Sakura Haruno is Usefull

Sarutobi Hiruzen gave Sakura only one day to prepare. Early the next morning, she and Kakashi were to depart for the battlefield in the Land of Frost. Accompanying them would be Sasuke and Kurenai Yuhi's Team 8.

It's worth mentioning that Hinata wasn't part of Team 8.

Sakura didn't have much of an opinion on this. Given Hinata's personality, stepping onto the battlefield…

After saying goodbye to Kakashi, Sakura first went home to reassure her family, then planned to visit Tsunade at the Senju compound.

Senju Tobirama had previously promised that she could access the Senju library freely. Sakura had intended to visit before, but a series of events kept her too busy.

"Sakura, you're heading to the frontlines tomorrow…"

The red-haired girl beside her looked at Sakura with some sadness.

"It's okay; I'm pretty strong."

"No need to worry, Karin. If you want to stand beside me, then hurry up and earn your Leaf forehead protector."

Sakura comforted Karin slightly. In truth, Karin's abilities made her more than qualified to become a Konoha ninja.

However, one subject in the cultural curriculum, "The Will of Fire," gave Karin a bit of a headache.

There wasn't much Sakura could do about that; Karin would have to figure it out on her own.

"But where are you planning to take me, Sakura?"

Karin looked at the pink-haired girl in front of her with some confusion.

"Aren't you a member of the Uzumaki clan?"

"I know someone who also has Uzumaki blood."

"They might take an interest in you."

Hearing this, Karin was a bit puzzled.

Was she talking about Naruto?

While that boy had blonde hair, he did bear the Uzumaki surname and had an enormous amount of chakra.

But in Karin's view, apart from his chakra and surname, Naruto had little connection to the Uzumaki clan.

The Uzumaki clan was renowned for their skill in sealing jutsu, which required precise chakra control.

Naruto, though…

Karin chose not to comment.

Although Naruto's chakra gave Karin a warm and comforting feeling, that was the extent of it.

"Who is it?"

Karin asked curiously.

"For now, it's a secret," Sakura said, teasingly withholding the information.

This only made Karin more curious.

As Sakura led Karin toward the Senju compound, no amount of questioning could make Sakura reveal the mystery, leaving Karin even more intrigued.

Sweet, soft, and fragrant.

The familiar yet unfamiliar taste filled his mouth, immersing the man in the experience of savoring food he hadn't had in years.

Even though similar dango existed elsewhere, for him, this dango was unique.

Perhaps this was the greatest reward Uchiha Itachi had gained from returning to this village.

After carefully finishing the dango on his plate, Itachi placed some bills on the table and left.

His companion, Kisame Hoshigaki, followed at a leisurely pace.

"So, this is the place where you used to live, Itachi-san," Kisame remarked, his massive, bandaged sword slung across his back.

"Surprisingly peaceful during a time of war."

"It is indeed a peaceful place," Itachi responded calmly.

Dressed in black cloaks with red clouds and wearing straw hats, their faces were obscured, making it impossible to discern Itachi's expression.

The two walked aimlessly through Konoha's streets, engaging in occasional small talk.

"Once this mission is over, I'll be parting ways with you temporarily, Itachi-san. A bit sad, isn't it?" Kisame said, his shark-like face betraying no genuine emotion.

"Indeed," Itachi replied flatly.

Because of the war, the Akatsuki leader, Pain, had sent Kisame and Kakuzu to join the fray as mercenaries to prevent the Land of Wind from falling to the Fire-Earth alliance.

Itachi had wanted to participate as well, but for some reason, Pain declined.

Even Deidara had clamored to join, but Pain also refused.

As for Sasori and Hidan, they were even less likely to participate.

The Sand Village would be content just to kill Sasori on sight, and no one but Kakuzu was willing to team up with the Jashin-worshiping Hidan.

"What kind of mission is it? Can I hear about it?"

Unbeknownst to them, they had wandered near a riverbank when a crisp voice rang out ahead of them.

Itachi looked up to see a pink-haired girl in a green flak jacket standing before them.

Sakura felt a headache coming on.

She had planned to visit Tsunade with Karin but unexpectedly ran into these two near a dango shop.

At a time when she was about to head to the frontlines, these two had appeared just as they had in the original story.

However, as time passed, the so-called "original story" had become increasingly unreliable.

A war involving four great nations was about to erupt. The Third Hokage was still alive, Orochimaru's hands hadn't been sealed, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, was alive and well, and Tsunade had long since returned to the village...

Now, Sakura and Kakashi were preparing to head to the frontlines. Kakashi couldn't afford to fall here, as the Land of Frost battlefield would lose a critical asset.

Sakura decided to test whether her likely latent "Inner Sakura," combined with her Yin Seal and the slug she had summoned earlier, could hold them off.

As for Karin, Sakura had sent her to fetch reinforcements.

"Sakura… it's been a while," Itachi said, lifting his gaze to reveal his calm Sharingan eyes as he looked at the girl before him.

In his memory, this girl had surpassed his younger brother.

Recent events in Konoha hadn't escaped the Akatsuki's intelligence network, and reports about this often-overlooked girl were now on Pain's desk.

Single-handedly battling Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, aiding the Third Hokage against Orochimaru and the Fourth Kazekage, and shining during the mission to Grass Village…

Unnoticed by many, Konoha had quietly gained a formidable new force.

In taijutsu, medical ninjutsu, and summoning, she was exceptional.

In some areas, she had already surpassed one of the Sannin, Tsunade.

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