The atmosphere grew increasingly taut. With a single command from the Third Hokage, the assembled ninja would swarm forward and apprehend Sasuke.
"Sasuke! Put Sakura Haruno down!" the Third Hokage said, his voice calm as he looked at Sasuke.
The Third Hokage had included Sasuke in this operation partly as a test. Sasuke was an Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno was his teammate. To avoid future rifts between master and student, to prevent a situation like the one with Orochimaru from repeating, the Third Hokage had, after much deliberation, decided it was best to bring him along. Thus, the current turn of events was both expected and unexpected.
Had Sasuke stepped forward when Sakura faced mortal danger during a fight, it wouldn't have been entirely surprising. But for Sasuke to suddenly try and flee with her after the situation seemed resolved – that, the Third Hokage had not anticipated.
"Master Third!" Sasuke swallowed hard. "Please, do not stop me. I must take her away!"
Sasuke knew with chilling certainty that if Sakura Haruno was taken back to the village, the situation would truly spiral out of control. Neji and he had discussed it countless times. Combining the information Sasuke had gleaned from within the ANBU with Neji's intelligence analysis, it was clear: the village would have to choose between Sakura Haruno and war.
Neji had already experienced such a choice once before – the time he lost his father. Because of that, Neji was absolutely certain the village would not choose Sakura Haruno. Consequently, the hasty plan Sasuke had formulated was to cover Sakura's escape during the ensuing chaos. He just hadn't expected Sakura to fall before the battle even truly began.
Seeing Sasuke's unwavering determination, the tension in the air thickened once more. The dozens of ninja and ANBU scattered around awaited the Third Hokage's command.
Just then, a faint voice was heard from the young woman slung over Sasuke's shoulder.
"Put me down..." Sakura Haruno said weakly.
Perhaps Creation Rebirth was finally kicking in. Sakura felt herself gradually regaining control of her body. She struggled and managed to get down from Sasuke's shoulder.
"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked, his eyes darting around warily.
Sakura flexed her hands and feet. Though her body still felt somewhat stiff and unresponsive, she could move. After the earlier turmoil, Sakura's fury had begun to subside. She scanned her surroundings, then turned to the Third Hokage, her voice cold.
"The people in the village – I didn't kill them. If the village intends to eliminate me over this, hmph, then come and try! Let's see if you actually can!"
"Stop playing dumb!" the white-robed ANBU snapped before the Third Hokage could speak. "Not only did you murder your fellow villagers, but you also assassinated the Third Mizukage, attempting to provoke a war between our village and Kirigakure!"
"So that's how it is!" Sakura paused for a moment, then looked at the Third Hokage, her voice eerily calm. "So, Lord Third Hokage, this is your decision as well?"
Surrounded by so many of his own ninja, the Third Hokage couldn't possibly deny it. He slowly nodded. "Any element detrimental to the village must be eradicated!"
The instant the Third Hokage's words fell, an overwhelming aura erupted from Sakura. Her earlier calmness had merely been a desperate attempt to suppress her rage, to wring an answer from him. The moment she heard it, the fury in Sakura's heart exploded. This hypocritical world!
Ever since being framed and forced to defect, Sakura had tirelessly searched for evidence to turn the tables. In her mind, the Third Hokage and the Fifth Hokage should have been in the village, diligently investigating the matter. Yet now, the Third Hokage was ready to eliminate her based on a baseless accusation. This forced Sakura, once again, to confront the bloody, stark reality of betrayal.
Her Lightning Release Chakra Mode flared to life again, though due to its side effects, Sakura no longer dared to use it as recklessly as before. Fortunately, Sasuke was there, supporting her. Sakura felt a faint stirring of gratitude for Sasuke's sudden intervention, but there was no time to dwell on it now.
A Storm Release Clone, Sakura, and Sasuke faced the encirclement of dozens of Konoha ninja. Though outnumbered, the two of them and the clone formed a triangle, facing outwards. At most, each of them only had to deal with two opponents at a time.
The two of them and the clone fought while retreating. However, Sakura found it somewhat strange. Despite being weaker than before due to the strain of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, they were still managing to hold their own against so many opponents. Observing closely, she realized that none of them were striking with lethal intent, and the ninja engaging them didn't include the jonin elites.
Are they trying to wear me down first, then capture me alive? Sakura's frustration grew. At this rate, she would eventually be exhausted. The Third Hokage and the elite jonin hadn't even made a move yet.
In truth, Sakura wasn't fighting with killing intent either. Perhaps a sliver of hope still lingered in her heart. It was precisely this internal conflict that made her so agitated.
If she didn't make a decisive move soon, she might truly be trapped here. She glanced at the Third Hokage and the jonin elites a short distance away.
"I bet if I start using lethal force, they'll join the fight," Sakura realized with a grim understanding.
Just then, the ground began to tremble. From the distance, an enormous sphere hurtled into their midst. The ninja surrounding Sakura hastily retreated. The Third Hokage's expression flickered with surprise upon seeing the sudden appearance of the giant ball, then darkened considerably.
Sakura watched as the massive sphere skidded to a halt in front of her, then, with a poof, shrank down. Looking closer, she too was somewhat astonished.
"Sakura, are you okay?" Choji asked, his back to her.
"What are you doing here?" The sudden appearance of Choji dissipated some of Sakura's her baleful, violent aura. In her isolation, with the village determined to eliminate her, the unexpected arrival of her former classmate tempered her raging emotions.
"Hey, Choji! Why'd you run off so fast?!" Another voice approached from the distance.
Sakura turned to see Ino, with Shikamaru following behind her.
"Hmph hmph, Sakura, I'm here to save you! Don't get too emotional now!" Ino said smugly to Sakura, her nose practically in the air.
"Man, you two. I told you to stick to the plan. This is too reckless!" Shikamaru tilted his head, addressing his two teammates with a sigh of resignation.
"You… you guys…" Sakura opened her mouth, but facing the three of them, she found herself speechless for a moment. Finally, with a helpless sigh, a faint smile touched her lips. "Idiots. Who asked you to come?"
"Can't be helped. You're our comrade, after all!" Shikamaru said with a helpless shrug.
"Are you too planning to betray the village?" The Third Hokage's face was incredibly grim. He hadn't expected so many unforeseen developments in this operation. Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino were the new generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio; their families held considerable influence in the village. He hadn't anticipated their involvement. If this wasn't handled properly, the village could face even more severe problems.
At this thought, the Third Hokage's breathing hitched, and he was seized by a violent coughing fit. He hastily covered his mouth with his hand. When the coughing subsided, he discreetly wiped the blood from his hand, then looked at the three newcomers, his brow deeply furrowed.
The ninja present exchanged uneasy glances. The situation seemed to be growing increasingly complicated. While everyone was momentarily stunned, a loud crash echoed, followed by a familiar voice.
"Third Hokage, I'm taking Sakura Haruno with me!"
Everyone looked up to see that the person who had appeared was none other than the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade.
"Lady Fifth Hokage! Y-You, why are you here?" the surrounding ninja exclaimed in shock.
"Tsunade! Why aren't you in the village?!" The Third Hokage's face was flushed crimson, clearly incensed. He roared, "What is the meaning of this?!"
"If this operation is your solution," Tsunade retorted sharply, "then I will use my solution to resolve this matter!"
For a moment, the two Hokage stood in direct opposition. The assembled ninja didn't know whose orders to follow. Although the Third Hokage was in charge of this operation, the Fifth was the current Hokage; she had the authority to mobilize all of the village's resources. Yet, the Third Hokage's prestige was not something the Fifth could easily match.
A situation where two Hokage clashed over a decision had never occurred before. Typically, the next Hokage was groomed by the previous one, making such a conflict of opinion almost impossible. The ninja all remained silent, watching intently to see how events would unfold.