Exiting the gates of the Forest of Death, Sakura let out a loud sigh. Resting in the tower before the matches, she'd felt some relief, especially after the forced accelerated recovery, but now it was like a boulder fell off her shoulders.
When she realized what she'd been through, she couldn't believe it.
Could she, a simple girl born in a shinobi village where her parents lived peaceful lives, have imagined becoming one of the best in her class, joining a team of geniuses, and passing two and a half stages of a deadly chunin selection exam?
Never.
She wouldn't have believed anyone who told her that while she was still in the academy.
Now that was her reality.
Her reality...
But besides joy for her successes, she felt a forced need to become even stronger. She'd become that very best. Worthy for the richest and most influential people of this country and nearby lands to see her power.
The news that she'd fight the princess of the Sand Village from the neighboring Great Land of Wind didn't thrill her at all. She'd seen with her own eyes how her predecessor lost.
The brilliant kunoichi and weapons master Tenten couldn't even scratch that Temari.
Moreover, she couldn't ignore that the idiot Naruto seemed to have his eye on her. He always allowed himself too much. In the academy, he never stood out for modesty, putting himself on par with kids from great clans. Often argued with instructors. The funniest part was that in many cases, he somehow came out on top by some miracle. Thinking about it, Sakura had doubts that the blond had gotten lucky again and their sympathies were mutual. Why would a whole princess from a neighboring great shinobi village, daughter of the Kazekage himself, pay attention to a stray? Even if he'd shown himself pretty well, and Naruto wasn't bad-looking. He wasn't like Shikamaru, who was so average he blended into the crowd. Sakura could barely imagine herself with someone like that. Whether the guy was there or not...
Naruto wasn't Choji, who was kind and polite. A bit nervous if you approached him while eating, but she'd never liked fat people purely on looks anyway. And now, thinking about it, she realized Naruto wasn't dumb either, but despite all his merits, she couldn't believe someone like him could count on the Sand princess's affection.
Something in her sudden advances toward Naruto was definitely fishy. Sakura couldn't explain or prove it, but the feeling hadn't left her the whole way.
Back in the tower, she'd asked Teacher Kakashi about Sasuke and why he hadn't returned. His excuse that Sasuke suddenly felt bad and he took him to the hospital sounded completely implausible. He'd returned too fast, and why take Naruto with him?
She could've tried asking Naruto himself, but...
That horrific chakra that scared her to shivers...
"Strength of the Nine-Tails..." That was what Teacher Kakashi had said then. But how? How was that even possible?
Like all kids, she'd heard the story from her parents about how, the year she was born, a monster suddenly attacked the village. The Nine-Tailed Fox. Her parents, like most villagers, had seen the monster. It really looked like a huge fox with nine tails, each swish kicking up gale-force winds that leveled whole floors of buildings. The beast was bigger than any village building—even the Kage's residence seemed small compared to that thing. Its roar deafened with volume, its hide and fur burned like crimson flame, and its blood-red eyes froze with blood lust and death.
To stop it, the Fourth Lord-Hokage personally fought the monster and gave his life but defeated the demon.
That's the story her father told when she asked for something scary.
Now, that crimson chakra... Its roar and unbelievable strength... And Kakashi's words terrified her beyond measure. She'd never thought she'd encounter something like that in her life. And the Nine-Tails itself was destroyed by the Fourth Hokage! Why did its power appear in Naruto? Or what did Kakashi even mean?
After exiting the Forest, Sakura wanted to question Kakashi more closely—he was the only one who could answer now. Looking around, she realized...
Kakashi had ditched...
"That jerk... It was wrong to question him in front of other jonin, but he was just using that!" she fumed inwardly.
"And Naruto bolted right away... Though after my reaction to his win, not surprising. I wouldn't say goodbye either. All that's left is head home, shower, change, then to the hospital for Sasuke. If anyone can tell me something, it's him."
***
Seeing one of the ANBU in a black cloak at the duty post by the registry, she was surprised.
If she recalled all the times she'd seen ANBU in the village...
Yeah, only 3-4 times in her whole life! They'd never acted so openly in her memory. Now there were two chunin from the first exam stage on duty. They'd been on watch in the tower too. One was Kotetsu, the long-haired one, she thought, but wasn't sure.
"Good evening, Kotetsu-san..." she addressed him, and his reaction confirmed she'd remembered the name right.
"Oh, Sakura-chan, heard you made third stage—I'll root for you... How can I help? Hope no health issues?"
"Oh, no, of course not... Thanks for the support." She smiled. "I'm here to visit Sasuke. Know what room he's in?"
"Sasuke, Sasuke..." He started checking the lists. "Weird... Wasn't he admitted?" Suddenly, the cloaked ANBU with the boar mask approached and whispered something in his ear. "Got it," Kotetsu replied. "Sorry, Sakura, but visits to Sasuke are strictly prohibited."
"Why?!" she protested. "He was fine and didn't get hurt bad in the fight!"
"Not why—for orders. The First ANBU Captain and second personal officer of the Hokage banned visits to Uchiha Sasuke until further notice."
"Uh..." Sakura was thrown off. She knew some jonin had partial Hokage authority and held key military posts, but for the Hokage to have personal reps... Especially ANBU captains...
"I guess there's no one to appeal to..." She looked at the boar-masked ANBU in the long black cloak. "Name classified?"
"The Hokage's trusted agent's name? You're joking? You really don't know?" Kotetsu asked.
"No..." She was surprised. "So who is it? Do I know him..."
"Hatake Kakashi..." Kotetsu said in surprise.
"Kakashi-sensei?! Second personal officer of the Hokage?"
"Heh... Knowing Kakashi-san, not surprised he didn't tell you, but you could've learned more about your sensei. Oh, looks like you're in luck... There he is. Hey, Kakashi-san!" Kotetsu's shout made Kakashi, walking down the long first-floor corridor with his nose in a book, look up. "They're looking everywhere for you!"
"Huh?!" he responded, and Sakura ran up to him. "Oh, Sakura-chan... Sorry, but I can't allow a visit to Sasuke, even for you. First..." He cut her off, raising a finger. "He's undergoing procedures right now. You could use some too, but without heavy injuries, only Sasuke from your team can afford that—it's pricey. He's on meds and a ventilator tonight to recover strength, then medics will monitor him a couple more days. After that, you're unlikely to see him anyway."
"Nuuu..." She lowered her head. "Kakashi-sensei... This is all so unfair."
"Believe me, it's necessary. Sasuke and I aren't thrilled either..."
"Is it related to Oroc—" Kakashi sharply raised his hand, nearly slapping his palm over her mouth.
"Quiet... Not here. It's definitely related to what happened to you in the Forest of Death. Sasuke might be the cause of all this, Sakura..." he said sternly. "This is a major secret. Don't talk about it in public, and better not say that name." His intent one-eyed stare and sharp book snap with two fingers added severity, and she lost the will to argue.
"I understand. But isn't Naruto the cause?"
"Naruto?"
"Well, you mentioned that power..." she said uncertainly.
"Nooo..." He looked up at the ceiling. "Naruto's a separate talk, but that'll wait. Just know I've got our team fully under control." He smiled through his mask. "I won't let anything bad happen to them." Like on that mission, those words made her smile and boosted her confidence.
"Kakashi-sensei, one more thing—I wanted to ask you... I only made third stage on luck."
"Well..." he started, but she cut him off.
"It's true! I'm... I'm weak, especially compared to Naruto and Sasuke... I'd like to ask you. Please, help me prepare for third stage, Kakashi-sensei!" She bowed low. Kakashi just sighed loudly.
"Sorry..." At that, Sakura clenched her fists and lips but didn't straighten. "Sakura, lift your head." Kakashi requested. "Sorry, but I can't..."
"It's fine, Kakashi-sensei..." She raised her head, forcing a smile. "I... I understand."
"Why not ask Naruto?"
"Who?!" She nearly shouted.
"You heard. I can't, other jonin mentors will be busy prepping for third stage too. Maybe you don't know, but that fire pillar and shield Sasuke used—Naruto's idea, and he basically created those techniques, with Sasuke executing by hand."
"I see... Afraid he won't help me... We don't have the best relations."
"That's exactly what you need to fix, among other things. Especially after the tower incident. You never congratulated him on the win." She looked down again.
"But you felt and saw that chakra... Naruto's changed and..."
"And so?" Kakashi interrupted. "There were three jonin mentors and Lord-Hokage himself nearby. You really think if something went wrong, we wouldn't intervene? You weren't in danger then, but you gave in to fear—unacceptable for a shinobi."
"I understand..."
"Foolish to fear someone who saved your life."
"Kakashi-sensei, Naruto tried hard, sure, but they fought with Sasuke and..."
"Sasuke passed out—he told me himself... Naruto dragged you both out in the end. He even called Kabuto for help." Her eyes widened. "Sakura... Don't fear his power. Sadly, I can't tell you all the details, but..." He faltered. "You might not believe me, but Naruto's kind. No matter how much he hides it behind rudeness and ego, it's true... He's too kind to hold a grudge against you. Don't be scared to ask for his help." Sakura stood for several seconds, processing what Kakashi told her.
"I understand... Thanks, Kakashi-sensei. I... This time, I'll do it right." She smiled.
***
Closing the door behind her, I walked down the hall to my room. Straight from the hall was the bed by the window. Next to it, a desk and chair—I closed the notebook and set it on the table edge as I passed, directing Sakura to the kitchen. Grabbing my mug from the table, I headed there too. No gas stove here—maybe centralized gas in big cities, but in Konoha, we used portable burners to boil water in the kettle. Mine was on the balcony, and I'd boiled water right before diving into the "diary." Just needed to brew "guest tea" from what Shikamaru supplied me.
"I never stop being amazed at your neatness, Naruto."
"Well... I hadn't been here a few days, so I cleaned and dusted everything when I got back." What else was I supposed to do?
"I'll return your white T-shirt once it's dry from washing."
"Ah, that... Don't rush. Return it whenever." With that, I set two cups of tea on the table and gestured for her to sit.
After the first two sips, we swapped opinions on the taste and aroma, and it was time for business talk.
"Naruto, first off, I want to say thanks." Setting her cup down, she bowed sitting, hands on knees, head lowered. "You saved my life back in the forest... I don't even know how to..."
"Enough, Sakura." I cut her off. "Lift your head... First, that's what teams are for—covering each other's backs and saving lives over and over. I saved you today, tomorrow... Who knows how it'll go? No point taking it so seriously. And second... Before I saved you, I put you in that risk. Your wound and the whole situation are entirely my fault as team leader. I should be the one apologizing. If I'd thought more coolly then, I could've foreseen it and not sent you alone."
"Yes, you said something similar there, but..." She sipped tea. "Sometimes I don't get you. You always push for things your way. Make plans, argue even with the sensei—not to mention Sasuke—but now you regret the decision, though you didn't hesitate then."
"And you thought leading a group is just giving orders?" I sipped tea and replied. "I'm responsible for you and Sasuke's lives, and if I see I could've done different and didn't foresee the threat then, the consequences are on me."
"But why burden yourself like that? Easier to leave it to the teacher? Or Sasuke?"
"Kakashi won't always be with us—the forest's proof—and Sasuke... He's not ready for that yet. I'd trust him to watch my back, but nothing more."
"But why assume you're capable of more? The teacher didn't appoint you—you took it all on yourself and decided without even asking our or Sasuke's opinion." She raised her voice. "Sorry if I'm overstepping..." She immediately backed off, looking away. "But I can't understand that."
"Heh..." I exhaled, took another sip, and set the cup down. And what to tell her? That I'd already commanded a squad—that's nine armed people? Led ops teams on-site? Seen tons of platoon leaders, company commanders... Division heads and management styles over years of service? Even mentored staff in civilian life? No... Can't say that. "A real leader doesn't ask—he acts." I replied. "Asking's for the doubtful and insecure, who can't make decisions. A soldier differs from an officer in that the latter doesn't fear facing his decisions' consequences." I quoted from Jason Statham's personal playbook, watching her eyes widen. "A leader acts without doubt, and if no one follows, you weren't good enough—that's it."
"I see..." she whispered barely audibly.
Sakura recalled Ibiki's words after the first exam stage. He'd said something similar about chunin needing to be more than regular shinobi. They must make decisions, lead, and be ready even for unforeseen consequences. Also understand what and why you do. For regular fighters, it's less vital—most just need orders—but if you want more, be ready for the flip side. No other way, and willingness to lead sets chunin above other shinobi.
"Naruto... When did you grow up so much? Because you've been alone since early on? No, other orphans from our class aren't like him. There's something else I don't see, but maybe that's why Lord-Hokage noticed him personally?" Sakura thought. At that moment, she realized even if she showed her power in third stage and somehow beat Temari by miracle, she still wouldn't get chunin rank. "Hokage said promotion doesn't depend on match wins or power level. They seek in chunin what Naruto definitely has and she definitely lacks... Willpower to lead." Realizing that, she looked down.
"Uh... What, Sakura? Why so suddenly down?" I'd expected various reactions, but not a half-dead gaze. What'd she cooked up?
"Naruto, you did everything right then, but I..." She reached for tea, then clenched her fist and pulled back under the table. "I should've broken through and followed your order, but I couldn't."
"Ah, got it..." I said. "Yeah, you do need to get stronger, but those two weren't regular shinobi either. Even Sasuke probably couldn't take them. I think they're chunin level already."
"That's why I'm here, Naruto. I wanted to ask you..." She stood and bowed properly. "Please, help me get stronger!"
Fuck... Why me? She should've gone to Kakashi with this, though... He'd probably weasel out and train Sasuke instead.
"Sakura, enough." I said. And what was I supposed to do with her? What could I teach? Walking on water for chakra control comes to mind, but she's got a whole train of fighter flaws.
Fighter... If you think about it, she's not a fighter at all. And not surprising. At 13...
I knew well how to turn a civilian into a fighter, and rapidly cycling it in my head, I recalled the academy, wondering how after years of training and basics, there were Sakuras and Hinas? Why hadn't they become fighters? The answer hit right then...
In my world, mandatory isolation and brutal stress.
Only passing a kind of trial—like KMB for boys, beyond PT: harsh discipline, constant stress, moral pressure adapting you to new realities. Multiply by time, and that's how you "pickle" fighters. An academy where you mostly go home or dorm evenings can't "pickle" like that.
Clan kids—different story. Recalling Hyuga upbringing, not sure where more stress: home or service...
"I heard you... Honestly, I don't know what I can teach you, but I know exactly what you're missing and can develop it in you." She smiled, eyes shining hope. "But you really won't like it." Smile gone.
"W-why?"
"Let's say the trainings coming to mind are pretty specific..."
"Specific?" She looked confused, and I sipped more tea and stood.
"Tell me... What are you ready for to get stronger?"
"Anything!" Quick and clear. Didn't expect...
"Sure?" I asked surprised.
"Even if I demand something unacceptable?" I smiled.
"Unacceptable?" She blushed, stepping back slightly. "Naruto, what are you... talking about?" she said a bit scared, swallowing.
"That's what I'm saying—I don't know what you imagined, but you're doubting already, and I don't need objections or whining mid-training."
"I... I get it. Damn you!" She squeezed eyes shut and yelled. "Do what you want! If it helps get stronger, I'm ready even... even..." She stood against the wall, eyes shut, not noticing me up close. My face inches away as I slammed my palm by her head against the wall and looked in her eyes.
"Heh..." I exhaled. "Not that..." And turned away.
"Y-you... YOU! Naruto! Explain properly, damn it! What are you thinking?!"
"And you?" I grinned back.
"Fuck..." She nearly hissed, clenching fist to face.
"Well, if you're really ready, see you tomorrow. We'll start at third training ground. And yeah... Bring a swimsuit."
***
Morning workout at third training ground went to plan, except I wasn't in my usual gear but spare black-and-white tracksuit. Sakura naturally didn't show by 6 a.m.—didn't surprise me. I deliberately didn't give exact time. By 8, I was packing gear when Hayate appeared on the ground. Dressed as usual: standard Konoha shinobi uniform with sword on back.
"Huh? Good morning, Hayate-san." I greeted properly. "You training here too?" I smiled to start chat, fully knowing if he hadn't shown the whole time I warmed up, he came for me.
"Good morning, Naruto. No, different reason... Kakashi-san didn't tell you?"
"Yeah, he said you agreed to teach me kenjutsu, but... Sorry I didn't come to you myself after the exam." I bowed. "My sword's damaged—I wanted to wait for the new hilt, then ask for training help."
"I understand, Naruto." Hayate approached. "Sorry, but despite Kakashi's request, I don't have much time. I saw your prelim performance, and after that, I doubt you need a sword that bad."
"But..."
"Against Kiba, you refused to use it and demonstratively handed it to Kakashi—why?" He cut me off.
"Well... I didn't want to kill him. Sword's a weapon meant to kill enemies. Kiba's not the nicest, but I didn't want him dead."
"Good answer." Hayate nodded. "But if you won't use sword in battle, don't pass it to other shinobi either. Hm... Maybe something'll come of you, but now I still wanna see if you're worth my time or easier for you to drop sword shinobi idea." His words tensed me. Oh, these Japanese quirks with "worthy-unworthy" trials. Maybe next stand under sensei's house two weeks in rain, sun... Pitch tent, ash on head, prostrate?
Fuuuh... Calm...
"First, I give you three days. When's your sword back?" he asked.
"Well... Ideally, tomorrow morning from workshop. Asked to rush."
"Perfect." He nodded. "Tomorrow your first day. You need to learn quick draw. Not just quick—fastest possible. Faster the better."
"Uh... I can already. Used it in fight, can draw and deflect enemy shuriken before it hits."
"Not bad if true, but... Not enough. So train. Doesn't matter from what stance—choose yourself. Based on how you handle, I'll decide on you. One more condition..."
"M?"
"Carry your sword always and everywhere in sheath. Sleep with it too. Literally..."
"Uh, well... What if showering or hot springs?"
"Naruto, no dumb questions. Even shower or underwater, sword max arm's length. Get used to sword as part of you like hand or foot. And... Your personal sword must bond with you. Not just yearly store katana. Keeping and caring for sword like yourself—your duty. For that bond, name your sword." Fine... Still manageable...
"I understand you, teacher Hayate, but about the draw. Itachi showed me the basics..." At this point, his eyebrows shot up, and his eyes widened. "He already talked about the need to draw the sword quickly, and I've been training that skill for several years. I think if I had a sword right now, I could pass your test."
"Is that so?" he asked in surprise. "I see, you're one of those who needs a demonstration." With those words, he took the sword off his back and handed it to me. "Here, put it on however it's comfortable and try to draw it before I stop you. In perfect execution, the sword should leave the sheath before the opponent even sees it."
His blade was a full third longer than the one teacher Iruka had given me. But overall, I could get used to it. Even drawing it fully from behind the back was no big problem. Taking a couple of minutes to warm up, I tested the convenience of drawing it, the grip, and realized I could indeed draw it quickly.
"Okay... I think I'm ready." I said, stepping ten meters away from Hayate.
"Alright, draw the sword as soon as the coin hits the ground." With that, he tossed the coin into the air, and I tensed up, concentrating, visualizing my movement as I drew. All that was left was to repeat it very quickly and...
As soon as the coin touched the ground and my hand grabbed the hilt, Hayate was right next to me with the Body Flicker Technique, also known as the Instantaneous Movement Technique, and grabbed my hand near the wrist.
"Uh..." I exclaimed when he let me go. "Using the teleportation technique—that's not fair."
"Your task is to draw the sword before I stop you," he said. "Be glad it wasn't an opponent with a kunai at your throat."
"Alright... I get it. Can we go again? Now that I know you'll use that technique, I can definitely handle it."
"Fine, but this time I'll stop your hand before it touches the hilt," Hayate declared. I smiled and jumped back even farther. Now there were a full fifteen meters between us.
"Ready?" he asked before tossing the coin.
"Yeah..." I said and nodded.
The instant after the coin hit the ground, I didn't even have time to realize it before my hand was already pulled aside.
"Uh..." was all I could say.
"I hope we're done with the demonstrations for today?" Hayate asked.
"Fine, you win." I conceded and handed him back the sword.
"Then I'm off. You can practice wearing the sword with the training one now." With that, he vanished.
Sakura arrived at the Training Ground five minutes later.
"There you are! Naruto, I looked everywhere for you. I thought we were meeting at your place, and you've been here since morning? Why didn't you tell me?!"
"Sakura, morning exercise is a given for me—it's just part of the day. If you decided to skip it, don't blame others."
"What do you mean?!" Her eyes widened as she looked at me. "I do my warm-up at home as soon as I wake up. I don't need to come to the Training Ground for that."
"Yeah? So what do you do?"
"Well..." She started listing warm-up exercises—maximum half an hour, even with squats and push-ups in the "required" amount.
"Heh... I see why things are at a standstill. Sakura, honestly, that's not enough. Not nearly enough. Did you bring everything I asked for?"
"Yeah..." She turned and glanced at the River. "You meant we'd train by the river? That's why the swimsuit?"
"Not exactly... Heh... Let's start with physical training. I'll show you a proper morning routine."
I had her loosen up her joints. A bit of cardio to get the blood flowing extra. Then some stretching. Naturally, I demonstrated mine, which any gymnast would envy now—I'm almost at Lee's level in that regard. Almost, because his muscles and ligaments are beyond limits. It seems like he can twist his whole body however he wants.
After that, running. Lots of running. Two rounds. First, a ten-kilometer cross-country, then a two-kilometer sprint. She ran the ten in three and a half laps around the river. There are two small bridges at opposite ends of the Training Ground; she crossed the river via them. The main distance was along the bank. The sprint was also along the shoreline. After I said, "Catch your breath a bit, rest five minutes," her eyebrow started twitching nervously. That was after the cross-country; then the sprint—a kilometer one way and back. I had a stopwatch and was waiting for her return. The result was surprising... She ran it at a C+ by Academy standards. I thought it'd be worse. Naturally, I told her it was unacceptable and set the goal to build it up to an A+ sprint over this month. Gritting her teeth, she agreed.
Next, I made two clones, and had her make three.
That made three of me and four Sakuras. I split her into two pairs. Since I skipped breakfast today—which I accepted grudgingly—my original pulled out pre-made sandwiches and a bottle of sweet tea from the backpack and ate on the side, watching one pair of Sakuras drill striking technique under a clone's supervision while the other pair worked on grappling and throws.
I also numbered them as first and second. The clones gave the "switch" command roughly every two minutes. The first number attacks aggressively, the second defends and counterattacks if possible. That's how she spent another fifteen minutes until the "original" started taking too many hits on defense, and one of the grappling clones just popped during a throw. Sparring with clones was new to her. I'd seen her hand-to-hand with Ino, and she showed decent—relatively decent—Taijutsu level. Now she was openly afraid of hurting herself. Of course, until my clone yelled at them, and things picked up. In the end, she had a slightly swollen eye and nose. There'd probably be bruises on her body, especially arms and legs from blocking strikes. That gave her a lifelong lesson on wrapping limbs. She was starting to boil, seeing my grinning face, but after the sparring, she wrapped her hands and feet with bandages while resting.
"Okay... Ten minutes up, rest over! Now that you've gathered experience from your clones... Spar with me. Or rather, not quite. I..." My clone pointed at himself. "Will try to attack, and you defend and evade when possible. Ideally, find an opening for a counter and execute it. You can use weapons; I'm a clone, so wounds don't scare me." She nodded.
We took stances eleven meters apart and started on the second clone's command. My clone couldn't use my full speed, not even normal speed. I'd long noticed that shadow clones have access to at best 60% of the original's strength and speed. That's if I make up to ten clones. For a normal shinobi, it's 2-3 clones. More, and physical potential drops further. It halves after "multiple cloning," which for me is from 25 clones. After a hundred—mass cloning. There it's about 10-15%. Clones can't use flicker or charge weapons with chakra. At best, they can still run on water and trees, but that's the limit.
As a result, she couldn't overpower even 60% of me, barely dodging strikes and retreating or jumping back after each blocked "heavy hit." She ate a couple low kicks and a solid slap when she reflexively squinted trying to dodge. After the slap, she got a bit angry and drew a kunai, which was immediately knocked out. I took the second kunai by catching her arm in a hold during a counter attempt and gave her a solid swat on the butt. After that, she went berserk and switched to open attack. That's when I decided to end the spar. The clone used his max—he was fighting Sakura's "enraged original," no joke. At his limit, my clone found an opening for a gut counter, but instead of a proper strike, he shoved her with an open palm in the middle of the chest—hard. She flew two meters and landed solidly on her back.
"That's it." The second clone, acting as referee, announced and helped Sakura up. "Morning exercise is over for today..."
"Exercise?!" she fumed. "You're kidding?!"
"No." My clone said seriously. "Besides, if you really want to get stronger, this is now your daily routine. Except the spars. Better do those later under a mentor's supervision, but not me—I've got too little experience. I can drag you to a certain level, but after that, find someone more... Kakashi would do."
"Fine, what's next?" she asked, exhaling.
"Final stretch, then we're out of here."
"That's it?"
"Well... Final stretch doesn't even come close to the warm-up one."
Ooo yeah!
During the final stretch, I went all out! Or rather, my clone did, and when I dispersed him, I grinned like an idiot all the way through the village to the hot springs.
Forcing her to spread her legs sitting on the grass, I bent her torso by pressing my knee into her back and pulling her arms back. Something even cracked. The longitudinal split was a repeat of this "torture." Needless to say, Sakura delighted me with her "Enough!" cries and such, sometimes almost moaning. Naturally, I made her do a bridge, handstands... Can't skip those.
Her face showed universal suffering; she could barely walk properly. For full happiness, I gave her my old weights, and after five minutes of whining poured on me, she put them on.
"We're here..." I said when we arrived.
"Hot springs?"
"Yeah... When you're ready, come to the men's side; no one's there at this hour. Everyone usually comes in the evening."
"Naruto..." She was boiling. "Are you an idiot?! That's beyond decency! First off, they won't let us on the same side! Second, when we're alone, your antics are whatever, but this is public! I have a reputation and..."
"Oh, cut it out... Stop whining. We're not here as a couple, though you can here if you're of age." At that, she blushed and clenched her fists. "You'll be in a swimsuit; I'm not even swimming. I'll arrange it for extra pay. We're shinobi, after all, in our own village—where else to be bold?"
"Naruto..." She was fuming. "You..." With that, I went inside and started sweet-talking the girl at reception with nonsense. Nonsense from a normal person's view, but almost truth. It really was necessary for shinobi training, and yeah... Permission was granted after I name-dropped Kakashi. Had to pay extra, but not much. Just one and a half daily sessions for two.
Sakura in a swimsuit looked good. Plain panties and bra, dark pink. Nice match with her pink hair and eyes.
"Damn it! Pull yourself together!" I gave myself a mental slap.
At thirteen, there's not much to ogle, so I stopped staring after about a minute. Making her put the weights back on, I explained in detail how to walk on water properly, then practice. First try failed. She sank like a stone right away. Grabbing rocks on the slope, she quickly climbed out.
"It's hot in there!" she yelled. "Naruto, damn it! Couldn't we do this in the river?"
"So you catch a cold? It's fall, damn it... River's cold. I picked the hottest pool on purpose."
"Why?!" she yelled indignantly.
"Training will be more effective that way. Hot water on bare feet destabilizes chakra control nicely. If you can walk here with weights, you can anywhere. And... Gotta get my fun, right?" I added at the end.
"You bastard!" She raised a clenched fist.
"That's the deal... Get back in."
After five or six tries, she finally reached the middle, sometimes sinking to her knees, but getting used to the water temp, she could stand up. But when I asked her to jump, she failed—sank like a stone. Two meters deep in the middle, with weights. She surfaced after thirty seconds and begged for help. I just said she needs to get stronger and handle it herself. She couldn't. After another minute, she climbed out, leaving the weights at the bottom. Naturally, after catching her breath, she had to dive for them and put them back on. After five more tries, it started working much better. Next stage: jumps from the railing into the pool. If she stays on the surface, she's learned it, done for today. But the first try failed, and getting out with weights got harder... Had to stand on the water and pull her out by hand.
After the second try, surfacing, she noticed a guy with long white hair sitting by the fence dividing the women's and men's sides, sticking what looked like a telescope through a gap to peep at the women's side. Her outrage knew no bounds...
"Naruto, that guy there... He's shameless! Come with me!" she said, pointing at him. "When I saw his back, I recognized him right away. Hard to miss a huge broad-shouldered guy with snow-white (really snow-white and clean) hair down to his ass."
"Uh... Sakura, maybe leave him be... I don't think tangling with him is smart."
"Y-you..." She clenched her fist indignantly. "Fine, screw you, I'll go myself."
"Hey!" she yelled, crossing the bridge to the next pool. "What are you doing?! Stop right now and get out! Or I'll throw you out myself!"
"Huh?" He turned. "Girl, please go away; I'm working... And don't yell."
"Working?! You're... Pervert! What work?!"
"I'm just gathering material..." He turned back to her and almost hissed. "Please, quieter..."
"You're peeping at girls!" she yelled. I couldn't hold back and went over for support. Sounds like they heard her on the other side and started screaming, fleeing the pool.
"Aaaa!!!" He jumped up screaming. "Look what you've done?!"
"What did I do?! Dirty old man! Who are you, and what do you think you're doing?!"
"Hm..." He grinned and quickly formed seals while spinning, then stomped. "Good you asked!" he yelled, and a massive toad the size of a jeep appeared under him. He struck a dramatic pose atop its head, arms spread, hair flowing, slinging a huge scroll over his back, and declared... "From north to south, east to west! Women swoon hearing my name, armies flee in panic knowing my power. I am the great toad sage hermit of Mount Myoboku! Jiraiya!!!"
Fuck...
Guy, Lee, sorry for thinking you were cringe sources.
He really summoned a damn toad just to introduce himself to Sakura...
No words...
And it even croaked at the end...
I couldn't help it and facepalmed.
Sakura just blinked in shock, pointing at him.
He appeared in style, gotta give him that...
His face even had those "bloody tears" from his eyes. And he didn't skimp on makeup. Dressed in a dirty-salad green kimono over... Damn, does he really wear chainmail? And his high clogs added points to the look.
Headband with a weird symbol—after thirty seconds, I recalled it was Mount Myoboku's.
"Sage?" Sakura finally came to life. "What's with the huge toad?" she asked just as he dismissed the summon and landed. "A technique? Are you a shinobi?"
"Well, you could say that, but I've been out of the game a while," he replied.
"A shinobi stooping to this... Damn..." She dropped her hands. "Still, get out or I'll call the patrols."
"Fine, fine... I'll go. Won't interrupt you and your boyfriend. I get it, young love and all, wanting privacy..." He headed for the exit.
"No! It's not like that! Damn old perv! Don't say that! We're just training! Tell him, Naruto!" she yelled, red as a lobster, turning to me.
"Come on... Don't yell. I get it, no need to call anyone."
"Didn't want to butt in, but you're wrong, old man—we're really training here." I stepped forward reluctantly. "Unfortunately..." I added barely audibly, but he seemed to hear and smirked. Sakura too...
"Unfortunately?!" She boiled like a kettle. "Naruto! Aaa... I'm surrounded by dumb pervs!"
"I'm not a dumb perv, missy!" Jiraiya popped up.
"Then what are you?!"
"I'm a sage perv!"
"That changes everything..."
"Alright, kids, fun's over. Gotta go now that you ruined it. Keep training your water-walking—which you suck at, by the way—and..." He glanced at the weights. "God, who came up with that... Total perv." With that, he turned and walked out.
"Hey, you asshole! That's a legit training method. I tested it myself!"
"Aa... Fine, kid. But to me, it's dogshit... Better do something else here."
"Oh, you know better, huh? Then by all means, show us? Damn sage!"
"Heh..." He exhaled. "Don't work for free."
"Crystal clear, excuses now. You're no sage, just a con. Deal: pay on results. Help speed up her training, I pay. Otherwise... Like I'd listen to pervs."
"Naruto... Why provoke him?!" Sakura fumed.
"Fine, you little punk. I'll show you what the great toad mountain sage's words are worth!"
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: patreon.com/Granulan