"You're saying my disciple, my successor, is plotting a rebellion?"
Before Sakura could respond, it was Hiruzen Sarutobi who spoke first.
His cloudy eyes now glinted with icy resolve, fixed unyieldingly on Danzo Shimura.
Call him indecisive? He'd accept that.
Call him irresponsible? He'd concede that too.
But to accuse the successor he had poured his final efforts into grooming of treason?
That was something Hiruzen could not tolerate. Danzo's words were so absurd they almost made him want to laugh in disbelief.
The Fire Shadow's heir colluding with foreign enemies?
Who else in Konohagakure could possibly take up the mantle of Hokage?
Hiruzen's sudden outburst left Danzo momentarily speechless.
Tobirama Senju watched Danzo calmly.
Danzo's accusations had, ironically, cooled Tobirama's own anger.
Power had not only fueled Danzo's ambition but also made him foolish and arrogant.
"Danzo," Tobirama said, resting a hand on Danzo's shoulder, his voice steady. "You're old. Step down from power and retire."
Sakura, witnessing Danzo's utterly brainless remarks, felt a wave of disappointment.
She had expected something shocking, but this was just nonsense.
The Haruno family had been rooted in Konoha since its founding, their loyalty unquestionable. Now, as the Hokage's prized disciple, Sakura was the only one fit to inherit the leadership in these turbulent times.
Danzo, out of his mind, accusing her of rebellion?
Did he think she'd spend fifty years as a "crown prince"?
The longer Sakura stayed in this village, the more she experienced, the less she underestimated herself.
Humility was fine, but excessive self-deprecation was just self-sabotage.
Her status was clear.
In moments like this, facing Danzo's slander, Sakura didn't even need to speak. Others would defend her—someone like the Hokage himself.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Sakura could kill Danzo on the spot and get away with it.
The aftermath would be troublesome, though, and Danzo was, after all, the old man's lifelong comrade.
She'd let Danzo stir trouble for a bit longer.
How she'd deal with him—whether by her own hand or otherwise—would depend on the situation.
Danzo left, his spirit broken, his steps heavy.
Once again, his power had been stripped away.
He didn't care much about losing authority, but this incident made one thing clear: toppling Sakura Haruno within Konoha's system was impossible.
The path to becoming Hokage lay outside the village.
Watching Danzo's retreating figure, Tobirama's expression remained calm, his heart undisturbed.
He knew Danzo wouldn't go down so easily, but as a reanimated corpse, Tobirama could only rely on his former authority as the Second Hokage and Danzo's teacher to keep him in check.
The true key figure was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.
Or perhaps, this mess would be left for the next Hokage to handle.
"Hiruzen, I no longer care to discern right from wrong," Tobirama said, looking at the aging Hokage. "You're old too. You know what I mean."
Hiruzen sighed deeply. "Yes, Sensei. I understand."
How could he not grasp Tobirama's intent?
Before stepping down, tie up loose ends and nurture the next generation.
Who to deal with and who to nurture was obvious.
But Danzo's influence had grown too large, his Root organization loyal only to him, not the Hokage.
To deal with Danzo would require a painful surgery on Konoha's very core.
On paper, Root was just a training division for ANBU, a few dozen members at most.
But its tendrils had long infiltrated every corner of Konoha, especially the intelligence division.
Eradicating this tumor before retirement was a daunting task.
As Danzo himself loved to proclaim, he was the root of Konoha's great tree.
But now, those roots had rotted, siphoning the tree's nutrients for themselves. They needed to be severed completely, without mercy.
Yet, with the war ongoing, such drastic action was impossible.
They had to bide their time until the war ended.
"I'm done here. I'm leaving," Sakura said, waving her hand as she prepared to go.
Her Yang Release taijutsu was starting to take shape, and she was eager to begin training.
How long had she been putting this off?
Tobirama said a quick word to Hiruzen and followed Sakura.
As her summon through the Reanimation Jutsu, he needed to monitor her, especially since this was her first attempt at a new technique. The risks were unknown.
Hiruzen, left alone in the empty meeting room, sighed deeply. He reached for his now-cold tea but paused as a voice rang out from a corner.
"An old man drinking cold water?" the voice teased. "Don't come crying to me if you get a stomachache."
It was Tsunade, who had been lounging in a corner, aligning chairs to make a makeshift bed.
"Heh, you're right. No cold drinks," Hiruzen said, setting the cup down with a wry smile.
"Old folks need to act their age. Come on, Karin's cooking is pretty good," Tsunade said, sitting up from her "bed" and pulling Hiruzen by the arm. "Let's go get something warm."
"Karin, huh…" Hiruzen mused, recalling the red-haired girl.
Her contributions to deciphering Kumogakure's tactics had been invaluable, and he still hadn't decided how to reward her.
"Yep. A junior cooking for her senior—doesn't the senior owe her something?" Tsunade teased, leaning closer.
"Alright, alright. You've been waiting to fleece this old man, haven't you?" Hiruzen chuckled, realizing he'd need to add a personal gift on top of her war merits.
Tsunade had gotten crafty, pulling the wool over his eyes.
Night, Third Training Ground
Sakura was deep in discussion with Tobirama about her Yang Release taijutsu.
Unlike Lightning Release taijutsu, which focused on explosive speed and power, Yang Release was different.
Lightning Release taijutsu, refined through Konoha's research, used lightning to stimulate cells, granting unmatched speed, defense, and attack power.
It sounded simple, but it required mastery of both the nature and form transformations of chakra—skills beyond most ninja.
Yang Release taijutsu was even more complex.
In Sakura's vision, the pinnacle of Yang Release was Naruto Uzumaki in his Six Paths Sage Mode, capable of pulling Might Guy back from the brink of death after opening the Eighth Gate.
It was practically bringing the dead back to life.
But Sakura didn't need such extreme power yet. Her goal was to lay the foundation for her Slug Sage Mode.
Tobirama watched Sakura closely as she sat cross-legged under a tree in the moonlight.
Few had mastered Yang Release, save for his brother, Hashirama Senju, and none had surpassed him.
Logically, Hashirama should have been reanimated to guide Sakura in Yang Release.
But… Hashirama's thought process wasn't suited for teaching. If it were, he wouldn't have entrusted his own student, Hiruzen, to Tobirama.
Fortunately, Tobirama, who knew Hashirama's body better than anyone, was qualified to guide her.
Yang Release, as its name implied, was the "yang" in the balance of yin and yang.
It complemented a ninja's mental energy to form chakra.
Both Yang and Yin Release were fundamental to chakra's essence.
The five basic chakra natures—wind, water, fire, lightning, and earth—stemmed from this foundation.
In other words, every ninja had some degree of Yang and Yin Release.
Yang Release was most prominent in taijutsu and medical ninja.
Those who excelled in these fields, like Tsunade, Might Guy, and Rock Lee, had strong Yang Release.
Sakura, proficient in both taijutsu and medical ninjutsu, also possessed exceptional Yin Release, which prevented her Yang chakra from spiraling out of control.
In Tobirama's perception, Sakura's body was enveloped in a green aura of life, slowly nurturing her cells.
Her strength already placed her among those with powerful Yang Release.
In battle, she relied on taijutsu and medical ninjutsu exclusively.
Tobirama noticed something else: as Sakura nurtured her cells, the grass beneath her and the tree behind her seemed to pulse with vitality.
Wood Release?
The thought flashed through Tobirama's mind but was quickly dismissed.
No, not Wood Release.
It was pure life energy.
Wood Release and life energy were fundamentally different.
Yet, the life force radiating from Sakura reminded Tobirama of his brother.
If Sakura didn't look so different from Hashirama and Tsunade, he might have thought she was Tsunade's daughter.
Time passed slowly, and Sakura opened her eyes.
Her emerald gaze shone brightly in the night.
Looking at Tobirama, she spoke directly. "Yang Release training is going smoother than expected."
Tobirama nodded. "That's natural. You're already skilled in Yang Release, so progress comes easily."
"But," he continued, "have you considered Wood Release?"
Sakura blinked in surprise.
"Wood Release is a kekkei genkai born from water, earth, and Yang chakra," Tobirama explained, his eyes locked on her green ones. "Aside from my brother, no one has mastered it. You know its power."
"With your talent, your Yang Release, and my guidance, developing Wood Release wouldn't be difficult."
Sakura pondered his words.
Wood Release—Hashirama's power that pacified the Warring States.
The Nine-Tails was a mere kitten before it.
The Buddha Statue, thousands of meters tall, dwarfed even a complete Susanoo, with its wooden constructs mere decorations on its head.
Its might could sweep the ninja world.
Sakura looked at her hands.
Could she master Wood Release?
Clenching her fists, her thoughts drifted to the Monkey King, Enma… and his son, Enra.
In the Boruto era, Enra was Konohamaru's summoning beast.
Sakura's eyes widened as a question struck her.
Could Wood Release defeat Isshiki Otsutsuki, Momoshiki Otsutsuki, or that possibly still-living Otsutsuki god?
Would Wood Release even work against the Otsutsuki clan?
"Wood Release," she murmured, looking up at Tobirama in the moonlight.
Tobirama stood tall, and Sakura trusted his abilities—and her own.
Developing Wood Release wouldn't be hard.
But…
"No," she said.
Tobirama stared, stunned, at the pink-haired girl.
The Wood Release that pacified the world and crushed Madara Uchiha—rejected?
Even Tobirama, who had studied Wood Release extensively after Hashirama's death, couldn't resist its allure. Yet this thirteen-year-old dismissed it outright?
"The First Hokage's Wood Release is powerful, I know," Sakura said. "But that's his path."
"My path is different from anyone else's."
She extended her hand, as if grasping the moon in the sky.
"There's a true Otsutsuki out there."
Ninjutsu and genjutsu were useless against the Otsutsuki.
Only taijutsu.
Only fists.
Fists were the truth.
Sakura's time was limited—too limited to waste on Wood Release.
Yes, studying Wood Release would be a waste.
"Smash everything," she said calmly, as if stating a fact.
Tobirama stared at the pink-haired girl, her silhouette standing alone, unburdened by anyone's shadow.
Smash everything with a single punch.
Even forsaking a supreme kekkei genkai like Wood Release for ultimate power.
Interesting.
Tobirama was growing fonder of this pink-haired girl by the minute.
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