"Of course! I'm not just a ninja, you know," she said, trying to inject playfulness into her voice. "It could be fun, and it might give us both a chance to… discuss things further."
He studied her for a moment, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. "Alright, I'm intrigued. What are you making?"
"Something special," Sakura replied, a grin spreading across her face. "I'll surprise you."
"Surprises, huh? I like a bit of unpredictability," Shoi said, his tone teasing. "Lead the way."
As they walked side by side. Sakura's mind raced with thoughts of how she could subtly steer the conversation toward Sasuke, using their time together to probe for information.
Once inside her home, Sakura gestured for him to sit at the table while she gathered the ingredients. "I hope you like it. Cooking is a passion of mine, and I always put my heart into it."
Shoi leaned back in his chair, watching her intently.
As she moved about the kitchen, gathering ingredients, Shoi suddenly broke the silence. His voice was calm but carried an undercurrent of curiosity.
"Hmm... can you tell me how Sasuke ended up in a coma after the 4th Great Ninja War?"
Sakura froze for a brief second before continuing to chop vegetables, her mind racing. The question was unexpected.
He's testing me, she thought. She had to tread carefully. She couldn't reveal too much, but she also couldn't deflect without raising suspicion.
Taking a breath, she glanced over her shoulder at him, forcing a casual smile. "It's a complicated situation," she began, choosing her words carefully.
"Sasuke took on a lot during the war. The battles, the toll it took on his body… he pushed himself beyond his limits. Even after the war, he kept going, kept fighting."
She turned back to her cooking, stirring a pot as if the memory of those events was hard to revisit. "Eventually, his body just... couldn't keep up.
His chakra system shut down completely after an encounter we had with an unknown force." Sakura's hands stilled for a moment, her tone dropping as she added, "None of the healers can figure out how to bring him out of that state."
Shoi's eyes narrowed slightly. "An unknown force?"
Sakura hesitated, feeling his gaze on her. "Yes," she said softly. "Something beyond the usual threats.
It was like nothing we've ever encountered before. And it affected Sasuke in ways we still don't fully understand."
After Shoi asked about the unknown force that put Sasuke in a coma, a curious expression crossed his face. He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping as he probed further. "Was it… Kaguya Ōtsutsuki?"
Sakura froze, her eyes widening in shock. She stared at him, her mind racing.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki? How did he know that name? Almost no one knew about Kaguya's existence—it had been kept a strict secret, shared only among a few key figures involved in the war.
Even the other shinobi hadn't been told the full truth of that battle.
Her hands faltered as she stirred the pot, and she turned to face him, trying to mask her surprise. "How do you know about her?"
Shoi's smirk widened as he saw the confusion and surprise flicker in her eyes. "I have my ways," he said, his tone almost mocking. "Not many know of her, do they?"
Sakura clenched her fists, feeling the tension rise in the room. She wasn't sure how much to reveal, but she knew she had to stay composed.
"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was a threat we faced during the war, but it's classified information," she said, her voice more defensive than she intended. "We weren't allowed to discuss it outside of those involved."
Shoi's eyes gleamed with satisfaction, clearly enjoying the fact that he had caught her off guard. "Interesting," he said, leaning back in his chair again.
"So, it was her. Or something related to her. That explains why no one has been able to cure Sasuke."
Sakura's mind was swirling with questions, but she forced herself to stay focused. Shoi knowing about Kaguya proves the fact he is somehow connected to otsutsuki's.
She needed to figure out how much he knew and whether he could really help Sasuke—or if he was just playing with her emotions.
"How do you know about her?" she asked again, her tone more controlled this time, though the curiosity still lingered in her eyes. "And why do you think it's connected to Sasuke's condition?"
Shoi chuckled softly, his eyes never leaving hers. "Let's just say I've done my research. Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's influence runs deeper than most people think. Her power—her chakra—still lingers in this world. It wouldn't be surprising if Sasuke, after everything he went through, became affected by it."
Sakura's heart pounded in her chest. He was right. Kaguya's chakra had been unlike anything they'd ever encountered, and if any trace of it had remained in Sasuke… it could explain his condition.
But she still didn't trust Shoi. There was something unsettling about the way he spoke, as if he knew more than he was letting on. As if he was deliberately toying with her.
"Can you help him?" she asked, her voice betraying a hint of desperation despite her attempts to stay calm.
Shoi leaned forward again, his smirk never fading. "Perhaps. But as I said before… what's in it for me?"
Sakura swallowed hard. She knew this was coming.
"What do you want?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Shoi's smirk widened, his eyes glinting with amusement. "We'll get to that in time. For now… let's just enjoy this meal."
Sakura turned back to the stove, her heart heavy with unease. Shoi knew too much, and she was running out of options. She just hoped that whatever he wanted in return wouldn't cost her everything.
Sakura exhaled deeply, gathering her thoughts as she began to explain the real story, one that very few knew and fewer would ever believe.
After finishing his meal, Shoi couldn't shake his curiosity. He found it hard to believe that Naruto had simply died fighting the Ten-Tails. There had to be more to the story.
"Sakura… how did Naruto really die? Do you know?" Shoi asked, his gaze steady on her.