The next morning, the sun shone brightly.
The Konoha gatekeeper duo, Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu, each carrying two large stacks of documents, made their way to the Hokage building to report on their duties.
Just like in the original story, on their way, they stumbled upon Haruno Sakura, who had been knocked unconscious by Sasuke the night before.
Kotetsu nudged her lightly. "Hey, wake up. You'll catch a cold if you sleep here."
Sakura's eyelids fluttered, and she suddenly woke up. The memory of what had happened with Sasuke the previous night resurfaced, and she cried out in despair, "Sasuke!"
Both guards were taken aback.
Without wasting time, they reported the incident to Shizune, who was on duty at the Hokage building for Tsunade. Shizune, in turn, relayed the matter to Tsunade, who then ordered Shikamaru to assemble a Genin team to pursue Sasuke.
After handling these matters, Tsunade returned home, utterly exhausted from the previous night's exertion. She let out a weary sigh. "Ah… so troublesome."
"What happened?" Fujiwara Kirito sat at the dining table, casually accepting the breakfast milk handed to him by Chinatsu, even though he already knew the answer.
"What else could it be? That orphan of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Sasuke, the younger brother of Uchiha Itachi, who's in the same organization as you, was supposedly abducted by Orochimaru and defected. I just ordered a pursuit team to be assembled. It's really one thing after another," Tsunade yawned, taking the breakfast milk from Karin as well.
"As for Sasukae, he is still in the village." Chinatsu said while eating breakfast while sitting in Kirito's arms.
"What?" Tsunade froze. She stood up abruptly, staring at him in disbelief.
"Chinatsu is right," Kirito confirmed. "Sasuke is still in Konoha, sleeping soundly at home. And no, it's not a shadow clone."
Tsunade rubbed her temples and let out an exasperated sigh. "What the hell is Sakura doing?" She then turned to Shizune and quickly commanded, "Shizune, hurry to the village entrance and stop Shikamaru's team. We should still be in time. Cancel the mission for now."
"Also, have Izumo and Kotetsu check on Uchiha Sasuke's home, and have them gather at the Hokage's office in half an hour."
"Understood!" Shizune responded respectfully and leaped out the window, rushing toward Konoha's gates.
Once Shizune left, Tsunade turned back to Chinatsu, an inquisitive look in her eyes. "Chinatsu, how did you know Sasuke was still in the village? Did your father tell you?"
Hearing this, Chinatsu didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked up at Kirito with an expression that practically asked, Can I tell her?
Kirito raised an eyebrow. "You didn't tell your mother?"
"You told me to keep it a secret," Chinatsu said, shaking her head.
"You really are obedient," Kirito chuckled, patting her head. "But it's okay to tell your mom."
He then turned to Tsunade and explained, "Chinatsu has two types of perception abilities. One comes from practicing the Tiangang Jue, a specialized Sage Mode I taught her. It allows her to sense chakra by connecting with natural energy."
"The other is a unique sensory ability she inherited, which sharpens her five senses. It lets her perceive the aura and emotional fluctuations of living beings, making it easier to predict and evade danger. With this, even with her eyes closed, she can effectively 'see' through an enemy's attacks."
Tsunade took a deep breath, processing this information. She couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder Kakashi and the others lost to you so badly. This kind of perception is ridiculous—it's practically predicting the future."
At that moment, something clicked in her mind. Setting her knife and fork down, she turned toward Chinatsu with a mischievous smirk.
"But speaking of which, Chinatsu…"
Chinatsu immediately sensed the shift in her mother's emotions. Her mother was very angry. The consequences would be severe.
"Dad…" Hearing Tsunade's internal thoughts through her ability, Chinatsu's expression subtly shifted. A cunning glint flickered in her eyes as she pretended to be scared, burying her little head into Kirito's arms like a frightened child.
Her acting was terrible, but effective.
Kirito, oblivious to the little power play between mother and daughter, simply stroked her head and said, "I asked her to keep it a secret. If this ability is exposed too soon before she matures, it'll put her in unnecessary danger."
Tsunade clicked her tongue lightly, her mouth twitching at the father-daughter duo. One was a daughter-con, and the other was a drama queen. She wanted to be angry, but ultimately, they weren't wrong. With a sigh, she rolled her eyes and dropped the matter.
***
At Shikamaru's command, the entire original pursuit team gathered, except for Naruto, who was out training with Jiraiya.
Aside from Neji Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Choji Akimichi, and Shikamaru Nara, the team also included Rock Lee, who had recovered.
Shikamaru gave them a quick rundown of their roles and the strategy. "Alright, that's the plan. Let's move."
Just as they were about to set off, a familiar, annoying voice interrupted them.
"Wait!"
They turned to see Haruno Sakura, running toward them.
Shikamaru frowned, clearly irritated. "Sorry, but we can't take you along. You already failed to stop Sasuke. From here on, we'll have to physically bring him back. This isn't your fight anymore."
There was frustration in his voice.
Sakura knew about Sasuke's plans to defect, yet she hadn't spoken up in time. Now they had to risk their lives because of her hesitation. If any of them died, it was on her.
Sakura's gaze darted around as if searching for something—no, someone. Her expression quickly turned desperate.
"Where's Naruto?" she blurted. "Why isn't he here? Sasuke is gone—why isn't he helping me? I can't bring Sasuke back alone!"
Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, Choji, and Lee exchanged glances, their expressions darkening.
Especially Shikamaru and Neji, who had both witnessed Kirito's brutal takedown of Kakashi and the other Jonin during the Chunin Exams. They remembered what Kirito had told Naruto—"If she needs anything, let her ask. If she doesn't, I'll give it to you."
They all felt indignant on Naruto's behalf.
This girl only thought of Naruto when she needed something.
Naruto had been gone for training with Jiraiya for quite some time now. She knew this. Yet, the moment Sasuke left, she immediately looked for Naruto, as if he were her personal servant.
The way she said it… it wasn't even a request.
It was an expectation.
None of them liked her attitude.
It didn't sound like she was asking for help.
It sounded like she was demanding it.
(End of this chapter)
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