You Regret My Shadow

Haruno Sakura

Looking at the enormous scroll summoned by the Monkey King before her, Sakura pricked her finger and wrote her name on it.

"Thus, you are now a summoner of the Enma clan, Sakura."

The Monkey King spoke, gazing at the name that followed Hiruzen Sarutobi's.

To be able to possess dual summons from both the Enma clan and Katsuyu.

This child was truly fortunate.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked the short beard on his chin as he looked at Sakura before him.

"Since the contract is already established here, Sakura, why not try the Summoning Jutsu?"

Katsuyu, perched gently on Sakura's shoulder, spoke softly.

"When using the Summoning Jutsu, just silently call out the summoning beast you wish to summon in your heart."

Hiruzen Sarutobi added another line from the side.

Haruno Sakura nodded at this, and while the blood on her finger was still fresh, she quickly began forming hand seals in sequence.

Boar—Dog—Bird—Monkey—Ram

"Summoning Jutsu!"

As a puff of white smoke dispersed, looking at the tiny creature Sakura had summoned before them, both Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Monkey King's faces fell.

"Ara ara, what an adorable little monkey~~"

Katsuyu, perched on Sakura's shoulder, couldn't help but laugh at the tiny being summoned before them.

"Uh, hehe, I must have run out of Chakra, so..."

Sakura, seeing the existence she had summoned, couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat and scratched her head sheepishly.

The reason was simple—what Sakura had summoned was a tiny white monkey still wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Heaven only knew how this little one had responded to Sakura's summoning call...

"Bah bah..."

The little monkey blinked its lively eyes and reached out its arms for a hug.

Seeing this, Sakura couldn't help but feel like crying—she had summoned herself a little daddy...

But even so, Sakura carefully picked up the little monkey.

"I never thought my son, barely a month old, would be called out. Truly unexpected."

The Monkey King sat to the side, looking at the little monkey in Sakura's arms, helpless.

He never imagined his own son would respond to Sakura's summoning.

"Your son?"

Sakura looked at the Monkey King in confusion.

By now, the little monkey had already wriggled free of its swaddling and climbed onto Sakura's head.

"Mm, this is my newborn son, Enra."

The Monkey King's words made Sakura freeze.

So the little rascal on her head was that same mischievous monkey who tossed banana peels and bombs all over the arena.

But that didn't matter—Sakura could block~~~

"It seems your Chakra was insufficient to summon other monkeys, so my son was called out instead. Once your Chakra recovers, you should be able to summon normally."

The Monkey King lifted the monkey from Sakura's head onto his palm and explained.

"In that case, can Sakura grow together with Enra~~"

Katsuyu looked at the little monkey in the Monkey King's palm.

"Not exactly. Because our Enma clan possesses the Indestructible Body, our growth cycle is very slow."

"By the time this little one grows up, Sakura's own children would probably be old enough to run errands."

The Monkey King poked at the son in his palm, making little Enra bare its teeth in protest.

"But from now on, if Sakura ever needs my help, just say the word, and I'll come anytime. I don't have much to do at home anyway."

The Monkey King picked up the swaddling Enra had shed and skillfully wrapped him back up—clearly not his first time doing this.

"Thank you, Lord Enma!"

--

While Hiruzen Sarutobi was teaching Haruno Sakura at that moment, a one-eyed man in a black-and-white robe, with bandages wrapped around one eye, sat in the Hokage's Office, in the seat that belonged exclusively to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

This feeling...

The man named Shimura Danzō leaned back in the chair, squinting his eyes, his expression carrying an indescribable... pleasure.

That fool Hiruzen was truly getting senile. At his age, he should be thinking about retiring early, not acting like a youngster and taking on disciples...

Utter nonsense.

Shimura Danzō cast a glance out the window at Konoha through the Hokage's private vantage point, his expression shifting.

He spotted a test paper buried beneath several documents.

The handwriting revealed was...

"Haruno Sakura's Will of Fire"

That old geezer Hiruzen's latest disciple was named Haruno Sakura, wasn't it...

Heh, let's see just what kind of caliber this disciple of old man Hiruzen really is.

Shimura Danzō thought to himself, casually pulling the test paper out from underneath the pile.

Time ticked by, second after second, as Danzō's expression flickered through a series of changes.

Disdain, raised brows, focus, gravity, trembling...

This...

This...

This is a true genius!

Divide the world in two, rule from opposite sides of the river!

Call it a world divided, but if this strategic deployment plan were followed, the Land of Earth would be Konoha's for the taking!

By then, with the Shinobi World unified, the Land of Water, far overseas, would be a turtle in a jar, a frog at the bottom of a well!

Taking it would require no more than a flick of the wrist!

Hiruzen Sarutobi has taken on a fine disciple indeed!

Shimura Danzō's gaze wavered, his mind racing.

With such brilliance, wouldn't keeping it under Hiruzen Sarutobi's thumb be a waste?

Only he could lead Konoha onto the true path of strength!

And only he was the right candidate for the Hokage position!

Shimura Danzō tucked the test paper into his sleeve and was about to leave, but at that moment, the office door swung open.

"Danzō?"

"What are you doing here?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had just finished Sakura's training, frowned at the man clearly rising from his seat and spoke.

"Heh, am I not allowed to be here?"

"I hear you've taken on another disciple?"

Shimura Danzō showed no trace of panic; instead, he sneered at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"So what if I have?"

"Hiruzen, you can't handle the geniuses in this village. Handing them over to me is the best course of action."

Hearing Danzō's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi nearly laughed in anger.

"And then?"

"What do you intend to do?"

"Give me that child named Haruno Sakura, and I'll make her realize her full potential!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi furrowed his brow at the Shimura Danzō before him.

Had this guy taken the wrong medicine today?

Why was he spouting nothing but nonsense?

"Impossible. Sakura is my disciple. You'd better not lay a hand on her!"

"If anything happens to Sakura, I'll hold you accountable!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi cut off Danzō's words without hesitation.

Shimura Danzō gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a long, hard look, then uttered the phrase he'd repeated countless times before.

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this."

"Danzō, I am the Hokage!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shot back, almost by instinct.

Bang!

With the slam of a door, the entire office was left with only Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He looked at his desk and felt his heart skip a beat.

Damn it!

Sakura's test paper was gone!