Chapter 385

"Mom, are you okay?"

Himawari noticed that Hinata didn't look well and approached her with concern.

"I'm fine. I was just wondering what we should have for dinner tonight," Hinata replied with a forced smile. She quickly suppressed her inner turmoil, determined not to let her emotions affect her family.

After calming herself, Hinata managed to distract Himawari. The little girl raised her hand enthusiastically. "Mom, let's have hamburger steak tonight!"

"Oh? Why do you suddenly want that?"

"Because my brother wants it," Himawari said with a grin.

"Himawari is such a thoughtful girl," Hinata said, smiling warmly. Deep down, she resolved to protect her family's happiness at all costs. Whatever had happened earlier that day, she decided to bury it in her heart and pretend it never occurred.

She reminded herself that Yoichi had promised to keep the incident a secret and the video had been deleted. As long as he doesn't say anything, everything will be fine.

Though Hinata's mind was preoccupied, she prepared dinner as usual. However, her cooking wasn't up to its usual standard, though it wasn't bad either.

That evening, Naruto made a rare visit home, and luckily, Hinata had prepared extra food.

Naruto's return wasn't just for a family meal; he came bearing news. The Five Great Shinobi Villages had finalized their plans to launch an attack. Sasuke had been using his ocular powers to monitor the alternate dimension where the Ten-Tails was hidden, gathering crucial intel.

As Hokage, Naruto couldn't stay in the village while such a threat loomed. The Ten-Tails and the possibility of an Ōtsutsuki presence made him and Sasuke the core of the upcoming battle.

Hinata supported Naruto as always, though she could no longer fight alongside him as she had in the past. Her role now was to care for their family.

...

The Hokage's Office

The next day, Naruto gathered Konoha's top shinobi and opened a video conference with the other Kage to finalize their strategy.

"I've been to the alternate dimension four times, but I haven't encountered any Ōtsutsuki, and the Ten-Tails remains dormant. It seems Kara is confident no one can access that space," Sasuke reported.

Naruto nodded. "That matches what we've observed. Kara likely has no intelligence on your capabilities, Sasuke. Since we haven't seen any activity from their side, let's eliminate the Ten-Tails first."

The other Kage, including Gaara and Kurotsuchi, agreed. Their elite teams were already prepared to move out at a moment's notice.

Sakura interjected, "Wait. If we're going into battle, we should be fully prepared. We'll need plenty of secret medicines, like recovery pills and healing elixirs. Even without medical-nin, those can keep us going."

The room fell silent as everyone considered Sakura's point. Both Konoha and Iwa had access to high-grade secret medicines, but they were limited.

Naruto said, "Alright, let's order another batch. Do any of you want to purchase additional supplies? Konoha can handle the logistics."

"We'll need some," Gaara said.

"Mist Village will take some too, but Hokage, we'll need you to cover the cost for now," Kurotsuchi added.

"Iwa doesn't need any more; we still have enough from the last order," Onoki's representative replied.

After finalizing the details, the Kage agreed to assemble in Konoha before heading to the alternate dimension. Sasuke would open the portal using his ocular powers.

...

Konoha's Inventory

After the meeting, Sakura approached Naruto and Sasuke. "We still have one Grade 5 secret medicine and three Grade 4 ones in the village. Naruto, Sasuke, you should take them. They'll come in handy."

"Really? Even for us?" Naruto asked, surprised. He had always relied on Kurama's chakra and had never thought secret medicines could benefit him.

"Yes. The Grade 5 medicine works directly on the body and doesn't interfere with chakra. Pairing it with a Grade 4 medicine minimizes the strain on the body. For example, if Shikamaru took both, he'd temporarily gain strength comparable to Lady Tsunade's," Sakura explained.

Naruto's eyes widened. "That's incredible! Sakura, can we get more of these? If Sasuke and I have them, we'll be even more prepared."

"It's not that easy to produce them," Sakura replied, rubbing her temples. "But I'll see what I can do. Yoichi-san seems to have a favorable impression of our village. Maybe I can negotiate to get more on credit."

Naruto gave her a thumbs-up. "Thanks, Sakura! We're counting on you."

...

After the Meeting

As the meeting concluded and everyone prepared to leave, Sakura shyly approached Sasuke, her cheeks tinged pink. "Sasuke-kun, um… do you think…"

Sasuke cut her off, his tone calm and direct. "Go home, Sakura. I need to discuss things with Naruto before heading back to monitor the Ten-Tails."

"Already? Can't you rest for a day?" she asked, disappointed.

"There's no time for rest before a major battle. Any slip-up now could cost us dearly," Sasuke replied firmly.

Sakura sighed, knowing he was right. "Alright. I'll go see Yoichi-san about the medicines."

As she walked away, her shoulders slumped slightly. Though she understood Sasuke's priorities, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

(End of Chapter)

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