Raiga's words crushed what little hope Sakura had left.
She already knew how strong Zabuza was.
If Yoruha hadn't been there to assist Kakashi back then, Kakashi might not have won that battle.
If Yoruha were delayed here, Kakashi could lose against Zabuza — and Tazuna would be killed.
And Yoruha himself might die trying to save her.
Even if he somehow survived, once Zabuza succeeded in assassinating Tazuna and came here, facing two jōnin-level enemies, Sakura couldn't imagine Yoruha winning.
It was a death trap. Sakura's expression twisted in pain.
"No… Yoruha won't fall for it. He'll see through your scheme."
She refused to believe Yoruha would walk into such an obvious trap. Surely he'd realize it was a ploy by Raiga.
Raiga burst out laughing. "Little girl, even if he knows this is my trap, do you think he has a choice?"
His words silenced her instantly.
He was right — even if Yoruha knew, what choice did he have?
Could he really abandon them and go to Kakashi instead?
Seeing her speechless, Raiga smirked. "So, what do you think he'll choose—complete the mission, or save his comrades?"
"From what I've observed of him these past days, he'll probably choose to save you."
Sakura shook her head fiercely. "No… Yoruha wouldn't make that choice. He'll go to Kakashi-sensei. He has to."
She prayed that he wouldn't come — because walking into this was certain death.
If he came, he'd die with them.
Sakura didn't want that.
Normally, she would've wanted to be important to Yoruha — to be someone close to him, a trusted friend.
But when life and death were on the line, all she wanted was for Yoruha to live. She didn't want him to die alongside her.
She couldn't bear the thought of him walking into this trap with no way out.
Just imagining Yoruha arriving here, only to be blown to pieces beside her, made her sob uncontrollably.
Even though she was the only ninja among the three captives, Sakura couldn't stop her tears.
She didn't want Yoruha to die.
"Yoruha… you won't come, right? You're a real shinobi — you'll choose to finish the mission first, won't you? We're just temporary teammates… there's no way I'm that important to you."
Her voice trembled between tears.
Raiga sneered at her pitiful sight. "What are you crying for? Isn't it an honor to go to hell with such a talented comrade at your side?"
Sakura ignored him, staring out the window, silently praying that Yoruha wouldn't come — that he wouldn't even see the letter.
"Little girl," Raiga said mockingly, "did you forget what your teacher Kakashi told you during your test?"
Before he could finish, a calm voice came from outside the cabin.
"Raiga, that's enough."
Raiga froze for a split second — then grinned. "So, the brat really came."
In an instant, he appeared behind Sakura, pressing his twin Lightning Blades against her neck.
The two chūnin moved as well, holding kunai to Tsunami's and Inari's throats.
The moment Sakura heard Yoruha's voice, her heart leapt — then shattered.
She cried out, "Yoruha! Why did you come? You knew this was a trap! Why?"
Yoruha stepped slowly into the wooden cabin.
He looked around calmly, his voice level. "I knew it was a trap. But like he said — I didn't have a choice."
He spread his hands slightly.
Though his tone was mild, the two Kirigakure chūnin felt a chilling pressure emanating from him.
It was as if he could kill them at any moment.
Yet he was only a genin.
Still, remembering their days of observation, the two swallowed hard.
They watched him warily, terrified that one wrong move could mean instant death.
No one in that room truly believed he was just a genin.
This boy was dangerous — deadly enough to annihilate them before they could react.
Even Raiga didn't dare lower his guard.
Tears streamed down Sakura's face. She didn't want him here.
Yoruha turned his gaze toward Raiga.
"Seems your strength isn't much less than Zabuza's," he said casually. "You're a jōnin, right? You Mist-nin sure have a lot of rogue shinobi running around. And all of them powerful, too."
He spoke as if the situation weren't dire at all, his tone almost teasing.
Raiga's eyes narrowed. "Kid, it's a pity. You'll die here with that foolish girl. Such a waste."
Yoruha smiled faintly. "Who says I'll die?"
Raiga laughed. "Hahaha, you mean you haven't noticed what's around you?"
"I've been observing you for days. You think I don't know your strength? I'm not stupid enough to fight you head-on. Even if I won, it'd cost too much effort."
He pointed outside. "Within a hundred meters of this cabin, I've planted countless explosive tags. Especially this cabin — hundreds of them. Enough to obliterate both you and that little girl without a trace."
Yoruha didn't look surprised.
He had sensed them the moment he entered.
Everywhere around the cabin — steel wires strung between trees, each lined with explosive tags.
If detonated, they would annihilate everything within several hundred meters.
But with Sakura, Tsunami, and Inari inside… what could he do?
Leave them? He couldn't.
"This whole area's covered in tags," Yoruha said quietly. "If you detonate them, you won't escape either."
Raiga sneered. "Heh. You think I'd be dumb enough to show up here in person?"
Yoruha clapped his hands lightly. "Not bad. Seems you've studied me well — and built a trap I can't simply bypass."
Raiga's expression turned cold. "Enough talk. Take your foolish decision and go to hell with it. Explode!"
He didn't want to waste another second — the longer he waited, the greater the risk.
At that very moment—
Yoruha's eyes narrowed. His chakra surged violently.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Net!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Crackle—
Buzz—
Splash—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Raiga's detonation triggered every explosive tag at once.
The resulting explosion annihilated the cabin completely. A massive mushroom cloud rose dozens of meters high, shockwaves ripping through the forest.
Trees hundreds of meters away were uprooted as smoke and dust filled the sky, the earth shaking as if struck by a mighty earthquake.
When the dust finally settled, the ground was a cratered wasteland.
Far away, Raiga and his two chūnin emerged from behind a tree.
Raiga grinned. "What a beautiful explosion. A pity such a talented boy had to die."
He chuckled darkly. "Well then, I suppose I'll hold him a grand funeral — let him leave this world with some dignity."
---
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