Sakura Haruno's Scroll

Sasuke stood before the scroll, gazing at it for a long time.

After a long while, he stepped forward and picked up the scroll.

Shaking off the dust from the scroll, Sasuke stroked the unfamiliar tadpole-shaped Sealing Jutsu formulas on it, lost in thought.

The scroll was left behind by Sakura Haruno.

Sasuke still remembers that scene.

The night before I left--

"This scroll," Sakura Haruno said, having specifically sought out Sasuke's house, Gate of Opening and handing him a scroll, "I'll keep it here for safekeeping until I return."

"Huh?"

Sasuke was wearing pajamas, was somewhat taken aback.

"Why did you leave it with me..." He walked out of the house, took the scroll, examined it carefully, and exclaimed in surprise, "Wait, isn't this the scroll you used to store your Clone Duplicate?"

"Yes." Sakura Haruno nodded.

"I want to leave that most special Clone Duplicate the Sharingan with you..."

"Why?" Sasuke frowned, looking at her with confusion. "You should keep this for yourself!"

"This is your most important combat tool!"

"Take it back quickly!"

He then forcefully pushed the scroll back, intending to return it to Sakura.

Where will Sakura Haruno be picked up?

"Don't get agitated," she said, pressing down on Sasuke's shoulder, her clear and resolute eyes fixed on Sasuke. "Listen to me, Sasuke!"

Sasuke stared at her blankly, then fell silent.

"As for Clone Duplicate, I still have a scroll, but it doesn't have the Sharingan; it's just an ordinary clone. To be honest, the Mangekyō's abilities don't fundamentally enhance my combat power."

"I've carefully considered the risks of this operation. The Kumogakure Ninja are unlikely to attack us, but Akatsuki has both the motive and the strength to ambush us halfway," she said calmly. "If I encounter an enemy so powerful that I can't even escape, then having another clone with the Mangekyō Clone Duplicate by my side won't make much difference."

The worst-case scenario is that her hatred level is too high, and Pain, the Masked Man, and everyone else from Akatsuki all come out in force. In that case, she really wouldn't have a chance to escape...

"If that situation really happens..."

Sakura Haruno paused for a moment, then pointed to the scroll in Sasuke: "This is my escape route."

Sasuke taken aback.

He thought for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "You can use it to resurrect?"

"Hmm, resurrection..."

Sakura Haruno shrugged and said, "It's a kind of resurrection. I sealed a portion of my spiritual power into a scroll along with my clone. In case... in case that 'in case' really happens, another Sakura Haruno will awaken from here."

Sasuke gritted his teeth, pondered for a moment, and said, "But is this Sakura Haruno still you?"

The girl sighed.

"That depends on how you define 'Sakura Haruno'..."

She said softly.

"She will have some of my memories, and she will treat you all as friends and companions... She looks just like me, her personality won't be too different, and her strength won't be much weaker than mine. Her Taijutsu might be a bit weak, and she's lost the energy stored in the Yin Seal, but she can recover it in no time."

"Although she is only one year old and has not experienced what we went through together... you will create new memories." Sakura Haruno said, taking a step back and looking out from the courtyard, her gaze passing over the twilight-shrouded Konoha and lingering on the night sky.

The moonlight was exceptionally gentle.

"She is me, yet she is not me."

Sakura Haruno's voice sounded a little melancholy.

Sasuke clenched his fist.

No, if that were the case, he wouldn't admit that the new Sakura Haruno was the girl in front of him.

Sakura Haruno is his teammate in Team 7, his friend at the Ninja Academy, and the girl who trained and grew with him, completed missions with him, faced Kisame and Itachi with him, and went through so many life-and-death battles with him.

Every detail of those experiences is vividly clear in his mind!

Sasuke opened his mouth, seemingly thinking, but then fell silent.

"You won't die." After a long pause, he finally mustered his strength. "You'll definitely come back."

The boy gazed at the girl before him with bright, piercing eyes.

I have a piece of advice for you.

Don't die.

Sasuke didn't say those two words aloud, but Sakura Haruno understood what he meant.

No need to export.

My advice is simple: don't die.

This is a secret code between the two of them.

"I understand." Sakura Haruno narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Alright, stop acting like I'm about to die! I'm not that easy to kill."

If Akatsuki truly considers her a target he's determined to kill at any cost, then her journey is indeed quite dangerous; however, Sakura Haruno feels that this possibility is not high.

For some reason, she laughed for a long time even though the scene wasn't particularly funny.

After she stopped, he said seriously, "There's another situation where you also need to open the scroll."

"Um?"

"The village was attacked, and I hadn't gotten back yet."

Sakura Haruno said solemnly and authentically.

That possibility exists—it should exist, it has always existed. No one knows what those lunatics in Akatsuki might do; only Akatsuki would single-handedly wipe out the entire Konoha just to capture the Nine-Tails.

While Sakura Haruno is away, Konoha is missing a top-tier fighter, which significantly increases the likelihood of them being attacked.

"You already know my clone quite well. Although it's just a clone, it can enter Sage Mode, has the Mangekyō Sharingan, and its combat power is not to be underestimated; it's not much weaker than myself. So, when necessary, open this scroll."

This is not an exaggeration.

Aside from Jiraiya and Sakura Haruno Konoha would dare to claim they could easily defeat her with their clones...

Sasuke ultimately accepted the scroll.

He was not allowed to wear the robe, but he could not refuse Sakura Haruno's sincere request.

Sasuke kept the scroll in a corner of the living room. Sometimes when he came home and saw the scroll, he would think of Sakura Haruno was far away in the Land of Lightning.

I wonder how well she's doing with her mission.

I wonder if she encountered any enemies.

Besides Sasuke, Tsunade, Sakura's parents, Hinata, Kakashi, and others were also concerned about Sakura Haruno's safety.

However, the Land of Lightning is Senri away, and neither carrier pigeons nor war eagles can fly that far; on the Kumogakure Ninja's side, even sending a Katsuyu to the Kumogakure Ninja to report that they are safe requires prior notification, which is quite troublesome.

Therefore, Tsunade only knew from Sakura Haruno's brief communications and snippets of conversation that her disciple's trip had gone very smoothly, that the Kumogakure Ninja hadn't gotten too hung up on the details of the agreement, and that the negotiations were progressing quickly.

In just two days, the mission was largely completed successfully.

Sakura Haruno didn't intend to linger. She arranged for her subordinates to rest well, and after attending the farewell ceremony for the Kumogakure Ninja, she embarked on her journey home.

This night before I left.

Dusk enveloped the Kumogakure.

[Second update. There will be a third update.]