Sakura Haruno had long since experienced the dizziness and falling sensation of crossing worlds, yet every time they struck, the rootless feeling of drifting with nothing to rely on only grew heavier in her heart.
Only when her feet touched solid ground and Sunagakure's distinctive scent of windblown sand mixed with rust reached her nose did she slowly open her eyes, numb.
It was still that core laboratory beneath Sunagakure. The familiar hum of instruments, the smell of chemicals and energy in the air, and... the red-haired youth Sasori's face, always intent and faintly excited.
"Teacher, you're back." Sasori hurried over and bowed respectfully to Toyotomi Yinglang. His gaze then swept swiftly over Sakura Haruno's pale face and vacant eyes. Without asking questions, he immediately turned to the matter at hand, his voice clear and urgent as a researcher reporting a major breakthrough.
"Teacher, there have been some unexpected developments in Konoha."
Toyotomi Yinglang walked over to the central console, casually picked up a scroll containing the latest intelligence summary, and gestured for Sasori to continue as he unrolled it.
Without a word, Sakura Haruno retreated into the shadows of a corner and curled tightly into herself, as though that could shut out everything outside.
Yet her ears pricked up beyond her control, unwilling to miss a single sound.
"First, the Land of Fire Daimyō's position." Sasori adjusted his glasses, a sharp light flashing in the eyes behind the lenses.
"Our people stationed in the capital and along the borders reported that, faced with Konoha's three-way division, the Daimyo's Residence not only refrained from pressuring them to reconcile, but instead worked behind the scenes to deliberately cement the split."
Toyotomi Yinglang paused slightly in his reading and looked up at Sasori.
Sasori continued, "Under the banner of supporting the front