Konoha Hospital
When Sakura arrived at the hospital carrying Sasuke, Anko was already waiting. Anko's expression was weary, clearly showing signs of having been in battle.
"Special Jonin Anko," Sakura greeted her upon seeing her.
"Mm, Sakura Haruno, right? Let me see what happened," Anko got straight to the point, leading Sakura into the hospital.
"We encountered Orochimaru while pursuing the Sand ninja. Sasuke Uchiha was given a curse mark by Orochimaru," Sakura explained succinctly, following Anko into a treatment room.
"Place him in the center of the sealing array on the floor," Anko instructed, pointing to a large, complex array that Sakura didn't recognize.
"Special Jonin Anko, it hasn't been too long since Orochimaru placed the curse mark. Is it possible to remove it...?" Sakura asked the question she most wanted answered.
Anko approached Sasuke, lifted him slightly to examine the curse mark on his neck, and shook her head. "It's impossible. Once a curse mark is placed, it cannot be removed. This is Orochimaru's Cursed Seal of Heaven. The only way to remove it would be with a sealing jutsu of a higher level than the curse mark itself... My own curse mark was sealed by the Third Hokage..."
"I see... Then what do we do now...?" Sakura couldn't help but feel disappointed at Anko's answer. She had hoped that, with the curse mark's foundation still unstable, removal might be possible, but she clearly didn't understand these things well enough, and her expectations had been too idealistic.
"Sasuke is currently in a critical period. According to Orochimaru's research, the survival rate for those given the Cursed Seal of Heaven is only one in ten. So, for now, we can only use a sealing technique to slow down the curse mark's erosion and help him get through this stage..." Anko said, already beginning preparations for the sealing jutsu.
"Thank you, Special Jonin Anko," Sakura could only acquiesce.
It seemed she still needed to become stronger. Otherwise, she might actually be defeated by Sasuke, and then Sasuke going to Orochimaru would become a real problem. Sasuke's current state was extremely unstable. Perhaps, once he tasted the sweetness of the curse mark's power, he would challenge her to a duel first.
Sasuke's perspective was still very narrow. He only knew that Itachi was strong, but he didn't understand how strong. Currently, Orochimaru alone had thrown Konoha into chaos, so in Sasuke's limited experience, Orochimaru was the strongest person he had encountered. Because of Sakura's interference earlier, Sasuke didn't know how much power Orochimaru could truly give him, which was why he wavered under Sakura's persuasion.
But if Sasuke used the power granted by Orochimaru to defeat Sakura, he would believe that Orochimaru could give him even greater power. Seeking Orochimaru out would then become a matter of course. Therefore, Sakura absolutely had to remain stronger than Sasuke, even after he obtained the curse mark, to always keep him in check and prevent him from thinking that Orochimaru could offer him anything better.
It wasn't that Sakura didn't want Sasuke to become stronger, but she didn't want him to make the drastic decision to defect for such a small amount of power. The power Sasuke could obtain in the future was insignificant compared to what Orochimaru was offering now. Sasuke needed time, and time was precisely what Sasuke couldn't afford to wait for.
Sakura left the treatment room and sat down on a bench in the hallway to rest. The recent battle had left her exhausted, mentally drained. Thinking back on the fight with Orochimaru, Sakura analyzed her gains and losses.
Orochimaru's battle IQ was beyond her reach. From the very beginning, Orochimaru's goal was to place the curse mark on Sasuke, but from his appearance to the end, he had focused entirely on her. Although Sakura clearly understood Orochimaru's objective, this time was different from the Forest of Death. In the Forest of Death, Orochimaru had consistently targeted Sasuke, so her full attention had been on protecting him.
This time, however, Orochimaru targeted Sakura, leading her to believe that he wanted to eliminate her first before dealing with Sasuke. As a result, her mental energy was entirely focused on figuring out how to fight Orochimaru and hold out until reinforcements arrived, and she was ultimately outmaneuvered.
"Damn it," Sakura punched the chair. "I'm still so far behind these veteran ninja. If it weren't for the advantage of knowing what was going to happen, I might have been completely played without even realizing it..."
When it came to schemes and mind games, Sakura still lacked the essential qualities of a true ninja.
"What are you so frustrated about, Sakura Haruno...?"
Sakura heard a weary, elderly voice and looked up to see the Third Hokage. After composing herself, Sakura stood up. "Third Hokage-sama, you're here."
"Hehe, you don't mind if I sit here for a moment, do you?" The Third Hokage chuckled.
"Ah~ Not at all, please," Sakura said. After the Third Hokage sat down, she sat as well and asked, "How is the situation in the village?"
"Thanks to your information, the village's losses were minimal. The enemy has been completely suppressed now, haha~" The Third Hokage gave a hearty laugh.
"Phew~ I'm glad the village is safe... Damn it..." Sakura said, frustrated. "If it weren't for my mistake... perhaps things would have been different..."
"Are you talking about Sasuke...?" The Third Hokage asked.
"Yes... If I had been able to judge the situation clearly at the time, perhaps Sasuke wouldn't have been cursed by Orochimaru..." Sakura said, feeling somewhat dejected.
The Third Hokage was silent for a moment. In truth, he owed his life to Sasuke and Sakura. When the Third Hokage faced the Edo Tensei First and Second Hokage, he had already resolved himself to die, planning to use a forbidden jutsu. But unexpectedly, the Orochimaru remaining at the scene was only a clone, which gave the Third Hokage the opportunity to break the Four Violet Flames Formation, barely managing to seal the First and Second Hokage with the help of the ANBU.
Not long after, Sakura had returned, carrying Sasuke, who had been cursed. Seeing Sasuke with the curse mark, the Third Hokage had pieced together the entire scenario. If Orochimaru had succeeded in the Forest of Death, then at the Konoha stadium, he would have truly had to use a forbidden jutsu to take Orochimaru down with him.
"...Sigh... I'm truly getting old... I didn't expect to be saved by a newly sprouted leaf..." the Third Hokage thought to himself.
Seeing Sakura's downcast expression, the Third Hokage seemed to have made up his mind. He said to Sakura, "Sakura... you did very well. If it weren't for the information you provided, Konoha might have suffered much greater losses. As for Sasuke's matter... don't worry... I will find a way to resolve it..."
Sakura turned her head to look at the Third Hokage's determined gaze, sensing that he had made a significant decision...
"Thank you, Third Hokage-sama..." Regardless, what had happened was already irreversible. She could only hope that things wouldn't get any worse.
"Haha... You genin truly make me, as Hokage, feel ashamed... Don't worry. I swear, in the name of Hokage, I will not allow the village to suffer any harm... The Will of Fire will never be extinguished..." The Third Hokage, seemingly having made a firm decision, spoke with a lighter tone.
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