[Naruto: Superpower Roulette] Chapter 345 (Patreon)

"Why would I dream of something like that?"

The next day, while seated on the lightning train, Sakura couldn't shake off the vividness of her dream from the night before. Every detail, from Ino's cries of passion to the intrusive imagery, remained disturbingly clear in her mind.

'No, I mustn't dwell on it. Just think of it as a nightmare,' she thought, forcing herself to dispel the images.

After all, she had just changed clothes the previous night, and recalling the dream now would only make her want to change again—something impractical on a moving train.

Upon arriving back in Konoha, the medical team dispersed to the hospital while Sakura made her way to the Hokage's office.

After learning about the prophecy that disasters would occur every three days and could potentially strike the Land of Fire, Sakura understood why she and her team had been called back. If a disaster struck Konoha while most of the medical staff were absent, the consequences would be catastrophic.

With this in mind, she returned to the hospital to make emergency preparations, ensuring that medical personnel and supplies were ready.

Though she considered visiting Ino, the overwhelming workload and her knowledge that Ino was now responsible for the village's barrier security dissuaded her.

As the evening wore on, the weight of the impending disaster loomed over Konoha. Everyone aware of the prophecy prepared as if they were facing another calamity on the scale of the Ten-Tails.

Meanwhile, Yoichi had a fruitful night, gaining significant experience in refining sixth-grade pills and alleviating Ino's loneliness.

His mastery of the Golden Emperor Burning Sky Flame had reached a pinnacle, and even seventh-grade pills were now within his grasp. With a few months of practice, he believed he could achieve proficiency with eighth-grade pills.

His mental energy remained unexhausted even after using ten clones to refine pills throughout the day, showcasing his growing power.

In the shadows, Victor used the distractions caused by the disasters to his advantage. Sai, though hot on his trail, was being cleverly misled.

With guidance from Yoichi's Kamui clone, Victor had Sai chasing false leads across the Land of Valleys and the Land of Silence. Meanwhile, the shell organization's outer members were subtly exposed, diverting attention from the artificial Divine Tree.

Victor's ambitions grew alongside the tree, though he believed his machinations remained hidden. Yet, he posed no threat to the Kamui clone, whose Mangekyō Sharingan made him untouchable—even by Jigen.

As midnight approached, Konoha settled into an uneasy quiet.

The Hokage's office, however, remained brightly lit, with Naruto and Ino on high alert.

"This tension is exhausting. We still have a month of this," Naruto quipped, attempting to lighten the mood.

Shikamaru lit a cigarette, pausing before asking, "Mind if I smoke?" Seeing Naruto and Ino wave him off, he lit it and took a drag.

"We can't relax even after a month. Those deep-sea beasts are still unaccounted for. Every remaining beast must be eliminated before we can rest easy."

Naruto nodded, then asked, "How's your family, Shikamaru? Temari's still away, right? How's Shikadai?"

"Yeah, Shikadai's fine. He's responsible enough to manage on his own while Temari's visiting Suna. She went alone this time because Shikadai has exams coming up," Shikamaru replied.

Their conversation trailed off as the clock neared midnight. Naruto activated Sage Mode, scanning for unfamiliar presences, while Ino monitored the barrier.

"All clear around Konoha," Ino reported after receiving an update from the patrol teams.

Hearing this, everyone in the room exhaled in relief.

"Shikamaru, contact the other Kage," Naruto instructed.

Shikamaru immediately opened the video conference. Soon, the other Kage reported their findings:

Darui: "Cloud Village is normal. I've sent scouts to survey the Land of Lightning. We'll have news by morning."

Kurotsuchi: "Stone Village is also fine. We'll know about the Land of Earth by tomorrow."

Chōjūrō: "No issues in Mist Village. Reconstruction efforts continue."

Gaara: "Sand Village is quiet for now, but the desert is difficult to monitor. We might not have full reports until the day after tomorrow."

The lack of immediate disaster brought some relief, but the uncertainty lingered. If the disaster wasn't in the Five Great Nations, it had to be elsewhere in the ninja world.

"Let's reconvene in the morning. Report any developments immediately," Naruto concluded, ending the call.

He then turned to Shikamaru. "Deploy the scouting teams. Search the Land of Fire thoroughly tonight and relay any findings."

"Understood," Shikamaru replied, issuing orders through his radio.

After hours of vigilance, Naruto noticed the fatigue on Shikamaru's face.

"Shikamaru, you should head home. Shikadai needs you," Naruto urged.

Ino chimed in, "Naruto's right. Don't push yourself too hard. If you fall ill, who'll take care of Shikadai?"

"Alright, alright. You win," Shikamaru conceded, handing over his tasks before leaving the office.

Once he was gone, Ino sighed. "Naruto, you should encourage Shikamaru to remarry. Balancing village duties and raising Shikadai alone is too much."

"I'll talk to him soon. Maybe I'll even take on some of his workload," Naruto replied sheepishly.

"You better. Without Shikamaru, you'd drown in paperwork," Ino teased, gesturing at the piles of documents.

Naruto laughed nervously, silently resolving to tackle the backlog.

Meanwhile, in the Land of Wind, a haunting whale cry echoed as dense fog slowly dissipated, revealing the aftermath of destruction. A section of lightning train tracks lay in ruins, with scattered bodies strewn across the ground.

Among the wreckage, Temari stirred weakly, managing to lift her head before collapsing into unconsciousness.

At dawn, a Sand Village search team arrived, their leader surveying the scene.

"The lightning train's destroyed!" one scout reported.

The team quickly investigated, finding only one survivor.

"Bring her back. We need to identify her and determine the cause of this," the captain ordered.

Another scout hesitated. "Captain, could this be related to the disaster Lord Kazekage warned about?"

"Idiot. If it were, this wouldn't be limited to just a section of train tracks. This seems more like the work of rogue ninjas. Focus on identifying this woman," the captain snapped.

(End of Chapter)

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