Konoha Forest
Led by Pakkun, Sakura and the others advanced deeper into the forest.
"Hey, Sakura-chan, what's really going on?" Now that they were on the move, Naruto finally had a chance to ask.
Sasuke also turned his head, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.
"Remember Orochimaru, the one we encountered in the Forest of Death?" Sakura asked.
"Orochimaru? You mean the guy who attacked us…?" Naruto asked.
"Yes. His goal in coming to Konoha was today's attack. And our allies, the Sand Village, betrayed their alliance and joined forces with him," Sakura explained.
"But isn't their goal to destroy Konoha? Why are the people we're chasing retreating…?" Sasuke quickly identified the inconsistency.
"That… I believe you've sensed it too, Sasuke. That Sand ninja, Gaara, he's… different from us…" Sakura said, "He's a Jinchuriki."
Shikamaru, Shino, and Sasuke looked puzzled, not understanding the meaning of "Jinchuriki."
"Simply put, it means a Tailed Beast is sealed inside a person's body. They harness the beast's power, turning the person into a weapon of war…" Sakura glanced at Naruto as she spoke. Naruto showed a thoughtful expression, though he didn't display much emotion.
"You all know what Tailed Beasts are, right…?" Sakura asked.
"…Tailed Beasts… I heard my dad mention them. They're massive concentrations of chakra…" Shikamaru answered.
"That's right. There are nine Tailed Beasts in total. Due to limitations in sealing techniques, some villages can't perfectly seal them, which can lead to some… side effects…" Sakura continued.
"Side effects?" Sasuke recalled Gaara clutching his head, screaming on the ground.
"Yes, just like what you saw. Gaara's mind is tormented by the Tailed Beast." There was a lot more to say about Tailed Beasts, and Sakura only really knew the situations with the One-Tail and Nine-Tails, so she simplified her explanation to give them a general understanding.
Naruto, hearing Sakura's words, became noticeably quieter. During his month of training, Jiraiya had explained what Tailed Beasts were and what the power within him was. He'd once again come face-to-face with the source of the bullying he'd endured since childhood.
Jiraiya had discovered that Naruto's chakra was beginning to resonate with the Nine-Tails' chakra, so he'd taught Naruto how to use the Eight Trigrams Seal to control a small amount of the Tailed Beast's chakra. The results were promising. Sakura hadn't seen the entirety of Naruto's fight against Neji; if she had, she would have realized that Naruto had already begun to tap into the Nine-Tails' chakra.
"Everyone, we're getting close to the enemy," Pakkun announced.
"Get ready. We're going into battle. The two Sand ninja use Puppetry and Wind Release. Shino, you'll handle the puppeteer. Shikamaru, you take on the Wind Release user. Naruto, Sasuke, you're with me to deal with Gaara. I'll be the main attacker; you two focus on protecting the sealing squad members," Sakura instructed her teammates, assigning their targets.
"Shino, your abilities should be very effective against the puppeteer. Use your bugs to sever his chakra strings or jam his puppets' joints. Shikamaru, the Wind Release user's ninjutsu is powerful. Don't engage her head-on. Use the forest to your advantage and maneuver around her. With your intelligence, you should be able to find an opening." Sakura felt the heavy burden of being entrusted with command for the first time. She finally understood a little of what Shikamaru must have felt when he led the Sasuke Retrieval Mission.
Realistically, Shikamaru should have been the leader, but because the exams were interrupted in the second round, Shikamaru hadn't had a chance to demonstrate his exceptional intellect. Now, every one of her commands impacted the safety of her teammates. Fortunately, she knew her teammates' and their enemies' abilities well, so she could allocate tasks effectively.
"Understood…" Shino replied to Sakura's instructions.
"What a drag… And it's a girl…" Shikamaru muttered, a look of annoyance crossing his face at the thought of facing the Sand kunoichi.
"Listen carefully. Our mission is to pursue and capture Gaara and his siblings, but honestly, that Jinchuriki is a wild card. So, our primary objective is to protect the sealing squad. If things go south, immediately retreat with the sealing squad members," Sakura emphasized, still concerned.
"Got it, Sakura-chan… I'll definitely beat him…" Naruto suddenly declared, full of enthusiasm.
"You're the one I'm most worried about, Naruto! Don't go off-script…" Sakura snapped at him.
Pakkun suddenly stopped and said to Sakura, "Wait a minute. Something's wrong with the scent."
"Huh??" Sakura quickly raised her arm, halting the team behind her. "What do you smell… Pakkun…?"
"What's up, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, stepping beside her.
Suddenly, an unprecedented sense of danger washed over Sakura. She instantly activated her Strength of a Hundred Seal and shouted, "Scatter!"
A gigantic snake burst from the ground, lunging at Sakura. She desperately leaped back, but the snake pursued relentlessly. Its sheer size gave it a speed advantage, and Sakura couldn't outrun it. The snake swallowed her whole.
"Sakura-chan!!!…" Naruto's eyes widened in horror, and red chakra began to uncontrollably surge from his body.
"Wait, Naruto!!" Sasuke quickly grabbed Naruto, who was about to charge at the giant snake. But Naruto was already using the Tailed Beast's chakra, his strength shockingly amplified. Sasuke had to activate his Lightning Release Chakra Mode just to restrain him.
The dust settled. After swallowing Sakura, the giant snake stopped moving, its enormous, copper-like eyes staring at the group. They drew their weapons, wary of this sudden threat.
"Hehehehehe…" A grating, unpleasant laugh came from the top of the snake's head. "Sasuke, we meet again."
"You… You're… Orochimaru!" Sasuke recognized the man as soon as he revealed himself.
"Orochimaru!!… He's the one behind the attack on Konoha? Shouldn't he be in the village…?" Shikamaru's forehead was beaded with sweat. The situation was dire. Orochimaru, who should have been fighting the Third Hokage, was here. The Jonin were all in the village. Sakura, their strongest member, had just been swallowed whole by the giant snake. They were completely outmatched.
"What have you done with Sakura-chan…?" Naruto roared at Orochimaru.
"Hehehehe… You mean the little brat who got swallowed? She's probably dead by now. Maybe she'll become fertilizer soon enough…" Orochimaru said nonchalantly.
"Damn you…" Naruto was about to rush forward, but Sasuke held him back again. "What are you doing, Sasuke? Sakura-chan was eaten by that giant snake! Why are you stopping me?"
"Idiot, Sakura's not that easy to kill. She still has that jutsu," Sasuke said. Although Sasuke didn't know exactly what Sakura's jutsu was, he'd seen its effects firsthand when they last encountered Orochimaru.
Hearing Sasuke's words, Naruto calmed down slightly, though his anger at Orochimaru remained.
"So… You should be in the village fighting the Third Hokage. Why are you here…?" Sasuke asked, his Sharingan locked onto Orochimaru.
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