Sakura Haruno Faces Reality

Hospital.

"Shikamaru."

Naruto Uzumaki, with his blond hair, arrived at his friend's hospital room with a hearty laugh and a gift of instant noodles. At that moment, only Shikamaru was lying in bed.

"Shikamaru, you'll be discharged from the hospital soon, right?"

The carefree Naruto had no idea what his friend had lost.

Shikamaru looked at Naruto, a forced smile on his face, "Naruto, I'm alright."

As he got out of bed, although the pain in his lower body had subsided, he felt a strange sense of unease, as if he had lost a few pounds.

However, the strength of the ninja allowed Shikamaru to adjust his body's coordination in a very short time.

Naruto, I heard you're leaving?

During this time, Shikamaru Nara had realized that the alliance between Ino-Shika-Cho, which had lasted for decades, had broken down. His mind was racing, and he glanced at Naruto beside him without making it obvious.

The carefree Naruto, oblivious to Shikamaru's ulterior motives, grinned broadly and said, "Well, I'll continue my training with the Pervy Sage in half a month."

Upon hearing this, Shikamaru Nara smiled and said, "Congratulations, Naruto by your Lord Jiraiya, you will definitely become a strong person."

"Haha, Shikamaru, don't worry, we'll do missions together when I get back."

Beneath Naruto's beaming smile, he was still comforting his friend, after all, Team 10 had essentially fallen apart this time.

However, Naruto was unaware of Shikamaru's ulterior motives.

Looking at Naruto's bright smile, Shikamaru thought to himself, 'It's an undeniable fact that the Uchiha clan now dominates the village; the division between the Ino -Uchiha Ino-Shika-Cho Clans is no longer what it once was.'

'Their former power has almost entirely declined; they need people to develop in the future!'

Thinking of this, Shikamaru glanced at Naruto Uzumaki without leaving a trace.

His father is the Fourth Hokage, known for saving Konoha, and his teacher is Lord Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. He himself is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, so his future achievements are definitely not low.

Although Uchiha Yoru is young, he can see that Yoru's ambition will one day clash with the entire Shinobi World. Even the First Hokage died young due to internal injuries, and if Uchiha Yoru wants to fight against the entire Shinobi World, he may very well get hurt in the future.

If something unexpected happens, then Naruto will have hope.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he and his entire clan must place their bets on Naruto. If he can become a powerful figure like Jiraiya, his future status will definitely not be low.

Therefore, for the sake of the Nara Clan, he must be firmly bound to Naruto's chariot; this is the only way out for the Nara Clan.

If he had a choice, he would definitely choose his classmate Sasuke, but unfortunately! He had already seen through the village's policies during this time.

Win over Akimichi, suppress Nara, and let Yamanaka run rampant!

By recruiting several capable and loyal Akimichi ninja members, the Akimichi Clan has clearly been divided. This so-called recruitment is more accurately described as a split.

The Yamanaka Clan! Thinking of this, Shikamaru Nara narrowed his eyes and looked out the window. Was it because of Ino? It seemed that the Yamanaka Clan would soon have a new, youngest female clan leader.

Therefore, the Nara Clan, who were the most intelligent and contributed the most to suppressing the Uchiha, were resented.

"Naruto, is your dream still to become the Sixth Hokage?"

Over the past few days, Shikamaru Nara has analyzed the current situation, and now, upon seeing Naruto, he has a vague plan in mind.

Upon hearing Shikamaru's words, Naruto Uzumaki, who were leaning against the windowsill, exchanged a glance and smiled.

"Sixth Hokage is just my first step!"

At this moment, Naruto Uzumaki was like the rising sun, full of vitality, with a determined smile on his face.

"I will definitely become the Sixth Hokage, and I will prove with my actions that so-called annexation and dictatorship will only bring war and harm to the Shinobi World. Only mutual understanding can bring peace."

It must be said that Naruto Uzumaki commitment to his Nindo was truly captivating; otherwise, he wouldn't have attracted so many readers in the original work.

Unfortunately, this time, those with status had already secretly learned that Naruto had a problem, so they were naturally on guard. Even Jiraiya was wary.

When those in power found out, although they couldn't say it outright, it would subtly influence those below them. Over time, Naruto Uzumaki found that not many people in the village appreciated his Nindo.

Even Shikamaru is now focused on his family, since his father's mental trauma has caused him excruciating headaches whenever he tries to think.

Due to severe aftereffects, his resistance to Genjutsu is extremely low, so the pressure from his family almost entirely falls on his shoulders.

Shikamaru, who used to be lazy and averse to trouble, has now taken on a heavy responsibility.

"Naruto, I believe in you. You can do it."

Beneath Shikamaru's smiling face lay a hint of shame. Although he felt guilty for using Naruto and had let his comrades down, he had at least genuinely helped Naruto.

"Haha, Shikamaru, just you wait and see! I'll definitely teach that Sasuke a lesson. The Sixth Hokage can only be me, Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto Uzumaki foolishly, was unaware of his comrade's ulterior motives and casually patted Shikamaru on the shoulder.

"Shikamaru, now that your injuries have healed, why aren't you discharged from the hospital yet?"

Naruto, usually so oblivious, abruptly changed the subject, leaving Shikamaru somewhat caught off guard, a slightly awkward and unnatural smile appearing on his face.

"Cough cough, the injury is almost healed, but it still needs to be observed, since wounds are prone to infection."

"Oh, I see. But that's too much trouble. Look at my body." Naruto excitedly gestured with his muscles.

It's as if it's saying, "Look at me, no matter how serious my injuries are, I can heal quickly."

However, this scene made Shikamaru Nara somewhat embarrassed. He couldn't very well say, "If you're so capable, cut off two ounces of flesh from below and see if you can restore it for me."

While Shikamaru Nara was somewhat disappointed about losing a couple of ounces of meat, he wasn't too distressed. After all, he was someone who naturally found things troublesome, so losing that stuff was no big deal.

Another lesson he learned from being a ninja since childhood was that injuries to ninjas were not common, so he was already very gratified that he had survived and retained his ninja abilities intact.

As for the issue of having children, his father suffered a mental breakdown, not died. At worst, he can go back to having more children.

This distorted mindset within the Shinobi World, coupled with Shikamaru Nara's personality, has now led him to single-mindedly focus on considering the future of his clan and himself.

Inside the hospital, Naruto Uzumaki went to visit his other injured companion Choji Akimichi.

In the ward filled with the smell of disinfectant, Choji Akimichi's face looked noticeably thinner, and his hands were wrapped in thick bandages, requiring daily application of antiseptic.

"Chōji, take good care of your injuries. I'll come to see you during this time, but I'll be leaving in two weeks."

Faced with the passionate and simple-minded Naruto, Choji Akimichi revealed a good-natured smile. After all, Naruto Uzumaki was the only one in the pursuit team who went without hesitation after hearing the message.

"Thank you, Naruto."

He felt only gratitude towards Naruto, but Shikamaru Nara, who was standing to the side, had a somewhat dim look in his eyes.

As expected, the once inseparable friend now has an invisible and intangible barrier between him and Choji Akimichi.

Distance led to isolation.

In other words, the oblivious Naruto didn't realize that since entering the ward, Choji Akimichi had been avoiding Shikamaru's gaze, and the two of them hadn't even exchanged a single word.

"Naruto, I'm going to find the doctor to change my dressing."

"Go on, Shikamaru. I'll talk to Chōji."

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Shikamaru Nara lazily waved his hand and chose to leave temporarily. Did he regret what he had done earlier?

As Shikamaru Nara stepped outside, a shadow of sadness crossed his eyes. Faced with the choice between his father and his comrade's father, he would still choose his own father.

There's no other reason than that this is human nature, and it's normal thinking.

I saved your father, but you abandoned your own? What kind of bullshit theory is that?

It's such a simple truth, yet Choji Akimichi watched helplessly as his father passed away.

From different perspectives, everything appears different.

Faced with Shikamaru's choice, did Choji Akimichi think he was wrong? No! But with the image of his father's agonizing explosion flashing through his mind day and night, he no longer felt the same way about his comrade.

Neither side was wrong, but their perspectives and feelings were different, creating an almost unsolvable dilemma that led the Ino-Shika-Cho to go their separate ways.

"Sakura?"

Walking down the hospital corridor, Shikamaru ran into his friend Sakura, and the two greeted each other with smiles.

"I'm planning to learn some Medical Ninjutsu recently."

Sakura Haruno's smile couldn't hide from Shikamaru; beneath that smile lay a forced and strained expression.

Shikamaru Nara instantly realized that Kakashi 'Jōnin Team 7 was under a lot of pressure. One of them was the son of the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, a natural-born strongman, plus Jiraiya's guidance.

Another Sasuke Uchiha, a disciple of God of Night, was a genius in their class.

Sakura Haruno comes from an ordinary family, lacking both a strong family background and a mentor. After all, Kakashi is just Leading Jonin, not a master-disciple relationship.

Therefore, Sakura's ordinary background put her in an awkward position, especially after the Chunin Ninja Exams, which completely widened the gap in strength between her and the other two.

Before Naruto Uzumaki was around, she hadn't noticed anything, but as Naruto was leaving in half a month to train with Jiraiya, Sakura suddenly realized her identity.

A burden!

"Medical Ninja path, that sounds good."

Shikamaru Nara smiled and comforted him, but inwardly he sighed. Being Medical Ninja was no easy feat; the sheer volume of knowledge required to learn had stumped countless people.

This knowledge is invaluable information for Medical Ninja; how could they possibly reveal it to others so easily?

"Really? I think so too. I'll be able to help Sasuke in the future."

Sakura Haruno, who was in a daze at the moment, suddenly smiled excitedly as if she had been affirmed.

At this moment, Shikamaru Nara seemed to have thought of something, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, but his face did not change at all. Instead, the two chatted idly with smiles.

"By the way, what has Sasuke been up to lately? Naruto from your team is going to train with Lord Jiraiya."

"Sasuke will also undergo special training. I heard that Lord Yoru has arranged for him to train with Lord Orochimaru for two years."

Team 7 is now practically defunct.

"I see."

Shikamaru Nara glanced at Sakura subtly, but the disappointment in her eyes was unmistakable.

The gap is widening, but there are some problems in the relationship between Sasuke and Naruto!

Shikamaru Nara pondered silently. Now that he had chosen Naruto, he had to sabotage the relationship between the two.

Otherwise, if Naruto had chosen to listen to Sasuke in the future, his Nara Clan would never have had a chance to rise to prominence.

And it would damage their friendship and companionship!

Shikamaru Nara's lazy gaze drifted to Sakura; wasn't Sakura the perfect candidate?

Sakura likes Sasuke, Naruto likes Sakura, but Sasuke doesn't like Sakura. In such a complicated situation, what could be more likely to sow discord between them than a woman?

The two unknowingly walked to the window. During their conversation, under Shikamaru's deliberate guidance, Sakura didn't even realize that the pressure in her heart had been raised.

"My family is ordinary; we simply don't have the resources to teach me powerful Ninjutsu, and no teacher would be willing to take me on as a student, since I'm just an ordinary ninja."

With a look of utter helplessness on her face, it seemed as if Sakura had finally come to terms with reality and understood herself.

"Shikamaru, you're the smartest. What do you think I should do?"

Sakura looked helplessly at her classmates, her eyes filled with hope. After all, the Nara Clan was a family, and it would be easy for them to help her if they were willing to.

Seeing Sakura take the bait, Shikamaru Nara couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile.

"Sakura, normally it would be a small matter. I can easily use my family connections to introduce you to a Medical Ninja, or pull some strings to get you access to some medical information. But right now!"

At this point, Shikamaru gave a self-deprecating bitter laugh, "My father is in trouble, the clan is in chaos, and with things going on lately, how could I dare to do anything reckless?"

"I'm sorry." Sakura quickly apologized, feeling embarrassed. After all, the recent events Ino-Shika-Cho Clans had already spread throughout Konoha, so she naturally knew about them.

The Akimichi Clan split up. The Yamanaka Clan was in turmoil, but it seems that with Ino's help from the Fifth Hokage Tsunade, she returned to the clan and took the position of clan head, becoming the youngest clan head in the Yamanaka Clan and the only female clan head to date.

As for the Nara Clan! Recently!

Why!

"Sakura, we're no longer flowers in the school's greenhouse. Reality is cruel. If a ninja wants to become strong, you need to find a good teacher, but Jōnin are extremely rare. Without connections and resources, you won't even have a direction to strive for."

At this moment, Shikamaru Nara spoke calmly, and Sakura's face was filled with a bitter smile after hearing it. How could she not know this cruel reality?

She used to think she was superior because of her good grades at the Ninja Academy, but since becoming a ninja, reality has long since woken her up.

Who will teach you Ninjutsu? Nobody. It all requires connections.

As for connections! Where would an ordinary ninja like her find them?

It's not that she has no chance to learn powerful Ninjutsu; she must achieve great merit. But how can an ordinary ninja achieve great merit?

Those who achieve great feats are either strong individuals or those who seize opportunities.

The last point is accumulation. She accumulated knowledge and skills through her own tasks over the years, but by the time she had accumulated enough, she was no longer the young boy or girl she once was, and she also had the burden of family responsibilities.

It's like another cycle has begun.