"Sasuke..."
Sakura suddenly sat upright from the stone bench with a startled cry. The glaring morning sunlight poured down, and although autumn was approaching, the weather had yet to turn cold.
"Hm?" The ninja clutching a thick stack of books made a puzzled sound, keenly sensing that something was wrong.
A knock sounded at the door. Tsunade, who had been sprawled over her desk catching up on sleep, hurriedly sat up and said, "Come in."
Two ninjas carrying thick stacks of books entered and quickly set them down. One of them said, "Lady Hokage, I have something to report. On our way here, we found Sakura sleeping on a stone bench by the roadside. According to her account, Sasuke seems to have..."
After quickly recounting what had happened, Tsunade's gaze narrowed slightly. "So Sasuke has gone to Otogakure?"
After a moment's thought, she immediately said, "Where's the Barrier team? What have those people been doing? Isn't entering or leaving Konoha strictly forbidden at night? How did they fail to notice Sasuke leaving? Tell them to come see me immediately. Also, bring Nara Shikamaru to me."
"Yes!"
Not long afterward, Nara Shikamaru appeared in the Hokage's office. Tsunade folded her hands on the desk and said, "Shikamaru, I have an urgent mission for you. Gather some people and leave the village immediately. Bring Second Pillar back."
"Second Pillar?" Shikamaru uttered in confusion, still not understanding what had happened.
Tsunade nodded. "That's right. Second Pillar left the village last night. I've already confirmed it with the Barrier team. Somehow, they obtained information on Konoha's Barrier. We won't worry about that for now—I'll hold the Barrier team accountable later.
"Sasuke's destination should be Otogakure. He was likely invited by Orochimaru."
"What?" Shikamaru said in surprise. "W-Wait, how did something like this suddenly