No good… my chakra's running out.
Sakura's body swayed, nearly collapsing. Sweat dripped from her forehead, but luckily, an Anbu behind her caught her in time.
With an exhausted yet grateful smile, she turned to the Anbu and said, "Thanks."
The Anbu shook their head, their long purple hair swaying under the sunlight.
Supporting Sakura, the Anbu spoke in a cold yet deeply concerned tone from behind their mask. "Please rest, Lady Sakura. You've been maintaining medical treatment for an entire day and night. Your Yin Seal isn't even fully charged yet—if this continues, your body won't last."
"It's fine. The battle isn't over yet. How can a medical ninja collapse before the front-line fighters?" Gritting her teeth, Sakura forced herself to sit up again, gathering what little chakra she had left.
The female Anbu turned to look behind her.
In the formation beneath their feet, Sakura sat at the front. Behind her were the other medical ninjas, taking turns to keep the treatment going.
The oldest among them noticed the Anbu's expression and sighed, a mix of worry and admiration in his eyes. "If we could summon Katsuyu-sama, we would have taken over for Sakura long ago."
At first, Tsunade had been the one maintaining the Summoning Technique. After she left, Sakura took over. The medical ninjas could provide chakra to support her, but they couldn't maintain the summoning themselves. That was why they could rotate shifts—Sakura couldn't.
An entire day and night…
Thinking about it, Sakura was just a civilian-born ninja. Before fully charging her Yin Seal, how much chakra could she possibly have?
Yet, with her incredible chakra control, she used every bit with perfect precision, holding on this long through sheer willpower.
Honestly, all the medical ninjas felt heartbroken seeing her like this. But more than anything… they were proud of her.
The Anbu let out a quiet sigh. "I wonder when the battle on the front lines will finally end… when Lady Sakura will finally be able to rest."
Even though Sakura was younger than her, even though she was "just" a medical ninja, without her holding on, countless ninjas who were alive right now would have been dead.
Sakura didn't just keep them recovering—she saved lives that should have been lost.
These were all their comrades.
At first, they called her "Lady Sakura" out of respect for her being Tsunade's apprentice.
But now, every single person here—Anbu and medical ninja alike—
Called her "Lady Sakura" from the bottom of their hearts.
Because if someone who risked their life to save their comrades didn't deserve that title… then who did?
"Hold on just a little longer. It'll be over soon."
Sakura forced a smile despite her pale face. Her vision was blurry, and she was barely hanging on.
She was surprised she had lasted this long. Her Yin Seal wasn't fully charged yet, but it was close. She *had* to hold out. Once the seal was full, she could revive instantly. Even if she had to endure for another day and night, she'd be fine.
She couldn't collapse. She *wouldn't* collapse. Just a little more, and the Yin Seal would be ready!
As she clung to that thought, a spiraling space portal suddenly appeared before them.
The purple-haired Anbu at the front immediately sensed something was wrong. In a flash, he moved in front of Sakura, shielding her.
At the same time, nearly ten Anbu leaped from the shadows, surrounding the portal with intense pressure. More Anbu jumped in front of the medical ninjas, forming a protective barrier.
The next second, Obito stepped out of the portal.
Killing intent exploded in the air.
Obito swept his cold gaze across the room.
"Hah… so this is the Hokage's office? Guess those old geezers really don't like change."
He took a step forward.
"But I didn't expect such a bonus. If I kill you all here, those guys outside won't be able to keep fighting, will they?"
"Like hell you will!"
The purple-haired Anbu drew his blade, radiating an icy killing aura.
The room turned frigid as the other Anbu unsheathed their weapons. The combined pressure made it feel like the warm day had suddenly turned into a frozen hell.
The younger medical ninjas in the back shuddered under the intense killing intent.
It was as if they could already see their severed heads rolling on the ground.
Their hands trembled so much they couldn't even form seals, and their terrified eyes flickered between Obito and the Anbu.
Most of their chakra, meant for healing, drained away in an instant.
Sakura's already limited chakra began boiling, her energy consumption skyrocketing. It nearly disrupted the Yin Seal's charging process!
"Ugh!"
She let out a muffled groan but didn't stop. Instead, she forced even more chakra out, gritting her teeth to maintain the medical jutsu.
The senior medical ninjas' faces darkened.
They turned and shouted at the younger ones.
"What are you doing? Are you scared?! Even if you're afraid, *keep the jutsu going!*"
*If we die, we die on the path of saving others.*
That was their creed.
The younger medics hesitated, then instinctively turned toward Sakura.
Her back remained straight, unwavering despite the suffocating killing intent surrounding her.
Seeing this, a few trembling medics gritted their teeth, forced themselves to sit back down, and shakily formed seals.
Chakra began flowing again.
Sakura felt the pressure ease slightly.
Obito watched it all unfold.
The old medics standing firm.
The young ones, afraid but still pressing on.
His fist clenched.
"…This is exactly why I *hate* Konoha."
His words were calm, but they cut through the air like freezing winter rain.
Even Sakura, whose mind was hazy from exhaustion, snapped back to reality.
She finally noticed Obito's presence and stared at him in disbelief.
"Uchiha… Obito?!"
"So, you *do* know who I am."
Obito didn't look surprised. He tilted his head slightly, his voice cold and emotionless.
"Well, it won't matter for long. Nagato can wait a little longer."
The moment he finished speaking, two wooden stakes appeared in his hand.
Like a shadow, he shot toward Sakura.
"You'll be first."
The purple-haired Anbu's expression darkened.
"Not happening!"
He swung his sword without hesitation.
At the same time, all the Anbu moved, weapons slashing toward Obito, their sharp blades cutting through the air.
But…
They *only* cut through air.
The purple-haired Anbu's eyes widened in shock.
Obito passed straight through his sword—straight through *him*—as if he wasn't even there.
He was heading directly for Sakura.
Even the trained Anbu froze for a split second, caught off guard.
They couldn't risk hitting their own ally.
"What the hell—?"
The purple-haired Anbu spun around, watching in disbelief as Obito closed in on Sakura.
"Sakura! Get out of the way!"
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