Chapter 240: Epilogue (Part 1): Aftermath, Arrangements
After Kazahana Koyuki had finished touring Sakura's base, as agreed, her memory was sealed by Sasuke using a genjutsu.
So when Sakura was saying goodbye to her, she couldn't remember at all what Sakura had come for.
She only remembered that Sakura had done something here that needed to be kept secret.
"Next time we meet, remember to have Sasuke undo the genjutsu on me!" she said with a pout.
Sakura was a little amused. She had completely forgotten that she herself had agreed to have her memory sealed with a genjutsu.
"Knowing too much is not good for you," Haruno Sakura said faintly, shaking her head.
After speaking (and acting cool), she used the Reverse Summoning Jutsu and returned to Shikkotsu Forest.
When she came, she had come quietly. When she left, she also left quietly. In the Land of Snow, apart from Kazahana Koyuki and her trusted aides, no one knew that the two of them had ever been there.
After the Reverse Summoning Jutsu, Sakura appeared on top of the Slug Sage's head. It was currently rearing up its body, gnawing on a tree trunk.
A giant tree several hundred meters high could already be considered as towering into the clouds. Sakura remembered that when she had first come to Shikkotsu Forest, just looking up to find the top of the tree had made her neck sore. But this height, for the Slug Sage, was just a matter of raising half of its body. Its body was measured in thousands of meters...
She stood on top of the Slug Sage's head. At this height, Sakura could already touch the thin clouds. Below her feet were even patches of a low-lying sea of clouds. The Slug Sage and the giant trees were faintly visible in the sea of clouds, just like a fairyland.
It was a pity that she had not yet mastered a ninjutsu that could fly, otherwise, she could have tried the exhilarating feeling of soaring in the sky.
Perhaps I can use Ice Style shape transformation to simulate a flying falcon?
However, ninjutsu that could fly basically all belonged to the deep nature transformation of Earth Style, an extended application of the "Earth Style: Light-Weight Boulder Jutsu." The number of people in the ninja world who could use this move well was even rarer than those with a Kekkei Genkai... Before her Ice Style had reached the pinnacle of perfection, Sakura would not waste time developing a new affinity.
The Slug Sage, which was munching on the delicious tree trunk, suddenly felt an extra figure on its head and stopped its hearty meal. "Little Sakura, you're here! What's the matter?"
"Uh, I just want to use the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to quickly return to Konoha, so I'm borrowing your place as a transit station..." the girl said with a dry laugh. "I'm really disturbing you!"
"Oh, no wonder little Tsunade summoned my clone just now," the Slug Sage's feelers swayed, seeming to be in a good mood. "Before you are summoned back to Konoha, let's chat here for a bit. Speaking of which, it's been a long time since anyone has chatted with me..."
"Where were we last time? Oh right, I remember. Among you humans, the bigger the chest, the more beautiful the female, right? So your master must be a peerless beauty. Little Sakura, you're still in the ugliest batch for now, but don't be discouraged, take it easy. Ice Style will stimulate your development..."
"Hn, your bust measurement hasn't changed at all from the last time you were here. It seems the Ice Style isn't working? It's fine, your master's medical ninjutsu should be able to help. I remember that your master, little Tsunade, was also very ugly back then..."
Haruno Sakura touched her chest, her face darkened, and she was speechless for a long time.
I don't care about having a big chest at all, okay! As a ninja, it's very obstructive to have them swaying around in a fight! ...There were countless complaints in her heart that she couldn't spit out.
And the Slug Sage is actually a hidden chatterbox... why does it have such a hidden attribute?
When Sakura was summoned back to Konoha, she almost stumbled when she landed, nearly falling over—listening to the Slug Sage talk was even more tiring than fighting Kakuzu!
Tsunade, who was waiting on the side, didn't even raise her eyelids. "How long did the Slug Sage chat with you?"
Hn, it seems Sakura isn't the only victim.
Today happened to be the day of Yūgao's second follow-up examination.
Regarding Yūgao's heart, only Tsunade, Sasuke, Kazahana Koyuki, and Haruno Sakura herself knew about it. After Sasuke had used genjutsu on her, Koyuki was also excluded from the insiders. So only three people knew about this.
Even Yūgao herself did not know that she could get a new heart.
The entire matter was in a state of high secrecy. After all, for the prized disciple of the Fifth Hokage to be secretly conducting human experiments, it was not something to be proud of... even if she was only doing it to treat her comrade.
Konoha Hospital. Ninth Treatment Room.
Yūgao was a little surprised. This follow-up examination was actually being conducted by Lady Fifth Hokage herself.
And beside her, Haruno Sakura, who was not very good at medical ninjutsu, was also standing there.
"A new treatment method?" Yūgao asked strangely.
"Hn, this treatment should be able to completely cure your heart problem," Tsunade said, nodding seriously, while signaling her to take off her clothes. "This is all thanks to Sakura's help... Lie down."
Sakura's help? Yūgao was stunned for a moment. She suddenly thought of what Sakura had said that day. Is this the surprise she was talking about...?
She didn't say much, but did as she was told, took off her top, and lay down in the middle of the giant sealing formula on the floor. Her body was exposed to the slightly cool early spring air, and goosebumps immediately rose on her smooth-as-satin, flawless skin.
The female ninja's fine figure and the swaying spring scenery made Sakura unable to help but look a few more times... She felt that her figure was even better than before.
Tsunade would never tell Sakura that there was some hair left over from that surgery, so they had simply put it to good use... That's right, this is the secret jutsu passed down from generation to generation among female medical ninja, according to the Slug Sage!
She bit her finger, and the blood in her hand, following the circulation of her chakra, transformed into thousands of runes, which she pressed onto Yūgao's chest.
The magical and varied sealing runes covered the enchanting spring scenery on Yūgao's chest. The atmosphere changed from a cloying ambiguity to one of seriousness: the dense, tadpole-like runes immediately spread out from the center of her chest, extending to the floor, and connecting with the intricate sealing formula on the ground.
Lady Fifth Hokage jutted her chin, directing Sakura to take out the heart she had brought back.
"Choose one. Infuse your spiritual power into these hearts and fuse it with their physical power. See which one is the most compatible with you and produces the most chakra," Tsunade said.
Yūgao lay on the ground, craning her neck to look at the containers on the ice tray in Haruno Sakura's hand. Several living hearts were constantly beating in the nutrient solution, emitting a vigorous life force.
She was a little baffled.
Where did Sakura get these hearts that came from the same source as her body?
Of course, the matter of the human experiments would not be told to Yūgao.
However, Yūgao was not a fool. She naturally could more or less guess that there was something fishy about this. The Fifth Hokage might not personally get involved and openly violate the ban to do that kind of experiment, but it was conceivable that she had tacitly allowed her disciple, Haruno Sakura, to do such a thing.
Her heart was filled with gratitude. To think that Sakura would go to such lengths for her injuries...
To conduct human experiments is to risk universal condemnation.
"This new heart is very healthy, very energetic, and much stronger than the temporary one that was transformed before. As long as you train for a period of time, your chakra and stamina will soon be able to return to their peak state," Tsunade said, looking at Yūgao's eyes after the surgery was over. "But I hope you understand that today we just performed some supplementary treatment. Of course, the treatment effect was unexpectedly good..."
Tsunade hinted slightly, and Yūgao immediately understood. She said that she would absolutely keep this secret, and that she would not even tell Hayate Gekkō. Today, she had just come for a routine check-up.
This new heart was not just about bringing her a second life. It was also very important for the baby in her belly. For example, when giving birth, to have a child with a heart condition, it would be very easy for both mother and child to die!
In short, the surgery this time was very successful. The only small interlude was when it came to choosing a heart. Yūgao had been a little hesitant. Because the one that was most compatible with her and the one that produced the most chakra were not the same one, in the end, she had still chosen the latter.
When Haruno Sakura had watched her make this choice, her eyebrow had risen, and her heart had pounded. She had a feeling of dread—she couldn't say for sure why the nutrient solution had been so cold when that heart was taken out...
It should be fine, right?
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