Sasuke's Severe Injury

Sakura and her team hurried through the snowfield. Kiba carried Yugito, while Sakura carried Sasuke on her back. Shino used his insects to monitor the surroundings.

One thing was clear:

Kumogakure had gone mad.

After the battle, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito, had disappeared. At the same time, no enemy corpses were left behind. It didn't take much thought to understand what had happened.

Yugito, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, had been captured!

Originally, the plan was to use a bait operation at the supply base to lure a big fish. They had indeed caught one, but it turned out to be a great white shark!

Even Yugito, a perfect Jinchūriki, had been defeated so decisively!

--

Inside the Kumogakure Command Tent

Darui knelt in front of the man before him, sweat dripping down his face as he cautiously explained the events of the operation.

There was good news and bad news.

The good news: the supply resources used as bait were intact.

The bad news: the perfect Jinchūriki had been taken.

"What?!"

The man in charge exploded in anger, raising his fist and slamming it heavily onto the desk in front of him. With a resounding crack, the desk shattered under the force of his blow.

Even Dodai, the strategist for this war, could only stand silently to the side in the face of this man's wrath.

This man was none other than the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure, Ay!

While the supply resources were critical for the army in the immediate term, losing the Two-Tails Jinchūriki was disastrous in the long run.

After all, the Two-Tails had been bought from Hashirama Senju with real gold and silver back in the day!

"How dare Konoha take back what we purchased with our own money!"

The Raikage wasn't concerned with the nuances of right or wrong. To him:

What's mine is mine. What's yours is also mine!

"Have we identified where that team is headed?"

His eyes burned like a tiger's as the Raikage, now calmer, turned to Dodai for answers.

"The Konoha squad has strong sensory capabilities. For now, we can only deduce that they are moving toward the Land of Frost's border in the direction of Konoha's forces," Dodai responded quietly.

"Send the main force to encircle them!" the Raikage commanded without hesitation.

"No!"

Dodai immediately objected.

"Hm?"

The Raikage glared at Dodai, holding back his temper as he listened to the strategist's reasoning.

"Our forces are already confronting Konoha. The recent activities have heightened their vigilance.

"A large-scale mobilization of troops would undoubtedly alert Konoha.

"Whether Konoha uses this as an opportunity to launch an offensive or dispatch forces to intercept us, either option would be highly risky!"

"Moreover, if the enemy managed to defeat Yugito in her Tailed Beast Mode, their strength must be extraordinary. Even if we throw lives at them, how many would it take?"

As Dodai laid out the risks, the Raikage could no longer remain seated. Rising in frustration, his muscular frame radiated anger.

"Then I'll go myself!

"Cee, Darui!"

"We're leaving!"

Without waiting for a reply, the Raikage stormed out of the tent.

"Uh, Uncle Dodai, I'll catch up later!"

Cee, the blonde and pale-skinned ninja, gave Dodai an apologetic look before quickly following the Raikage.

Darui, who had been kneeling, also hastily followed.

Dodai watched the three leave, his expression calm, with no trace of surprise in his eyes.

This was exactly what he wanted.

With the main forces immovable, only an elite team could pursue the enemy.

But who could possibly take down someone who had defeated the Two-Tails?

In Kumogakure, only two people fit the bill:

One was Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki.

The other was the Raikage himself.

However, as a subordinate, Dodai couldn't outright suggest sending his superior on such a mission.

So, he had to rely on the Raikage's fiery temper to send himself.

--

Snow fell heavily, even though the sun had briefly appeared moments ago. The sudden shift in weather irritated Sakura.

She was beginning to hate this place.

The four trudged through the endless snowfield, their spirits weighed down by the dreary conditions.

"Sakura..."

Sasuke's weak voice broke the silence.

"I'm listening."

Sakura adjusted Sasuke on her back to ensure he wouldn't slip.

His wounds had been treated, and the bleeding had stopped, meaning he was no longer on death's door.

Even so, without timely medical attention, he wouldn't survive more than two days.

Darui's blade had nearly pierced Sasuke's vital organs. If not for Sakura's advanced medical skills, he would already be in the Pure Land with Uchiha Mikoto.

It was likely for this reason that Darui hadn't delivered the finishing blow—he hadn't expected their team to have a medic on par with Tsunade.

"Leave me here," Sasuke murmured weakly.

"I'm just a burden..."

Sasuke wasn't stupid. He knew he was dragging everyone down.

If they left him behind, Sakura and the others could move much faster.

This was enemy territory. Moving at their current pace only increased the risk for everyone.

"Are you joking?"

Sakura's voice carried a trace of anger.

Heaven knew how much effort she had put into saving his life. Leave him here now?

All her past efforts for Sasuke would be wasted!

Even the Sage of Six Paths would probably crawl out of the Pure Land to strangle her.

Sasuke fell silent.

Once again...

He hated his own weakness, his own incompetence.

When he faced Itachi, he could console himself—he was only six years old then, far too weak.

But now, seven years later, he couldn't even defeat an unknown ninja from Kumogakure. Worse, he had become a liability to his teammates.

In that moment, Sasuke longed for power.

Power to protect everyone.

A single tear rolled down his cheek, but the icy wind quickly carried it away.

"Don't overthink it. Focus on the future," Sakura said softly.

"You still have to revive the Uchiha Clan.

"If you die here, the Uchiha will truly be finished."

Sasuke's voice reached Sakura's ears, but she didn't respond. Instead, she stopped in her tracks.

"What's wrong..."

"Sasuke, can Shino carry you instead?"

"I might have something to handle up ahead," Sakura said, her tone soothing as though coaxing a child.

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