Sakura Haruno is Usefull

When Sakura pushed aside the bushes in front of her, she found Naruto, Sasuke, and Karin by a river, along with three Sound Ninja bound tightly like rice dumplings.

Dosu Kinuta, Zaku Abumi, and a girl named Kin Tsuchi

"Sa… Sakura!"

The moment Naruto saw that familiar pink figure, he couldn't help but run toward her. But halfway there, the words he wanted to say froze in his throat.

Before him stood a girl drenched in blood.

"S-Sakura…" Naruto's voice trembled.

In his memory, the girl before him had never looked like this.

She had always been quiet and diligent in her training.

How could she now appear so soaked in blood?

Even Sasuke, who stood nearby, clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth without saying a word.

Only Karin, with her sharp sensory abilities, could tell that although Sakura's chakra had decreased significantly, she wasn't actually injured.

It seemed as if the chakra from the seal on her forehead had been used up a bit.

Following Naruto's gaze, Sakura looked at her bloodstained self and smiled reassuringly.

"This isn't my blood. It's from the summoned beast my senior called out. No need to worry."

Though it was a lie, it was a well-meaning one.

"Eh? Really?"

Naruto blinked, then quickly regained his grin and moved closer to Sakura.

"Then, where is this senior of yours? He sounds like a tough guy."

Sakura merely waved off his concern.

"He and I exchanged a few moves before he left. If I could, I'd have liked to take him to meet the Third Hokage, but he didn't appreciate the idea and just ran off."

She put on a troubled expression, hiding her true thoughts.

Beating him to a pulp and dragging him to the Hokage would've also counted as taking him to meet the old man, right?

Sakura was certain she hadn't lied.

"Is that so? You really scared me just now," Naruto admitted, scratching his head before grinning again.

Sasuke, standing to the side, silently watched the blonde idiot so easily believe Sakura's words.

A man who exuded such killing intent wouldn't have let Sakura go so easily.

Sasuke stared deeply at her.

To walk away unscathed from someone like that…

Sakura, just how far have you come?

"What kind of scroll do those guys have?" Sakura glanced at the defeated trio of Sound Ninja.

"The Earth Scroll." Sasuke retrieved it from his ninja pouch.

"Then let's hurry to the central tower. This sticky mess is unbearable," Sakura complained, glancing at her blood-soaked clothes.

"And as for them…"

Hearing her words, Naruto tensed up uneasily.

He didn't like killing.

If Sakura wanted to… he could.

The three Sound Ninja glanced nervously at the pink-haired girl, realizing that she was the leader of this team. Their lives were now in her hands.

"Just leave them here," Sakura decided.

At her words, the Sound trio visibly relaxed, and even Naruto sighed in relief.

"Alright, let's go!"

Hokage's Office

"I see…"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his chin as he listened to Kakashi's report.

The sudden appearance of Orochimaru had caught him off guard, despite earlier signs suggesting something was amiss.

He hadn't anticipated that his mercy 12 years ago would come back to haunt him.

Now, his renegade disciple had returned, even crossing paths with his prized student.

Though Sakura had emerged unscathed, it still left Hiruzen with a lingering sense of dread.

Whatever Orochimaru planned to achieve during the Chūnin Exams, Hiruzen resolved to stop him here and now.

No matter what, Orochimaru would not leave Konoha alive!

"Kakashi, proceed as Sakura suggested. Deploy ninjas around the exam site to be on guard. Assign stealth specialists to monitor where the participating foreign teams are staying."

"And as you leave, send Asuma to me."

Seeing the steely determination in Hiruzen's eyes, Kakashi felt a chill and obeyed without hesitation.

Later

"Old man, you called?"

Asuma entered, a cigarette in his mouth, casting a curious glance at the office's new furniture.

"Finally decided to replace that ancient couch, huh? Weren't you saying it was a relic from the Second Hokage's time or something?"

"Asuma, I need you to do something for me," Hiruzen said sternly, ignoring the comment.

"What is it?"

"Find someone for me."

"Who?"

"Tsunade."

Sakura couldn't help but cheer as the central tower came into view.

"Finally here!"

The bloodstains on her clothes had dried, sticking uncomfortably to her skin. Without a change of clothes, she felt utterly miserable.

Behind her, Karin hesitated. Leaving the Grass Village for Sakura's sake, she now faced an uncertain future. Even though she had prepared herself mentally, stepping into the unknown made her uneasy.

"Don't worry, Karin. Trust me," Sakura said, holding out her hand.

"Everything will be fine!"

Karin looked at the outstretched hand and nodded firmly before grabbing it tightly.

For her, that hand wasn't just a hand—it was a ray of light piercing through her dark life.

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