Sakura's Defection and the Contract with Shikkotsu Forest

"How did Sakura defect?"

Naruto asked out of curiosity. It seemed absurd to him; nothing like this had happened in the original story.

But on second thought, it wasn't impossible.

After they'd failed to bring Sasuke back, hadn't Sakura considered leaving the village alone to look for him?

Tsunade and Kakashi had talked her out of it then, and Sakura hadn't known where to look anyway.

That small incident had happened in the original story, too.

But things were different now. All Sakura had to do was follow the Rinkaichū, and she could find Sasuke!

So how had Sakura managed to defect?

The Rinkaichū they'd brought back had been kept in Tsunade's care all this time!

"Ugh."

Tsunade sighed and told Naruto and the others how Sakura's defection had happened.

The day before, Sakura had volunteered for a mission outside the village.

But before leaving, she had stolen the Rinkaichū kept in the Hokage's Office.

Tsunade bore some responsibility for that, too.

Konoha was so short-handed that she had kept only two Hokage Guards, who took turns guarding the Hokage's Office, one by day and one by night.

That meant only one Hokage Guard was usually on duty there.

And since Tsunade often worked while drinking at the Izakaya, she was rarely in the Hokage's Office herself.

That had given Sakura her opening.

As Tsunade's student, Sakura had offered the guard a cup of Specially Prepared Tea with a sweet, harmless smile.

The guard had passed out, and Sakura had stolen the Rinkaichū.

That was the gist of Sakura's defection.

What Sakura had done was serious!

But...

"Lord Hokage, do you want me to kill her or bring her back?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow at Tsunade.

Tsunade frowned. "Bring her back first."

"Then I'm not going. She left to