The Seal

The blazing sun hung high in the sky.

A convoy moved slowly along the road. Judging by appearances, it seemed like a group transporting wounded soldiers.

Inside one of the carriages, Sakura sat with her arms crossed, gazing at the pale blonde beauty lying silently before her.

The woman was dressed in a pristine white patient gown, covered with a white blanket, even her eyes wrapped in gauze.

Her sickly pale complexion stirred slightly, as though she was about to awaken.

Sakura stood up and, as if by magic, pulled out a white handkerchief, swiftly pressing it over the woman's nose and mouth to prevent her from regaining consciousness.

Under the influence of the sedative, the woman quickly fell back into a deep sleep.

The poor Yugito didn't even have a chance to say a single word before slipping back into unconsciousness.

Despite the seals placed on her body, Sakura insisted on regularly administering drugs to this formidable captive.

Better safe than sorry.

After all, this woman was one of the Cloud Village's top combat forces.

Would she go hungry?

Nutritional fluids would do the job.

From the moment she was captured, she was no longer a "person."

More importantly, she was an asset of significant strategic importance.

To cover for Sakura's convoy of wounded, Jiraiya launched another assault against the Cloud forces, forcing them to divert their attention.

Even if the Cloud's intelligence unit detected the presence of this convoy, they were powerless. They couldn't be sure whether Yugito was actually among them.

And even if they confirmed it, only the Raikage himself would dare lead a rescue operation. Otherwise, any attempt would be futile.

But if the Raikage personally intervened, the front lines would lose their balance, and Jiraiya would likely decimate their main force. Weighing the consequences required careful deliberation.

Four days passed in the blink of an eye. With Jiraiya's cover, Sakura successfully led the wounded back to the outskirts of Konoha.

Seeing the familiar scenery from afar, Sakura exhaled in relief.

As they drew closer, the gates of Konoha gradually came into view.

News of their victory had already reached the village, lifting some of the dark clouds of war that had loomed over Konoha.

Villagers lined the streets on either side, eagerly welcoming the returning wounded soldiers.

However, no high-ranking officials were present.

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen was absent.

It wasn't necessary. The war wasn't over, and it wouldn't be appropriate to make too much of a fuss. Even if they wanted to elevate a rising star, there had to be limits.

Over-glorification could lead to ruin.

Spreading news of the front-line victory was sufficient for now.

"Sakura!"

Suddenly, a red-haired figure in the crowd practically jumped up, her presence impossible to ignore.

Sakura smiled and greeted Karin, but she didn't have time to catch up right now.

She led the convoy directly to Konoha Hospital, where numerous medical personnel were already standing by.

One by one, the wounded were carried on stretchers and transported into the hospital.

When it was Yugito's turn, one of the medics marveled at her beauty and was about to place her on a stretcher.

"I'll handle this one personally," Sakura interjected, stopping the medic's actions.

"Uh... got it," the medic stammered, then moved on to assist other patients.

Sakura carefully lifted the unconscious Yugito and placed her on a prepared emergency bed.

"Will you... kill me?"

As Sakura was about to settle her onto the bed, Yugito unexpectedly murmured in a weak voice.

"That's not for me to decide."

Sakura calmly tucked her in and pushed the bed toward Konoha Hospital.

Bringing Yugito into the hospital's private elevator, Sakura pressed the button for the third basement level.

As the elevator descended, even though Yugito's eyes were covered, she could feel the increasingly oppressive atmosphere gnawing at her.

She hated this feeling—it was worse than being stabbed to death.

But it was too late for regrets now.

Her chakra had been completely sealed, and after days of sedatives, her body was too weak to even stand.

She could imagine her fate.

Konoha would select a suitable candidate and extract the Two-Tails from her, replacing her as a Jinchūriki.

Even her corpse wouldn't be spared. The Yamanaka clan would thoroughly probe her mind for any valuable intelligence.

Her best outcome would be having her body wrapped in a straw mat and buried once Konoha was done with her.

The faint sound of the emergency bed's wheels echoed through the underground corridor as Sakura slowly pushed Yugito into the dark depths.

Reaching their destination, Sakura once again saw sunlight as they arrived at a secluded pavilion hidden within the forest.

A figure was already waiting for them.

"Is this the Cloud's Two-Tails Jinchūriki?"

Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, her sharp eyes scrutinizing the blonde woman lying on the emergency bed.

"Yes, her name is Yugito," Sakura responded.

"It doesn't matter what she's called. She won't need it anymore."

"Follow me," Tsunade instructed indifferently, leading Sakura into the pavilion.

Sakura pushed the bed forward step by step.

The moment they entered, Sakura's eyes narrowed.

A barrier.

A formidable sealing barrier designed for confinement.

Not only that, but nearly twenty ANBU operatives were hidden throughout the pavilion.

"Until we find a suitable candidate, this will be her residence."

"She's lucky, really," Tsunade remarked, glancing at the pale and barely conscious Yugito.

"How so?"

Sakura glanced around and asked.

"This was once the residence of Konoha's previous Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. It has nearly ten layers of seals."

"And all of them were personally crafted by Mito-sama."

"Even an Eight-Tails Jinchūriki wouldn't be able to escape from here."

Tsunade sneered at the woman on the bed.

Yugito's already faint hope shattered upon hearing this.

Using a place designed to contain the Nine-Tails to imprison her?

Wasn't that overkill?

Tsunade approached Yugito, lifting her gown to reveal her pale abdomen. Her brows furrowed slightly as she pressed her palm against Yugito's belly.

"Self-Binding Curse Seal!"

In just a moment, Tsunade added an additional seal to the one Jiraiya had already placed.

If Yugito attempted to use chakra, the black curse mark would immediately spread across her body, immobilizing her on the spot.

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