As everyone knows, Fire MOD + Ice MOD = Explosion!
The moment Sakura activated her Devil Fruit's Ability, Itachi sensed this lethal threat from another world.
Without the slightest hesitation, he used the Body Flicker Technique three times in succession, putting hundreds of meters between them.
Boom!
Flames soared, and intense heat waves swept through the area.
The pain from the explosion's impact helped Sakura break free from the Shackling Stakes Technique.
"Whew, finally free."
She moved her limbs slightly. In an explosion powerful enough to kill an adult Ninja instantly, the only injuries Sakura sustained were a few minor scratches.
It can be seen how amazing the physique of humans from the One Piece World truly is.
Her Observation Haki sensory network expanded, and a sonar-like image of the entire forest appeared in her mind.
Extending her visual range, she darted through the shadowy woods and quickly locked onto Itachi crouching in the distance.
Sakura stomped the ground again, her body vanishing with a whoosh as she turned into a blur.
"Found you!"
Her exquisite crimson face suddenly appeared right in front of Itachi… Sakura had already closed in.
As she swung her fist, harsh frost condensed, and large ice spikes rained down.
"You also have a Kekkei Genkai? No, you're… a first-generation Kekkei Genkai Awakener!"
Itachi quickly sorted through the intelligence he had on Sakura and reached a conclusion.
To defend against the ice spikes, Itachi had no choice but to swiftly form hand seals.
[Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!]
Four earthen walls rose, the top soon closed.
Outside, the sound of hailstones pounding and ice shattering echoed continuously. The entire Earth-Style Wall trembled under the assault.
"Huff… huff!"
Inside the protection of the Earth-Style Wall, Itachi exhaled frost… the temperature inside was steadily dropping.
'This won't do. I have to use Fire Release!'
Itachi channeled Fire Attribute Chakra from within his body, his hands rapidly forming hand seals.
Crack… crack, crack, crack!
The Earth-Style Wall emitted sounds of strain before finally shattering under the girl's furious punches.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Taking a deep breath, Itachi spat out flames resembling Phoenix Sage Flower seeds, which scattered in all directions like flying projectiles.
The Chakra-controlled flames collided with the ice spikes Sakura hurled, producing vast clouds of steam that blanketed the forest in thick mist.
"Did you use Fire Release on purpose?"
Though her vision was obscured, Sakura's Observation Haki still locked onto Itachi.
She noticed him raising a finger to form the Ram hand seal.
"Planning to use Earth-Style Wall again? Bring it on!"
"No, let's end it here for today. I apologize again for the earlier disturbance."
Itachi knew Sakura could see him and offered an apologetic smile.
"Goodbye."
Whoosh!
The figure in the black robe flickered and vanished. Sakura's fist shattered the afterimage, along with the tree beneath it.
As she fell, Sakura flipped mid-air and landed gracefully on the ground.
Solid ice spread beneath her feet, freezing the collapsing tree behind her entirely.
"He ran away?"
A puzzled Sakura replayed the Observation Haki scan from earlier and noticed a detail.
When Itachi formed the Ram hand seal, his pupils seemed to tremble.
She had initially thought it was due to him using his dynamic vision to track her movements.
But now, it appeared that must have been Itachi's unique method of forming hand seals with his eyes.
'I still have a lot to learn when it comes to fighting Ninjas.'
Sakura sighed softly, gathered her belongings, and hurried home.
Crossing four or five streets, Sakura arrived at her doorstep.
As she pushed the door open, she was unsurprised to see an elderly man wearing a red conical hat.
Beside him sat her rigidly upright father and her mother, who was nervously serving tea.
"Hey, old man, you're here!"
Sakura waved a greeting and casually plopped onto the sofa.
"Sakura!!!"
Her behavior simultaneously detonated her parents, who were stretched to their breaking point, resulting in a harmonious duet of roaring in the house.
"Hahaha, it's fine, it's fine!"
"I already said there's no need for such formality."
Hiruzen chuckled and waved his hand, then took a sip of the tea served by Mebuki.
Slowly setting down the teacup, Hiruzen interlaced his fingers and rested his chin on them.
"Sakura-chan, I heard..."
Crack, crack, crack!
Sakura placed her palm on the table. Under the influence of her Devil Fruit's Ability, a small flower crafted from ice bloomed.
'As expected!'
Hiruzen mused silently. It wasn't until he saw the ice flower that he confirmed his speculation.
'Powerful physical strength, Chakra levels far surpassing her peers, keen sensory abilities, and now this additional Chakra Nature beyond the basics.'
"Sakura, you may have awakened a Kekkei Genkai!"
Hiruzen reached into his pocket, intending to pull out his pipe and light it.
But noticing the child, Sakura, sitting before him, he put the matches back and simply held the unlit pipe in his mouth.
"Mhm, I know. I read about it in the books at the Academy's library."
Sakura waved her hand, dispersing the ice flower on the table and evaporating the moisture along with it.
From the moment she used her Devil Fruit's Ability against Itachi, she had been prepared. Everything about her would inevitably be exposed to Konoha's upper echelons.
However, Sakura was very curious: what kind of attitude would the Third Hokage adopt toward her?
"Is that so? Sakura-chan is such a studious child."
"Then Sakura-chan, you must also understand how precious a first-generation Kekkei Genkai Awakener is, right?"
"So I have a proposal: how about joining the Anbu?"
Although the girl before him was only six years old, she was, after all, a genius Kekkei Genkai Awakener.
With Konoha currently facing a shortage of capable Ninjas, Hiruzen felt having her join the Anbu might be a good option.
From the regular reports of the Academy teachers, Hiruzen knew this girl had always been learning ahead of the Academy's curriculum.
Schoolwork wouldn't be a problem for her, allowing her to handle Anbu's duties while keeping up with her studies.
Moreover, her identity as a Kekkei Genkai Awakener wouldn't stay hidden for long. Coupled with her aura as a genius from a civilian family, she would become a target of covetousness for many… like a certain old friend of his.
A saying circulated among Konoha's upper echelons: "When Danzo is quiet, he's definitely up to no good."
This old friend had been unusually quiet for a long time since the last time Hiruzen had tricked him out of a group of operatives. He was probably brewing up some new scheme.
Rather than waiting for him to make a move, it was better to bring Sakura into the Anbu first.
That way, when Danzo came to his office later to throw a tantrum, Hiruzen could use this as a reason to refuse him directly.
Most importantly, he could also secure a Kekkei Genkai genius for himself. It was a win-win… specifically, Hiruzen winning twice.
"Anbu.... No thanks!"
Sakura raised her hand and waved it side to side, rejecting the proposal.
"Alright, then I'll just... cough cough... Why not?"
Hiruzen coughed, asking awkwardly.
"Being an Anbu is too troublesome, there are too many rules, I don't want to go!"
The pink-haired pirate girl placed her hands on her hips, stating her reason for refusal righteously.
Hiruzen would never have guessed, even if he racked his brains, that someone would reject him for such a reason.
"I can assign you to be my direct guard along with Crow. The tasks are very relaxed, there aren't many restrictions… just maintain confidentiality."
"No!"
"There's mission pay!"
"...Hm?"
A strand of the girl's hair stood up, and her attitude softened slightly.
"The pay isn't low, you know."
Seeing an opening, Hiruzen seized it instantly, working his magic!
"How much?"
Sakura uncrossed her arms from her waist and placed them over her chest, slightly opening her right eye.
"We'll count it as you completing one A-Rank mission per month. Two hundred thousand Ryo in compensation."
Hiruzen grinned, his pipe dangling proudly from his mouth.
"Deal!"
Sakura nodded emphatically. After all, Ninja training was really expensive… all sorts of tools, medicine, and scrolls needed constant replenishment.
If Sakura were an ordinary Ninja, she could just wait to graduate, become a Genin, take missions, earn rewards, and accumulate slowly.
But the problem was her training had already surpassed that of an ordinary Genin, yet she lacked the means to earn matching rewards.
Her parents also couldn't afford the expenses of a Ninja's training.
Now, a job in the Anbu could provide her with a stable income, perfectly addressing her needs.
[Notice, Achievement unlocked: Join the Anbu. Obtained 20 achievement points.]