The Sakura Legend

Konoha Village

Now officially a Chunin, Sakura found herself occasionally drawing glances from passersby as she walked through the streets of Konoha. Although she had been away for three years, her standout performance during the Chunin Exams had certainly made an impression. In these relatively peaceful times, achieving Chunin rank at her age was considered exceptionally talented in the eyes of ordinary villagers, who had largely forgotten the dazzling prodigies forged in the crucible of past wars. They focused instead on the geniuses of the present – and Sakura, moreover, was the apprentice of the Fifth Hokage herself.

She returned the polite nods and smiles from fellow ninja she passed, though by the time she reached the Hokage Tower, her face felt slightly stiff from the effort. Is this the 'genius treatment' then? she mused with a touch of wry self-awareness.

Pushing open the door to the Hokage's office – perhaps forgetting to knock again – Sakura saw her master, Lady Tsunade, engrossed in reviewing scrolls.

Hearing the door open, Tsunade looked up. Seeing the young woman with pink hair standing gracefully in the doorway, she nodded inwardly with satisfaction, then immediately barked, "Don't you know to knock before entering?!"

"Uh-" Sakura was taken aback by the immediate reprimand. Her face, still slightly stiff from the forced smiling outside, remained awkwardly frozen as she replied, "The door was slightly ajar, Master. I thought perhaps you'd left it open for me."

"Was it?!" Tsunade's expression also grew a touch rigid as she realized she must have forgotten to close it properly after stepping out earlier. She'd grown quite fond of Sakura over the past three years, truly satisfied with her progress. If she had to pinpoint one dissatisfaction, it might be that Sakura's personality wasn't exactly... traditionally feminine. A bit like me, actually... Tsunade mentally shook off the thought.

"How is your body recovering?" Tsunade asked, steering the conversation back to business. Sakura's unexplained two-day coma had worried her immensely. She had personally examined Sakura thoroughly but found nothing physically wrong – if anything, Sakura was frustratingly healthy, strong as an ox. It had been a baffling situation: no injuries, yet deeply unconscious. Brain scans suggested deep sleep rather than a true coma. Tsunade had been on the verge of calling in the Yamanaka clan for a mind-scan when word came that Sakura had woken up. The demands of the Hokage position had kept Tsunade busy since then, which was why she had only summoned Sakura today.

"Thank you for your concern, Lady Tsunade. I'm completely fine now," Sakura replied. "It was likely just chakra exhaustion from the mission." Best not to mention that strange dream for now, she decided. It might be connected to Seijutsu, or the wood I brought back... This power system outside of chakra is something I need to research carefully myself first. If word gets out prematurely, it could lead to uncontrollable situations.

"Good to hear," Tsunade nodded curtly. "I have a mission that needs to be assigned, and you will lead the team."

"What kind of mission?" Sakura asked, realizing her brief period of leisure was over.

"Do you remember the ninja who attempted to assassinate me some time ago?" Tsunade inquired.

"Yes, I remember," Sakura nodded. "Didn't he die?" The memory of Kakuzu, the man who could wield all five elemental nature transformations, was still vivid. Since becoming a ninja, Sakura had faced numerous intense battles: the initial Kyuubi incident, her three years of rigorous training, the seemingly invincible Orochimaru during the Chunin Exams, Kimimaro's awe-inspiring Kekkei Genkai, the five-element master Kakuzu, the strange occurrences on Red Shoal Island, and countless other smaller skirmishes. Thinking back, the Kyuubi's power leak that night was still the most terrifying encounter – the sheer malevolence of that chakra chilled her even now. Kakuzu ranked a close second; despite her own considerable development by then, she had nearly lost that fight. If not for Gaara and the Suna shinobi providing backup, she definitely couldn't have won alone.

"Yes, he is certainly dead," Tsunade confirmed. "However, subsequent investigation revealed his identity. He was a ninja from Takigakure."

"Takigakure?" Sakura raised an eyebrow slightly. "The Village Hidden by a Waterfall? I thought they were a minor, neutral village. Were they involved in that incident?" If Sakura recalled correctly, Takigakure was geographically isolated, surrounded by four larger nations, and had historically avoided major conflicts due to its unique position. They lacked the power to invade others and had largely remained secluded. Were they now involving themselves in the politics of the Five Great Shinobi Countries?

"That remains uncertain," Tsunade stated. "The assassin's name was Kakuzu. He was registered as a Taki shinobi, but according to Jiraiya's intelligence, even Takigakure itself claims no knowledge of such a ninja. Perhaps he was part of their ANBU Black Ops, or perhaps his actions were entirely independent of his village." Tsunade fixed her gaze on Sakura.

"Your mission is to travel to Takigakure under the guise of a diplomatic envoy. While there, you are to covertly investigate any information related to Kakuzu. The mission is officially designated as B-rank."

"A B-rank mission..." Sakura murmured, processing the details. Primarily intelligence gathering, then.

"Although it's B-rank, direct combat with enemy shinobi is unlikely," Tsunade elaborated. "Your main focus is reconnaissance. If you encounter overwhelmingly superior forces, you are authorized to abandon the mission immediately."

"Understood," Sakura replied. "Since this is a diplomatic mission, I assume I won't be going alone?" She asked cautiously, noting that Tsunade had summoned only her so far.

"Of course not. You may select two teammates, provided they are not currently assigned to other critical missions," Tsunade said, handing Sakura a formal mission scroll. "Have your chosen teammates sign their names here."

Sakura accepted the scroll. "Then, I'll be going."

She turned and walked towards the door, her mind already racing. This mission felt more complicated than its rank suggested. Her fragmented memories of the "original" timeline felt increasingly unreliable as a guide; Sasuke was training under Lord Third, she had become Tsunade's apprentice years early, Karin was safe in Konoha... everything was different. It was entirely possible Takigakure was involved in the assassination attempt. She might face combat after all. But Takigakure was supposedly weak... yet Kakuzu had been incredibly strong... Sigh.

"Sakura."

Just as she reached the door, Tsunade called her name. Sakura turned back, a questioning look on her face.

"Don't worry too much about this mission," Tsunade advised, seeing the troubled expression on her apprentice's face. "Treat it primarily as a diplomatic task. Remember, even Jiraiya couldn't dig up anything significant."

This mission is really about honing Sakura's skills, Tsunade thought internally. Lord Third considers her potential Hokage material, and being Hokage requires more than just combat prowess. Jiraiya had already conducted a preliminary investigation in Taki and found nothing conclusive. This mission served multiple purposes: officially establish diplomatic contact with the neutral village now that a new Hokage was in place, allowing Konoha to assess their stance and adjust military strategies accordingly; provide Sakura with valuable diplomatic and investigative experience; and add a successful mission to her official record. A perfect trifecta. But seeing her looking so worried... perhaps she hasn't grasped the underlying objectives. Tsunade decided a small hint was necessary, lest Sakura investigate too aggressively and genuinely antagonize Takigakure. Jiraiya finding nothing strongly suggested Taki wasn't involved in the attack. If Sakura managed to uncover something about Kakuzu's origins, that would be a bonus. If not, it didn't truly matter.

Sakura blinked, puzzled by Tsunade's seemingly contradictory statements. She briefs me seriously about investigating a dangerous S-rank missing-nin, then tells me not to worry and treat it like simple diplomacy? If Jiraiya – the best intelligence agent in the world – couldn't find anything, why send me? It felt like Tsunade was downplaying it now... but why the serious tone earlier? Sakura was utterly bewildered. "Uh... Understood, Lady Tsunade," she replied blankly.

Watching Sakura leave with that confused look on her face, Tsunade sighed inwardly, feeling a headache coming on. Analyzing intelligence, including mission intent, is a crucial skill for any ninja. Let's hope Sakura can figure out the true purpose of this assignment.