Chapter 126: Sasuke, Strive for Hokage!

Inside a Konoha Sushi Restaurant

"Mmm~~~, delicious," Sakura said, her attention drawn back to the food as a plate of fresh ark shell sashimi was placed before her.

Sasuke, having been interrupted mid-sentence, felt a twitch in his cheek, but he could only patiently wait for Sakura to finish eating.

After a good while, Sakura finally stopped and said, "Reviving the dead is something that disrupts the balance between life and death. If there's no respect for death, the world will fall into chaos."

"I don't care about that. I just want to know how to do it," Sasuke said, no longer able to contain himself. He slammed his hand on the table and roared, drawing the attention of the other customers.

A waiter hurried over. "Excuse me, sir, but please keep your voice down. You're disturbing the other guests."

"Sorry, sorry. We'll be more careful," Sakura said quickly, rising to smooth things over, seeing the menacing look Sasuke was giving the waiter.

"Calm down, Sasuke. I said I'd tell you, so just listen to me," Sakura said, motioning for Sasuke to sit back down.

"First of all, I can tell you that medical ninjutsu can't revive the dead," Sakura said, shaking her head. "So, reviving the dead requires a different approach."

"Is it like Orochimaru's method?" Sasuke interjected.

"Orochimaru's method?" Sakura asked, surprised. "How do you know about that?"

If Sakura remembered correctly, Sasuke shouldn't have seen Orochimaru's Edo Tensei.

"Kabuto told me. The Konoha ninja we met before the first exam," Sasuke said, his tone tinged with disappointment. "It seems Kabuto was telling the truth."

"Kabuto!!" Sakura exclaimed in shock. How could she have forgotten about him? Was he still in Konoha? Had his identity as a spy not been exposed? Thinking about it, it made sense. She had disrupted Orochimaru's plans, so it was entirely possible that Kabuto hadn't been exposed.

"Orochimaru's method will never truly revive the dead," Sakura stated seriously.

"Is that so? Then do you know what Orochimaru's jutsu is?" Sasuke asked, unconvinced.

"Edo Tensei," Sakura replied. "Orochimaru's jutsu is called Edo Tensei. It summons the souls of the dead from the Pure Land and forces them to inhabit a sacrifice, controlling the deceased to fight for him."

"I see..." Sasuke thought to himself. Kabuto was indeed lying to me. "Then what's the method you're talking about?"

"The method I'm talking about also requires the Edo Tensei jutsu," Sakura said, taking a sip of tea.

"Hmph... So, in the end, I still need to get that jutsu from Orochimaru," Sasuke scoffed.

"Sasuke, don't you want to know why I know all this?" Sakura asked, looking directly into Sasuke's eyes.

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke shook his head. "No matter how you know, I believe you wouldn't lie to me. I trust you more than Kabuto."

"Then, Sasuke, strive to become Hokage," Sakura suddenly said, completely changing the subject.

"Cough, cough... What does that have to do with the method you're talking about? Cough, cough..." Sasuke, who was in the middle of drinking tea, choked on Sakura's words.

"Of course, it's relevant. Because the Edo Tensei jutsu is a forbidden jutsu listed in Konoha's Scroll of Seals," Sakura said, shrugging. "Orochimaru simply developed it further, but the method I'm talking about doesn't require Orochimaru's further development."

"Wh-What!!!" Sasuke was shocked. "How do you know that?"

Just a moment ago, he didn't care about the source of Sakura's information, and now he was asking about it.

"The Edo Tensei jutsu was developed by the Second Hokage and sealed in the Scroll of Seals. Master Tsunade's great-uncle is the Second Hokage." Since Sasuke asked, Sakura could only push all the blame onto Tsunade. Sakura didn't believe for a second that Sasuke would directly ask Tsunade if she had told Sakura all this.

"I see..." Sasuke was clearly overwhelmed by the amount of information he had received, and he remained stunned for a long time.

"So, do you still plan to join Orochimaru?" Sakura asked with a sly smile.

Sakura had known from the moment Sasuke mentioned seeing Kabuto that Kabuto must have come to tempt him. She hadn't expected that, in addition to the Cursed Seal, he would also use the Edo Tensei to lure Sasuke.

The fact that Sasuke came to ask her these questions meant that the scales in his heart had already tipped towards Konoha. But fortunately, he had asked Sakura. If he had asked someone else, the answers he received might have pushed him towards Orochimaru.

Sasuke shook his head in response to Sakura's question. They were both intelligent people and trusted companions, so Sasuke didn't hide his previous thoughts.

"Then strive to become Hokage. Once you become Hokage, you can read the Scroll of Seals," Sakura said.

"Isn't there any other way?" Sasuke had no interest in becoming Hokage.

"There is. Kill Orochimaru, and you can get the jutsu," Sakura said, sipping her tea.

"Is there a faster way?" Sasuke asked, annoyed by Sakura's slightly teasing tone.

"Wake up, Sasuke! Do you think it's that easy to succeed? This jutsu is just the foundation. Without the corresponding strength, even if you get the jutsu, you won't be able to do what you want," Sakura suddenly exclaimed, slamming her hand on the table.

"Excuse me, miss, but please keep your voice down. This is making things very difficult for me," the same waiter said, looking displeased.

"Ah, sorry, sorry..." Sakura apologized obediently. Sasuke's words had frustrated her, always looking for shortcuts, but there were no shortcuts. I've been looking for shortcuts for years and haven't found any...

After the waiter left, Sakura said coldly, "In short, Edo Tensei is the first step. And even if you get the jutsu now, you can only do what Orochimaru does. You can't truly revive the dead. Reviving the dead requires your own strength to reach a certain level. Do you understand? Don't ask me what the next step is. When you have the same eyes as your brother, then come find me. That's all. This meal is your payment for consulting me. Goodbye."

Sakura left without caring about Sasuke's reaction. Sometimes Sasuke's stubbornness made Sakura want to hit him. To put it nicely, he was persistent; to put it bluntly, he was extreme. Anyway, Sasuke wouldn't be thinking about joining Orochimaru anymore. She had eaten her fill, and she was tired of arguing with Sasuke.

When Sakura returned home, she felt like she had forgotten something, but she couldn't remember what it was. It probably wasn't important, so she put it out of her mind.

She had eaten and drunk her fill, so it was time to sleep. Karin wasn't home, and lying in bed, looking at the empty space beside her, Sakura felt a pang of regret. Gradually, she drifted off to sleep.

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