Sakura Haruno is Usefull

Heaven-Covering Formation

This technique was previously used by Jiraiya during his battle against Pain's Animal Path, which summoned a vast army. It played a critical role while Jiraiya prepared to enter Sage Mode, especially in unfamiliar terrain, allowing him to confront Pain effectively.

The formation allows for precise perception of the surrounding complex terrain and ensures stability even in intense combat. It's an exceptionally practical skill. However, rather than being classified as ninjutsu, this technique could be described as a miniature sensory barrier radiating outward from the user.

Sakura was perched on a tree branch, reading through the scroll Jiraiya had hastily written overnight.

"As expected of a novelist," she thought. "He wrote so much in just one night."

The scroll was thoughtfully annotated with precautions and Jiraiya's personal insights into the technique. Afternoon sunlight glinted off Sakura's pink hair. Since her candid conversation with Naruto yesterday, Sakura felt she had said all that needed to be said.

As for Naruto's feelings...

Sakura knew she couldn't change that stubborn boy. She considered how she had regained her rank as Special Jonin after the Chunin Exams and would soon leave Team 7. By then, her task of protecting Naruto would be considered complete.

Once she left the ANBU, she could form her own team. She already had one member in mind: Karin. While Sakura no longer needed Karin's physical healing abilities, Karin's Kagura Mind's Eye would still be invaluable. As for the other two members, they were tentatively decided.

The name? Team Sakura, of course~~.

"Sakura!"

A crisp voice called out from below. Sakura looked down to see a girl with sandy blonde hair, arms crossed, glaring up at her.

"Ino."

With a nimble flip, Sakura jumped down from the tree. Ino scanned the area, noticing that the "red octopus" wasn't around.

"Hmph, where's that red octopus?"

Ino raised an eyebrow, her tone carrying a trace of hostility.

"Oh, Karin? She has to report to the relevant village departments every day."

"She should still be there at this hour," Sakura replied, scratching her head with a helpless smile. She understood Ino's thoughts all too well—like the classic jealousy unique to girls, wanting to compete for attention over anything, especially when they were best friends.

Compared to dealing with Naruto, Ino was much easier to handle. Sakura knew Ino only saw her as a very close friend, and she was grateful that the orientations in this world were still "normal."

Ino pursed her lips, looking at Sakura with a strange expression. She finally spoke with an odd tone: "I heard that red octopus has been staying at your house these past few days?"

"That's true," Sakura admitted. "But once Karin's residency papers are processed, the village will arrange housing for her. She's only staying temporarily."

Sakura chuckled, watching Ino's expression of concern masked by indifference. "No need to be so fixated on Karin," Sakura teased, patting Ino's head lightly.

Ino frowned, visibly annoyed by Sakura's gesture. Although the action was intimate, Ino found it oddly unsettling.

"Hmph, who cares about that red octopus!" Ino retorted. But she couldn't help sneaking a glance at Sakura, pretending nonchalance as she asked, "By the way, where's that… teammate of yours?"

Seeing through Ino's obvious intentions, Sakura smiled knowingly.

"Sasuke? He's been training with Kakashi recently. His next opponent is a very skilled ninja from the Sand Village."

"Oh?" Ino's voice suddenly rose in pitch. "Not Sasuke, then... could it be Naruto?"

"Who said it was Sasuke!" Ino shot back quickly, then admitted under her breath, "Alright, fine. It's Sasuke."

Elsewhere, a woman with short black hair, dressed in black and holding a small pink pig, stood at the familiar yet distant gates of Konoha. A nostalgic smile appeared on her face.

"Lady Tsunade!" she called out, her voice tinged with both reverence and joy.

Standing nearby was a beautiful woman with blonde pigtails, a violet diamond mark on her forehead, and a green jacket emblazoned with a large kanji for "gamble" on the back. Despite being in her fifties, her stunning appearance was undiminished. She was none other than Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin.

Looking at the gates, Tsunade's calm gaze carried a hint of complexity.

"Hmph, who would miss Konoha?" she muttered before striding toward the entrance.

If the old man hadn't sent Asuma to fetch her personally, she wouldn't have bothered returning. After the Chunin Exams, she planned to leave again anyway.

Her companion, the black-haired woman Shizune, chuckled knowingly. She had been by Tsunade's side long enough to understand her well—her words often didn't match her actions.

"Mission accomplished," Asuma remarked, watching Tsunade's back with a mix of relief and awe.

Tsunade's significance to Konoha was unparalleled. As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, she symbolized legitimacy. Her contributions during wartime—especially her mastery of medical ninjutsu—had saved countless lives. She was the architect of Konoha's medical system, which every ninja had benefited from directly or indirectly. Combined with her strength and charisma, she was universally admired, a true rose of the Second Shinobi World War.

Farther back, Shizune hastened her pace as Tsunade called for her impatiently. The gate guards, Izumo and Kotetsu, stood in disbelief.

"Even Lady Tsunade has returned at a time like this..."

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