"Slept so comfortably last night...Sakura? When did you return yesterday? Didn't see you..."
Ino stretched comfortably after waking up, but quickly saw Sakura kneeling in front of the table, with her blonde hair still scattered in front, she explained a bit embarrassedly, "I initially wanted to wait for you last night, but the hot springs were so relaxing, so I fell asleep early..."
"It's okay, I felt very comfortable too, I slept a bit in the hot springs last night, thankfully, I woke up at the end..."
Sakura saw that Ino didn't seem to notice her absence all night, and felt slightly relieved, luckily she returned early and arranged the bed to make it seem like she had slept beside Ino the whole time.
"Come on, you might be the last to get up..."
"Sorry, sorry, I didn't expect to sleep so well, Sakura, what do you think?"
Ino clasped her hands together and apologized with a smile, then got up to tidy up the bed and change clothes, while changing, she lamented, "Indeed, it's good to travel and relax once in a while, that's life..."
Sakura forced a smile but didn't respond.
This trip has been unlucky for her, though she can't blame anyone else. Ino pulled her out for her benefit, mistakenly entering the wrong room and having an intimate encounter with Uchiha Yoichi was entirely her fault... Now Sakura feels a sense of indescribable bitterness.
Her emotions are extremely complex, and her body still feels sore, Sakura didn't know how many times it happened last night, but recalling it now, she feels a slight fever all over.
Sakura somewhat understood why Ino had such exaggerated sounds and reactions, the memory of last night was vivid, the robust figure pressed against her, the suffocating feeling, all of which Sakura could not forget.
Not only could she not forget, but the memory seemed to constantly surface in her mind, making her feel unrest.
"Sakura, let's go for a walk outside today, relax another night, and head back early tomorrow morning."
"Alright.. alright."
Sakura snapped back to reality, forcing a smile and nodding, "Then let's follow your plans today, Ino."
Once Ino had changed, she went out with Sakura and woke Uchiha Yoichi, and they all went together for breakfast.
Uchiha Yoichi acted naturally, as if nothing had happened the night before, yet his demeanor made Sakura inwardly clench her teeth.
Is she the one at a disadvantage? Why can't she just act naturally like that...
After breakfast, Yamanaka Ino planned out the day by visiting the tourist spots she had researched with Sakura enjoying a thorough tour; as for Uchiha Yoichi, even though he had less time with Ino, he didn't mind.
This outing proved to be quite fulfilling for him, experiencing not only Ino in her white silk but also the delightful Sakura.
Exploring a dry cave for six or seven years was an excellent experience for him, especially with Sakura being a stunning and shapely woman, whose unique aura intensified Uchiha Yoichi's desire for exploration.
Last night was definitely satisfying, a few hours of exploration... If Uchiha Yoichi hadn't given Sakura some life energy at the end, she definitely wouldn't have been able to get up.
Today felt a bit dull to Uchiha Yoichi, but recalling last night's gain made it insignificant.
For Ino, however, today was an enjoyable day. Although Sakura seemed off occasionally, she managed to brush it off using concern for Sarada as an excuse.
By the third day, Yamanaka Ino regarded this as a perfect trip.
Sitting on the Thunder Car heading back, Yamanaka Ino admired the scenery fleeting by the window and sighed, "It'd be nice if peace could prevail, then we could travel whenever we wanted..."
Uchiha Yoichi remarked, "Isn't it already peaceful? The Five Great Countries aren't even at war, though some places have bandits, but small issues like that shouldn't matter."
"That's not enough, the Ninja World still harbors dangerous entities, they threaten the entire planet..."
Yamanaka Ino shook her head as she spoke, realizing she might have disclosed one of Konoha's secrets.
Uchiha Yoichi had already heard, and despite knowing early on, pretended to only just learn and asked, "Threaten the whole planet? This is the second time I'm hearing of this, is it Otsutsuki again?"
Sakura turned, surprised, and asked, "How do you know?"
"Did you forget my identity? Yin Yang Master!"
Uchiha Yoichi pointed to his face, continuing, "A thousand years ago, the Yin Yang Master lineage almost faced extinction because of Otsutsuki, and I'm well aware of Otsutsuki's intentions; it's all about planting the Divine Tree to absorb the planet's life energy!"
Yamanaka Ino and Sakura remembered then, that Uchiha Yoichi's identity was indeed the Yin Yang Master who fought against Otsutsuki centuries ago.
"That's right, since you're aware, we might as well let you know... Sakura, can we tell him?"
While speaking, Yamanaka Ino actually turned to Sakura, receiving a somewhat irritated response from the latter, "If you already know everything, there's no harm in telling."
"So, Yoichi....."
Yamanaka Ino shared the current situation in Konoha Village with Uchiha Yoichi, including the matters surrounding Shell Organization, Jigen, and the Ten-tailed.
"Another Ten-tailed beast, surely the work of Otsutsuki, those bastards..."
Uchiha Yoichi feigned anger, clenching his fist, saying, "These fellows are vile. Though Otsutsuki Kaguya was sealed a decade ago... the newly emerged Otsutsuki must be Otsutsuki Isshiki, that horned character."
Upon hearing this, Yamanaka Ino and Sakura's expressions became very solemn, with Yamanaka Ino grabbing Uchiha Yoichi's arm and asking, "Yoichi, do you know that guy?"
Uchiha Yoichi replied, "Of course, Otsutsuki Isshiki was chiefly responsible for annihilating the Yin Yang Masters. Kaguya at that time was but a servant of Isshiki... Unfortunately, we had a contingency plan ready to deal with Isshiki, but in the end, it was too late."
"But isn't the Hokage powerful enough to handle Otsutsuki Isshiki? You managed to seal Kaguya, right?"
Yamanaka Ino shook her head, "No way, that guy is too powerful, without your secret medicine, there would have been more casualties!"
"I see, seems Isshiki's powers have grown... But this is a matter from a thousand years ago, I honestly don't have much current information on Otsutsuki Isshiki, merely knowledgeable about the legacy from back then."
Uchiha Yoichi paused after saying this, then feigned hesitation, and spoke, "Ino, can't the Hokage continue growing stronger and then deal with Otsutsuki Isshiki?"