Chapter 403

Amado was one of the few scientists in the shinobi world who could rival Orochimaru. With Jigen's support, his knowledge and insight even surpassed that of Orochimaru.

He had created modified humans even stronger than Jigen himself—so powerful that they became uncontrollable. This prompted Jigen to order Boro to eliminate them.

However, Boro, having fallen under Eida's divine ability, ignored the command. Instead of destroying them, he secretly hid both Eida and Daemon.

When Jigen discovered this, he didn't punish Boro. At the time, he had nearly been killed by Yoichi's Tenseigan clone. Had he not escaped in time, Isshiki would have been forced into reincarnation prematurely. Given the sheer power involved, his body would have been destroyed, resulting in his death.

Fortunately, he had survived, but at the cost of losing the Ten Tails.

"Damn it…"

After leaving Amado's lab, Jigen found it difficult to maintain his usual composure. More accurately, it was Isshiki inside him who was losing patience.

Nothing had gone according to plan since arriving on this planet. First, Kaguya betrayed and ambushed him, forcing him to spend a thousand years recovering his strength. Just as he had finally regained some of his power, the Ten Tails was stolen, and he had barely escaped reincarnation.

The Vessel was still not fully cultivated. Though he had implanted the Kāma, unleashing Isshiki's full power would trigger the reincarnation process. If that happened, Isshiki would be at the mercy of Kawaki's Kāma, which was still unsealing itself.

If anything unexpected happened—if Kawaki died before the reincarnation was complete—then Isshiki would be truly dead.

With that in mind, Jigen had refrained from reclaiming the Ten Tails immediately. Instead, he had prioritized healing his injuries, ensuring he wouldn't enter the reincarnation phase uncontrollably.

"I must take back the Ten Tails. Those two should know that a proper Divine Tree requires an Ōtsutsuki as a sacrifice. Since they haven't acted yet, they likely haven't made their move on the beast."

Jigen reassured himself with this thought. However, his injuries had been too severe. Even after nearly a year, he had only just managed to fully repair his body.

And even then, his body was already falling apart. If he fought another battle, reincarnation would become inevitable.

For that reason, creating more reliable modified humans had become Kara's immediate priority.

At the same time, there was also the matter of retrieving Victor from Konoha. Artificial Divine Trees weren't Kara's goal, but they were part of Isshiki's grander plan. With his long lifespan, he could afford to wait.

...

After some convincing from Sarada, Sakura decided to join Ino on the trip.

It was a two-night getaway, and they would return on the third day—coincidentally the same day Sarada's school trip would end.

With both mother and daughter away for two days, there was no reason for Sakura to refuse anymore.

Having made her decision, she quickly went to find Ino and shared the news.

"So, we're leaving that day? That works. Inojin will probably be on his trip at the same time as Sarada. But I need to tell Yoichi-kun first."

"Huh? Yoichi-san? He's coming too?"

Sakura was surprised, covering her mouth as she asked. She had assumed it would just be her and Ino.

Ino quickly clasped her hands together apologetically. "Sorry, Sakura. I had already planned this as a trip with Yoichi-kun. If he doesn't come…"

"Fine, fine. You've already made up your minds. What else can I say?"

Sakura sighed in mock exasperation before smirking. "So, does that make me the third wheel here, Ino?"

Ino blushed slightly but didn't deny it.

Then, with a bit of hesitation, Sakura asked, "Ino… when are you planning to get married?"

A little embarrassed, Ino replied, "I was thinking of waiting until Inojin graduates from the Academy. But Yoichi-kun seems to want to do it sooner. He's… quite eager."

"Sounds like he really loves you—can't even wait a second longer," Sakura teased with a shrug.

However, for some reason, her mind wandered to the absurd dreams she had been having lately.

In those dreams… Yoichi was on top of her, relentlessly pushing into her…

"Sakura?"

"Ah! What?!"

She snapped out of her daze, realizing that Ino had been waving a hand in front of her face.

Ino tilted her head. "Nothing. It's just… you really need this break. You've been spacing out a lot lately. Are you overworked?"

"Ahaha… maybe a little," Sakura laughed awkwardly.

She certainly wasn't about to admit that she had been dreaming about Ino's man.

Why would I even have those dreams?

Trying to shift the conversation, she suddenly asked, "Ino, have you been dreaming lately?"

"Dreams? Not really," Ino said, pressing a finger to her chin in thought. "Actually, I don't think I've had any dreams lately… Maybe it's because I've been too tired. I usually just pass out after, well… exercising," she muttered, blushing slightly.

"But I've been sleeping really well. No dreams at all. Do you dream a lot, Sakura?"

Sakura forced a smile. "A little, yeah. Random dreams, nothing important."

Yet every time I wake up, my body feels… exactly like it did in the dream. My legs feel weak, and there's this… lingering sensation…

"Maybe you're just thinking too much?" Ino suggested. "I've heard that the things you think about during the day can influence your dreams at night. Sakura, are you thinking about Sasuke again?"

Seeing Sakura's reaction, Ino nodded knowingly. "Yeah, that's it. You miss Sasuke, don't you? He's been gone so much. Even when he came back to the village, he didn't stop by home, did he?"

"Sasuke-kun must be busy with something important."

"Yeah, yeah… Let's not talk about him anymore."

Ino smiled and changed the subject. "Sakura, this time, you have to properly relax!"

With that, the conversation moved on to other topics.

After chatting for a while longer, the two finally parted ways, each returning to their respective homes.

...

Meanwhile…

Temari had fully recovered and was finally discharged from Konoha Hospital, carrying her newborn daughter in her arms.

In truth, she had been completely healed the day after giving birth, but she had chosen to stay a few extra days for Ayako's sake.

When she arrived at the Nara household, both Shikadai and Shikamaru immediately rushed over to see the baby.

However, Temari still remembered Yoichi's words clearly. Using Ayako's nap as an excuse, she swiftly took the baby to their room, preventing any unnecessary interference.

Then, she pulled Shikamaru aside to discuss the name.

"Ayako? That's a nice name. Nara Ayako, huh? Sounds good," Shikamaru mused.

Temari, however, corrected him. "Not Nara Ayako, Shikamaru. Just Ayako."

Shikamaru's eyes widened in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean? Temari, are you saying you don't want her to have the Nara surname?"

"I want Ayako to inherit my techniques," Temari said, lowering her gaze.

"If she takes the Nara name, the clan elders will definitely start meddling in her training, trying to mold her into one of their own."

A hint of guilt flickered in her eyes, but she quickly brushed it away.

"Sorry, Shikamaru… Just let me be selfish this once."

(End of Chapter)

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