Chapter 417

Sakura sat frozen in her seat for nearly ten minutes before she slowly regained her senses.

"What should I do?"

She clutched her head in distress. Her first thought upon learning the truth was to terminate the pregnancy. However, an abortion required surgery, which meant involving other medical ninja.

While a shadow clone could technically perform the procedure, the intense pain on her real body could disrupt the clone's precision. She might be able to endure it, but she couldn't take that risk. Tsunade had drilled into her that there was no room for error in surgery.

As for medication, the ninja world had never developed any for this purpose. There was no demand, so there was no research. Even though Sakura had learned a lot about pharmaceuticals from Tsunade, she wouldn't be able to develop one in time.

"What do I do?"

She slumped onto the table, feeling helpless. Countless figures flashed through her mind—Shizune, Tsunade... But if she asked them for help, she wouldn't be able to keep this a secret.

If Sasuke found out… she couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen.

Sakura's mind was a mess, completely overwhelmed with uncertainty. But after sitting in her office for half a day, a thought suddenly came to her—Uchiha Yoichi.

It was all his fault.

The anger in her heart flared. She knew she was largely at fault for mistakenly entering the wrong room that night, but right now, she was just an enraged woman.

Resolving to confront Yoichi about this matter, Sakura immediately stood up and walked out.

"Sakura? Where are you going?"

Shizune had just arrived and was surprised to see Sakura leaving.

"Sorry, I have something urgent to take care of. I'll handle things when I get back," Sakura replied with a forced smile before quickly making her way out.

Shizune watched her rush off, confused. What's gotten into her?

Leaving Konoha Hospital, Sakura didn't hesitate as she stormed toward Yoichi's pharmacy. In no time, she arrived and pushed open the door.

Ding-dong!

The wind chime at the entrance rang—a signal for customers. Sakura stepped inside and waited on the first floor.

Moments later, Yoichi descended from upstairs. He had actually been in his Kamui dimension, leaving only a shadow clone here. But upon sensing Sakura's arrival, he exited the dimension.

Feigning surprise, Yoichi asked, "Sakura? What brings you here? Need some secret medicine?"

"Secret medicine my ass!"

Sakura snapped before realizing that if she yelled here, passersby might overhear. She quickly grabbed Yoichi by the collar and pulled him toward the stairs. "Upstairs. We need to talk."

"What's the matter?"

Though he could have easily broken free, Yoichi followed her to the second floor. By expanding his sensory field, he quickly understood why she was here.

The faint life energy in her lower abdomen—it was unmistakably a pregnancy. And judging by the timing, it was from that night at the hot spring inn in the Land of Hot Water.

Upon reaching the second floor, Yoichi continued his act, pretending to be confused. "What's wrong, Sakura? What do you need to tell me?"

"Of course, there's something!"

Sakura gritted her teeth, her voice trembling. The room was filled with the rich aroma of medicinal herbs, but none of that mattered to her right now. If she didn't handle this properly, her entire family would be ruined.

"I'm pregnant."

"...Pregnant?"

Yoichi played his part flawlessly, his face showing genuine confusion and disbelief. Then, as if realization dawned on him, he pointed at himself. "Mine?"

Sakura seethed, suppressing her anger. "That night... it happened."

"That time… Yeah, it's possible." Yoichi rubbed his chin thoughtfully before asking, "Just to be sure—Sakura, since coming back from the Land of Hot Water, have you and your husband…?"

He trailed off, but Sakura knew exactly what he was asking. A wave of embarrassment hit her, but she still answered, "...No. Sasuke-kun has been busy."

"Not even once in over a month? Ino and I can barely go a day without—"

"Shut up! You can't compare this to that!"

Sakura was both furious and flustered. Ever since returning from the Land of Hot Water, she had wondered if Yoichi was some kind of addict when it came to this sort of thing. He had already spent hours with Ino at the hot spring, yet that same night, he had turned to her—and it had lasted even longer.

It didn't make sense. As a medical ninja, she had an in-depth understanding of human anatomy. But every time she recalled that night, she couldn't help but feel deeply embarrassed.

Still, this wasn't the time for such thoughts. Pushing down her shame and anger, she looked Yoichi in the eye and asked, "I can't have this child. Do you have a way to get rid of it?"

Yoichi pretended to be shocked, then quickly shook his head. "Me? I'm not a medical ninja—I don't specialize in that. If it's surgery, you're way more skilled than me."

"I can't. If I undergo surgery, I'll need someone else to do it. There's no way I can hide it. And without a valid reason, who would even perform this operation for me?"

Sakura shook her head. The ninja world had a small population, and children were highly valued, especially among ninja clans. As Uchiha Sakura, if she tried to get rid of her child, even Naruto would start asking questions.

"You research secret medicines all the time. You really don't have something for this? Anything, any method—I don't care what it is, as long as it works."

Sakura's voice became desperate and frantic. She just wanted this to be over.

"Why would I have something like that?" Yoichi countered. "I only develop what's needed. I traveled the ninja world alone for years—I never had a situation like this before. But don't panic just yet. There might be a solution."

His calm voice somehow eased Sakura's anxiety. She took a deep breath, slowly regaining her composure. Once he saw her distress subside, Yoichi continued,

"What happened was an accident. But since we both want to resolve this, I have a few suggestions. First—"

He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small vial. "This is a secret medicine. If you take it home and give it to your husband, he'll fall into a deep sleep and won't remember anything the next day. That's when you tell him you already did it last night."

Sakura's face turned red with both fury and shame. "Are you asking me to lie to Sasuke?"

"Calm down, Sakura. This is the last resort. If we can't find another way to deal with the child, this might be the only option. Or do you have someone who'd perform the surgery for you?"

Yoichi spoke in a soothing tone, though he knew full well that Sakura wouldn't be able to pull it off elsewhere.

"I'll also look into it. If I can come up with a better solution, I'll let you know. But this is about protecting your family, Sakura. Do you understand?"

"...But…"

Deceiving Sasuke—that was something she couldn't accept. But if she didn't, her entire family could collapse.

As she weighed her choices, images of Sarada, Ino, and others flashed through her mind. Her heart ached. After a long internal struggle, she finally made her decision.

"I understand."

If she told the truth, the consequences would be disastrous. It would affect too many people. That was something Sakura couldn't bear.

Deception was her only choice.

(End of Chapter)

[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum]

[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[Thank You For Your Support!]