"Hm? Inner Sakura, from what you just said, does that mean you're joining us today too?"
Aoba suddenly recalled what Inner Sakura had just said and asked with some surprise.
Inner Sakura slipped out of his arms at this moment, hands behind her back, smiling brightly.
"Sakura and I are originally one anyway. Doing this together is perfectly reasonable, right?"
Aoba glanced at Sakura and found that she didn't object either. Clearly, this had already been discussed between them.
Actually, ever since Inner Sakura gained a physical form, Sakura didn't really get jealous of her anymore.
Just like Inner Sakura said, the two of them were essentially one. Compared to anyone else, they were naturally much closer.
The reason there used to be some conflict was that before Inner Sakura could materialize, if she wanted to do many things, she had to use Sakura's body. So unless they were sleeping and entering the mental world, when one of them was doing something, the other could only watch.
But now Inner Sakura had her own body and no longer needed to rely on Sakura's.
That feeling… was quite subtle.
Right now, though, Aoba was a bit curious whether Inner Sakura's existence was independent, or more like a shadow clone.
After all, the trait of a shadow clone was that when it was dispelled, the pain and memories it experienced would be returned to the original body.
At that point, he didn't even dare imagine what Sakura would become.
Aoba's thoughts started to wander.
But seeing him remain silent, Inner Sakura grew a bit unhappy and looked at him with a faintly resentful expression.
"Aoba, don't tell me you think I'll just get in the way if I'm here?"
"Not at all."
Aoba came back to his senses, shook his head, and then asked, "It's just… if you keep this state all day, will Sakura's chakra be enough?"
Although they had different consciousnesses, their body was still the same.
Even though Inner Sakura could now turn from intangible to solid using Yakumo's genjutsu techniques, this current form still counted as Sakura continuously using the Spirit Transformation Technique.
And the consumption was far greater than when Inner Sakura existed as a spiritual body.
Even though Sakura had now mastered the Strength of a Hundred Seal, it would probably still be quite a strain.
"It's true, it might not be enough."
Inner Sakura didn't deny it, but soon a meaningful smile appeared on her face again as she tugged lightly at the black thigh-high socks in her hand.
"So, in order to maintain this physical form the whole time, before we officially start today's date, we'll need to borrow just a tiny bit of chakra from you, Aoba."
"Hm?"
Before Aoba could respond, Inner Sakura had already lunged forward, knocking him straight onto the sofa.
Sakura naturally wasn't about to fall behind.
After all, the one who needed to replenish chakra was her, not Inner Sakura.
At this point, how could Aoba not understand what this so-called "borrowing a bit of chakra" meant?
Although Aoba now had a Sage Body, he still retained the Uzumaki clan's bloodline.
The ability of physical healing was still there, so the method of obtaining chakra was actually very simple.
But compared to that quick method, Sakura and Inner Sakura chose one that was more time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Watching from the side, Ino saw Sakura puffing her cheeks, looking very "unwilling," and felt like stepping in to help, saying she actually had a faster method.
But Sakura decisively refused, saying that during the recent mission, Ino had already monopolized Aoba for several days.
These few days belonged to them.
Seeing this, Ino could only look at Aoba with a pitiful expression.
Aoba didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he simply changed the subject.
"By the way, about the marriage… has Shizune-nee told you anything?"
"Marriage?"
Ino's pitiful expression instantly froze.
Sakura and Inner Sakura also stared at him blankly.
"Karin did tell us that yesterday you went with Tenten to take wedding photos. We wanted to go too…"
Sakura said, her voice a bit unclear.
"Yeah, because Konan told her about the marriage yesterday. I didn't expect Shizune-nee hasn't told you yet."
"In a little while, we'll be husband and wife."
"R-really?"
Ino still hadn't quite processed it. After all, suddenly talking about marriage like this...
Not long ago, she had just told Aoba about her family urging her to get married. And now she was getting married?
"Of course it's real. Do you think I'd joke about something like that?"
Aoba also reached out and rubbed her hair.
"Th-this…"
The three of them now found it hard to control their emotions.
For a moment, Ino didn't even know how to express her excitement, so she simply wrapped her arms around Aoba's neck and kissed him.
Sakura and Inner Sakura had wanted to stop her, but… after learning about the marriage, they knew she was probably very emotional too, so for now, they just let Ino have her moment.
Though this wasn't without its benefits.
"Aoba's physique really is amazing. It feels like the chakra in my body has increased several times over."
Inner Sakura felt the abundant chakra being transmitted from Sakura and couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
Sakura, who wasn't in a position to speak at the moment, shot her a glare, then directly pulled her along to go freshen up first.
Seeing Sakura drag Inner Sakura away, Ino's eyes shifted, and she leaned in slightly, whispering, "Aoba, how about you use that space-time ninjutsu of yours that seals off space for a bit?"
"…"
Aoba couldn't help but tug at her ponytail, "You still dare to sneak off like this? Aren't you afraid Sakura will find out and the two of them will team up against you?"
"You just don't tell them."
Although she had been thoroughly worn out the past two days, she was still in that stage where she had developed a taste for it and wanted to try again.
"If your body's recovered well, I'll come find you tonight. Otherwise, you won't be able to work later," Aoba's tone softened.
"Mmm… alright then."
Hearing him say that, Ino couldn't really argue anymore, but she still leaned in again.
"Then while Sakura and the others are in the restroom, let's kiss a bit more…"
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