End-of-Volume Notes (1): Afterword and Plans

There was a long silence between the master and his apprentice.

Sakura Haruno clenched her fists, remaining silent.

Then Tsunade finally said, "That's how it is with Yugao. You should go back and rest too. She can accept visits starting tomorrow."

She picked up her cup, took a sip of water, and gestured that Sakura could leave.

Sakura Haruno suddenly turned her head and stared blankly at Tsunade.

"Wait a minute, Master!" she said earnestly, "You've mentioned stem cells before. As long as research into human cloning experiments is open, the application of stem cells can be completed within a few months!"

Tsunade rubbed her forehead.

"Stem cell research is a prerequisite for cloning technology... There are two types of stem cells in humans: one is the fully functional stem cell that can be used to clone the human body; the other is the pluripotent stem cell that can be used to replicate various organs and repair tissues. I think you've already learned about this," she said, looking at the girl. "Once we complete the stem cell research, we can directly cultivate Yugao's new heart, and her health problems will be solved."

"But the problem is, as the Hokage, should I lead the way in violating Konoha's rules and personally conduct human experiments?"

Tsunade sighed.

It's not that she couldn't think of a solution, but rather that she couldn't use it.

If the current Hokage were to be involved in such a scandal, the consequences would be far greater than simply an Elite Jonin temporarily retiring for a few years.

"Of course, once human experimentation is lifted, Yugao can still get a suitable heart and return to the ranks of top-tier ninjas," she added.

Sakura Haruno shook her head.

Unable to accept this outcome, she said, "That will waste three or four years of her training, ruining her most precious time for growth as a ninja. By then, she might not be able to improve anymore, and might not even be able to recover to her current state!"

"That's the only way. Do you have any other ideas?"

"This research... can be done by me." Sakura said firmly, unconsciously stroking her nails.

Tsunade stared straight at the girl, her gaze sharpening for a long time.

He finally spoke, "... You've already got the information?"

"Yes." Sakura didn't need to hide anything in front of Tsunade and directly admitted the truth, "I also took some experimental equipment and materials, which should be enough for me to use for a while."

It seems she was indeed well-prepared, and this wasn't just a decision made on a whim...

Tsunade gazed at her, looking deeply into her clear eyes.

"You're already all prepared... Are you sure you're going to establish a base in the Land of Snow?" she asked, seemingly casually adding, "The daimyo of the Land of Snow seems to have a very good relationship with you."

"Well, I'm quite good friends with Kazahana Koyuki..." The girl readily admitted this. It's a bit inappropriate for a ninja to have a personal relationship with a daimyo, but the Land of Snow is too far from Konoha, and the two countries are too far apart, so there's almost no connection between them. Therefore, there's nothing taboo about their relationship.

"I'll just let her know, and she'll come to Konoha to post the follow-up quest list for the previous Land of Snow mission..."

She had already thought it through regarding leaving the village. Leaving the village without permission and not returning for a long time would raise suspicions of betrayal, and she wasn't Jiraiya... Even Jiraiya only wandered around under the guise of long-term missions.

However, Sakura had already made an agreement with Kazahana Sōsetsu. If there was a mission list from the Daimyo of the Land of Snow, and he specifically requested that she be dispatched to carry out the mission, then there would be no problem.

She was the ninja who carried out the mission in the Land of Snow last time. It's only natural that the Land of Snow has specifically chosen her to complete the follow-up mission this time, since she is more familiar with the local environment and has more mission experience. Many missions with continuity have this requirement, and it's perfectly reasonable to ask the ninja who carried out the mission last time to continue carrying it out this time.

Establishing a base overseas is a major undertaking that she naturally needs to consider thoroughly.

She had already simulated this scenario in her mind several times, and had a general outline. However, the specific details still needed to be refined.

Is it purely stem cell and cloning research?

"Of course!" Sakura replied without hesitation, "I would never do what Orochimaru did and use real living people for experiments!"

Her moral bottom line isn't that low...

She can't control what others do, but at least when she does things herself, she won't do anything that harms reason.

Of course, using one's own clones for experiments already seems extremely evil to outsiders.

Looking at the righteous and resolute girl, Tsunade couldn't help but smile on her serious face.

"We can also use enemies for experiments..." Tsunade smiled faintly. She didn't have that many moral fastidious tendencies. Back on the battlefield, she had dissected enemy corpses and used living enemies to test Ninjutsu. These things were nothing. Konoha believed in treating its own people with kindness and compassion, not in being friendly and merciful to its enemies.

"That Hidan you encountered was a good test subject, it's a pity we couldn't save him."

Whenever Sakura saw that eerie Hidan, she remembered his sinister appearance, covered in black and white paint. She hadn't felt anything during the battle, but now, just recalling that scene in her mind sent shivers down her spine, raising goosebumps all over half of her arm.

"No, no, no, let's skip him," Sakura shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off the nauseating feeling. "That kind of person is completely different from a normal person. Who knows if the data collected from his body will be of any reference value to normal people."

"Besides, there was really no way to continue fighting at that time. The gap in strength between our Team Fourteen and them was quite large. I couldn't beat Kakuzu either. If he hadn't been unfamiliar with my Ninjutsu and hadn't lost two hearts and a large number of tentacles to Wind Blade Torrent and Monstrous Strength Technique, I probably would have been chased and beaten by him."

Sakura gave a wry smile, "They might not even last ten minutes."

If Kakuzu had known her true information from the beginning, and had used Earth Release to hide underground, then continuously used Ninjutsu to wear her down, she probably wouldn't have lasted more than ten minutes...

Conversely, if she had watched Shippuden and knew about Kakuzu and Hidan, then Kakuzu wouldn't stand a chance against her!

At that moment, she began to regret not watching more anime series before...

"Never mind, it's good that you're all back!" Tsunade her hand, no longer discussing why they hadn't managed to stop the Akatsuki duo. "At least we got some information about Akatsuki. Although their Secret Technique are strange, their effectiveness is greatly reduced once someone is on guard."

"... Of course, conversely, your information was also leaked." Tsunade pointed at Sakura.

The pink-haired girl simply shrugged indifferently.

"If their Akatsuki is really that harmonious, friendly, and respectful of each other," she said nonchalantly.

Sakura couldn't imagine an organization composed of unruly S-rank missing-nin sitting down in a circle, chatting casually, showing concern for each other, and sharing information... It would be quite impressive if they could even say something sarcastic like, "Watch out for that Sakura Haruno's Ninjutsu."

Besides, she can't just refrain from fighting for fear of information leaks, can she?

Hiding one's strength, playing dumb all the time, and then suddenly unleashing it in the final battle to devour the tiger? That's an idea only someone who hasn't experienced life-or-death combat would come up with. Such a method is simply not feasible. Ninjutsu that isn't honed in life-or-death battles is just empty talk; using it rashly is extremely dangerous.

Moreover, she had no idea whether a "grand finale" existed in the manga; even if it did, her interference had drastically altered the course of the story...

Even if, hypothetically, everyone in Akatsuki knew all about her, so what?

The next time we meet, she definitely won't be at this level.

Kakuzu's bloody example also shows that unreliable information can sometimes be more harmful than no information at all!

(1/.)