Last Time .....
Minato smiled and echoed Hashirama. "Lord Hashirama is right. Focusing on the present is enough. We need to think positively. Since time has stopped, the Divine Tree won't drain everyone's chakra anymore. Therefore, we don't need to put life support devices on everyone, and our journey to find Naruto and Sasuke won't have to be constantly turned back because of the situation here."
"Yes, that's right." Sakura immediately cheered.
Sasori also breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, we can finally be free from this grueling work."
Izuna, Itachi, and Hashirama shared the same sentiment; they were all nearly sick of doing the same work every day.
Kakashi then spoke up. "However, before we set off, we need to gather enough supplies. Before, it was just Sakura and me; now that everyone has been revived, our daily food consumption and other necessities will increase several times over."
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This was indeed a genuine concern. Previously, they had no need for food, drink, or rest; but now that they had returned to being living human beings, all the necessary provisions had to be secured. Many of these worlds were desolate spaces, utterly devoid of any human presence or signs of life; without thorough preparation, they would undoubtedly face severe hardships.
Over the following two weeks, the group scoured the entire world, gathering a vast quantity of survival supplies. Tobirama and Minato each created high-capacity sealing scrolls, meticulously categorizing and storing the provisions within them before distributing the entire stock evenly among the group, based on the headcount.
Throughout these two weeks, the world remained in a state of complete stasis. This allowed the group to confirm that this stillness was not merely temporary but appeared capable of enduring for a considerable time. With their logistical concerns now fully resolved, Madara, Obito, and Kakashi once again activated their Susano'o. Taking Hashirama, Tobirama, Izuna, Minato, Itachi, Sasori, and Sakura along with them, they set out on their arduous journey to locate Naruto, Sasuke, and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
It took their group just over a day and a half to finally return to the world of mountains and forests lying beyond the invisible barrier.
Almost the moment he arrived, Kakashi immediately deactivated his Susano'o. Traversing thirty worlds in succession without a single pause—all while continuously maintaining his Susano'o—had pushed his chakra reserves well past their limit; during the final few world-jumps, he had relied entirely on Sakura's chakra support just to keep pace with Madara and Obito.
As Kakashi landed, his body involuntarily swayed, and his eyes instinctively fluttered shut. The prolonged use of his Mangekyo Sharingan left him in excruciating ocular pain and blurred his vision, causing physiological tears to stream uncontrollably down his face.
Sakura hurriedly threw her arms around Kakashi's chest, bracing herself to support his weight. She looked up, her face etched with concern, and asked, "Kakashi-sensei, are you alright? Let me take a look at your eyes."
Kakashi wearily forced his eyes open. Making no attempt to feign strength, he offered a faint smile and replied, "I'll leave it to you, then, Sakura."
Sakura wore a look of earnest concentration as she placed both hands against Kakashi's temples. The green glow of her medical ninjutsu flared to life, permeating Kakashi's chakra system as she began to examine the condition of his eyes.
"Just like before—you've overused your Sharingan. There's a bit of inflammation; I'll soothe it for you." Sakura quickly reached the same conclusion she always did whenever she treated Kakashi's eyes.
Sakura's soothing, cool chakra gradually alleviated the pressure and pain surrounding Kakashi's eyes. Furthermore, she unhesitatingly channeled her own chakra into his body to replenish his reserves, bringing him immense relief from his fatigue.
Having finished treating Kakashi, Sakura turned her gaze toward Obito and Madara. They, too, had deactivated their Susanoo; Obito was blinking incessantly, while Madara rubbed his temples, his eyes half-lidded.
Evidently, following their resurrection, the two had not only lost their infinite chakra reserves but also found themselves once again subject to the physical strain imposed by their Rinnegan and Mangekyo Sharingan. Although neither had collapsed mid-battle as Kakashi had, it was clear they had still inflicted a certain degree of damage upon their eyes.
Sakura walked up to Obito and asked with genuine concern, "Obito-san, may I take a look at your eyes?"
Having just witnessed Sakura treat Kakashi, Obito did not decline her kind offer. He flashed her a smile and replied, "Thank you, Sakura. I'll leave it to you, then."
Noticing that Sakura had to strain on her tiptoes just to extend her arms high enough to reach his eyes, Obito hurriedly bent down. Although the posture was far from comfortable, he dared not move a muscle.
Sakura looked at the towering, imposing Obito—who was currently hunched over in such a meek, awkward manner just to accommodate her height—and was struck by a strange, whimsical illusion: that of a massive, fierce hound trying its absolute hardest to pass itself off as a cute little puppy. She let out a soft chuckle, then patted Obito on the shoulder to signal him.
"Obito-san, if you don't mind, why don't you go sit on that rock over there? That way, you won't have to go through the trouble of hunching over like this."
"Oh, right. Okay." Obito glanced at a protruding rock nearby and, with a look of ready cooperation, quickly sat himself down. Now seated, he was at eye level with Sakura; she reached out once more, placing her hands against the sides of his eyes.
The lovely, radiant face of the pink-haired girl was mere inches from his own. Obito suddenly felt a surge of nervousness. He took a deep breath, attempting to compose himself, but instead caught the faint, sweet scent of a young woman—that soft, alluring fragrance unique to females. For a fleeting moment, Obito's body went rigid, and his face flushed crimson; he could only hope that Sakura hadn't noticed.
Obito remained in a daze even after Sakura had finished her healing. He murmured his thanks, watching as she walked toward Uchiha Madara, feeling a deep sense of shame that his body was so easily flustered. Although he hadn't suffered the embarrassment of a full-blown "standing ovation," the physical reaction had been intense enough to send his mind racing with unruly thoughts.
Madara watched as Sakura approached him, feeling a flicker of anticipation deep within, yet outwardly maintaining his customary air of haughty aloofness; he crossed his arms, waiting for her to speak.
Sakura was actually somewhat reluctant to treat Madara. Uchiha Madara was, after all, a man with a long history of offenses and a notorious track record. Driven by a sense of professional duty—given that they were currently operating as a team—she couldn't simply ignore a patient who posed a potential risk. However, seeing Madara's haughty demeanor—acting as if he expected her to wait on him hand and foot—Sakura was instantly annoyed.
"It looks to me like you're probably fine. Forget it." Sakura waved her hand, turning to walk away.
Madara was immediately displeased. He gave a light tug on Sakura's hair. "You claim to know whether I'm injured without even looking? You're clearly playing favorites here."
Sakura was utterly stunned by Madara's childish behavior. She slapped his hand away and spun around, glaring at him furiously. "Are you a kindergartner? Pulling a girl's hair—seriously?"
"Hmph. That's what you get for refusing to treat me," Madara retorted, looking completely entitled.
Sakura's mouth twitched, and she clenched her fists tight; she desperately wanted to punch Madara right in the face. She struggled to suppress the throbbing veins in her temples. *Calm down,* she told herself. *I'm a mature medical professional now. I won't stoop to bickering with such a childish, clueless man.*
Sakura snapped, "Fine, if you want me to check you over, then lower yourself a bit. How else am I supposed to reach you?" She certainly wasn't about to strain herself by standing on her tiptoes.
Madara thought back to how Sakura had treated Kakashi and Obito, then compared it to his own situation. He suddenly realized that her attitude toward him was a stark contrast—truly night and day. It seemed that before he could ever hope to win this girl's heart—or her hand—he first needed to find a way to turn around her obvious dislike of him.
Although Sakura's words were blunt, she was absolutely meticulous once she began the treatment. In particular, the anatomical structure of the Rinnegan is far more complex than that of the Mangekyo Sharingan; consequently, the difficulty and precision required for the procedure increased exponentially. In the end, the time Sakura spent treating Uchiha Madara was more than double the time she had spent on Kakashi and Obito combined.
After the treatment concluded, Madara blinked, feeling that his eyes were significantly more comfortable. He offered a nod of approval: "Sakura, your medical skills are quite impressive. I can rest easy knowing that the Uchiha eyes are in your hands from now on."
Sakura hadn't expected to receive such straightforward praise from Madara. After her initial surprise faded, she found herself unable to suppress a surge of inner delight. Although she and Madara didn't exactly get along, Sakura readily acknowledged that Madara Uchiha was one of the absolute strongest figures in the entire shinobi world. To receive validation from a man of such caliber filled her with a sense of both pride and honor.
Unable to completely mask her slight smugness, Sakura offered a modest reply: "It's nothing special; I still have so much left to learn."
Observing Sakura's endearing reaction, Madara realized that she was, indeed, still just a young girl—one who required validation from elders or those of higher authority to maintain her self-confidence. Yet, as a man with a decidedly patriarchal mindset, Madara felt quite satisfied by this unconscious display of deference and submission to authority on Sakura's part.
While Sakura was busy treating Kakashi, Obito, and Madara, the others were by no means idle.
Hashirama, Tobirama, Izuna, and Sasori were all busy scanning their surroundings to guard against any potential dangers.
Tobirama extended his sensory perception across a radius of several dozen kilometers; he detected no traces of chakra, nor any signs of life. He announced to the group: "This world appears to be devoid of any biological life—at least, based on what I can sense right now."
Meanwhile, Minato and Itachi had once again utilized their bloodline tracking jutsu. Two crimson threads of blood materialized, yet instead of pointing directly *out* of this world, they stretched off in a specific direction.
"Should we go investigate right now? Or wait until we've rested for the night?" Minato asked, gazing at the crimson threads as they vanished into the distance.
Tobirama glanced at the red glow of the twilight sky on the horizon. Without much hesitation, he replied: "It's not too late in the day yet, and our combat capabilities remain undiminished. Let's go check it out now. We can complete our reconnaissance work early, *then* rest; that way, once Madara and the others have fully recovered their strength tomorrow, we can resume our journey."
They had already been traveling for a day and a half and were in dire need of a brief respite. Everyone required food and sleep; however, they knew that unless they first clarified their route for the next leg of the journey, none of them would likely be able to rest soundly. To ensure that Madara, Obito, and Kakashi could recover their strength as quickly as possible, the group refrained from activating their Susano'o. After settling on a formation for their advance, they all leaped directly into the trees, following the trail of blood.
Hashirama took the lead, with Tobirama right by his side, constantly employing sensory ninjutsu to detect any movement ahead. Madara—the second-strongest member of the team after Hashirama—anchored the rear; Izuna naturally stayed close to him, while Minato—whose sensory abilities rivaled Tobirama's—also took up a position at the back to monitor for any activity behind them.
As the medical ninja, Sakura was placed—without question—squarely in the center of the formation. Kakashi took up the position to her left, while Obito stood to her right; Itachi positioned himself just beyond Obito to scan the environment to the right, while Sasori stationed himself just beyond Kakashi to monitor the surroundings on the left. This was the specific formation the squad had agreed upon and maintained ever since their preparations were complete.
Their entire journey took them through a towering, dense jungle where the trees grew thick and deep. Vines coiled tightly around the trunks and branches, making it difficult for even sunlight to penetrate the canopy. Yet, the environment remained utterly silent—devoid of the chirping of insects, the calls of birds, or the scuttling of reptiles.
Tobirama felt confident enough to make a definitive assertion: "It seems this world truly harbors no living creatures."
However, the absence of life also implied a near-total absence of danger, allowing the group to relax their guard ever so slightly.
With this slight relaxation, Minato, Madara, and Izuna—who were running just behind Sakura—suddenly noticed something: Sakura's pink skirt was not a tight-fitting, form-hugging garment. Consequently, every time she leaped into the air, the skirt would billow high, revealing her shapely, pert buttocks clad in tight black leggings.
As her figure rose and fell, Minato's cobalt blue eyes grew increasingly dark; his gaze stuck to Sakura's constantly swaying hips. It looks firm, soft, and squish a bowl.
"Tch, this little girl isn't careful at all," Madara suddenly said, sounding a bit displeased.
Minato knew that Madara probably noticed too.
Izuna chuckled quietly, "Madara, if you remind her now, you'll get beaten up. It would also embarrass Haruno, and make us seem really perverted. Otherwise, how would you notice that?"
Madara clicked his tongue again but didn't speak, clearly agreeing with what Izuna said. It was unclear whether he planned to pretend he hadn't seen it or if he was willing to be considered a pervert just to privately warn her.
Izuna suddenly murmured appreciatively, "But this little girl really unconsciously knows how to seduce her men ~"
Minato nodded in deep agreement. Although Sakura and Kushina both had fierce and less gentle temperaments, Kushina was really carefree and had nothing to do with sexiness. Her rare cute and shy side only appeared because of the saying 'beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.'
Sakura, on the other hand, looked so natural in every action but could hit a man's sweet spot of excitement and interest. This was probably also a kind of talent—what they call innate charm.
At this moment, the trees ahead suddenly thinned, letting bright light shine through from the front. After a few jumps, they landed in a clearing.
In front of them was a magnificent white giant dead tree spanning dozens of kilometers. Two blood streaks merged into the void above this dead tree.
Seeing this dead tree, Sakura felt her Divine Tree PTSD flaring up. "Don't you think this tree looks a lot like the Divine Tree? It's just withered."
To be Continued ....
A/N: Sorry to keep you waiting for me to give now chapter I have been With collage.
I will try to keep on schedule with three chapters a week. The day are gonna be random because I don't know when I will have time to post during thw week, but it will be three chapters. Sorry for any grammar mistakes English is my three language.
{Love Billy}