Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

then,

The inseparable girls and the lone girl walked in opposite directions.

······

The distance from the Haruno family mansion to the Hokage Building was not far. When the Hokage Building, with its rather solemn and sacred appearance, came into view, the girl finally shook off her depressed mood. Her heart beat slightly faster, and she couldn't help but feel nervous, even though she had been in close contact with the Hokage before.

But for some reason,

I still can't help feeling nervous.

Sakura arrived at the Hokage's office without any hindrance. Before she could even raise her hand to knock, a man wearing glasses and with a gentle smile opened the door.

Is it called 'Dou' again?

She remembered that this man was the Hokage's secretary.

"Please come in, the Hokage is waiting for you, Sakura Haruno." Kabuto Yakushi welcomed Sakura with a gentle, harmless smile, like that of a white rabbit.

This is my second time visiting the Hokage's office. The furnishings are not much different from when I first visited. But thinking about it, it's only been a few months since I last stepped into this place. It's unlikely that anything significant would have changed in such a short time.

The office owner, sitting behind a large desk near the window, greeted the girl with a smile: "Sakura, you're here."

"Lord Hokage."

Sakura stood rather reservedly in front of the desk.

How have you been resting lately?

"Fortunately."

"Have you seen Kakashi at the hospital?"

"I went to see him three times, but I only saw Kakashi-sensei on the third visit."

Zongxian glanced at the girl who answered every question like a robot, smiled silently, abandoned his plan to exchange a few pleasantries to warm up the atmosphere, and simply cut straight to the point: "The reason I asked you to come has already been told to you by the Anbu. Your performance in the mission was outstanding. You protected your employer, rescued your instructor, and delivered intelligence in a timely manner... Therefore, I am prepared to give you the reward you deserve."

"The reward... But I really didn't do anything, I was just... lucky."

Sakura murmured, her lips trembling, as she denied herself in a low voice.

"You were indeed lucky to avoid a direct confrontation with the attackers."

Zongxian nodded in agreement, "However, I am not rewarding you for defeating a powerful enemy, but for keeping calm in the face of danger and making the best choice at that time, which not only saved Kakashi's life, but also allowed the village to obtain relevant information as soon as possible."

"Due to village rules, there is some information I cannot reveal to you, but I can tell you that although you may not think you have done anything remarkable, in my opinion, your performance was truly outstanding."

Zongxian sighed from the bottom of his heart.

In this world where bloodlines reign supreme, the girl before him had neither a commendable lineage nor a respectable secret technique to inherit, yet she still did not give up. She gritted her teeth and persevered, trying to catch up with Naruto and Sasuke's figures. This determination and effort moved even Zongxian.

Therefore,

While busy preparing for the operation to rescue Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, he also took the time to reward Sakura Haruno.

“I heard from Iruka, Homo, and Kakashi that Sakura, your chakra control is extremely excellent. In terms of the fine manipulation of chakra alone, you are undoubtedly number one… Therefore, I have prepared two rewards for you: puppetry and medical ninjutsu. Which one would you like to choose?”

Zongxian took out two scrolls, one red and one white.

Suddenly faced with a choice between two options, Sakura was momentarily stunned, taking a couple of seconds to murmur, "Puppet Technique? Medical Ninjutsu?"

"That's right. Puppet Technique and Medical Ninjutsu. With your written test scores at the Ninja Academy, I shouldn't need to explain the meaning of each of them separately, right?" When Zongxian was still the Hokage's assistant, he had already done a lot of work, such as revising the Ninja Academy's textbooks.

He reduced the weight of mathematical aspects. Knowing how to calculate the trajectory of a shuriken cannot more effectively help ninjas take the lives of their enemies with shuriken. It is only of irreplaceable importance to professional researchers. For most ninjas, throwing shuriken relies on the experience accumulated from thousands of practices, or the unreasonable instinct of geniuses, or the talent bestowed by bloodline!

After removing overly complex mathematical and scientific content, Zongxian added a large amount of 'ninja common sense' to help the students of the ninja academy broaden their horizons.

They wouldn't be frightened by the ninja beasts summoned by the enemy using summoning techniques.

"But, Lord Hokage, I remember the textbook saying that puppetry is a top-secret technique mastered by the Sand Village ninja of the Land of Wind?"

Sakura mustered up the courage to raise her questions.

"Don't worry about that. Since I dare to show this thing, I can guarantee that this puppet technique is absolutely top-notch even in Sunagakure. Although I can't guarantee that you will become very powerful with this thing, as long as your talent isn't too bad, it can guarantee that you have a very high ceiling for your efforts."

"However, if you ask me, medical ninjutsu is also quite good. Although medical ninjutsu is a bit weak in combat, the importance of medical ninjas is undeniable. If it weren't for the support of medical ninjas and the rise of the Fourth Hokage, our Konoha might not have been able to win the Third Shinobi World War."

Zongxian pushed the two scrolls, one red and one white, forward, signaling the girl to make a choice.

Sakura stared at the two red and white scrolls, remaining silent for a full half minute. Suddenly, she raised her head, looked at Zongxian, swallowed hard, mustered all her courage, and said, "Hokage-sama, may I... may I give up the reward in exchange for a request?"

"Oh?"

Zongxian narrowed his eyes.

Staring at the girl in front of him whose legs were trembling, he asked, "Are you going to ask me to save Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Yes."

Sakura nodded vigorously.

"I can grant your request, but if I tell you that I was prepared to rescue Naruto and Sasuke even without your request... would you regret giving up these two rewards?"

“Naruto’s identity is very special, and Sasuke is your clansman, Hokage-sama. I guess you definitely won’t give up on rescuing them.” The girl seemed to have relaxed a bit now, speaking much more freely and fluently, without the initial restraint.

She said firmly, "However, I don't intend to gamble on such an uncertain future. I only hope that Naruto and Sasuke can come back safely. Even if Team 7 eventually disbands, I still hope that everyone will always be safe and sound."

"Oh, I see!"

Zongxian's lips curled up slightly.

"Since you're not going to gamble on an uncertain future, then try your best to grasp the future you want with your own hands!" With that, he tossed the red and white scrolls on the table to the girl standing in front of it.

[Chapter 362. Time is almost up!]

Two scrolls, one red and one white.

One is puppetry, and the other is medical ninjutsu.

The puppetry technique originated from Sasori of the Red Sand. This scroll can be said to be the crystallization of the wisdom of several generations of Sunagakure regarding puppetry. Moreover, it even records Sasori's unique "Human Puppet Technique". In Sunagakure, this is a treasure that would make the puppeteers of Sunagakure fight tooth and nail for it.

however,

In Konoha, a desert of puppetry.

While this scroll is indeed precious, its value is far less than that of another scroll that records medical ninjutsu, because Konoha does not have even a single puppeteer, meaning there is no one to learn from. If one wants to learn puppetry, one can only rely on one's own figuring and research.

Not everyone can become a top master by relying on a secret manual.

As the saying goes, wealth, companions, methods, and environment are all essential.

This theory cannot be directly applied to ninjas.

However, it is in line with the situation in the ninja world to a certain extent.

Ninja training is very expensive. Needless to say, there are things like shuriken, kunai, katana, and soldier pills. Just the various liniments used in training alone are a considerable expense. Not everyone has a fox spirit called Kurama inside them that can heal them for free.

Puppet masters, a special branch of ninjas, are notoriously expensive. Every puppeteer in Sunagakure comes from a wealthy family. The manufacture, repair, and maintenance of puppets all cost money. The poorer ones have all gone to learn Wind Release techniques and simply can't afford to play with puppetry.

And partners,

This doesn't refer to a partner.

Rather, it refers to the others walking on the same path, including pioneers and fellow travelers. Pioneers can help those who come later avoid some detours, while fellow travelers can discuss and improve together. This is what is commonly known as "two heads are better than one."

The law needs no further explanation.

The scroll that Sakura is holding right now contains the orthodox method of puppetry.

The location isn't that important. The concept of auspicious land doesn't apply to the ninja world. If we're being honest, Sunagakure, the birthplace of puppetry, definitely has a better atmosphere than Konoha, but the girl can't possibly go to Sunagakure to train.

After calculating,

Of the four essentials—wealth, companionship, Dharma, and land—the young woman had no other advantages besides mastering the righteous Dharma.

Achieving something in puppetry is by no means an easy task.

In contrast,

The scrolls that record medical ninjutsu are obviously more applicable.

Konoha boasts top-tier medical ninjutsu in the ninja world. Even though Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, isn't in the village, there are still many highly skilled medical ninjas. Here, there's no shortage of experienced mentors, plenty of companions to exchange ideas with, and the best learning environment. Patients from all over the ninja world come to Konoha seeking medical treatment, making it easy to access many rare and difficult-to-treat illnesses…

and,

That white scroll was compiled by Yakushi Nonou at the request of Sogen. The medical ninjutsu recorded in it also condensed most of the research results of several generations of Konoha Village on medical ninjutsu. Only a small number of unique personal skills were not included, making it priceless.

"If you have any questions about medical ninjutsu training, you can go to Konoha Hospital and Yakushi Hospital for an internship. I will make arrangements in advance. As for puppetry... the village can provide you with some broken puppets that were previously confiscated for research, but apart from that, you will have to rely on your own efforts. There are no puppeteers in the village who can guide you."

Zongxian gave the girl a couple of pointers.

Sakura gripped the scroll tightly. Having deeply felt her own weakness and powerlessness, the girl couldn't possibly refuse this reward. Moreover, the Hokage had said that he would save Naruto and Sasuke even without her request, so... refusing again would feel very impolite.

"Lord Hokage, I will do my best."

The girl responded.

"Looking forward to your performance."

Zongxian smiled and encouraged the girl.

Next, Sakura couldn't wait to say goodbye and leave. From her hurried footsteps, one could see the girl's eagerness to become stronger. Zongxian had a deep understanding of this feeling. Once upon a time, he had also been fighting desperately on the battlefield with the same eagerness, constantly growing stronger by stepping on the corpses on the ground.

In the ninja world

Weakness itself implies fault.

If you don't want to be trampled on and ravaged, and you don't want to helplessly watch unbearable things happen, then power is indispensable.

The office door closed again.

"Kabuto, if you have anything to say, just say it."

Zongxian shifted his gaze to Yakushi Kabuto beside him.

Just now,

He clearly saw the changes in Kabuto's expression as he spoke to the girl.

"...Isn't it a bit too much to expect that girl to learn puppetry?" Kabuto Yakushi paused for two seconds before voicing his thoughts, "If Sakura Haruno really intends to learn puppetry, without guidance, relying solely on her own exploration, even if the scroll contains comprehensive information, such things are always easier said than done..."

He didn't think highly of Sakura Haruno's ability to practice puppetry.

She served as the secretary to the Sixth Hokage.

Out of a thirst for knowledge, Kabuto Yakushi once perused the scroll that recorded the art of puppetry. However, after careful reading, he wisely chose to give up. Puppetry did indeed have its unique aspects, and Sasori's forbidden puppetry technique was truly awe-inspiring.