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Chapter 269: We'll Join Ino Once She's Established
Among the crowd from Konoha.
Sakura watched with a complicated gaze as Ino stood obediently behind Alex.
Back in Konoha, before coming here, Ino had told her about this decision. Whether for the family or for herself, she chose to let Hinata put in a good word for her to follow the Akatsuki leader.
Sakura didn't know what kind of mindset or emotions her best friend held when making this decision. But regardless, Ino had taken this step, and she had succeeded. She was accepted by the Akatsuki leader.
Now, like stars surrounding the moon, she stood in the center of the crowd with the Akatsuki members. Meanwhile, "passersby" like Sakura could only watch them with complex, timid eyes.
"Hinata... Ino..." Sakura's pink hair fluttered in the wind. Her heart felt heavy, unable to articulate her current feelings. Worry, fear, or envy—she couldn't say clearly.
But in any case, judging by Ino's current smile, she wasn't that unwilling.
That purple-blue dress, coupled with her obviously applied makeup, revealed Ino's figure and youthful beauty. Like a delicate flower, she bloomed fully in front of the Akatsuki leader.
And Hinata...
Sakura looked at Hinata standing by Alex's side. Since being taken by the Akatsuki and returning, Hinata had changed so much that things were unrecognizable.
The shy, weak Hinata who always liked Naruto was gone. Replaced by a powerful, confident Lady Hinata who possessed an inexplicable nobility, causing many in the village to curry favor with her.
She didn't know what Hinata had experienced in the hands of the Akatsuki to undergo such a huge transformation. But for Hinata herself, this change was likely good. It was much better than how she used to stand in the corner watching Naruto.
"Naruto... Sasuke..." Sakura couldn't help clenching her fists.
The green rhombus mark on her forehead representing the Strength of a Hundred Seal had long vanished as her chakra was stripped away. She thought that by mastering Lady Tsunade's monstrous strength and the seal, she had finally caught up with Naruto and Sasuke. That she could reform Team 7 and fight alongside them.
But who could have guessed it would end like this? Before she could even fight side-by-side with her two teammates or show them the results of her training...
Sasuke and Naruto had died miserably, one after another. Their deaths were sudden and swift.
Before a day had even passed, their names and existence felt extremely distant. Everyone was pondering their uncertain future, forgetting, or simply having no time to think of those two.
Except for her...
"Sakura." Tenten stood beside Sakura. Seeing her face changing constantly, she worriedly asked, "Are you okay...?"
"Tenten... I..." Sakura sighed, stopping herself. She saw deep confusion in Tenten's eyes as well. "I'm fine, don't worry."
Tenten's tense heart relaxed a little. She looked at the Akatsuki members ahead and said bewilderedly, "Hinata joined the Akatsuki. I didn't expect Ino to make the same choice. What about us?"
"What should we do?"
"Sigh... let's just wait and see," Sakura comforted her. "Hinata and Ino have always been our comrades. Past, present, and future. With them there, the future shouldn't be too bad."
"If..." She joked half-heartedly at the end, "If Ino develops well there, we can go and defect to her. Maybe joining the Akatsuki isn't a bad choice."
Tenten looked at Sakura in surprise, unsure if she was really joking or actually considering it. But Sakura just stared blankly at Ino and didn't speak again.
Not far away, the clan heads of Ino-Shika-Cho were whispering. Only Shikaku Nara and Choza Akimichi were speaking; Inoichi Yamanaka looked sorrowfully at Ino standing behind the Akatsuki leader.
His most beloved daughter, feeding herself to a tiger for the sake of the family—one could imagine the pain in an old father's heart. And Ino was so sensible she didn't show even a bit of reluctance.
"Inoichi." Shikaku patted Inoichi's shoulder. "For the time being, Ino shouldn't be in danger. With Hinata Hyuga's experience as a precedent, Ino's outcome won't be too bad."
"That's right, Inoichi," Choza Akimichi also comforted him. "Following the Akatsuki leader, at least her safety isn't an issue. With Ino there, she can also look after Konoha."
Shikaku and Choza looked at each other, seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes. They had wanted Shikamaru and Choji to join the Akatsuki like Ino. But who knew? Hinata didn't even pass on the message; she bluntly rejected Shikamaru and Choji's requests. Not a single chance.
She only agreed to Ino's request.
Sigh, who told us not to have daughters? We can only let Inoichi suffer a bit...
Alex glanced at the people talking in the Konoha crowd, then immediately withdrew his gaze, not caring in the slightest.
With a flick of his finger, a piece of white paper glowing with fluorescence floated in front of Kameda.
"This contains a large amount of chakra. There are no attribute restrictions; it can be infused into anyone."
"Next, use this Chakra Paper to restore the power of those former ninjas and lead them to build the Holy City."
Ninja power was immense. Investing it into civil engineering would be as effective as hundreds of ordinary people. The Chakra Paper would only temporarily restore their chakra. Kameda could decide how much to give them and when to take it back via the paper.
"Subordinate obeys." Kameda received the Chakra Paper respectfully with both hands, then gritted his teeth. "But my strength is low. If those Jonin and Kage-level ninjas restore their strength, I'm afraid I won't be able to suppress them."
"Don't worry." Alex smiled indifferently. "As long as you hold this paper, you can withdraw the chakra injected into the ninjas at any time. Moreover, they won't generate any thoughts of attacking you."
Back when the God Tree controlled by Konan reclaimed the chakra, a Chakra Seed was planted in every ninja's body. Their thoughts and lives were under control at all times.
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