!
CRACK.