Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

Ino suddenly whispered, "Sakura, you don't actually need to accept this mission. Although Konoha is short-handed because of the previous attack, as Shikamaru said, it doesn't have to be you..."

Ino agreed with what Shikamaru had said earlier... Sakura was the only one in Konoha who had experienced the most profound pain, and she really shouldn't have to bear any more suffering...

“I know,” Sakura interrupted Ino’s advice. “Ino, it’s my own decision to go.”

Shikamaru deliberately slowed his pace, keeping a distance between himself and the two girls. He looked up at the setting sun and, as always, expressed his usual sentimental sentiment: "This mission is really troublesome..."

Chapter 98 The Final Mission (Part 2) [Interlude: Sakura's Arc]

Eagles soar high in the sky, blending into the horizon, overlooking the massive mountain tombs.

It was probably searching for its prey for the day, but the eagle's downcast eyes no longer held the sharp gaze of a hunter from the past. It seemed to be thinking and scrutinizing, and now it looked more like a human than a bird of prey.

Then, the eagle's gaze precisely caught sight of its prey, which had become a tiny dot in the forest hidden by trees, high in the sky.

Its gaze regained its sharpness, and it transformed back into the hunter it was best at, folding its wings and swooping down towards its prey!

Meanwhile, in the vast and deep mountains where the mountain tombs are also located, Yamanaka Ino opened her eyes.

"how is the situation?"

When Ino used a secret technique to separate her spirit from her body, Shikamaru, who had been guarding her, asked her a question.

"Naruto and Sasuke's hiding place should be in the center of the mountain tomb. Just as Mr. Shikaku provided, the overflowing chakra there is particularly obvious, which makes it impossible for me to determine the exact location."

Ino replied, "If I want to pinpoint a more precise location, I'll have to conduct several more reconnaissance missions using different animals."

Hearing Ino's words, Shikamaru pondered for a moment and rejected her suggestion: "It takes too much time. We don't have that much time. Besides, according to previous mission records, Naruto can sense the animals you possess through secret techniques... If you are discovered during the in-depth reconnaissance, you may not be as lucky as last time."

"Knowing the general area of ​​their hiding place is enough. After we rest, we'll head directly to the center of the Mountain Tomb. Then, using your sensory abilities, we can gradually eliminate incorrect locations to pinpoint Naruto and the others' location."

Ino had no objection to Shikamaru's decision.

Shikamaru, who dislikes trouble, always makes the right choices and is also very smart. As a fellow member of Team 10, Ino trusts Shikamaru's decisions.

She looked around and, not seeing the other member of the team, asked Shikamaru, "Hasn't Sakura come back yet?"

"She's still keeping watch over the area, and she should be back around the time we agreed on."

When Ino used her secret technique to possess the body of the hawk, the three-person assassination team divided their tasks as follows: Shikamaru was responsible for taking care of Ino's body, while Sakura was responsible for being vigilant about the surroundings and giving early warning of potential dangers.

"Sakura... she shouldn't have accepted this mission."

Now that things are already set in stone, it's too late to say anything more, but Ino still doesn't want Sakura to be here.

"She probably already has her own choice in her heart."

Although Shikamaru shares the same thoughts as Ino, he also views Sakura's reasons for accepting this assassination mission more rationally.

You have to make your own choices; no one else can do it for you.

"Moreover, we all know that there is almost no chance of survival in this mission. Given this, how could Sakura, with her personality, choose to retreat safely and leave the danger to her other Konoha comrades?"

Shikamaru's words were also correct.

Whether it's himself, Ino, or Sakura, there are many reasons why the three of them accepted this mission, but they must all share the idea that "it's better to take the risk themselves than to let their companions be in danger."

"...Naruto and Sasuke have become so strong. I never thought that even the Five Kage, who are the pinnacle of ninjas, would be defeated by them. They are incredibly strong. Even the resentment I feel towards them cannot help me muster the courage to face them."

Ino is actually very afraid of facing Naruto and Sasuke. She doesn't think she can defeat the two of them. But as Nara Shikaku said, Konoha doesn't have many good ninjas left.

Furthermore, Sasuke and Naruto are not ninjas who can be defeated by brute force. When the two of them infiltrated the Five Kage Summit and successfully defeated the Five Kage, their power had already surpassed the pinnacle of the ninja world. Therefore, this mission required a clever ninja to devise a plan to turn the tide, which is Shikamaru.

Whether intelligence and wit are truly useful in the face of absolute power remains to be seen.

Although Shikamaru didn't say it outright, he was well aware that, faced with the excessive power displayed by Naruto and Sasuke, his always-praised schemes would be nothing more than low-level cleverness.

“We can only take it one step at a time. Someone has to do this…” Shikamaru said, standing up. “Let’s keep going.”

As Shikamaru got up, Sakura returned to the team at the agreed time.

"Sakura! What's the situation around here?"

Ino asked a question.

Sakura shook her head and replied, "Nothing's wrong. But Ino, have you found out Naruto and Sasuke's locations?"

“In the heart of the mountain cemetery…” Ino replied.

Sakura is about to meet Naruto and Sasuke. They were once teammates in Team 7. How complicated must her feelings be?

Ino subconsciously observed Sakura's reaction.

But Sakura was surprisingly calm.

"I understand, go find them."

Sakura raised her hand, only to find herself suddenly unable to move.

"Shikamaru!" Ino exclaimed.

Ino witnessed everything from a blind spot where Sakura couldn't see her.

Shikamaru used the Shadow Binding Technique, causing his dark shadow to deform from beneath his feet and extend to Sakura, binding her.

"Sakura, something's off about your reaction," Shikamaru said. "What are you holding in your hand under your cloak?"

Sakura didn't answer; she just remained silent.

At this point, Ino finally noticed something was wrong.

"Sakura, could it be that you..." Ino stared wide-eyed at Sakura in disbelief, "are you planning to face Sasuke and Naruto alone?"

Faced with her friend's questioning, Sakura Haruno finally broke her silence and said, "I'm sorry, Ino."

"Sakura, what can you do by yourself? Do you really think you can use your past as teammates in Team 7 to get them to spare your life?"

Shikamaru, still using his secret technique to control Sakura, gazed at her retreating figure and said, "Perhaps you still can't sever the bond between yourself and Sasuke and Naruto. But not long ago, Naruto and Sasuke invaded Konoha again. Although Sasuke's attitude towards you is still unclear, I really can't see any trace of ties between Naruto and Kakashi-sensei and you."

"Then what should we do? Abandon our ties and go to our deaths together?" Sakura countered.

"There's always a way! Shikamaru is very clever. When the three of us get together, we'll definitely find a solution."

Ino emphasized this repeatedly in an anxious tone.

However, the solution she described was still just an abstract concept without any concrete plan.

She knew that she couldn't convince Sakura with just this abstract concept.

Ino then turned her head and fixed her gaze on Shikamaru, hoping that Shikamaru could use his clever mind to provide Sakura with a concrete solution.

"Right, Shikamaru? Say something!"

Faced with Ino's anxious urging, Shikamaru simply frowned and kept his mouth tightly shut.

Ino understood the meaning behind Shikamaru's expression at that moment; it was an expression of his approval of Sakura's words.

“Shikamaru, it’s precisely because you’re smarter than everyone else that you understand the outcome of this mission better than anyone else,” Sakura said, speaking for the silent Shikamaru. “The three of us will die.”

Sakura bluntly revealed the final outcome of the three assassinating Sasuke and Naruto.

The mission was destined to fail, and the lives of the three of them would perish.

“Sakura, foolish self-sacrifice doesn’t make you seem great.” Shikamaru frowned, his gaze shifting between Sakura and Ino.

Finally, as if making a major decision, he sighed and said, "Let's consider this mission a failure. The three of us will return to Konoha and face Sasuke and Naruto on the main battlefield soon."

As the leader of the three-person ninja team tasked with assassinating Sasuke and Naruto, Shikamaru certainly had the right to choose between abandoning the mission or carrying it out.

But both Sakura and Ino knew that the boy in front of them, though he used the word "trouble" as a catchphrase, always tried to avoid all kinds of trouble in his actions.

However, Shikamaru, as a ninja, has more responsibility than anyone else.

He chose to abandon the mission because, in his heart, his companions were more important than the mission itself.

Between the ninja code and the bonds of friendship, he chose the latter.

“In that case, you shouldn’t have any objections, right?” Shikamaru said to Sakura. “As the captain, I will bear the consequences of abandoning the mission. Besides, as you said, everyone knows this mission is impossible to complete. With a great battle approaching, the abilities of the three of us are irreplaceable on the front lines. I suppose the punishment this time won’t be too severe.”

Without waiting for Sakura's reply, Shikamaru turned to Ino and said, "Ino, go and take that thing from Sakura's hand."

However, Ino ignored it.

"Ino, once you've made a decision, don't hesitate any longer."

Shikamaru can guess what Ino is thinking.

Ino didn't want Sakura to abandon her and Shikamaru and face Sasuke and Naruto alone.

However, she also didn't want Shikamaru to take all the responsibility upon himself in order to dispel Sakura's obsessive thoughts.

Urged on by Shikamaru, Ino looked at Sakura again. As if she knew that Shikamaru controlled her body and she couldn't change the outcome, Sakura closed her eyes and didn't meet Ino's gaze, adopting a resigned attitude.

"I see……"

Ino raised her hand and lifted Sakura's cloak.

However, a thinner thread was wrapped around the rope on Sakura's cloak. As Ino lifted the cloak, the thinner thread pulled on the ninja tool that Sakura had hidden under the cloak.

Sakura had an explosive tag stuck to her chest, which was now burning extremely rapidly.

Boom!

An explosion rang out, but the detonating tag had no destructive power; instead, it stirred up white smoke that obscured visibility.

However, more than the panic of having his vision obscured, the scent coming from his nostrils instantly made Shikamaru understand Sakura's plan.

It's a sleeping drug!

For Sakura, a medical ninja, to make such a medicine is incredibly easy.

Just as Shikamaru is familiar with Sakura, Sakura is also familiar with Shikamaru.

She deliberately acted out of character to alert Shikamaru, and then used this to her advantage, concealing her true plan.

As the thick fog carrying strong drug components dissipated, Shikamaru's body, due to his scattered consciousness, could no longer smoothly gather chakra. The shadow retreated from Sakura's side, and no one could restrain Sakura anymore.

"Sakura, don't do anything stupid."

Before falling into a coma, Shikamaru used his last strength to persuade Sakura.

"I'm sorry..." Sakura murmured to herself, her voice filled with apology.

However, the two people she apologized to, Shikamaru and Ino, had already fallen to the ground and were unconscious.

Sakura was the only one left, and because she had taken the antidote beforehand, she was still able to stand.