"How many people know about this?"
Jiraiya couldn't afford to be careless—what he had just read was simply too shocking.
"Apart from the four responsible for gathering the intel and myself, only you," the intelligence officer replied respectfully.
"Good. Then I don't need to explain how this should be handled."
Jiraiya's expression was grim as he looked at the man in front of him.
"Understood."
As members of the Intelligence Division, the first thing they were trained in from day one was secrecy.
Seeing this, Jiraiya immediately said, "Keep digging. Don't stop."
"I'll be gone for a bit."
With that, Jiraiya grabbed the thick stack of documents and pushed aside the Intelligence Division's tent flap, stepping into the snowy black night.
This matter was of critical importance—he had to inform Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately.
They needed to act on this intel before Konoha's negotiating team arrived.
If handled properly, Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki would no longer just be a figure of intimidation—
But a true force on the battlefield—the strongest Jinchuriki!
Turtle Island, the Truth Falls...
Even if it meant sacrificing a significant portion of benefits, they had to secure it.
Even if they couldn't take full control of the place, Konoha still had to get a piece of the pie.
With access to that site, Konoha would not only gain another stable powerhouse, but also eliminate the risk of another Nine-Tails incident for good.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Sakura Haruno stumbled out of the medical unit with heavy dark circles under her eyes, feeling completely drained.
Not a drop of chakra left in her.
Please… just let this poor little girl—boy?—off the hook…
In the past two days, she hadn't even gotten a total of four hours of rest. She was utterly exhausted.
Dazed and barely conscious, Sakura made her way back to her tent—only to find Jiraiya waiting along the path she always took to get there.
"Saku—"
Jiraiya had just opened his mouth to greet her and talk about Turtle Island and the Truth Falls when Sakura walked right past him, her pink hair dull and lifeless, expression completely blank, not even acknowledging his presence.
"Whatever it is, save it for later. I just want to sleep."
Being a medical ninja was brutal—especially after a full-scale battle.
Sakura felt more drained than she had during her fight against the Raikage and the Two-Tails combined.
"Uh..."
Jiraiya closed his mouth, watching as Sakura looked ready to collapse at any second.
Forget it. Let her get some proper rest. I'll talk to her once she wakes up.
Sakura wobbled into her tent, didn't even bother taking off her clothes, and collapsed onto the bed. The moment her eyes closed, she was out like a light.
She didn't know how long she'd been asleep when she rolled over and suddenly felt something soft and warm in her arms. Instinctively, she hugged it tighter and nuzzled against it—
So soft… and smells so nice~~~
Ino looked down at the pink-haired girl clinging to her, with her face buried in her neck.
Ahem...
Sakura's warm breath tickled Ino's neck, making her squirm a little.
Ino reached out and brushed aside the strands of pink hair that had fallen across Sakura's face.
This girl, who usually acted more like a tough guy, was now revealing a rare softness in her sleep.
Ino gently stroked her fine pink eyebrows, studying her delicate features.
It was hard to imagine someone who could embody both the strength and decisiveness of a boy, and the grace and beauty of a girl.
Back when they first met, this girl was just a crybaby.
Everyone bullied her—until Ino stepped in to help.
But that crybaby had grown into one of Konoha's greatest heroes.
The contrast was so stark that it left Ino with a strange, indescribable feeling.
But when it came to Sakura, maybe it wasn't that strange after all.
Sakura was truly the most incredible woman among women~~~
Ino couldn't help but wonder—who would be the lucky bastard to marry Sakura one day?
She already wanted to stab that guy, whoever he was.
Absentmindedly, Ino gave Sakura's cheek a little pinch.
"Mmm~~"
A sleepy mumble escaped from the pink-haired girl's lips, and Ino froze.
"Sakura!!!"
At dawn, somewhere deep in the mountains, a girl's furious scream nearly tore the tent off its stakes!
With arms crossed, Ino stood fuming while Sakura, clutching her head, looked completely lost.
Still half-asleep from the punch Ino had landed on her, Sakura blinked in confusion.
Who am I? Where am I?
What just happened?
Why is Ino looking at me like that?
What did I do?
Sakura had no idea what was going on, so she started piecing things together.
Before she fell asleep… didn't Jiraiya come looking for her?
Something important, right?
Oh right—negotiations!
If she didn't skin Kumogakure alive during those talks, she'd take the Raikage's last name!
"Sakura, you actually…!"
Ino looked ready to explode.
Unbelievable. That jerk!
If Sakura were a guy, she'd be the biggest scumbag in history!
But before she could finish yelling, Sakura had already thrown her clothes on (Ino still hadn't noticed when she'd taken them off in the first place).
"Ino, go hang out with Karin. I've got stuff to do!"
"Catch you later!"
"Bye!"
With those words, the tent flap flew open again, letting the wind and snow rush in. Ino shivered.
AAAAHHHHH!!!
That damn Sakura!!!
The blonde girl stomped her foot twice in frustration.
Just then, Karin walked in holding a bowl of hot porridge. She saw Ino fuming in the middle of the tent and asked:
"Where's Sakura?"
"Do I look like I know?!"
Still pissed off, Ino snapped at Karin.
"Huh?"
"Did you take something this morning?"
"You damn Ino-pig!"
Karin wasn't about to take that lying down.
"You red-haired octopus freak! Looking for a fight?!"
Ino shot back without hesitation!
"You think I'm scared of you?!"
"Bring it on!"
"Let's see who's scared!"
"You make the first move!"
"Why should I? You do it!"
"What, you chicken?"
"Chicken?! That word's not even in my dictionary!"
"Then go ahead, hit me!"
"Why don't you hit me!"
While the two girls stood forehead-to-forehead like squabbling kids, the tent opened yet again.
Sakura had come back.
She carefully reached over to grab her ninja gear from the bedside while glancing at the two who were still locked in their ridiculous standoff.
"You two keep at it—good luck!"
And just like that, she was gone again in a flash.
Leaving behind Karin and Ino, staring blankly at each other.
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