"Congratulations, everyone! Starting today, you have officially graduated from the Ninja Academy!"
Ueno-sensei looked out at the students in his class, his expression gratified. "Now, I will announce the team assignments."
Takashi glanced over at Junko with a sense of anticipation. Although he liked her, he always behaved normally around her, which was perhaps why Junko didn't reject his presence. Other boys in the class either disliked her intensely or were so overtly smitten that it repulsed her.
As Ueno-sensei read through the team assignments on the list, students began leaving the classroom one after another.
"Takashi!"
"Here!" Lost in thought, Takashi instinctively snapped to attention when his name was suddenly called.
"Sit down!" Ueno looked at Takashi with mild exasperation. Normally quite composed, Takashi had noticeably become less steady ever since Junko had transferred into their class.
"Team Six," Ueno-sensei repeated, "Takashi," – Takashi's heart skipped a beat – "Mutō Junko, and Kazuki."
Hearing he was assigned to the same team as Mutō Junko, Takashi's heart began pounding excitedly.
Just as Ueno was about to announce their Jonin team leader, an ANBU operative suddenly appeared in the classroom.
"Apologies for the interruption," the ANBU, wearing a fox mask, addressed Ueno-sensei.
"Is there something wrong?" Ueno asked, surprised to see ANBU here.
Ignoring the teacher, the ANBU operative looked directly at Junko in her tiered seat. "By order of the Hokage, Mutō Junko, come with me."
"Understood," Junko replied softly, standing up. Her expression remained neutral throughout.
"Good. Follow me," the ANBU said, breathing an internal sigh of relief at her compliance. With so many students present, things could have become difficult if she had decided to take hostages.
"Hey, wait!" Takashi saw Junko about to leave with the ANBU and quickly called out, "Why are you taking her away?"
The ANBU paid Takashi no attention, merely keeping a watchful eye on Junko from behind as they exited the classroom.
"Hey! Wait up!" Takashi stood from his seat, intending to chase after them.
However, Ueno-sensei blocked his path before he reached the door.
"Takashi, calm down!" Ueno said sternly. "This is an order from the Hokage. Just wait patiently."
Ueno-sensei himself couldn't figure out the situation, but it was a direct order from the Hokage. Though he didn't know what was happening, he couldn't obstruct ANBU business. They were, after all, an organization known for employing force; even against fellow villagers, they wouldn't hesitate to use violence to achieve their objectives.
"Yes, Ueno-sensei," Takashi replied, his face etched with reluctance and frustration.
Shortly after leaving the Academy grounds, Junko felt a sharp pain at the nape of her neck, and then lost consciousness.
In a stark white room, Junko came to, finding herself secured within a specialized restraint chair, only her head exposed. Standing before her was Inoichi Yamanaka, one hand placed gently on her forehead, his eyes closed and brow slightly furrowed.
After a long moment, Inoichi slowly opened his eyes.
"Well?" Tsunade asked immediately as Inoichi finished performing his technique.
Inoichi stroked his chin, closing his eyes again in thought for a moment. "I don't know quite how to put it," he said finally. "It's very strange. The memories in her mind appear intact, with no issues… but they are somewhat different from what I observed last time."
"Are you saying her memories have been tampered with?" Tsunade asked, her voice low and serious.
"No," Inoichi shook his head. "There are no signs of alteration. It's just that… memories of her past life are disappearing. While some fragments remain, the majority are already gone."
"Disappearing?" Tsunade repeated softly.
Inoichi gathered his thoughts. "Yes, vanished. It's highly unusual. While memory loss can occur, it's typically caused by physical brain injury. Her memories, however, seem to be actively vanishing, almost like they're being deleted."
"Do you mean her original memories were erased, and false ones implanted?" Tsunade pressed.
"No, that's not it," Inoichi denied again. "If memories were modified, there would inevitably be traces left behind – tiny clues, especially for memories spanning over a decade. These are her original memories. But most have already disappeared, and the process seems ongoing. Yet, she doesn't present like someone suffering from typical amnesia, and even amnesia doesn't usually cause such dense, concentrated memory loss."
"Could it be due to a past head injury?" Tsunade hypothesized, acknowledging the limits of her own medical knowledge despite her expertise.
"Unlikely," Inoichi countered, giving a wry chuckle. "Even with damage, residual memory fragments usually remain. The brain doesn't lie in that way, but those fragments aren't present in her case. Besides," he added, "her recent memories are perfectly intact, showing no signs indicative of such trauma."
Tsunade fell silent. This situation was truly unexpected. The Yamanaka clan's proficiency in this field was arguably top-notch; there was little reason to doubt Inoichi's assessment.
Yet, according to Sakura's report, her encounter with Junko had been entirely accidental. The probability of Junko orchestrating events so precisely as to infiltrate Konoha seemed practically zero. Furthermore, the ANBU investigation confirmed Mutō Junko didn't exist in Kōyō Village. So why had the old woman, Rika, claimed Junko as her granddaughter? Sakura, though sometimes rash, possessed basic ninja judgment – Tsunade had trained her for three years. If the old woman had been suspicious, Sakura should have detected it, but her report mentioned no issues concerning Rika.
For a moment, Tsunade felt an intense urge to drag Sakura back immediately and give her a thorough beating for bringing this trouble to her doorstep.
Looking at the still-unconscious Junko, Tsunade turned to a nearby ANBU operative. "When she wakes up, have her report to my office."
With that, Tsunade turned to leave the room.
"Wait, Lady Tsunade!" Inoichi called out.
"Is there something else?" Tsunade asked, pausing at the door.
"There is one other finding," Inoichi stated. "The point where her memories begin to disappear seems to be precisely the moments before she first laid eyes on Sakura."
"I understand," Tsunade said grimly, opening the door and leaving without looking back.
Meanwhile, deep in the mountains of the Land of Water, Sakura sat motionlessly on a rock outside the cave, eyes closed, attempting a state of selfless meditation. Nearby, Mei Terumi lay sprawled on the grass, lazily soaking up the sun, occasionally casting a sideways glance at Sakura.
"Tch," Mei scoffed under her breath. "Call that training? Looks more like sleeping to me!"
Sakura didn't hear Mei's muttering. Soft snoring sounds escaped her throat. Suddenly, a strange fluttering sensation in her chest, like heart palpitations, jolted her awake. She blinked, looking around blankly for a moment before annoyance washed over her.
"Damn it!" she cursed inwardly, scratching her head in frustration. "Close my eyes, and I fall asleep! But I can't stay perfectly still without closing my eyes! How the hell am I supposed to do this?!" She felt like she was going crazy.
Standing up, Sakura turned and looked at Mei, still trussed up like a dumpling on the grass. Another headache began to throb. Keeping Mei cooped up in the cave away from the sunlight wasn't ideal for her recovery, but leaving her outside untied while Sakura needed to train risked escape. Thus, sunbathing while tied up seemed the only viable, albeit awkward, solution.
"Hey! Can you untie me now?" Mei called out quickly, seeing Sakura had finished her "training."
This brat is truly hateful! Mei fumed internally. Not only was she tied up like this every day for sunbathing, but Sakura also drugged her every night before sleep – that stuff that made her limbs feel like limp noodles, completely draining her strength. And she was still restricted to liquid food! (Okay, maybe that part was necessary after the intestinal surgery, but still!) Mei's resentment hadn't diminished one bit.
"What are you yelling about!" Sakura glared. "Sunbathe a while longer!"
"Hey, hey!" Mei retorted fiercely. "We don't have some kind of deep-seated blood feud between us, right? You don't need to treat me like this!"
Sakura merely glanced at her. "No deep hatred, true. But what if I just don't feel like letting you go right now? Can't I do that?"
Mei's teeth ground together audibly. "I already told you I won't retaliate! Look, I've been away from my village for quite some time now. If I don't return soon… I can't guarantee what might happen," she warned, subtly shifting tactics. (Though she hadn't fully figured out Sakura's situation, Mei had tentatively concluded she likely held no ill will towards Kirigakure. Her priority now was getting back to the village quickly to report the intelligence she had gathered.)
"Oh? Thanks for the reminder," Sakura replied, too lazy to even lift her eyes. Yeah, she thought, that's all the more reason not to let you go back just yet.
Suddenly, that strange palpitation feeling returned, stronger this time. Sakura frowned, scanning her surroundings puzzled. Nothing seemed out of place. Where was that sensation coming from? It pulsed again. Completely baffled, she felt like the sensation was latched onto her, repeating every few minutes.
Wait… something is definitely wrong. Sakura closed her eyes, concentrating for a moment. Then, her eyes snapped wide open. "Could it be… that?"
A look of astonished delight spread across her face.