Double-transformation: I, Sakura Haruno! Will crush the pirates!

Choji, who was also carrying a bag full of snacks, turned around and gave Shikamaru a thumbs up.

"You guy."

Shikamaru was left speechless, both amused and exasperated by his words.

"Ino! Quick, try this!"

Holding a pile of food bought from a street vendor, Sakura appeared without anyone noticing.

"Sakura-chan, you... ugh!"

Before Ino could finish speaking, Sakura stuffed a piece of mochi into her mouth.

The soft, sticky texture of the food turned her lecture into sobs, and she finally gave the grinning Haruno Sakura a disapproving glare.

Click! Glug!

Under Ino's dazed gaze, Sakura devoured all the food in front of her and launched another attack!

“Is this guy a monster?”

Shikamaru, who had come over, teased Ino, and they sat down together on a chair placed on the side of the street.

"I'm truly ashamed to admit that I lost to a girl in this aspect. But..."

Choji's expression turned serious, then flames erupted from his body as he rushed into the area where the vendors were clustered together.

Watching the pink figure weaving through the crowd, occasionally racing Choji to see who could eat the fastest, Ino couldn't help but smile.

"Sakura has really changed a lot lately~"

"Huh? Wasn't she like this before?"

Shikamaru picked up a piece of fried tofu with his fork, but in his daze, it fell to the ground.

"Yes, she used to be very shy and often cared about what others thought of her."

"Recently, she has become more cheerful, confident, strong, and reliable. I feel like I can't keep up with her anymore."

Ino's gaze reflected the girl standing in front of Choji, laughing loudly, and she gently raised her hand.

"Isn't that a good thing? And you'll have a goal to strive for."

Shikamaru made a circle with his hands, his all-knowing gaze sweeping over the blonde girl beside him.

"Ino, Ino!"

Sakura Haruno called out from afar, but Ino smiled without saying a word, winked at Shikamaru with her left eye, stood up, and ran over.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, the winter festival drew to a close.

Fireworks soared into the sky, and people tied their hopes for the coming year to trees.

After enjoying the fireworks festival, Sakura Haruno followed Ino, and the two chatted and laughed as they walked home.

The heavy boots sizzled as they pounded on the snow. As they passed through a deserted alley, a flash of red light appeared in Haruno Sakura's emerald eyes.

"Ino!"

Sakura Haruno reached out and blocked Ino behind her.

"Ok!"

Ino's expression also turned serious. Although she had no idea where the danger came from, her keen senses allowed her to detect the wariness emanating from Haruno Sakura.

call out!

Four dark figures emerged from the shadows of the alleyway.

They were all dressed in uniforms resembling those of the Dark Guard, and wore various kinds of animal masks on their faces.

"Sakura Haruno, the Hokage requests your presence!"

Although the other party also used the same code he had learned in the Dark Division, the cold aura emanating from him could not fool her.

What these Root ninjas didn't know was that within their seemingly empty hearts, they were like beacons of light in the darkness, illuminated by their Observation Haki, which could capture emotions.

'Shimura Danzo's ever-present excuse for asking for favors is truly...'

Sakura muttered a helpless complaint in her heart, but considering Ino's presence behind her, she still accepted the invitation.

“Okay, I’ll go with you!” Sakura lowered her hand that was protecting Ino and said to the girl behind her, “Ino, you go back first.”

"....Um!"

Ino's pupils trembled, and she nodded emphatically through gritted teeth.

She realized that the people around her were not the Hokage's ANBU, but there was nothing she could do at the moment, so getting away to deliver the message was the wisest choice.

With her fists clenched, Ino ran out of the alley and headed home as fast as she could.

Root, who lived in the alley, also knew Ino's thoughts, and thus became even more eager.

They surrounded and cut off all of Sakura's escape routes, reaching out their hands to the girl in unison.

"please!"

Chapter 47 Bad News from the Root

The night was so long that Shimura Danzo tossed and turned in the basement of the Root.

"Lord Danzo!"

A Root ninja knocked on his office door, causing Shimura Danzo to jump up abruptly.

It's finally here, my SSR!

Danzo was so excited about the talent he was about to acquire that he wanted to rub his hands together.

If you acquire Sakura Haruno and train her for a few years, the next generation will basically be hers.

Once he deals with the threats from the previous generation, he can become Hokage and lead Konoha onto the path of true power!

"Teacher, I will prove to you that I am the most suitable candidate for the Hokage position!"

Slightly loosening the bandage on his forehead, Danzo Shimura, leaning on his cane, walked toward the central hall of the Root Base.

The wooden rope bridge still connects the cement pillars, and Sakura, standing in the center, looks around at this famous tourist attraction.

"Haruno Sakura!"

Danzo Shimura emerged from the shadows and stopped three or four meters in front of her.

"Isn't this our Hokage's assistant? Instead of busy digging underground, why is he having the time to falsely convey the Hokage's orders?"

Sakura didn't tolerate him, after all, the things he did were really annoying, so she immediately started making sarcastic remarks.

"Hmph, I did all this for Konoha, Hiruzen will understand!"

Danzo Shimura slammed his cane against the ground, then raised his hand toward Sakura.

"Sakura Haruno, join Root. I will use all my resources to nurture you."

"If I succeed in the election for Hokage, you will be the next leader of Root!"

"Several years from now, when I retire, the position of Sixth Hokage will be yours for the taking!"

As Shimura Danzo described the promising future to her, Haruno Sakura's mouth opened slightly.

Danzo Shimura, does he really think his Roots are some kind of hot commodity?

Based on Root's reputation in Konoha, he wouldn't even pass the Jonin exam, let alone the villagers. How could he possibly become Hokage?

With such a dull political sense, it's no wonder that he was manipulated by Hiruzen Sarutobi and couldn't even ascend to the Hokage throne after Hiruzen's death.

"It seems that the Hokage's assistant has developed an illusion from practicing genjutsu. I'll take my leave now."

Sakura Haruno pouted and turned to leave.

But a Root member behind her suddenly stepped forward, and Sakura's shoulder bumped into the other person, leaving a cherry blossom-shaped mark quietly imprinted on the inside of the other person's armor.

"What does Naruto's assistant mean by this?"

"Hmph, you'll find out soon enough!"

With a wave of his hand, Danzo Shimura unleashed a massive influx of Root ninjas from the darkness.

Meanwhile, at the mountain dwelling.

Ino, who had escaped from the alley, rushed into the room and bumped into Yamanaka Inoichi, who had just finished work.

"Hmm, Ino, what's wrong?"

Yamanaka Inoichi caught his clumsy daughter to prevent her from falling to the ground.

"Father... Sakura, Sakura was taken away by a group of sinister ANBU!"

Ino's tear-streaked face was heartbreaking as she sobbed as she told her father what had happened.

Upon hearing this, Yamanaka Inoichi's face darkened. As a Jonin in the village, he had dealt with Root many times and knew what it meant for them to kidnap children in the village.

Haruno Chizuru's request for help was still fresh in everyone's minds, and now Haruno Sakura, who should have been under his care, has gotten into this mess...

"Stay home and don't go anywhere!"

Standing up, Yamanaka Inoichi, now somewhat cold, gave Ino a few instructions before hurriedly leaving the house.

On the way, he visited the Nara family and the Akimichi family. The previous generation of Ino-Shika-Cho gathered together and headed towards the Hokage Building.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was smoking in his office, was taken aback when he heard the news brought by the three men. He then summoned a large number of ANBU and rushed out of the village.

Outside Konoha Village, at the Root Base.

"Get her!"

Danzo Shimura's order ignited the entire root system.

The rampaging shadow ninjas raged like an out-of-control torrent towards Sakura Haruno.

The diverse array of ninjutsu is like a fleeting burst of intense light, erupting, roaring, and unleashing a thunderous roar.

"Shimura Danzo, what kind of Hokage do you want to become?"

The brilliance of ninjutsu illuminated the pink figure, and her question pierced through the firelight.

"Is there even a question? Of course, it's the Hokage who can make Konoha great again!!!"

In the confined space, the branches that should have been buried and rotting in the soil began to yearn for the light.

But he longed to be in the sunlight, and for his achievements to be remembered by the world.

He was unwilling to accept it, he was furious...

Most importantly, this man named Shimura Danzo was trapped in Konoha for thirty-seven years, the day Tobirama Senju ordered him to cover the retreat, and he never left.

"Domination, order, ironclad rules—that's what a ninja should be—a perfect machine!"

"You are no exception, Sakura Haruno, become a sharp blade in my hand!"

"A weapon as powerful as you was born to exist for Konoha!"

Faced with the roaring ninjutsu, Sakura Haruno clenched her fingers, emitting a domineering buzz that resounded throughout the heavens and earth.

"I see, so you're seeking domination? Then..."

—We are the enemy!

Within the darkness at the roots, which could engulf everything, an irresistible and immense power emerged.

An aura of dominance swept outwards, staking all pride and dignity, determined not to allow anyone to trample on this yearning for freedom!

dong dong!

The sound of his heartbeat was so clear; the will of the overlord shook the world.

The fierce and domineering dark lightning twisted and nearly materialized into a shockwave that engulfed the entire root.

Under this terrifying impact, which was almost like the might of the heavens, the Root ninja, whose will had long since turned to dust, trembled all over and swayed in fear.

boom!

The ninjutsu slammed into Sakura, and the resulting burst of light and flames spread all around.

Yet within this smoke, a colossal silhouette was revealing its majestic form.

The icy giant sword tore through the smoke, and the enormous blade of light sliced ​​through the thick layer of earth, shooting straight into the sky.