After six grueling days of training, the progress was undeniable.
Balancing upside down on a thick branch, Uchiha Sasuke surveyed the trees around him, their bark riddled with kunai marks. He gave a small nod of satisfaction.
Thanks to Sakura's guidance, he had fully mastered the tree-climbing technique and could now fight effortlessly in this position. Even casting ninjutsu while maintaining his stance was no longer an issue.
Nearby, by the lake, Uzumaki Naruto grinned foolishly as he examined the results of his own efforts. He, too, was very close to mastering tree climbing.
Not far from him, a girl with pink hair swiftly weaved a series of hand seals before spitting out a basketball-sized sphere of water.
The water ball shot through the air and struck a massive tree, leaving a deep indentation in its trunk. If that had hit a person, they would have been in serious trouble.
It wasn't quite at Kakashi-sensei's level, but it was undeniably powerful.
Smiling triumphantly, Sakura jumped in place, raising her arms high.
"Yes! Now I can finally fight without holding them back!"
And that wasn't the only improvement.
Checking her status, she grinned.
[Talent: 5]
Since arriving in this world, her talent had been steadily increasing. Excluding the first day of training—before her transmigration—only five days had passed, and she was already seeing significant results.
Her body had changed slightly as well.
Maybe it was the increased food intake or the constant exercise, but she could faintly notice a small difference in her figure.
Grinning, she cupped her chest with both hands.
"Hah! Looks like I won't be a washboard like the original Sakura from those pictures I saw."
Satisfied, she stretched her arms before glancing toward Naruto in the distance.
That blockhead… Training even in the middle of the night just to surpass Sasuke. Now, looking at him—exhausted, bruised, and disheveled as if he had crawled out of a battlefield—Sakura couldn't help but sigh in concern.
"Naruto, what the heck is wrong with you?! At this rate, you're gonna kill yourself!"
"Hehe, I have to work extra hard if I want to surpass that annoying guy. But don't worry, I won't die before I become Hokage, y'know?" He grinned, scratching the back of his head.
"By the way, where were you earlier?"
"Ah, that...?" Naruto suddenly recalled the strange girl he had met an hour ago.
"I was helping out a local girl," he said after a brief pause.
"Huh? Really?" Sakura blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected Naruto to go out of his way to help someone like that. But what exactly had he been helping with?
"Yeah!" Naruto nodded with a grin. "She was gathering medicinal herbs to sell. She's so thin and frail that I figured she could use an extra hand."
Sakura's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Oh? Tell me, was she pretty?"
"Pretty?" Naruto hesitated for a second before nodding stiffly, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly. "Uh… yeah. I guess you could say she's very beautiful."
"Aha!" Sakura smirked, crossing her arms. "So that's it. You really are a pervert, aren't you? I bet if she were ugly, you wouldn't have given her a second glance!"
"Ah! No way, Sakura-chan, don't misunderstand me!" Naruto yelped, waving his hands frantically.
"Pervert!"
"Sakura-chan!" he cried helplessly.
It was really a misunderstanding! Because that girl… was actually a boy!
...
Seventh Day of Training
"Where did Naruto run off to this time? Pushing himself to the limit, sneaking out again last night…" Kakashi muttered, his usual dead-fish eyes filled with mild exasperation.
"And then, during breakfast, Sasuke says he's going for a walk and disappears too. Seriously, how can they be this irresponsible?" Sakura huffed, frustration evident in her tone.
The two stood at the edge of the forest, glancing around but finding no clue as to where to even start looking.
The wind brushed against Sakura, making her soft pink hair flutter. Just as she was about to suggest searching elsewhere, a sharp whistle cut through the air.
A kunai shot past them, embedding itself into the ground.
Stunned, they looked up—only to be met with an even greater shock.
Perched on the highest branch of the tree before them, Naruto lay casually, grinning down at them like a fox who had just pulled off a prank.
"No way… did Naruto master tree climbing?"
Sakura stared in surprise. It wasn't that she doubted him, but after watching him struggle day and night for so long, she knew just how difficult this had been for him. And yet, somehow, he had finally done it.
"Heh, heh! Did you see?! Look how high I can go!" Naruto grinned, his excitement shining through.
Amazing… Sakura felt her heart flutter slightly. "Naruto… he really climbed all the way up there."
"Haha… uh—aaahhh!"
Just as Naruto tried to stand, his foot slipped on the branch.
Kakashi's eyes widened in alarm. 'No way! I'm still injured—at this distance, I can't save him!'
"N-Naruto! YOU IDIOT!!! If you fall from that height—!" Sakura shouted in panic.
But just as it seemed like he was about to plummet, Naruto twisted midair and planted his feet firmly on the underside of the branch, hanging upside down.
"Hah! Gotcha, suckers!" He laughed foolishly, pointing at them with a wide grin.
"Y-you—JERK! YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!" Sakura shouted, her face red with a mix of anger and relief.
"Hahaha… Uh—ahhh, n-no!?"
The moment Naruto started laughing, his foot slipped again. This time, there was nothing beneath him to catch his fall.
"Naruto, twice is too much! Stop messing around!" Sakura yelled, panic creeping into her voice.
Kakashi's eyes widened. 'Shit, it's real this time!'
Just as Naruto dropped a full meter, a blur streaked through the air. In the blink of an eye, a figure in a blue shirt appeared above him, standing precisely where Naruto had been just moments before.
It was Uchiha Sasuke.
"Whoa…" Kakashi exhaled, finally relaxing. A small smile tugged at his lips. "It seems those two are coming along well."
"Thank god!" Sakura huffed, collapsing onto the ground to catch her breath. "That was way too much excitement for one day."
"Alright, everyone, gather up," Kakashi called, his tone more serious than usual. "Training will be put on hold for now. My injuries are almost healed… which means Zabuza will be coming for us soon."
The air grew tense. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke exchanged glances, their expressions shifting. The brief moment of levity was gone—replaced by the weight of the battle that loomed ahead.
Thinking of the despair she got from those memories, the weakness in front of an enemy whose mere bloodlust was enough to freeze her on the spot, she clenched her fist in eagerness. This time, she would definitely teach them a lesson!
After all, she didn't spend all this time solely on Ninjutsu. The talent from the system is all-round, meaning everything about her had its potential increased! Including Taijutsu and Shurikenjutsu!
...