Chapter 402

"A trip to relax? What made you suddenly think of that, Ino?"

Sakura asked curiously, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she couldn't help but recall how she and Yoichi had gotten carried away after their last visit to the hot springs. Her face flushed at the memory.

"Well, things have quieted down in the village lately, and you've been working non-stop for so long. The fatigue on your face is getting harder to hide. You look a little better today than yesterday, but still not great."

Ino studied Sakura's face for a moment before nodding with certainty. Although Ino had been busy herself, she didn't feel the slightest bit of exhaustion. In fact, she had been looking better and better lately.

At times, she shyly wondered if it was because she often engaged in those activities with Yoichi that she was in such good shape.

"A trip to relax, huh… I doubt I can go. If I leave, there'll be no one to take care of Sarada."

Sakura thought for a moment before sighing. She wanted to take a break, but both Konoha Hospital and Sarada needed her. It just wasn't realistic.

Ino sighed as well. "I figured you'd say that, but you're pushing yourself too hard. If you ever get the chance, you should take Sarada along too. That way, you can both relax."

"Ino… thank you."

Hearing Ino's genuine concern, Sakura was touched. However, a mischievous smirk soon appeared on her face.

"Ino, do you think you could ask Yoichi to lend me a few more of those special tonics?"

"Sakura!"

Ino's face turned slightly red as she cut her off. Even though she and Yoichi were together, their relationship was still a secret—only Sakura had figured it out.

"Alright, alright, I won't say any more," Sakura laughed before changing the subject. "Ino, did you hear? Temari gave birth to a daughter."

Ino nodded with a smile. "Of course. I ran into Shikamaru the other day, and he hasn't stopped grinning since."

Sakura chuckled. "Temari's daughter seems to be quite healthy. I held her the other day—she didn't cry or fuss at all. She's such a good baby."

Ino smirked. "Sakura, are you thinking about having a child yourself?"

"Ino…"

"What? There's nothing wrong with it. The Uchiha clan only has your family left. If you don't plan for the future, it'll all be up to Sarada."

As she spoke, Ino couldn't help but think about her own situation with Yoichi. If they got married and he wanted a child, she wouldn't refuse him. She had already accepted the idea. The only thing she was slightly concerned about was how Inojin would feel about it.

"That's something for the distant future…"

Sakura gave a wry smile but sighed inwardly. Ino's words made her want to see Sasuke again. Though they had met briefly a few times recently, he had never once stayed home.

The two continued chatting for a while longer. After finishing lunch, Ino stood up to leave—she still had work in the afternoon.

...

That Evening

By the time Sakura returned home, the sky was already dark. She had gotten held up at the hospital just before clocking out.

"I'm home."

As she stepped inside, the scent of food immediately filled the air. Walking into the kitchen, she saw Sarada preparing dinner.

"Mom, you're back. Dinner is almost ready—go wash up," Sarada said.

"Thank you so much, Sarada. I'm sorry for being late again today," Sakura apologized with her hands pressed together before heading barefoot to the bathroom.

She quickly washed her hands and returned to the dining table. But as she sat down, she noticed Sarada holding a flyer for a hot springs resort—the one Ino had given her at lunch. She hadn't thrown it away and had brought it home with her.

"Mom, are you thinking about going on a hot springs trip?" Sarada asked.

Sakura shook her head. "Ino gave that to me, but I don't have any plans to go. I don't have the time."

"Is it because of me?"

Sarada continued, "If that's the reason, there's no need to worry. Our school is organizing a two-day field trip. If you want to go, you should take the chance and relax with Auntie Ino."

"Huh? Your school is planning a trip?"

"Yeah. It's part of our geography and field survey training. They just announced it today. I was actually going to tell you about it earlier, but then I saw the flyer."

After taking a sip of miso soup, Sarada added, "Mom, you should take some time for yourself. If the hospital isn't too busy, you should go on the trip."

"Sarada…"

Sakura felt deeply moved. Smiling, she said, "Then I'll ask Ino about it tomorrow. But have you prepared everything for your trip?"

Sarada sighed before giving a helpless smile. "Mom, they just announced it today."

"Ahaha, my bad, my bad. But if only you had more time off, we could go on a trip together. It's been so long since we traveled anywhere. If only Sasuke-kun were here…"

As soon as she mentioned Sasuke, she realized her mistake and abruptly stopped talking. Looking up, she saw Sarada lower her head, and she let out a quiet sigh.

She knew better than anyone—what Sarada wanted most was for her father to come home. But even when he had returned to the village, he hadn't even stopped by their house.

Silence fell over the room, leaving only the soft sounds of the mother and daughter quietly eating dinner.

...

Elsewhere

"Amado, how is the progress on the cyborg modifications?"

Amado, who had been lost in thought while smoking, jumped slightly at the sudden voice behind him. He quickly composed himself when he realized it was Jigen. Turning around, he replied calmly, "It's going smoothly. There are a few exceptional ones—you've seen them yourself."

"Don't give me unnecessary details, Amado. You know exactly what I'm asking about," Jigen said flatly.

His tone and expression were as indifferent as ever, as if he were discussing something completely trivial. But that very detachment made Amado break into a cold sweat.

Ever since the Ten Tails had been stolen, Jigen had acted the same as before, yet he somehow felt colder than ever.

"What about Eida and Daemon's modifications?"

"They're progressing well. In time, they'll become the strongest assets of the organization."

"Good. That's what I wanted to hear."

Jigen's voice remained calm. "Boro may not have followed my orders, but at least he's useful. Amado, make sure Eida and Daemon learn obedience soon. Otherwise, creating more cyborgs will be a costly burden on our organization.

"We need to cultivate a proper Vessel as soon as possible and grow a new Divine Tree within ten years."

Amado forced himself to stay composed as he asked, "Are you planning to rescue Victor?"

"If you can develop a way for Victor to create an artificial Divine Tree, then there's no need to rescue him. But aside from reclaiming the Ten Tails, our only other option is to create a new one," Jigen said.

With that, he opened a portal and disappeared.

At the moment, he was considering collecting chakra anew—perhaps even using the chakra remnants extracted from Kaguya to create another Ten Tails. That would be far better than waiting decades to cultivate one from scratch.

(End of Chapter)

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