In the evening, Shikamaru and Choji returned to the Yamanaka Flower Shop, bringing along Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. The group discussed buying some flowers to visit Sasuke.
Seeing that everyone was going to visit, as classmates, it would be inappropriate for Ino not to join. She agreed to go with them to the Konoha Hospital, but they still had to pay for the flowers. Even among close friends, accounts should be settled clearly. One by one, they took out their money—Shikamaru, Choji, and even Hinata weren't spared.
"You, pay up!" She extended her hand toward Shino Aburame.
Shino, wearing sunglasses and a hood that covered most of his face, stood in the corner, startled. "This makes no sense. Why do you notice me when it's time to pay? Is this some special ability of yours?"
Ino herself found it quite puzzling. "Yeah, isn't it strange? Somehow, I spotted you right away. Don't try to weasel out of it. Come on, pay up."
"...Fine."
It wasn't wartime, so there weren't many patients in the Konoha Hospital.
Ino casually went to visit. Seeing Sakura crying like a fountain inside the ward, she couldn't help but take a closer look.
Sasuke lay on the hospital bed, his eyes lifeless. Upon closer inspection, there was no spark in them at all. Ino was startled. What was going on? Had he reached the ultimate form of the Mangekyō Sharingan and gone blind? She immediately realized the gravity of the situation. If Sasuke went blind, who would Naruto's bond be with? Could Naruto still reach his original potential? Who would seal Kaguya Otsutsuki in the future? This was also one of the reasons she had been holding back when fighting Sasuke, afraid of going too hard and accidentally killing the savior, which would spell trouble for her too.
"Hey, why so down? This isn't the Uchiha Sasuke I know," she said.
Sasuke turned his head to look at her.
Ino focused her gaze and finally saw clearly. The school heartthrob wasn't blind; his eyes were just cloudy, as if he had cataracts. He still had his vision and wasn't completely blind.
She was a bit confused. "...How did you end up like this?"
Sasuke remained aloof. "None of your business!"
Ino hadn't studied medical ninja techniques, nor had she experienced any eye-opening moments. She didn't want to meddle in something that wasn't her concern. If it's not my business, that's for the best. If you say it's my business, I'll just find it troublesome.
She casually said some polite words, "Well, you look pretty spirited. Alright, get some rest."
"Hey!" Sasuke suddenly called out to her. "Use that Secret Technique on me again, like you did that day."
"Now?" Ino had no desire to get slashed by Indra Chakra again for no reason. She shook her head. "I refuse. That kind of Secret Technique isn't suitable for use in a spar between classmates. Besides, you need to focus on recovering, not fighting me."
"Are you scared?"
"...Heh, think whatever you want. If that's what you believe, fine by me. I don't care."
Sasuke's "the world owes me five hundred bucks" attitude made Ino lose interest in arguing with him. She stepped outside the ward and started discussing serious matters with Shikamaru.
"Sigh! Did you talk to Uncle Shikaku about the house rental?"
Shikamaru leaned against the wall, lazily replying, "I did. We can handle it ourselves, but the clan won't provide too many houses. Renting out too many properties could lead to some complicated issues."
Ino was quite interested in collecting rent, while Shikamaru was too lazy to move. After some discussion, Shikamaru handed over all the properties assigned to him by Shikaku to Ino to manage, with the two splitting the income 60-40, with Ino taking the larger share.
"Don't set the rent too high," Shikamaru reminded her.
Ino waved her hand dismissively, "Got it, got it." Ninjas were definitely a high-income group in this world, but most of them lived quite frugally, and the commoners at the bottom were even worse off.
Konoha Village, located within the Land of Fire, enjoyed favorable weather and fertile land, making the income situation slightly better, but only marginally. Renting houses to a group of commoners wearing straw sandals and cloth clothes didn't bring in much money.
Ino sighed heavily, feeling that she was really too poor.
Ino only stayed in the ward for five minutes before leaving, with Shikamaru and Choji following closely behind. They were all teenagers, and when Sasuke claimed he could take on three of them, Shikamaru was quite displeased. High intelligence didn't mean he had no temper. If he didn't want to fight, that was his business, but if you looked down on him, then they had something to discuss.
Choji, on the other hand, had a peaceful and amiable personality, never arguing with anyone and having a first-rate temper. But he and Shikamaru were best friends. If Sasuke upset Shikamaru, don't expect Choji to give you a friendly look.
When Sasuke went on a mission, he fought fiercely with Jirobo for Shikamaru's sake, not for Sasuke.
The three of them left, and Kiba Inuzuka and a few classmates also walked out of the ward one after another.
No one knew when Shino Aburame left. Sakura and Hinata, along with the other girls, were the last to leave.
Sakura really wanted to peel an apple for Sasuke, but seeing his calm, almost lifeless face, she ultimately didn't dare to approach him.
She had been quite busy lately, practicing tree climbing and water-based Chakra Nature Transformation, determined to catch up to Ino. These things took up most of her energy, and her body was too tired, leaving her mind with no time to think about love.
The ward quickly quieted down, and Sasuke stared blankly at the ceiling, his eyes unfocused, lost in thought.
"Hey, kid, how's your recovery going?" Kakashi appeared at the window, greeting him.
"Who are you?"
"You were unconscious at the time, so you probably don't know me. I'm here to help you. I owe the Uchiha Clan a big favor." After a simple introduction, Kakashi stated his purpose.
He had been entrusted by the Third Hokage to assist Sasuke in awakening the Sharingan.
Sasuke didn't care who Kakashi was or what he had done; he only cared about his eyes.
He coldly asked, "What's wrong with my eyes?"
Kakashi scratched his head. There was too much he couldn't say, especially about Itachi. After weighing his words, he decided to shift the blame.
"It's complicated to explain, but seeing your state, I can't leave it unclear. Let me start from the beginning. That young lady from the Yamanaka Clan used a Secret Technique to take over your body, and then..."
He avoided the heavy topics, never mentioning Uchiha Itachi or Dojutsu.
Don't ask; just know that your body is special.
Sasuke had always been puzzled about why Ino's Secret Technique suddenly failed that day. He couldn't figure it out no matter how much he thought about it. But after hearing Kakashi's words now, he felt he had an answer: "Are you saying that outsiders can't take over an Uchiha's body, and if they try, they'll suffer backlash?"