Forged Beyond

Plans

SHORT BUT IMPORTANT CHAPTER !!! TYSM FOR THE VOTES , READS AND THE COMMENTS AHHHHHHHH <3333

"Um, Sakura Haruno, correct?" Karin asked, sliding into the seat beside Sasuke, directly across from Sakura and Naruto. Her sharp eyes flickered between Sasuke and Sakura before narrowing in curiosity. "What's your relationship with Sasuke-kun... and this blonde guy?"

Sakura leaned back with an easy smile. "They're my teammates—no, my best friends." She emphasized the last part, while Naruto, absentmindedly fidgeting with his kunai, barely registered the conversation.

Karin took note of that but turned back to Sakura, seeing her as a competition. Sakura, however, only saw her as another person, nothing more, nothing less.

"Oh, I see." Karin's voice was light, but the edge was unmistakable. "Lord Orochimaru has trained both Sasuke-kun and me." She said it with a smirk, expecting a reaction.

"That's cool!" Naruto cut in, clearly unimpressed with her attempt to boast. Sasuke, meanwhile, remained quiet, his gaze shifting to Sakura. Something caught his eye—a faint bruise just above her collarbone. He didn't question it. Not yet.

Before anyone could say anything more, Tsunade's voice rang out. "Alright, you four!" she called, her sharp tone cutting through the room.

Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, and Karin turned their attention to her as she gestured for them to follow. They moved through the halls, trailing behind Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Kabuto until they entered a large chamber. A massive circular table dominated the space, lined with rows of elegant chairs.

Naruto's jaw dropped. "WOAH! ARE WE HAVING A TOP-SECRET S-RANK MEETING?!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Actually, yes. Take your seats."

The atmosphere shifted as everyone sat down. Tsunade positioned herself between Jiraiya and Orochimaru. Across from her, Sakura took a seat, Sasuke to her left, Naruto to her right. Karin slid in beside Sasuke, with Kabuto to her left.

"Alright, so..." Tsunade started, glancing at Jiraiya expectantly.

Jiraiya groaned. "Do I have t—"

"Yes," Tsunade interrupted, her voice brooking no argument.

"Fine, fine." He exhaled sharply before turning serious. "Tsunade, Orochimaru, and I have been gathering intel on an extremely dangerous criminal organization—Akatsuki."

The name sent a ripple through the room. Jiraiya caught the subtle change in Sakura's posture—she straightened, her hands tightening slightly.

Orochimaru continued, his voice calm yet measured. "The Akatsuki's members are exceptionally strong. So far, we've identified five: Kisame, Deidara, Hidan, Kakuzu, and Konan. But there are at least nine in total." His golden eyes flickered briefly toward Sasuke and Karin.

Sasuke folded his arms. "What's their objective?"

Jiraiya sighed. "We're not entirely sur—"

"The tailed beasts," Sakura interrupted, her voice cutting through the room like a blade.

Silence fell. Naruto's eyes widened, his grip on the kunai tightening. Sasuke glanced at him, realization dawning.

"I mean, it's just a theory, but..." Sakura hesitated, waiting for permission to continue. Tsunade gave her a slight nod.

Taking a breath, Sakura continued. "Recently, while I was gathering supplies for Tsunade-sama, I came across two Leaf shinobi fighting near the riverbank by Mount Myōboku. One of them wore green, the other—Hyuuga. Probably Neji, though I only recognized him from Hinata's descriptions."