"Ahhhhh, why is it a draw again?!" Menma clutched his head in frustration. Another draw—how many rounds had it been already?
"Boss, you're really something. Even going easy on me, you still managed to draw." Shikamaru let out a sigh of relief. Phew, that was close—it nearly wasn't a draw.
"Of course. If I weren't this good, how could I be your boss?" Menma replied confidently as he started setting up the board for another round. He was determined to win this time. Just a bit more... just a little...
Again? Σ(⊙▽⊙"a)
Shikamaru quickly said, "Bro, it's getting dark. I should head home. Let's continue tomorrow."
Menma glanced out the window. It was already dark—the day had passed by so fast.
"Alright, I'll find you tomorrow so we can continue."
Nani? (ω)I was just being polite—don't take it seriously!
Menma added, "Wanna stay for dinner?"
Dinner? No way! Shikamaru instantly stood up. "Brother, you're too kind. My mom's cooking dinner—I've gotta hurry home!" And with that, he bolted for the door and disappeared.
In such a rush? Menma called out to Shikamaru's back, "I'll come find you tomorrow!"
Shikamaru: (#￣～￣#)
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
The two attacks collided, evenly matched. Without pause, they shifted into close-quarters combat.
Sakura, watching from the sidelines, was stunned. (｀Д´)!!
Do they always train like this?
"Not bad," Kakashi said as he suddenly appeared beside Sakura. He nodded, watching the two exchange blows. "Looks like Itachi and Menma have trained them well."
"Mr. Kakashi, I want to get stronger. I don't want to be the burden of Team 7!" Sakura blurted out. Right now, she was the weakest member—not only unable to help, but often dragging the team down. Just like during the fight with Zabuza—she had been useless.
"Alright," Kakashi said, looking at Sakura and seeing a bit of Rin in her.
"You still can't use chakra flexibly," Kakashi pointed out.
"What? (O_o)??" Sakura looked confused. What did he mean by not using chakra flexibly?
"Controlling chakra means extracting the physical and spiritual energies from your body and mixing them together. The amount and balance required depends on the technique you're using. Right now, you can't control it efficiently. Even if you have a lot of chakra, if you can't maintain the balance, your techniques will either weaken significantly or fail entirely. And you'll waste energy—meaning you won't last long in battle."
Sakura nodded, absorbing every word. She understood most of it—after all, she had ranked second in class for theoretical knowledge. No one dared claim first.
"So what do I do, Mr. Kakashi?" she asked.
"You have to teach your body the feeling of balance. Learn it physically, not just mentally," Kakashi explained. He looked toward the ongoing spar. "Naruto, Sasuke—come here."
Sasuke stopped immediately.
Boom! Naruto suddenly socked Sasuke in the right cheek.
Sasuke: (O_o)??
Naruto dashed behind Kakashi, grinning.
Sasuke's eyes blazed with rage. Damn Naruto!
He lunged forward, ready to retaliate, but Kakashi blocked him.
"Naruto, what was that?!" Sakura yelled, furious. Seeing Sasuke get punched made her heart ache.
"Hahaha, all's fair in war!" Naruto laughed. Seeing Sasuke's annoyed face made him feel satisfied. Sasuke, consider this payback. He remembered last time, when Itachi had told them to stop. Sasuke hadn't—he'd punched Naruto in the left cheek, leaving it swollen. He'd even gone home grinning like a smug older brother.
Naruto had sworn he'd get even. Their strength had always been evenly matched, so he hadn't had the chance—until now.
Hearing Naruto's reasoning, Sasuke scoffed, "You still remember that? So petty."
"Petty? You punched me and made my brother laugh at me!" Naruto shot back.
"I told you not to call me Er Zhuzi—you're the petty one."
"You're the second pillar."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not!"
"You are."
Kakashi: ╮(╯▽╰)╭
Sakura: (_`) Here they go again...
Kakashi smacked them both on the head, sending them rolling across the ground.
"Naruto, Sasuke—demonstrate tree climbing for Sakura," Kakashi ordered.
Instantly, the boys sprang to their feet, formed hand signs, and focused chakra to their feet. In perfect sync, they sprinted up the tree trunks, reaching the top effortlessly.
Kakashi turned to Sakura. "This training is about controlling chakra precisely. Tree climbing requires a very specific amount of chakra focused in the most difficult spot—the soles of your feet. If you can master this, you can learn any jutsu."
He added, "Naruto and Sasuke have been training with their brother since they were very young, so their starting point is higher." Sakura nodded and began trying it herself.
Kakashi: (⊙_⊙)?
To his surprise, Sakura succeeded on the first try.
"Nice one, Sakura!" Naruto gave her a thumbs up.
"Not bad," Sasuke added.
Sakura smiled shyly, then looked at Kakashi. "Mr. Kakashi, let's move to the next stage."
Next stage?
Konoha Village – Hokage's Office
"Sis Tsunade, why'd you call me in? Don't you know how busy I am? Anbu has way too much on its plate." Menma was called in early, disrupting his plans for Ichiraku Ramen.
Tsunade: "Too many things for Anbu? Really?"
"Don't think I don't know you've been using shadow clones to do your work!" She wanted to smack him—but no, she held back. Let's see his face when he reads this scroll.
"Haha, Tsunade, clones are still me. If they can handle it, so can I," Menma said with a grin. Getting caught didn't faze him.
"Take a look at this." Tsunade tossed a scroll onto the desk in front of him. Let's see if you're still smiling after this.
A scroll? What now?
Menma opened it.
Nani?! (ω)
"NARUTO!!!!"
Far away in the Land of Waves, Naruto shivered. What was that? Why do I feel like I'm in danger?
"Are you sick or something?" he asked, pointing at Sasuke.
Sasuke: (⊙_⊙)?
(End Of Chapter)
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