last Time .....
However, after the initial infatuation, reality had to be faced. Tobirama Senju was a man with a stronger moral compass and a greater sense of responsibility than anyone else. Sakura Haruno was his grand-disciple, far younger than him. He was the Hokage, she was a Konoha ninja; their statuses were inherently unequal. If he pursued Sakura Haruno, what would that be? An abuse of power? Using his authority to oppress someone?
Fortunately, the kind of unparalleled beauty that can disturb people's minds and spirits has not yet appeared in Haruno Sakura. Senju Tobirama believes that with his strong self-control, he can maintain his previous attitude. His heart may be moved, but it will only be chaotic for a while.
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"Hmm~" A soft groan drew everyone's attention. Sakura's eyelashes fluttered slightly; she was clearly waking up.
She was still in Madara's arms, but to use his ninjutsu, Madara couldn't hold Sakura any longer and casually sat down on a rock. Sakura was now half-reclined in his lap.
Sakura groggily opened her eyes. What had just happened? Sakura couldn't quite remember. She blinked, and when her vision cleared, she found several magnified faces in front of her, each one an extremely handsome man.
One was a white-haired, aloof, and icy-cold-looking man with long, sharp, pomegranate-red eyes that were slightly upturned. The three red marks on his face didn't detract from his handsomeness; instead, they added to his sex appeal.
Another was a beautiful man with a cold expression and elegant features... The boy had bright red hair and amber eyes that seemed to hold the shimmering glow of honey.
One was a tall, strong, and handsome man with long black hair and a cheerful, gentle smile. He looked very manly and masculine, exuding male hormones. If Sakura were just an ordinary 16 or 17-year-old girl, she might not be able to understand this kind of men. But Sakura, who also had the memories of being 32 years old, could already appreciate this kind of pure male beauty. Mainly, his muscles must be very developed and his figure is good. Sakura wiped away the invisible drool.
The other was a handsome, sunny male with brilliant blond hair and cobalt blue eyes. He looked gentle and kind, perfectly fitting the image of the ideal prince charming in every girl's imagination. He was softly asking,
"Sakura-chan, how are you feeling?"
A handsome man with long, thick, black hair was holding her. Although his heavy under-eye bags almost gave the impression of puffy eyes, they didn't detract from his flawless, beautiful features.
As for the three other strikingly handsome or dashing black-haired men, and a certain silver-haired heartthrob, although they looked vaguely familiar, Sakura, overwhelmed by the unfamiliar beauty, completely failed to grasp the point. She didn't even notice that these unfamiliar men also possessed features she should recognize. Sakura only felt her heart pounding, her eyes sparkling with hearts, and two streams of blood uncontrollably flowing from her nose.
The long-haired man immediately spoke up with a worried expression. "Sakura-chan, you're bleeding from your nose. Are you feeling unwell?"
Sakura stammered. "Reverse..."
"What?" the blond man pressed, concerned.
"Reverse Harem Technique..." Sakura answered lightly, her face flushing red as she could no longer bear it, her body going limp and collapsing backward.
Kakashi knew he was doomed the moment he saw Sakura's state. Sakura was great in every way, but she was an absolute hopeless romantic, completely unable to resist the allure of beauty. Naruto's Reverse Harem Technique against Kaguya not only gave him an opportunity to punch Kaguya, but also knocked Sakura down. But he never expected that the resurrection of his teacher and the Hokage would cause Sakura to fall down again in a hopeless romantic state.
"Are they really that handsome?" Kakashi glanced at Minato and the others with a hint of resentment. Well, even if he had to lie, Kakashi couldn't say they were just average-looking. If he'd known this, he should have taken off his mask while eating curry and charmed Sakura, who was obsessed with looks. Now, someone else had beaten him to it.
Kakashi, seeing Sakura's flushed cheeks—she probably still thought she was dreaming—couldn't stand it anymore. He gently scolded her, his voice laced with undisguised sourness.
"Sakura, wake up! This isn't a reverse harem technique. Look closely, these are the Hokage! They've been resurrected, and you can't even recognize their faces?!"
Sakura, her heart still fluttering with infatuation, shuddered at the scolding. Her emerald green eyes widened as she carefully examined the handsome men again.
Ah, that white-haired, aloof, and abstinent handsome man with three red marks on his face...is that the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju? Who can tell her why her idol is not only smart but also so handsome!
Ah, that beautiful red-haired boy with amber eyes seems to be her old rival, Sasori of the Red Sand! She ignored him as a puppet and in Edo Tensei, but now that he's a normal human, his arrogant and aloof demeanor is just too much for her aesthetic!
Ah, that tall, strong, and cheerful guy with long black hair—isn't that the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju? She's actually fantasizing about his physique under his clothes! He's her master's grandfather! She's guilty!
Ah, that blond prince-like handsome guy is clearly the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze! But a man this handsome is really bad for her heart. If Naruto were as handsome as his father, she would have fallen for him long ago!
And as for the long, frizzy black-haired guy hugging her—wait a minute, isn't that Madara Uchiha? She can't appreciate Edo Tensei Madara or Six Paths Madara, but why does this living person so perfectly capture her heart? That wicked Uchiha Madara, how could he be so beautiful?!
As for the handsome men who looked familiar before, one of them was none other than Uchiha Izuna, who looked almost exactly like Sasuke. His resurrection only made him more captivating; was she simply unable to resist being mesmerized by the same face?
Then there were Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito. As enemies, Sakura hadn't observed them closely, but looking at them now, both men were undeniably handsome and dashing—truly exceptionally good-looking. One was her former uncle, though that probably wouldn't be this time; the other already had someone else in his heart.
Finally, there was Kakashi Sensei. Okay, even though she couldn't see his face, Sakura knew he was definitely not ugly. Just look at Ayame-nee's reaction after seeing Kakashi at Ichiraku Ramen—but he's her teacher!
The more Sakura looked, the colder her heart became. They were all handsome men she couldn't touch. The more she looked, the more hopeless she felt. Secretly swooning over handsome men wasn't a big deal, but she was swooning in front of her Hokage and old enemies! How many more times did she have to die in front of these men? Ah, why didn't her life end today?
"Destroy this world!" Sakura's gaze died completely; she felt utterly exhausted and disillusioned.
Minato finally understood what Sakura had been doing. He couldn't help but laugh. Okay, at least he was sure Sakura liked his looks, right?
Tobirama was speechless. What was Haruno Sakura thinking? But his ears involuntarily turned red.
Hashirama laughed heartily. "Sakura-chan, do you think we're handsome? That's an honor! But a reverse harem? Hmm, Sakura's dream is big, but... can she handle it?"
Hashirama, with an innocent and naive expression, uttered words that were anything but innocent. Tobirama choked, and Madara stared blankly, wondering what kind of outrageous things his older brother (Hashirama) was saying!
Izuna secretly sighed, thinking Hashirama was indeed ruthless. Once he set his sights on someone, he didn't hesitate to act. Even though Hashirama was ruthless and cruel, Madara always treated him like an innocent rabbit, when in reality he was the most pure and kind person imaginable.
Minato looked at Hashirama as if he were seeing the First Hokage for the first time. Kakashi's eyes widened; was he hallucinating? Itachi, Obito, and Sasori's impressions of the First Hokage were also somewhat shattered. Even if you call it naiveté, this was too much!
Sakura, upon being questioned, jumped up in embarrassment, stammering and waving her hands frantically, trying desperately to explain.
"No, Lord Hashirama, the Reverse Harem Technique is a ninjutsu invented by Naruto. He used it when he fought Kaguya, and a bunch of handsome men appeared, stunning Kaguya. I just woke up and suddenly saw a group of handsome men, and I thought... Ah, damn it, what am I saying? Waaah, I hate Naruto!"
As Sakura spoke, the more she spoke, the more it sounded like she was self-destructing. She stomped her foot, covered her face, and ran away. Never mind her; she was going on her voyage today. Her innocence was completely ruined. What would Lord Hashirama think she was?!
Hashirama laughed cheerfully. "Oh, Naruto invented such an interesting technique."
Kakashi's eyes widened in disbelief. No, hadn't he already explained it from the beginning? This was the Reverse Harem Technique. Was the First Hokage doing this on purpose? Kakashi's gaze towards the First Hokage gradually became more wary. Tobirama coughed a few times, making a fist. "Big brother, don't make jokes like that, you scared Haruno away."
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry, I'll go find her and bring her back?" Hashirama laughed, scratching his head.
Kakashi spoke gently. "I'll go. She's probably embarrassed right now, seeing Lord Hashirama will only make her more embarrassed."
Hashirama didn't insist. Sakura followed Kakashi back a moment later, looking rather awkward. Although she kept her head tilted to the side, her hands on her hips, and one cheek slightly pouting, she was clearly still sulking, muttering very quietly.
"It's not my fault. How was I supposed to know everyone would be resurrected? Besides, the Edo Tensei and the real people don't look alike at all, okay? It's like their good looks were completely sealed."
Kakashi was speechless, giving Sakura's hair a slightly rough ruffled ruffle, laughing and scolding, "You still have the nerve to talk back?"
Sakura stood in front of Hashirama and the others, honestly apologizing. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have fantasized. Cough cough, no, I mean, I didn't recognize you. I'm so sorry."
She lowered her head, one foot wiggling in circles on the ground, only glancing up at them with her cat-like blue eyes, occasionally stealing a glance at their reactions. Her posture was like a kitten with its back turned, only its tail subtly teasing their legs—absolutely adorable.
Hashirama and Minato almost had nosebleeds. Even if she wasn't as breathtakingly beautiful as the girl in their spiritual world, Sakura alone was enough to make their hearts itch. Hashirama, with his rich experience, judged that this girl was an absolute natural beauty in bed.
Hashirama's smile remained pure and innocent. "Haha, don't mind it, Sakura-chan, it's just a misunderstanding."
Obito, Itachi, and Sasori all blushed slightly. Sakura was too cute, making them have a strong urge to reach out and pet her.
Izuna inwardly exclaimed, "Wow, so cute! This girl is both charming and alluring, beautiful and captivating. Who could resist? Many beauties are pretty, but lack charm and allure, quickly becoming boring. Even with training, there's always a sense of artificiality and affectation. Sakura, however, is naturally beautiful, and she's completely unaware of it."
Madara and Tobirama also found it hard to accept this girlish demeanor. Both their cheeks flushed, but they maintained their expressionless faces.
Tobirama quickly regained his composure, desperately suppressing his inappropriate thoughts. He needed to remain calm! But then again, Sakura really didn't seem like a ninja at all. Her emotions were too rich. The Anbu was definitely not suitable for her, but lecturing her now seemed inappropriate too. Tobirama changed the subject, asking,
"Alright, Haruno, do you remember what happened?"
Sakura looked confused. "No? I only remember us forming hand seals together, trying to break the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and then waking up again, just now."
"Then do you remember the flower tree? And the fact that you broke the seal of thirty worlds?" Tobirama continued.
Sakura was even more confused and surprised. "Second Hokage, what are you talking about? I don't understand a word!"
"You don't remember?" Tobirama frowned.
Sakura shook her head in confusion, then looked around at her surroundings again. "Speaking of which, where are we now? This place looks completely unfamiliar."
"This is the world behind the invisible barrier," Tobirama answered Sakura, then said to Madara. "Madara, replay what you saw for Haruno again."
Madara rolled his eyes at Tobirama's always self-righteous and commanding attitude, but still used the Rewind Jutsu: Replay on Sakura.
Sakura waited a moment, then looked at Madara with a head full of question marks. "Um, what did you show me? I didn't see anything!"
Madara's eyes widened slightly. "I already cast the spell, didn't you see it?"
Sakura nodded, puzzled. "Yes, you cast it? I didn't feel anything."
Madara tried to replay the memory again, but it still didn't work. Thinking the technique was malfunctioning, he tested it on the others, and the replays were successful for them all. Only the person who possessed this memory—Sakura Haruno—couldn't see it.
"What's going on?" Madara was completely baffled.
Minato guessed. "Is it related to the so-called transformation? Until the final..." Minato hesitated, unsure of the right words. He thought for a moment before continuing, "Hmm, let's call it awakening? Until the final awakening, Sakura can't see any of her changes?"
Tobirama also thought it was possible. More terrifying than her captivating beauty was her power, which was completely inhuman, truly like a god descending.
"What are you talking about? Lord Minato? Second Hokage?" Sakura was also anxious. It concerned her, yet she knew nothing about it—was that reasonable?
Minato gently explained what they had seen in Sakura's mental world. Of course, he didn't specifically mention her extraordinary beauty, only briefly mentioning it. The main focus was on the Flower Tree Universe and her breaking the seal with a single finger.
Sakura stared wide-eyed in astonishment, pointing at herself, and asked incredulously, "Lord Minato, are you talking about me? How could I possibly break the seal of thirty worlds with a single finger? That would make me a god! Impossible, at least I don't feel that strong right now."
Sakura shook her head repeatedly. As for the Flower Tree Universe, well, she truly knew nothing about this Flower Tree, she guessed. "It must be because of that Flower Tree? It resides in my mind, thus granting me this power?"
"That's highly possible, but no one knows what this Flower Tree actually is." Tobirama felt a headache coming on; all the questions he had asked earlier were currently unanswerable. "It seems only by finding Kaguya Otsutsuki can we know all this."
Minato chuckled easily, clasping his hands together. "We'll find the answers to these things later. The most important thing is that we've finally crossed the invisible barrier. That way, we can continue searching for Naruto and Sasuke, and we can also find Kaguya Otsutsuki, right?"
The group's mood shifted, and they began to consider their next strategy.
Now that they had broken through the barrier, there was no need to rush. Everyone returned to their own world. Having left in such a hurry, they didn't know what had happened to the people inside the Infinite Tsukuyomi, or whether the God Tree's rampage had subsided.
As soon as the three Susanoo entered their world, everyone sensed something was wrong. It was too quiet. Of course, the world after the Infinite Tsukuyomi was naturally quiet, but even in silence, the sounds of nature couldn't be completely blocked out.
Wind, snow, rain, clouds, and fog—these natural phenomena still arrived as scheduled, not disappearing despite the absence of humans and animals; plants remained vibrant, displaying their vigorous life in the gaps of the divine tree, swaying gently in the wind; rivers and streams flowed endlessly, their rushing waters unwavering in their eastward course.
But now, all of this seemed to have vanished. The silence was deafening. Madara, Obito, and Kakashi released their Susanoo, and after a brief look around, they noticed something amiss.
Obito exclaimed in shock, "The snow is stuck in the air, not falling."
Izuna reached out and felt around. "There's no wind either. Although I don't feel any breathing problems, the air seems stagnant."
Hashirama's eyes widened. "The river's flow has completely stopped and frozen."
On a blade of grass, a dewdrop is leaving the tip, yet remains forever suspended in mid-air. Itachi crouches down and gently touches it, but the dewdrop remains motionless, as if they exist in two separate timelines, neither able to affect the other.
Sasori, observing all his IV-infused puppets, lazily remarked, "The flow of the nutrient solution has completely stopped."
Minato and Tobirama both sensed the movements of the people and the Divine Tree within the Infinite Tsukuyomi. They exchanged a glance, confirming their suspicions.
Minato spoke first. "The chakra of those within the Infinite Tsukuyomi is completely still. The good news is that the Divine Tree's activity also seems to have completely ceased; its chakra is no longer being drained."
Kakashi looked shocked. "What's going on? Has time stopped?"
Madara suddenly remembered the girl's last words in Sakura's spiritual world, and he murmured them, repeating them. "Reality and illusion shatter at this moment, the laws converge, and the dream will cease at this instant."
Tobirama frowned, his sharp red eyes narrowing slightly. "Stop? Everything in our world has indeed stopped. So that's what the last sentence meant? But what does 'dream' mean? It can't be that our world is a dream? Whose dream? Are we not real?"
Everyone was speechless, all looking at the bewildered Sakura Haruno. If anyone knew, besides Kaguya Otsutsuki, it was probably only Sakura Haruno, but even she herself seemed unclear about what had happened.
Under everyone's gaze, Sakura pondered Tobirama's words, then waved her hands repeatedly. "I really don't know, but how could we possibly be characters in someone's dream? Did you think it was the Infinite Tsukuyomi?"
Infinite Tsukuyomi? The mention of this immediately made everyone feel uneasy. Could they really be in a world constructed by someone's Infinite Tsukuyomi? At least from Sakura Haruno's memories of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, the people living there seemed to be real.
Itachi Uchiha and Madara Uchiha even formed a hand seal to break the genjutsu. The power of the Rinnegan is still very advanced. Anyway, after the seal was broken, nothing changed, Madara said frankly.
"I didn't find any trace of genjutsu. If it were a power beyond the Rinnegan's level, I wouldn't be able to detect it either."
Hashirama said optimistically, his tone carefree. "Oh, Madara, Tobirama, you're too tense. Don't worry unnecessarily. Since we didn't find anything, it means there wasn't anything. There's no need to investigate whether our world is real or a dream. As long as we truly live in this moment, that's enough. Do what you can, and leave what you can't for the future. Things will work themselves out."
Tobirama and Madara both sighed, looking helpless against Hashirama. Even the biggest problems seemed insignificant to Hashirama, but undeniably, his words did ease the gloom in their hearts.
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."