"Such a pity that this ability only lasts for 15 days. I'll focus on refining my alchemy skills with it first."
Yoichi marveled at the practicality of this newfound dream ability. Within the dreamscape, he could materialize ingredients for eighth-grade pills based on his memories and practice his techniques at leisure.
High-grade pills required lengthy refinement, but the dreamscape allowed for bolder experimentation. Moreover, his mastery of the Golden Emperor Burning Sky Flame significantly reduced the time needed for refinement. What might take others ten days for a seventh-grade pill could take him only a fifth of that—or less.
Meanwhile, the attention of the ninja world was consumed by the ongoing "disasters," leaving Victor's company unusually quiet.
According to information from his Kamui clone, Victor had been summoned by Jizen for a meeting to investigate the destruction of the Land of Water. Two members from an external faction were dispatched to investigate, though Yoichi was confident they'd uncover nothing. By the time they realized it was Yoichi's prophecy, the disaster would likely be long over.
As night fell, Yoichi gazed around his empty home. The solitude made him yearn for a more open relationship. While Ino was wonderful, their connection remained secretive.
But the thought of finding someone else left him unsure of where to start.
"For now, let's enter the dreamscape."
Lying on his bed, Yoichi calmed his mind and entered the dream world.
Once inside the familiar space, he immediately manifested twenty alchemy cauldrons, all modeled after the Black Demon Cauldron, the best he remembered.
Next, with a wave of his hand, the dreamscape filled with a vast array of rare herbs and magical beast cores, all necessary for refining sixth-grade pills.
"With twenty clones and the dreamscape's accelerated recovery, refining sixth-grade pills should be manageable."
He created twenty shadow clones, assigning each a cauldron to begin the process. The clones, connected by mental energy, shared memories in real-time, eliminating the inefficiency of waiting for the clones to dispel.
"Perfect. The clones can refine and gain experience. As for me..."
Yoichi decided to use his ability to leave his dream and find Ino's dreamscape instead.
Meanwhile, Sakura focused intently on healing a patient with Shōsen Jutsu. Her glowing green chakra stabilized the injury, slowly mending the wound.
"All done. Wrap this up and change the dressing every three days. You'll recover in two weeks," she instructed.
"Thank you, thank you!" the patient exclaimed gratefully.
A fellow medic approached. "Director, the nearby injuries have been stabilized, and most patients have been transferred to other hospitals. It's thanks to your Katsuyu technique that we managed to treat so many in such a short time. Oh, and we received an urgent message from the village."
Sakura's medical team had reached the Fire Country's border earlier that day, treating most injuries within half a day. Her Katsuyu technique alone accounted for over half of the patients treated, but it came at the cost of her chakra reserves.
Despite her exhaustion, she remained committed to traveling to the Land of Water for support. Seeing the urgent message, however, made her frown.
"Pack up. We're returning to the village tomorrow morning," Sakura announced.
"What? But we haven't finished here, and there's still the Land of Water..."
"All critical injuries have been handled. The remaining patients can be transferred elsewhere. The village has greater need of us now," Sakura replied firmly.
The message's formality suggested a dire situation. Thankfully, with the advent of lightning trains, returning to the village was much faster than before.
"Rest for tonight. We'll leave first thing in the morning."
"Understood, Director!"
As the medics prepared, Sakura returned to her quarters, eager for rest. The day's work had drained her chakra, and she quickly fell asleep.
In her dream, Sakura found herself at home, though she couldn't recall why she was there. Forgetting her earlier work, she wandered the house in search of Sarada.
"Sarada? Where are you?"
Unable to find her, Sakura ventured outside. As she explored Konoha, an unsettling realization struck her—no one else was around. The streets, the Hokage's office, the hospital, the academy, even the police force headquarters were eerily empty despite the lights being on.
"This isn't right. Where is everyone?"
Panting from her frantic search, Sakura decided to check the Yamanaka residence. She had attempted to dispel genjutsu earlier but found no signs of being under one.
Approaching Ino's house, she spotted figures on the balcony. Her heart lifted at the sight of another person, only to freeze in shock.
"Ino... and that's Yoichi from the pharmacy?"
Hiding behind a tree, Sakura's cheeks flushed as she pieced together what she was witnessing.
'Why is Ino doing this? And on the balcony? Anyone could see them!'
Unable to comprehend, she suspected foul play—maybe Ino was being coerced or under genjutsu.
"No, I need to figure out what's going on."
Determined, Sakura crept closer, only for Ino's voice to ring out. Moments later, Yoichi lifted her into his arms, carrying her inside.
Shaken but resolute, Sakura snuck into the house and climbed to the second floor, where she found the door ajar. Peering inside, she froze at the scene before her.
The sounds and sights left her breathless, her legs trembling as she covered her mouth to stifle any noise.
'This is... too much,' she thought, biting down on her finger to keep from gasping aloud.
After what felt like an eternity, Sakura shook herself free of her trance and knocked on the door.
"Ino, are you there? I'm coming in!"
Her voice startled Ino, who hastily responded, "S-Sakura? Don't come in, I'm not—"
The next moment, Sakura woke abruptly, staring at the familiar ceiling of her quarters.
"Ino?"
Sitting up, she realized she was back at the border camp. Memories of her day came rushing back.
"A dream? But it felt so real..."
Every vivid detail lingered in her mind, etched as if burned there.
"Why would I dream about something like that?" she murmured, blushing at the realization of her body's reaction.
Deciding she needed a bath, Sakura rose to clean herself.
Elsewhere, Ino woke suddenly, murmuring, "Sakura, don't come in..."
Realizing she was at home, she sighed in relief.
"Just a dream... but why did it feel so real?"
Shaking off the unease, she made her way to the bathroom, determined to wash away the remnants of her strange and vivid dream.
(End of Chapter)
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"Why would I dream of something like that?"
The next day, while seated on the lightning train, Sakura couldn't shake off the vividness of her dream from the night before. Every detail, from Ino's cries of passion to the intrusive imagery, remained disturbingly clear in her mind.
'No, I mustn't dwell on it. Just think of it as a nightmare,' she thought, forcing herself to dispel the images.
After all, she had just changed clothes the previous night, and recalling the dream now would only make her want to change again—something impractical on a moving train.
Upon arriving back in Konoha, the medical team dispersed to the hospital while Sakura made her way to the Hokage's office.
After learning about the prophecy that disasters would occur every three days and could potentially strike the Land of Fire, Sakura understood why she and her team had been called back. If a disaster struck Konoha while most of the medical staff were absent, the consequences would be catastrophic.
With this in mind, she returned to the hospital to make emergency preparations, ensuring that medical personnel and supplies were ready.
Though she considered visiting Ino, the overwhelming workload and her knowledge that Ino was now responsible for the village's barrier security dissuaded her.
As the evening wore on, the weight of the impending disaster loomed over Konoha. Everyone aware of the prophecy prepared as if they were facing another calamity on the scale of the Ten-Tails.
Meanwhile, Yoichi had a fruitful night, gaining significant experience in refining sixth-grade pills and alleviating Ino's loneliness.
His mastery of the Golden Emperor Burning Sky Flame had reached a pinnacle, and even seventh-grade pills were now within his grasp. With a few months of practice, he believed he could achieve proficiency with eighth-grade pills.
His mental energy remained unexhausted even after using ten clones to refine pills throughout the day, showcasing his growing power.
In the shadows, Victor used the distractions caused by the disasters to his advantage. Sai, though hot on his trail, was being cleverly misled.
With guidance from Yoichi's Kamui clone, Victor had Sai chasing false leads across the Land of Valleys and the Land of Silence. Meanwhile, the shell organization's outer members were subtly exposed, diverting attention from the artificial Divine Tree.
Victor's ambitions grew alongside the tree, though he believed his machinations remained hidden. Yet, he posed no threat to the Kamui clone, whose Mangekyō Sharingan made him untouchable—even by Jigen.
As midnight approached, Konoha settled into an uneasy quiet.
The Hokage's office, however, remained brightly lit, with Naruto and Ino on high alert.
"This tension is exhausting. We still have a month of this," Naruto quipped, attempting to lighten the mood.
Shikamaru lit a cigarette, pausing before asking, "Mind if I smoke?" Seeing Naruto and Ino wave him off, he lit it and took a drag.
"We can't relax even after a month. Those deep-sea beasts are still unaccounted for. Every remaining beast must be eliminated before we can rest easy."
Naruto nodded, then asked, "How's your family, Shikamaru? Temari's still away, right? How's Shikadai?"
"Yeah, Shikadai's fine. He's responsible enough to manage on his own while Temari's visiting Suna. She went alone this time because Shikadai has exams coming up," Shikamaru replied.
Their conversation trailed off as the clock neared midnight. Naruto activated Sage Mode, scanning for unfamiliar presences, while Ino monitored the barrier.
"All clear around Konoha," Ino reported after receiving an update from the patrol teams.
Hearing this, everyone in the room exhaled in relief.
"Shikamaru, contact the other Kage," Naruto instructed.
Shikamaru immediately opened the video conference. Soon, the other Kage reported their findings:
Darui: "Cloud Village is normal. I've sent scouts to survey the Land of Lightning. We'll have news by morning."
Kurotsuchi: "Stone Village is also fine. We'll know about the Land of Earth by tomorrow."
Chōjūrō: "No issues in Mist Village. Reconstruction efforts continue."
Gaara: "Sand Village is quiet for now, but the desert is difficult to monitor. We might not have full reports until the day after tomorrow."
The lack of immediate disaster brought some relief, but the uncertainty lingered. If the disaster wasn't in the Five Great Nations, it had to be elsewhere in the ninja world.
"Let's reconvene in the morning. Report any developments immediately," Naruto concluded, ending the call.
He then turned to Shikamaru. "Deploy the scouting teams. Search the Land of Fire thoroughly tonight and relay any findings."
"Understood," Shikamaru replied, issuing orders through his radio.
After hours of vigilance, Naruto noticed the fatigue on Shikamaru's face.
"Shikamaru, you should head home. Shikadai needs you," Naruto urged.
Ino chimed in, "Naruto's right. Don't push yourself too hard. If you fall ill, who'll take care of Shikadai?"
"Alright, alright. You win," Shikamaru conceded, handing over his tasks before leaving the office.
Once he was gone, Ino sighed. "Naruto, you should encourage Shikamaru to remarry. Balancing village duties and raising Shikadai alone is too much."
"I'll talk to him soon. Maybe I'll even take on some of his workload," Naruto replied sheepishly.
"You better. Without Shikamaru, you'd drown in paperwork," Ino teased, gesturing at the piles of documents.
Naruto laughed nervously, silently resolving to tackle the backlog.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Wind, a haunting whale cry echoed as dense fog slowly dissipated, revealing the aftermath of destruction. A section of lightning train tracks lay in ruins, with scattered bodies strewn across the ground.
Among the wreckage, Temari stirred weakly, managing to lift her head before collapsing into unconsciousness.
At dawn, a Sand Village search team arrived, their leader surveying the scene.
"The lightning train's destroyed!" one scout reported.
The team quickly investigated, finding only one survivor.
"Bring her back. We need to identify her and determine the cause of this," the captain ordered.
Another scout hesitated. "Captain, could this be related to the disaster Lord Kazekage warned about?"
"Idiot. If it were, this wouldn't be limited to just a section of train tracks. This seems more like the work of rogue ninjas. Focus on identifying this woman," the captain snapped.
(End of Chapter)
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