Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

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Some bonds need no memory to prove them;

Some agreements remain valid even across time and space.

A radiant smile spread across his face, a smile that seemed to dispel all gloom, and he extended his right hand to Sarah:

"Perhaps, Your Majesty! Perhaps it was in the distant past, or perhaps... someday in the future?"

This statement is nonsensical and almost a joke.

Queen Sara was slightly taken aback, looking at Naruto's sincere and unsullied smile and his outstretched hand.

The confusion in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a strange warmth and trust that she herself could not explain.

She smiled, reached out, and gently took Naruto's hand.

The moment their hands clasped, Sarah's expression changed almost imperceptibly.

I felt an indescribable, deep-seated throbbing and familiarity, as if struck by lightning; it was very faint, yet undeniably real.

She stared into Naruto's bright blue eyes, momentarily lost in thought.

But she quickly regained her composure, gracefully withdrew her hand, and bowed to Naruto and the others again in farewell: "Well then, my fellow ninjas, take care."

"Your Majesty, please take care!" Naruto waved with a smile.

Watching Queen Sara and her daughter get into the dune buggy and gradually disappear into the desert heat.

The smile on Naruto's face slowly faded, transforming into a gentle yet firm expression.

Sakura walked up to him and asked softly, "Why didn't you tell her?"

Naruto stared in the direction the sand truck had disappeared, shaking his head. "Dad sealed her memories for her own good, and also for ours. And..."

He turned around and looked at his companions, his eyes shining like stars:

“A promise is a promise. Even if she forgets, I will remember, and that’s enough.”

One day in the future, he will surely visit the new Roran as the Hokage of Konoha to fulfill the promise that transcends time and space.

The setting sun cast their shadows long, long across the golden sand.

Chapter 339 Sai's Emotional Learning Task!

The gates of Konoha Village looked especially welcoming and warm in the sunlight.

Having experienced a journey through time and space in Loulan, the four-person group, exhausted and with indescribable complex emotions, finally stepped back onto familiar land.

After smelling the air, which was no longer the dry, scorching heat of the desert, but rather a fragrance mixed with the fresh scent of plants and the aroma of cooking.

It involuntarily relaxes the tense nerves.

Inside the Hokage's office, Tsunade listened to Sakura's account, which omitted the specific details of her time travel and encounter with Minato.

The report should focus on the mission report of defeating Orochimaru and his henchmen and stabilizing the Dragon Vein.

She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, her sharp gaze sweeping over the four slightly disheveled but determined-looking people, especially Sasuke, who was still unconscious and had been carried back by Naruto.

"Hmm...that sounds pretty tough."

Tsuna tapped the table lightly with his knuckles: "That Orochimaru guy is really persistent; he's even reached into the Loulan Ruins."

"However, you did a great job, successfully thwarting his plot and resolving the hidden dangers of the dragon vein."

Although the report was concise, she was well aware of the level of power involved in the stabilization of the dragon vein and the elimination of the powerful enemy; it was far from being a simple S-rank mission.

And judging by Orochimaru's ability to cause trouble... it seems these kids went through a tough battle.

"Mission completed at S-level. Thank you for your hard work."

Tsunade finally drew her conclusion, a hint of approval on her face: "I'll give you three days off, so you can get some rest."

"Afterwards, I will coordinate with Sunagakure to resolve the issue of those three Sound Ninja. I will also make arrangements with the medical team to prioritize Sasuke's treatment."

"Great!" Naruto was the first to cheer, almost causing Sasuke to fall off his back.

Being able to rest and not have to immediately face a mountain of reports was the best news for him!

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, a tired but genuine smile appearing on her face.

The holiday meant she could sort out her chaotic thoughts and have more time to take care of Sasuke.

However, amidst this relaxed atmosphere, only one person felt no relief; instead, he was filled with new "task pressure"—

That's Sai.

One of his core tasks is to "learn to feel."

However, during this bizarre mission, the progress bar didn't seem to move forward at all.

Instead, they became more confused and abstract because they encountered more incomprehensible, intense, and complex emotional expressions.

In the Hokage's office, he couldn't find an opportunity to interject and ask "how to specifically learn emotions," and Lady Tsunade obviously wouldn't issue such an instruction.

So, upon returning to his assigned temporary dormitory, Sai immediately unfolded his thick observation notebook. It was filled with densely packed notes:

Target: Naruto Uzumaki.

Behavior: After witnessing the "death" of a companion, his chakra explodes, and he becomes extremely angry, accompanied by an increase in power.

Speculation: Strong negative emotions may unleash potential.

But attempts to simulate "anger" failed.

The principles behind the generation of anger are incomprehensible.

Subject: Sakura Haruno.

Behavior: When faced with Sasuke Uchiha's injury, he showed extreme concern and meticulous medical care.

Speculation: Can positive and encouraging language enhance team cohesion? But attempts to use similar language yielded the feedback that it was "abnormal".

Target: Uchiha Sasuke.

Behavior: Witnessing Naruto's "death," the pattern on his eyes changes, and his power increases.

The emotional expression is a mixture of extreme pain and anger.

Speculation: Could the "death" of a specific object trigger a special evolution? However, the conditions for evolution are too harsh and uncontrollable.

Subject: Sarah.

Behavior: Even after his memories are erased, he still feels a sense of familiarity with a specific person (Naruto).

Speculation: Could emotional imprints exist beyond memory? The underlying principle is unknown and cannot be replicated.

He looked at the records over and over again, his brain working like a high-speed processor.

However, they have yet to come up with an effective and executable algorithm for "learning emotions".

"Directly imitating external expressions is the most basic way of learning."

Sai came to a conclusion. He decided to conduct a field test.

First, he found Naruto, who was excitedly preparing to rush to Ichiraku Ramen to satisfy his hunger.

"Naruto," Sai called out to him expressionlessly.

"Hmm? Sai, what's up? Want to go get some ramen together?" Naruto turned around with a smile.

Sai stood still and began to move his facial muscles.

He tried hard to recall Sasuke Uchiha's most frequent expression—a slight frown, a downturned mouth, and eyes that held three parts indifference and seven parts disdain.

He tried to perfectly replicate the expression, even imitating Sasuke's crossed arms posture.

However, the result of forcing such a complex expression on his naturally expressionless face was—

His facial features were distorted, his eyes were vacant, and his mouth twitched, creating an extremely bizarre, even terrifying, expression.

Naruto's smile froze instantly. Looking at Sai's stern face, an indescribable chill ran down his spine to the back of his head.

This scared away half of the cravings in my stomach.

His lips twitched a few times as he struggled to speak, "Sai... are you... are you alright? Is your face twitching?"

Sai maintained his "Sasuke-esque" expression and said in a completely flat tone, "It's nothing. Just saying hello."

"Look at me now, don't I seem to have more 'emotion'?"

As he spoke, he jotted down notes in his notebook: Try to mimic the common expressions and gestures of his subject, Uchiha Sasuke, when greeting him.

However, Naruto only felt a chill run down his spine.

He stepped forward, patted Sai heavily on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "Brother, the effect is...stunning."

"But next time, really, don't do that again. Just stay the way you are, really!"

After saying that, he quickly slipped away as if he was afraid of getting infected, and didn't even want to eat ramen for the time being.

Sai stood still, silently taking notes:

Test 1: Imitation of Uchiha Sasuke. Feedback: Caused discomfort in the target.

Analysis: The imitation may lack precision, or the expression may not be suitable for greeting scenarios.

Learning progress: No growth.

Despite the setback, Sai was not discouraged.

He quickly identified his second target—Sakura, who was buying groceries on the street.

“Sakura.” Sai stepped forward.

"Hmm? Sai? Is something wrong? I'm a bit busy here." Sakura didn't even look up, focusing intently on choosing what to eat next.

Sai began to recall Naruto Uzumaki's most classic expression—

He grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth, his eyes curved into crescents, and he gave a thumbs up.

He tried to pull the corners of his mouth open, trying to show as many teeth as possible, squinted his eyes, and then gave Sakura a big thumbs up!

The effect of this expression on his face was even more disastrous than his earlier imitation of Sasuke.

His smile was forced, his eyes were vacant, and his thumbs-up gesture was stiff, as if he were provoking someone.

He wore that bright (terrifying) "Naruto-esque" smile and spoke in a completely flat tone.