The Sakura Legend

Konoha Village

Since completing the mission on Red Shoal Island, Sakura had found herself unexpectedly idle. Tsunade hadn't assigned her any new tasks. Perhaps the immediate repercussions of the Konoha Crush plan were finally fading, allowing mission assignments to return to a more normal rhythm.

Konoha's prestige was steadily rebuilding under Tsunade's leadership as the Fifth Hokage. Her unparalleled medical ninjutsu was a strategic asset no other village possessed, making her presence invaluable, especially in times of conflict. Thanks to the Third Hokage's strong support and Tsunade's own formidable reputation, the voices of opposition within the village had largely fallen silent—chief among them being Danzo, who had kept an unusually low profile since the negotiations with Suna.

Hokage Office

"So? Getting used to the Hokage gig yet?" Jiraiya asked casually, sprawling comfortably on the sofa in Tsunade's office.

"Why don't you try it and find out?" Tsunade retorted, setting down a stack of paperwork. She leaned back in her chair, stretching languidly.

"Hahaha! You're the only one truly suited for this position," Jiraiya laughed. "And from what I can see, you're doing a pretty decent job so far."

"Hmph. Any news from your end?" Tsunade asked, deftly changing the subject.

"News about what?" Jiraiya asked, feigning ignorance.

"Orochimaru!" Tsunade snapped. "After he showed his face again, surely you went after intelligence on his whereabouts?"

"Him..." Jiraiya's expression shifted, becoming more serious. "Actually, you're mistaken about that. I haven't been tracking him."

"Oh? Why not?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Because compared to Orochimaru, there's another organization that concerns me far more right now," Jiraiya said grimly.

"Hm? Are you talking about the group connected to that corpse Danzo brought back?" Tsunade's expression also grew serious.

"Exactly," Jiraiya confirmed. "That organization is called 'Akatsuki.' Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame... and that ninja who attacked you, Kakuzu... they're all members."

"Kakuzu?" Tsunade pulled out a bingo book, flipping through the pages. "Is he a missing-nin too? There's no record of him here."

"You won't find him in Konoha's records. He's originally from Takigakure," Jiraiya explained.

"Takigakure? The Village Hidden by a Waterfall?" Tsunade recalled.

"Correct. That village is almost completely cut off from the outside world; information is scarce. Kakuzu was once a Taki ninja. What's strange is that even current shinobi from Takigakure seem to have no knowledge of him," Jiraiya paused, then continued. "That's all the information I have on him for now; further investigation will have to wait. The immediate focus is Akatsuki. This organization is extremely dangerous. The members we know of are all S-rank missing-nin. They operate as mercenaries, but it's impossible that their leader gathered such formidable power just for money..."

"Which means Kakuzu's corpse is critically important," Tsunade interjected.

"Yes," Jiraiya nodded.

"Even so, I regret to inform you," Tsunade sighed, shrugging helplessly, "we can no longer extract any intelligence from Kakuzu's brain."

"Just as I suspected," Jiraiya nodded grimly, unsurprised. "Danzo, was it?"

"We can't be certain. It's possible Kakuzu destroyed his own brain," Tsunade replied noncommittally.

"Ah well," Jiraiya waved a hand dismissively. "If Danzo was involved, we likely wouldn't have gotten anything useful anyway." He looked at Tsunade. "What do you intend to do about Danzo?"

"Do?" Tsunade scoffed. "What can I do about him, realistically?"

"Haha, true," Jiraiya scratched his head, giving a dry laugh. "I'll help you however I can." Without concrete proof that Danzo had orchestrated the assassination attempt—the evidence from Suna was ultimately circumstantial, and the Third Hokage was still alive and influential—Tsunade's hands were tied regarding punitive action against the elder.

"Is there anything else you need?" Tsunade asked coolly, seeing through Jiraiya's awkward deflection.

"You haven't changed a bit," Jiraiya grumbled, then quickly added, sensing her impatience, "Actually, yes, there is one thing I need to ask of you."

"What is it? Spit it out!"

"I want your permission to take Naruto out of the village for an extended training trip," Jiraiya stated seriously.

Tsunade's brow furrowed. She stared intently at Jiraiya for a long moment before demanding sharply, "Reason!"

"To protect him," Jiraiya answered simply.

"Is this because of Akatsuki?" Tsunade asked, crossing her arms.

"Yes," Jiraiya confirmed. "While their ultimate goal remains unclear, their current objective is to collect the Tailed Beasts."

"..." Tsunade closed her eyes, silent for a tense moment.

"I hate to say it, Tsunade," Jiraiya continued, spreading his hands helplessly, "but Naruto isn't entirely safe here in the village."

"Hmph! Are you suggesting I can't protect that brat?!" Tsunade snapped, anger flashing in her eyes.

Jiraiya shook his head, stood up from the sofa, and walked over to the Hokage's desk. Leaning slightly over it, he looked Tsunade directly in the eye. "Are you planning to keep Naruto effectively imprisoned within Konoha's walls forever?"

Tsunade opened her mouth to retort, but no words came out. She knew Jiraiya had a point. While she could physically protect Naruto within the village, certain factions – Danzo and the elders chief among them – wouldn't hesitate to keep him confined indefinitely for "security." But Tsunade couldn't bring herself to do that. Naruto's spirit reminded her too much of her brother, Nawaki. The Third Hokage might agree to such measures for Naruto's safety, but she knew he would carry the guilt heavily.

Imagine Naruto, watching his peers go out on missions, growing stronger, while he alone was restricted from leaving the village. It would be another form of isolation, undermining the progress he'd made integrating himself after becoming a ninja. Assigning ANBU escorts for every mission was impractical and not foolproof. The safest option, politically and perhaps even physically, was confinement.

If Tsunade weren't Hokage, if Jiraiya weren't here proposing this... Naruto might indeed have been trapped in the village for the rest of his life. Until Naruto was strong enough to defend himself, Jiraiya's offer was likely his only chance to leave, to train, to grow. Jiraiya himself was incredibly powerful, and Naruto's godfather and teacher; traveling with him was undoubtedly safer than relying on ANBU escorts. Plus, it allowed Jiraiya to continue his own intelligence gathering while protecting his student.

In fact, ever since Jiraiya had returned with his initial intelligence on Akatsuki, the village administration had already been subtly limiting the number of out-of-village missions assigned to Team 7. Consequently, Sakura and Sasuke had spent a considerable amount of time doing local tasks alongside Naruto, indirectly affected by the restrictions placed on him. The mission to Red Shoal Island, for instance, could easily have been assigned to Team 7 – Naruto and Sasuke were both available at the time, and it would have been good for team cohesion. But concerns about Naruto's safety likely played a role in the decision to send Sakura with Team 8 instead.

"I understand," Tsunade finally said, rubbing her temples wearily. "Let me think about it. Even if I agree, there's still the Old Man to consider."

"The Old Man will definitely agree," Jiraiya stated confidently.

"I wasn't talking about the Old Man," Tsunade sighed, looking pained. "I meant his contemporaries. The Elders."

"It doesn't matter," Jiraiya countered, seemingly unconcerned. "The Old Man is still around. As long as we convince him, the others won't raise too much objection."

"Let's hope you're right..." Even Tsunade, for all her strength and authority, found dealing with the village elders incredibly tiresome.

In the forest behind the Hokage Monument, Sakura was sparring with Sasuke. Around her neck, she wore a small, simple pendant she had carved from a piece of the Ōkami Shinju wood brought back from Red Shoal Island. As they moved, Sasuke, his Sharingan active, suddenly noticed something… something unusual about the energy surrounding the pendant...