3. Sakura as a Burden in the Mission to Stop Sasuke from Fighting Gaara

During Sasuke’s fight against Gaara in the final round of the Chunin Exams, the Hidden Leaf Village was thrown into chaos by a surprise attack launched simultaneously by the shinobi of Sunagakure and Otogakure as part of the operation to destroy Konoha.

Initially, Gaara was prepared to unleash his full power and transform into the One-Tailed Beast, Shukaku, to wreak havoc on Konoha. However, Gaara sustained a severe injury to his left shoulder after Sasuke’s Chidori penetrated his sand shield. Following this, Baki ordered Temari and Kankuro to escort Gaara to safety to allow him to recover.

Determined to finish his battle with Gaara, Sasuke immediately pursued the trio. Concerned for Sasuke’s safety as he chased Gaara’s group alone, Kakashi assigned an A-rank mission to Sakura, Pakkun, Naruto, and Shikamaru. Their objective was to catch up to Sasuke and prevent him from engaging Gaara in a fight.

Meanwhile, Kabuto dispatched Otogakure shinobi to eliminate Naruto’s group. Thanks to Shikamaru’s clever strategy of acting as bait to distract the enemy shinobi, Naruto, Sakura, and Pakkun managed to continue their pursuit of Sasuke without further interference.

When they arrived at the scene of Sasuke’s battle with Gaara, Naruto immediately assessed the threat posed by Gaara’s Miniature Shukaku form. In contrast, Sakura focused solely on Sasuke, who was immobilized from overusing Chidori more than twice in a single day.

As a result, Sakura failed to hear Naruto’s warning to dodge, leading to her being caught by Shukaku’s sand hand while attempting to shield Sasuke from Gaara’s attack. The sand hand tightly pinned Sakura against a tree, leaving her completely trapped, unable to move, and ultimately unconscious.

The sand hand’s grip posed a severe threat, as its strength increased over time, gradually suffocating Sakura. The only way to break the sand’s hold was to defeat Gaara.

To save Sakura’s life, Naruto fought Gaara with all his might. Facing Gaara, who had fully transformed into the massive Shukaku form, Naruto summoned Gamabunta using the Summoning Jutsu. Through the combined efforts of Naruto, Gamabunta, and the activated power of the Nine-Tails’ chakra, Naruto succeeded in defeating Gaara and rescuing Sakura.

# Reasons Why Sakura Was a Burden in the Mission to Stop Sasuke from Fighting Gaara

During the pursuit of Sasuke, Pakkun (the ninja dog) tasked with tracking Sasuke’s movements using his sense of smell faced an unexpected issue. The problem arose from the scent of Sakura’s shampoo, which happened to be the same brand Pakkun used to groom his fur.

As a result, Pakkun’s sense of smell became confused, temporarily halting the pursuit. This incident proved costly as it delayed the mission to prevent Sasuke from confronting Gaara. Notably, Shikamaru had already made the selfless decision to act as bait to deal with the Otogakure shinobi, ensuring the rest of the team could continue their pursuit unhindered. Unfortunately, Shikamaru’s sacrifice was rendered futile.

When the team finally arrived at the battleground where Sasuke and Gaara were fighting, they were immediately confronted with a dire situation. In his Miniature Shukaku form, Gaara unleashed a terrifying display of power. However, Sakura failed to recognize the danger as she was preoccupied with worrying about Sasuke’s condition.

When Gaara moved to attack Sasuke, Sakura ignored Naruto’s warnings to stay out of harm’s way. Instead of heeding Naruto’s instructions, Sakura attempted to face Gaara directly and ended up being caught by Shukaku’s sand hand.

This situation turned Sakura into a liability for Naruto, who had to fight with everything he had to save her. Naruto faced immense risks battling Gaara in his Shukaku form, going as far as summoning Gamabunta with the Summoning Jutsu and activating the Nine-Tails Chakra to match Gaara’s strength.

Despite Naruto’s success in freeing Sakura from Shukaku’s sand grip and risking his life to fight Gaara, Sakura misunderstood the situation. She mistakenly thanked Sasuke, believing it was he who had saved her from Gaara’s attack.