Late at night.
Sasuke leaned against a tree trunk, arms crossed, resting in the quiet forest. Karin sat on another tree nearby, watching him with a conflicted expression. She wanted to say something but hesitated.
All because of one sentence from the so-called Uchiha Madara, Team Taka had abandoned their mission to capture Sanbi and traveled halfway across the Shinobi World from the Land of Water to the Land of Fire.
It was absurd. Karin couldn't understand what Sasuke was thinking. To seal the Biju, kill the Five Kage, and end all conflict in the Shinobi World… such a goal was impossible for just a few people.
But why had Madara started with Kyubi, the most troublesome of them all? Where did he get such confidence?
As Karin brooded, Suigetsu glanced around and suddenly spoke up.
"Is there even a point in going to the Land of Fire now? Didn't that pot-like guy pass on a message? The mission to capture the Kyubi over there has failed."
"Let's go take a look first." Sasuke had no expression on his face and replied indifferently.
He planned to return to the Land of Fire. Even though Sasuke doesn't trust Obito, he will still go back.
The current Hokage was likely Kakashi, and Sasuke wanted to see for himself what was happening.
…
Meanwhile, at Konoha Hospital, the medical division was empty except for one lit office.
Naruto sat in Sakura's office, watching her pour him a drink. In this small space, he felt completely at ease.
Looking at the slender white waist, he couldn't help but close his eyes for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, Sakura had brought the glass to him, and the emotions in her eyes were about to overflow.
"I've heard about what happened. What are you planning to do this time?" Sakura sat on his lap, raised her glass and took a sip.
"I don't know." Naruto's fingers slid from her tail vertebra all the way up her spine, sending a shiver through her. Sakura let out a soft moan, her body relaxing against him.
"Every time you say 'I don't know', it's probably because you already have an idea but you just don't want to say it." The corners of Sakura's mouth curled up into a smile.
"Isn't that something I learned from you? Always saying you're not going, but your mouth is pretty stubborn." He retorted.
"Yeah." Sakura said vaguely, took another sip of her drink, and put her arms around Naruto's neck.
After not seeing her for a few months, Sakura's figure had only grown more alluring. Her long, slender legs were flawless, and though she wasn't particularly busty, her petite frame had its own charm.
The night grew deeper, the wind rustling through the trees.
Late night.
In the early hours of the morning, Naruto watched as Sakura drifted off to sleep, and got up to take a shower in the bathroom attached to the office.
After drying his hair, he stood by the window and looked at the night view of the village.
It was a bit awkward just now, as he encountered a dual personality switching again. Fortunately, the other party went offline in a short time. Before Pink Sakura went offline, she had given him a lingering, resentful look.
Naruto felt a little embarrassed at the sight, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't let one awkward moment ruin everything, and no one would believe him if he tried to explain the whole 'second personality' thing.
What Sakura had been referring to was the incident last night when both Ino and Hinata had been kidnapped. It was such a big scene that the Clan Heads of both clans also showed up.
As long as one thinks about it carefully, they can easily analyze the reason. And the relationship between Naruto and Ino and Hinata is naturally almost exposed.
The reason why it is said 'almost' is that it mainly depends on whether the Hinata and Yamanaka elders would tear down the last veil of pretense.
When that happened, Naruto would, in theory, have to choose between them. But Sakura knew Naruto well, and he wasn't the type to make such a choice.
In Sakura's eyes, Ino and Hinata were already in a love triangle.
Perhaps they didn't want to acknowledge it and still play dumb, but their families weren't fools. This love triangle was inevitable, whether they liked it or not.
Summer was coming to an end, and the chill of autumn was in the air.
Naruto stood by the window, feeling the cold night breeze. Konoha barely had an autumn, and after the long summer, winter would arrive quickly.
The streets around the hospital were empty, illuminated only by a few dim streetlights.
Naruto stared out for a long time, lost in thought.
When he said he didn't know what to do, he wasn't just brushing Sakura off. He truly didn't have a clear plan. All he had was a rough idea: wait for the storm to come.
Wait for the winds of the Shinobi World to rise, for the remnants of the Uchiha Clan to rebel, for the villages of Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure to erupt in chaos. Wait for the Child of Prophecy that Jiraiya had spoken of to appear.
The more chaotic the Shinobi World became, the more advantageous it would be for him. He just wanted to live a peaceful life, free from the endless fighting.
'For now, it was better to stay still than to act.'
Having made up his mind, Naruto's expression softened. Perhaps it was the stress of the past few days, but with the clarity after the exercise, he felt an unusual drowsiness.
He slept until morning. When he woke up, he was in the bathroom, washing up. Sakura's voice came from outside, reminding him to eat the breakfast she had brought.
"Busy with work?" He turned sideways and looked at Sakura in the lounge.
Sakura was dressed in a casual crop top that accentuated her figure, paired with slim black pants. She was looking at him with a smile.
"Yeah, if I don't work, are you going to support me?"
"I don't have any money." Naruto said shamelessly, wiped his face and walked out, "But making money isn't a problem. I just need your research results."
As he said that, he frowned and asked.
"Can't you hire some help? Then we won't have to work so hard."
"Who would I hire?" Sakura chuckled at him, "With so many people, it's not easy to find a suitable person. Most of the talented ones are from Shinobi clans."
"The foundation of civilian Shinobi is poor, and it is hard to find a promising candidate."
Sakura's chest seemed to defy logic, and Naruto couldn't help but wonder if the difference between images and reality was this stark?
'It turns out that clothes make the 'man'. The visual difference is amazing.'
"What about Hyuga Hanabi?" He suggested.
"Hinata's sister?" Sakura looked up at him in surprise, "Are you crazy or am I crazy? The princess of the Hyuga Clan is going to the medical division to suffer?"
Clans' Shinobi, with their powerful Kekkei Genkai and abundant resources, often surpassed their peers from a young age. But young clan princesses rarely joined the medical division.
Tsunade had been an exception, thanks to her natural talent for healing.
"Try asking first, maybe the other party will agree." Naruto walked forward, sat on the couch, and started eating breakfast by himself.