Flipping through the documents at a rapid pace, Sakura Haruno found that, compared to the outdated library of the Senju clan, the Konohagakure archives were far better preserved. Combined with the records from various ninja clans, she quickly pinpointed a location.
It was a valley within the Land of Fire, once the site where Uchiha Hikari was sealed.
Unlike the cryptic notes left by Senju Tobirama, the Uzumaki clan—those carefree, blunt folks—had no qualms about explicitly naming Uchiha Hikari's sealing place.
Crescent Valley.
"Hey, Sakura, you got another mission or something?"
The moment Sakura located Uchiha Hikari's sealing site, she immediately set out to unearth this Uchiha great-grandmother.
With half a month left before she had to head to the battlefield, she figured there was plenty of time to spare. Sitting idle wasn't her style, so she treated this as a way to unwind.
Even if she couldn't dig up Uchiha Hikari, she'd just consider it a sightseeing trip.
To avoid a wasted journey, though, Sakura decided to bring Karin and Sasuke along.
Karin's Kagura Mind's Eye would make finding Uchiha Hikari much easier.
Sasuke, being an Uchiha, could connect with Hikari through their shared lineage.
But she hadn't expected to run into Naruto just a few steps out the door.
"No mission, just heading out for something," Sakura replied.
Scratching his head, Naruto hesitated before speaking, "Sakura, I heard from the Pervy Sage the other day."
"About that turtle thing."
Turtle? Turtle Island?
Had Jiraiya already told Naruto about it?
"Then you'd better not let Jiraiya down. Once you get to Turtle Island, focus on mastering the Nine-Tails' power," Sakura said, looking at Naruto before turning to leave.
"Oh, Sakura, if it's not a mission, could I—"
"Let's go together," she cut in.
Seeing Naruto's hesitant expression, Sakura instantly understood what he was thinking.
Since the war began, she, Sasuke, and the others had been swamped, barely touching the ground. Meanwhile, Naruto was the one constantly taking on missions.
Because of that, he'd been feeling a bit left out.
Naruto understood why, but being excluded from the group stung. It wasn't about some complicated feelings—just a simple desire not to be alone.
Even with Hinata in the village, Hyuga Hiashi's strict nature likely kept her from spending much time with Naruto privately.
"Really? I can come?" Naruto's eyes lit up instantly.
"Of course, but if you're tagging along, you'd better bring your cooking pot," Sakura teased, smirking.
Naruto caught her meaning immediately, grinning with excitement. "Alright! I'm not letting you go hungry, Sakura!"
Patting his head, Sakura added, "Not just me—Sasuke and Karin, too."
"Go pack your stuff. We'll meet at the Konoha gates in half an hour."
"Got it!" Naruto nodded eagerly.
"The Uchiha's ultimate weapon?"
Sasuke, in the middle of training, looked puzzled as Sakura approached him.
"Exactly. It's a power that took the combined efforts of the Senju, Uzumaki, and Sarutobi clans to seal," Sakura said, her expression deadly serious.
"Aren't you curious, Sasuke?"
Though she didn't mention that this "ultimate weapon" was a living person, Sakura wasn't lying either.
A living weapon was an ultimate weapon, after all.
Sasuke's eyes gleamed with interest.
The Uchiha's ultimate weapon!
If it took three major clans to seal it rather than destroy it, that spoke volumes about its power.
As expected of the Uchiha clan! Sasuke thought, pride swelling. His ancestors had been legendary for a thousand years, and he wasn't about to pass this up.
With this weapon, he'd have even more confidence in taking down Uchiha Itachi and wiping out the stain that was Uchiha Obito.
In Sasuke's mind, this "ultimate weapon" was likely some divine artifact, like the legendary Yata Mirror or Totsuka Blade.
If it was indeed such a treasure, he'd sleep with it in his arms to keep it safe from thieves.
Of course, if Sakura wanted to borrow it, he'd let her play with it for a couple of days.
If Naruto and Karin joined in, Sasuke magnanimously decided he'd let them borrow it for a couple of days too.
Well, maybe not Naruto—his recklessness might mean just letting him look at it.
The Uchiha's ultimate weapon belonged to Sasuke, no question about it.
Good thing Sakura couldn't read his mind, or she'd be utterly speechless.
True to his decisive nature, Sasuke quickly grabbed his ninja pouch, strapped on his sword, and was ready to go.
When Sakura dashed to the Senju residence and dragged Karin away right in front of Tsunade, the Hokage—who had been about to teach Karin the Adamantine Sealing Chains—was left dumbfounded.
"Lady Tsunade, I'm borrowing Karin for a couple of days!" Sakura called out, not giving Tsunade a chance to ask questions before whisking the redhead away.
Konoha Gates
Sakura, Sasuke, Karin, and Naruto were now assembled.
With Sakura and Sasuke there, the group's safety was assured.
"Alright, everyone's here. Let's move out!" Sakura said with a smile, looking at the eager Sasuke and Naruto.
Karin, however, was completely bewildered.
She'd been diligently studying the Adamantine Sealing Chains, so why was she suddenly being dragged on a trip with Sakura?
Sure, being with Sakura was always fun—especially without Ino around—but Karin knew her strengths lay in sensory ninjutsu and sealing techniques. To keep up with Sakura, she'd been working tirelessly.
She hadn't forgotten Sakura's promise that she'd join her team one day.
If she was going to be Sakura's teammate, she couldn't afford to hold anyone back.
Since returning to Konoha, Karin had barely sought Sakura out. Aside from tending to Tsunade, she'd been studying relentlessly, almost to the point of forgetting to eat or sleep.
But if Sakura needed her, Karin could pause for a bit.
Seeing Sakura's bright smile, Karin couldn't help but smile back.
A journey…
It was something she'd never done before.
As the four headed toward Crescent Valley, Karin's heart swelled with a mix of emotions.
"Crescent Valley?"
Reading the daily report from Kamizuki Izumo at the gates, Sarutobi Hiruzen was surprised.
Sakura had actually found it.
The Third Hokage stood, his already small frame seeming even more hunched.
Looking out the window at the unchanged Konoha scenery of decades past, he coughed softly into his hand.
Time was running out…
"Sakura, become the light in everyone's hearts," he murmured.
The dim yellow sunset sank toward the horizon, bathing the Hokage's office in its fading glow.
Like an elderly man in his twilight years, Hiruzen poured every ounce of his remaining strength into radiating warmth and light.
As time ticked by, the office grew dark, leaving only Hiruzen standing silently, gazing toward the Konoha gates in the distance, unmoving.
"Old man, why not turn on the light?"
Jiraiya's voice broke the silence, followed by a click as the office was bathed in light once more.
"Heh, when you get old, you start overthinking," Hiruzen said, turning to Jiraiya with a chuckle. "Just an old man's ramblings, nothing to worry about."
"You'd better rein it in, old man. The youngsters these days don't have patience for that," Jiraiya teased.
"Something up?" Hiruzen asked.
Jiraiya's face grew serious. "The Cloud Village has moved Turtle Island to the border of the Land of Fire…"
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