A pleasant aroma drifted through the room. From the kitchen came the clatter of pots and pans, and a soft bubbling sound emanated from an iron pot on the gas stove.
Hearing the sound from the pot, a girl frantically turned off the flame and lifted it from the burner. Then, she called out loudly, "Dinner's ready, Sakura, Yakumo!"
In the living room, Sakura Haruno, curled up on the sofa, heard Karin's call. Her ears twitched, but she didn't get up. A dark, impenetrable cloud hung over her face.
Across from her, Yakumo stood up. "Well, let's eat first…"
"Yeah, I know," Sakura replied faintly, still not moving. Some things were like that—the more you thought about them, the more frustrating they became, the deeper you spiraled.
Karin and Yakumo had woken up in the village hospital the day before. They were stunned to learn they were back in Konoha. When Jiraiya described the events of the mission, both fell silent. To fall before the battle is won was the perfect description for them.
Karin had at least made it into the Waterfall Village. What Yakumo couldn't accept was that she had been trapped in a genjutsu without even realizing it. She only found out after she woke up, a devastating blow to the pride she took in her genjutsu abilities.
Jiraiya hadn't questioned them much. He gave them a brief overview of what had happened and then left. After all, the two of them had been unconscious in a genjutsu the whole time; it was unlikely they knew much. Jiraiya naturally assumed that whatever Sakura had been plotting was her own personal endeavor.
In Jiraiya's mind, Sakura's strength had reached a point where even he had to be cautious in Sage Mode. Why would she need two genin who were not even in the same league as her?
It was a classic pitfall of conventional thinking. If Jiraiya had interrogated Karin and Yakumo, Sakura's plan might have been exposed.
While Yakumo didn't know much, Karin knew for a fact that Sakura's target was a Tailed Beast.
In any case, after Jiraiya left, Karin and Yakumo immediately went to Sakura's house. When they found her lying on the floor like a lost soul, with several empty instant noodle bowls on the table, Yakumo stayed to clean up while Karin went out to buy groceries to cook a proper meal.
"Have some porridge, Sakura." Karin carried a steaming bowl to the sofa and offered it to the silent Sakura.
Sakura lifted her head slightly, her face etched with exhaustion. She stared blankly at the hot porridge, her eyes gradually losing focus.
She reached out with both hands and took the bowl, sipping the porridge in small mouthfuls. Though the bowl burned her hands, Sakura didn't seem to feel it, not even frowning.
"I… heard what happened from Lord Jiraiya," Karin said, holding her own bowl of porridge as she sat on the sofa opposite Sakura.
Seeing the two of them in the living room, Yakumo had no choice but to get a bowl for herself and find a seat.
"Ah…" Sakura responded with a vacant look, and then there was silence.
The blow from this failure was immense. It was the first time she had executed a plan with forethought, a clear objective, and an intelligence advantage, and yet it had still failed.
For the past two days, she had been reflecting on the reasons for her failure. On the surface, it was because of Shuying and Jiraiya. But in reality, the moment the Third Hokage had figured out the true purpose of her team, the mission was already doomed.
Once a secret is known by a second person, it is no longer a secret. If the Third Hokage could deduce her true intentions from her team's composition, then others could as well.
Yet Sakura hadn't realized this and had gone ahead with the plan anyway. Failure was inevitable. Even without Shuying, there was Jiraiya. Even without Jiraiya, there was Shuying. Even without the two of them, there would have been others.
Heh, how stupid. Sakura laughed at herself. Why was she trying to outwit people like that, to match their intelligence? She was just an ordinary, unremarkable person. She didn't have a genius-level intellect or extraordinary courage. The fact that she had made it this far was largely due to luck.
Placing the bowl on the table, Sakura leaned back on the sofa and stared blankly at the ceiling. What now… What should I do? Can anyone tell me…
"Sakura, I… I'm sorry. I was too useless," Karin said suddenly, her voice meek. "If, if I had…"
"It has nothing to do with you…" Sakura's voice was hoarse. "It's my fault. This operation… was doomed from the start. I was too naive…"
The atmosphere grew heavy. Even Yakumo became somber. She was helping Sakura out of a sense of gratitude, so she didn't feel the same guilt as Karin.
However, being defeated in her own area of expertise, with the very same technique, was frustrating. She didn't care about Sakura's plan; she only cared about whether her own skills were improving. It seemed she still needed to work harder.
"No, next time… next time it will definitely succeed! I… I'll work twice as hard!" Karin suddenly stood up and declared to Sakura.
Sakura's gaze slowly shifted from the ceiling to Karin. Seeing Karin's self-reproachful expression, her lips moved, and she slowly said, "Let's eat…"
She sat up, drank the rest of her porridge in one go, and ran a hand through her messy hair. She looked at Yakumo. "Are you staying here tonight?"
"Yeah." Yakumo held her bowl and glanced at the darkening sky outside. "I won't go back today. I'll stay here."
"Alright. You two stay here. I'm going out for a walk," Sakura said, heading for the door.
"I'll go with you…" Karin put down her bowl and started to follow.
"No need. You stay here. I want to be alone." Sakura waved her off dismissively. With a click, the door closed, and Sakura was gone.
"Hey, you," Yakumo said, lounging on the sofa and looking at Karin. "Why do you care so much about her? I don't think she treats you very well. I've never seen her show any concern for you."
"Don't you dare say bad things about Sakura!" Karin whirled around, glaring at Yakumo.
Yakumo was taken aback by Karin's furious expression, then smiled. "I'm not saying she's a bad person. I just think she doesn't care about you that much. All she cares about are her own affairs. She'll do anything to achieve her goals, even deceive an innocent girl."
The innocent girl Yakumo was referring to was, of course, herself. She had had nothing to do with Sakura, but Sakura had used various means to deceive her just to make use of her abilities.
Although she didn't know why Sakura later had a change of heart and confessed everything she had done, in Yakumo's mind, Sakura was a selfish person. Even now, while she was helping to train Yakumo's abilities, it was only to use her to achieve her own ends.
"No, it's not like that." Karin shook her head and bit her lip. "Sakura… she used to be a very gentle, kind, and considerate person. She was always willing to help anyone in trouble. She was the warmest person I've ever met."
"Hm?" Yakumo's expression froze. She stared for a moment. "Is that so? I really can't see it. Then why did she become like this?"
"Because… because…" Karin hesitated for a moment. "Because her parents used to live in this house."
"Oh?" Yakumo looked puzzled. "Right, I've been meaning to ask. The photo on the wall, are those her parents? I've been here a few times, but I've never seen them. Are they not home?"
"No… they're not…" Karin's voice dropped. "They died right in front of Sakura. They were killed by Konoha ninja."
Yakumo's face went stiff, her eyes wide with disbelief. Killed by Konoha ninja… That…
"What… happened to her?" Yakumo's voice had lost its earlier casualness.
Karin shook her head. "If you want to know, you should ask her yourself…"
Yakumo fell silent. She had once believed her own parents were killed by Konoha ninja. During that time, she had harbored the deepest animosity toward the village. But later, it turned out to be her own mistake, and the village had nothing to do with it.
But if Sakura's parents were really killed by the village's own ninja, then… wouldn't it be incredibly painful for her to stay in the village every day? And she had such immense power, yet she hadn't taken revenge on the village. If it were her, she probably would have long ago.
Yakumo suddenly felt a surge of respect for Sakura. So, she really is a gentle and kind person after all.