The palace guards found her quickly, although in their defense a sudden, huge explosion that caused a small earthquake and left a crater behind was hard to miss.

"Halt!"

They circled Sakura, pointing at her with their swords, and barked, "Drop your weapons!"

Sakura opened her right hand and the kunai clattered on the paved road.

"All of your weapons!"

She exhaled with an eye roll hidden by the darkness, but proceeded to throw away the rest of her kunai, shuriken, senbon, seal tags, ninja wire, a tanto, poisoned darts, and even a giant spiked mace; then, when she was finished, she raised her hands in a pacifying gesture, standing in a circle of scattered steel. The guards eyed her warily and took her aside to cuff her.

"Hey, you forgot one," Sakura pointed at the heap of weapons; when the guard nearest to her turned aside unconsciously for a second to look she broke her restraints, left him unconscious with an uppercut, and the rest soon followed.

"Well, I guess I'm adding a few swords to my collection," she dismissed the summoned weapons. It always was a great distraction.