In the center of the bath, the girls in different styles of swimsuits were like blooming flowers, competing in beauty.
Though Aoba was only sitting off to the side quietly watching, he already felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
His mind had never been so relaxed.
Never before had he so strongly affirmed the correctness of unifying the ninja world.
The smiles on the girls' faces were the greatest recognition of all.
The boy's original intention had never changed. He only wanted to live peaceful days with the girls he liked.
It was just that now there were a few more girls than before.
But right at that moment, Aoba suddenly felt someone grab him, instantly jolting him out of his relaxed state.
His gaze swept over the people playing in the bath.
Tenten, Ino, Sakura, Hinata, Yakumo, Karin, Temari, Kurotsuchi, Fu, Uchiha Hikari… Everyone was immersed in splashing and playing.
So who was this?
Aoba looked down and, to his horror, discovered that he couldn't see anyone. Only a fair little hand, as if floating in the water.
Even with Aoba's current composure, he was startled.
'Could there really be ghosts in the ninja world?'
But the strangely familiar feeling quickly made him realize something.
He immediately formed hand seals and, without letting his soul leave his body, used the Spirit Transformation Technique. Only then did he clearly see the previously invisible part.
Following that fair little hand upward, he saw a girl with short pink hair and a mischievous smile on her face.
It was Inner Sakura.
["Hehe! Aoba, were you surprised?"]
Seeing his expression, Inner Sakura covered her mouth and laughed.
"Inner Sakura, just now that was…"
Aoba was indeed a little shocked.
He hadn't used the Spirit Transformation Technique earlier, and his mind had been overly relaxed, so he hadn't sensed her presence.
But he had clearly seen that hand appear out of nowhere, and the sensation had been undeniably real.
A guess suddenly formed in his mind, 'Could it be…'
["Hmph! Just like you guessed, Aoba."]
Inner Sakura saw through his thoughts. She swam around him like a fish and said somewhat proudly, ["After the Chunin Exams ended, I listened to you and went to study the illusion techniques of Yakumo's clan bloodline."]
["Although I still haven't completely mastered the ability to turn illusions into reality, I can already materialize parts of my body."]
Though he had already suspected as much, hearing the truth from her mouth still left Aoba inevitably shocked.
The power to turn illusion into reality was nearly impossible to achieve without a bloodline limit.
He had only mentioned it casually back then.
Even if Inner Sakura was purely a spiritual entity, reaching this step would definitely not have been easy.
Yet she had managed it in less than two years. One could only imagine the hardship involved.
"It seems Inner Sakura has worked very hard these past two years."
Aoba reached out, intending to stroke her hair in comfort.
Inner Sakura, who had been circling him, stopped and cooperatively lowered her head. Enjoying his touch.
Without using the Spirit Transformation Technique, Aoba truly felt her hair beneath his fingers.
Under the steam rising from the hot spring, it was smooth and incredibly real.
["Because I really want to hurry up and be intimate with you in the real world too, Aoba."]
Inner Sakura rubbed against his palm like a little cat, acting spoiled.
"Now that you can materialize part of your body, that day probably isn't far off."
Aoba smiled encouragingly.
Going from zero to one was the hardest part. Now that Inner Sakura had taken the most crucial step, the rest was likely just a matter of accumulating experience.
"Well…"
A sly smile appeared on Inner Sakura's face, ["Actually, there's no need to wait. Aoba, don't you think that even if only part of my body can materialize, there are still plenty of interesting ways to play?"]
"Hm?"
Before Aoba could react, Inner Sakura floated behind him again and hugged him from the back.
Only materializing a pair of little feet.
Aoba's eyes widened instantly.
Fortunately, they were in the hot spring, and he could now see Inner Sakura's full form.
Otherwise, if the others had seen it, they might have fainted from being scared by Inner Sakura's way of playing.
At that moment, watching the girls still playing in the center of the hot spring, Aoba only felt his state of mind grow even more peaceful.
"..."
"Hey, Sakura, why did you suddenly space out?"
After dodging Tenten's splash attack, Ino noticed that her best friend was standing motionless, getting splashed full-on by Tenten.
"Ah? It's nothing, nothing. Tenten, take this!"
Sakura immediately snapped back to her senses and slapped the water's surface, sending a splash toward Tenten and the others.
Although her expression didn't change much, inside, a terrifying storm had already erupted.
'Damn Inner Sakura! I haven't even had a taste yet, and even my first kiss back then, Inner Sakura snatched that first too.'
And now she was taking advantage of being a spiritual entity to do whatever she pleased in the hot spring.
At that thought, Sakura's arms practically turned into spinning waterwheels.
Naturally, her actions splashed her own side as well, and in an instant, Sakura was subjected to a torrential counterattack from everyone.
On the other side, Inner Sakura felt it just the same.
———
Because tonight might be the last time they'd hang out with Kurotsuchi for a while, aside from the unconventional Inner Sakura, none of the others came over to seek out Aoba again.
They played to their hearts' content.
A project worth several hundred billion was taken entirely by Inner Sakura alone.
It wasn't until a full hour had passed that Aoba brought the girls, who had changed back into their regular clothes, home. To his home.
The dinner prepared by Mikoto and Yugito clearly included portions for Tenten and the others.
After all, Kurotsuchi had lived in this house for so long that they had practically come to regard her as family.
They probably wouldn't see each other again for quite a while, so naturally they had to share a meal together.
The few people chatting in the living room were a bit surprised when they saw Aoba use Flying Thunder God to bring the girls back.
"You went to soak in the hot spring too?"
"They didn't soak much. They were just playing the whole time."
Aoba directly recounted what had happened in the hot spring, of course leaving out the matter of himself and Inner Sakura.
"That does sound interesting."
After hearing his story, Yugao and the others couldn't help but laugh.
At their current age, they naturally had no intention of joining in, but that didn't stop them from finding it amusing.
Meanwhile, when Ino and the others saw Shizune and Konan, they remembered what Aoba had said about the intern positions.
They gathered around to ask about being the Hokage's secretary and about their future work.
Kurotsuchi listened with great interest as well.
After all, she would have to handle similar matters herself in the future.
The lively evening passed quickly.
Aoba and the others efficiently cleaned up the aftermath of the gathering.
Kurotsuchi, meanwhile, said her farewells to friends she wouldn't be able to see for a long time.
They say the New Year is like a lively dream.
The scene now felt somewhat similar.
After Kurotsuchi finished saying goodbye to everyone, even though she was sitting on the sofa just as usual, she inexplicably gave off a sense of loneliness.
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