The rhythmic sound of metal striking wood resonated through Training Field 9.
Naruto stopped at the edge of the clearing, watching.
Tenten was in the center, surrounded by practice dummies. She moved with mechanical fluidity, throwing shuriken and kunai in all directions without even looking. Every projectile hit the mark, right in the red painted center.
Naruto smiled and stepped out from the shadow of the trees.
"Ino was right. She said I would find you here trying to murder innocent logs."
Tenten stopped dead, with a kunai halfway through a throw. She turned, lowering her arm, and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.
"Naruto. I thought you would be sleeping in."
"Impossible. Yesterday Ino told me you wanted to see me." Naruto walked toward her, gently kicking a kunai that had fallen to the ground. "I figured it was about the new gear."
"Partly," Tenten admitted, sheathing the weapon. "And I wanted to thank you for the other time. It made me think."
"Think about what?"
"That I need to sharpen my reflexes. Neji is fast, but he is predictable. Lee is... well, Lee. I need something different if I want to survive these exams."
She looked at the destroyed wooden dummies with a grimace of dissatisfaction.
"The problem is that wood doesn't hit back. There is no risk."
Naruto crossed his arms, widening his smile.
"Well, you are lucky. Today I feel generous and resilient."
Tenten raised an eyebrow, interested.
"What do you propose?"
"Forget the logs. Use me." Naruto opened his arms. "A moving target. A target that attacks. If you want to test if your weapons work under pressure, you need a real opponent."
Tenten's eyes lit up. It was the look of a warrior seeing a worthy challenge. A sharp smile crossed her face.
"Are you sure, Uzumaki? I don't use toy weapons. You could get hurt."
"I have an accelerated healing factor. You just worry about hitting the mark." Naruto got into a stance, lowering his center of gravity. "Come on, Tenten. Show me why you are the number one weapons specialist in Konoha."
Tenten pulled a scroll from her back and unrolled it in the air with a snap.
"You asked for it. Don't cry when I cut you!"
Naruto saw her hand move toward the summoning seal. His instincts flared up.
"Move your feet, Tenten!"
A kunai whistled millimeters past Naruto's ear. It embedded itself in the tree trunk behind him with a dry thud.
Naruto did not stop. He kept advancing, dodging to the left.
"I am moving!" Tenten shouted.
From the air, she spun around. Three shuriken shot out of her hands. The trajectory was curved, designed to cut off his escape route.
"Predictable."
Naruto ducked. The weapons hit the dirt where his head had been a second earlier. He propelled himself forward, closing the distance.
Tenten landed and rolled. She pulled a collapsible bō staff from a scroll on her waist. The metal clicked as it extended.
"Predictable?" She smiled. She blocked Naruto's punch with the staff. The impact vibrated in her arms. "I am just warming up."
"I hope so. Because if Neji is as fast as they say, this won't be enough."
Naruto pivoted on his heel and threw a low kick.
Tenten jumped. She used the staff as a lever and launched herself at him, letting go with one hand to pull out a chain hidden in her sleeve.
"Don't compare me to him!"
The chain sought to trap Naruto's ankle. He saw it coming. He jumped back, gaining distance.
"Good. That had intent." Naruto wiped a streak of dirt from his cheek. "But you are still thinking too much. Your aim is perfect, but you hesitate before releasing the weapon."
"I don't want to waste ammo."
"You have scrolls full of them. Waste all you want. If you run out of weapons, use mine. If you run out of those, use rocks."
Naruto ran at her again. This time he used no tricks. It was a frontal assault.
Tenten gritted her teeth. She spun the bō, creating a defensive shield.
"Come on!" she shouted.
The clash was brutal. Naruto struck the staff with forearms reinforced with chakra. Tenten retreated, but she did not yield. Every blow forced her to readjust her stance.
"Are you having fun?" Naruto asked between hits.
"Shut up and fight!"
Tenten deflected a right hook and saw an opening. She dropped the staff and threw herself into hand to hand combat. She surprised Naruto. She swept his legs and sent him to the ground.
Naruto fell on his back. Before he could get up, the tip of a kunai shined inches from his nose.
Tenten was on top of him, breathing hard. Sweat stuck her bangs to her forehead.
"Point for the Weapons Mistress," she said.
Naruto looked at her from the ground. He smiled.
"Not bad."
"Not bad? I have you against the ropes."
"You have me on the ground. That is different."
Naruto vanished in a cloud of smoke.
"Damn it!" Tenten turned around, searching.
"Point for the Unpredictable Ninja."
The voice came from above. Naruto was hanging from a branch, upside down, swinging casually.
Tenten let out a huff and put away the kunai. She let herself fall seated on the grass.
"That is cheating. Clones are cheating."
Naruto jumped and landed softly beside her. He sat down, crossing his legs.
"In war, everything is cheating, Tenten. If you fight fair, you die."
She leaned back, lying on the grass and looking at the clear sky.
"Neji always says that. But when he says it, it sounds like he is scolding me for being weak. When you say it..."
"What?"
"It sounds like a challenge."
"It is." Naruto pulled a water bottle from his bag and tossed it to her. "Drink. We still have two hours before seeing the others."
Tenten caught the bottle in the air. She sat up and drank greedily.
"Thanks." She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Hey, Naruto."
"Tell me."
"Do you really think I have a chance in the exams? My team... well, Gai sensei is great, but Lee and Neji are monsters of raw power. I just throw things."
Naruto took the bottle from her and took a sip.
"You don't 'just throw things.' You have spatial precision that is scary. I saw how you calculated the bounce of that shuriken a while ago. Neji has magic eyes and Lee is fast, but you control the battlefield."
Tenten looked at him. Her eyes shone.
"Are you serious?"
"I never lie about someone's strength. If you were weak, I would tell you to go home and sell rice." Naruto leaned toward her. "But I invited you to train. That means I think you can kick ass."
Tenten let out a laugh. It was a clean, genuine sound.
"You are weird, Uzumaki."
"I get that a lot."
"But it is fun." She stood up and brushed the dust off her pants. "Right. Break is over. I want to try that smoke bomb and senbon combination you mentioned."
Naruto jumped up.
"That is the attitude. But if I beat you this round, you are buying lunch."
"Keep dreaming. Get ready."
Two hours later, they walked through the streets of Konoha. People stared at them. Naruto had a superficial cut on his cheek and clothes full of dust. Tenten had messy hair and a grease smudge on her chin.
Both were laughing.
"I can't believe you tried to use an explosive tag on my shoe!" said Tenten, giving him a friendly shove.
"It worked, didn't it? You almost fell."
"Almost. But my recovery was worthy of a Kunoichi."
"We will see about that tomorrow."
They arrived at the commercial district. Tenten stopped in front of her family's weapon shop.
"Wait here. I have to pick up the order."
"I'm coming with you."
They went inside. Tenten went behind the counter and brought out a polished wooden box.
"My father let me work on this all night. He said if they were for 'the kid who bought the entire quality stock,' I better make them perfect."
Naruto ran his hand over the wood of the box.
"I like your dad."
"He likes you because you pay in cash." Tenten lifted the box. "Let's go. I don't want to make your team wait. Ino gets unbearable if she is kept waiting."
"By the way, how did you meet Ino?"
"That is a secret."
They left the shop. The sun was starting to go down, painting the streets orange.
They walked toward Training Field 7. As they approached, Naruto saw three figures waiting for them by the river.
Sakura was leaning against a tree, checking her medical bag. Ino was practicing poses with a kunai, looking at her reflection in the water. Hinata was sitting, meditating.
"Hey!" shouted Naruto, waving his hand.
The three of them turned around.
Sakura smiled when she saw him, but her smile turned into a grimace when she saw his state.
"Naruto, you are a mess," said Sakura when they arrived. She approached and examined the cut on his cheek. "Did you train or fight a bear?"
"I trained with something more dangerous," said Naruto, pointing at Tenten with his thumb. "Girls, this is Tenten. Weapons Mistress and the reason I almost lost an ear today."
Tenten stepped forward, holding the box under her arm.
"Hi. I'm from Gai's team."
Ino put away her kunai and walked over, putting her hands on her hips.
"Tenten. I see you came."
"Hi, Ino. I see you are still matching your combat clothes."
"Someone has to have style in this line of work." Ino smiled and offered her hand. "Welcome to Naruto's madhouse."
Tenten shook her hand firmly.
"Thanks. Naruto said you needed gear."
Hinata stood up and approached shyly. She gave a polite bow.
"He-hello, Tenten san."
"Hi, Hinata. I have heard about your Jūken style. I have something that might interest you."
Naruto clapped once to get everyone's attention.
"Alright. Tomorrow we enter hell. Then, they will probably throw us into a death zone."
Sakura crossed her arms.
"We know, Naruto. That is why we are here."
"Exactly. But we aren't going in empty handed." Naruto looked at Tenten and nodded.
Tenten placed the box on a flat rock and opened the lid.
Inside were three compartments, each with a set of impeccably cared for equipment.
"Naruto gave me the specs a few days ago," said Tenten. "I worked on the adjustments this morning."
Sakura came closer, curious.
"What is this?"
Naruto reached into the box and pulled out a pair of gloves. They were black, reinforced leather, with thin metal plates sewn over the knuckles and the back of the hand. They were elegant and flexible.
"I noticed you complaining that the standard gloves reduced your sensitivity for the chakra scalpel," said Naruto.
Sakura blinked, surprised.
"I... never told you that."
"I saw you rubbing your hands after training several times. Give me your hand."
Sakura extended her right hand, a little shaky.
Naruto slid the glove on gently. The leather adjusted perfectly to her skin. He adjusted the strap on her wrist with a precise movement. He did the same with the left hand.
"Open and close," ordered Naruto.
Sakura closed her fist. It felt solid. Secure. Then she extended her fingers. The flexibility was total.
"How do they feel?" he asked, not letting go of her hands.
Sakura looked at her gloved hands and then at Naruto's blue eyes.
"Perfect," she whispered.
Inside her mind, Inner Sakura was doing backflips, screaming at the top of her lungs: He bought me gloves! He noticed my hands! Take that, Sasuke, Naruto is better!
On the outside, Sakura felt her ears burning. She gently squeezed Naruto's hands before letting go.
"Thank you, Naruto. And thank you, Tenten. They are incredible."
Tenten smiled, visibly satisfied.
"It is chakra treated leather. It will resist superficial cuts and let you channel energy without burning your skin."
"Ino, you are next," said Naruto.
He pulled out a dark violet thigh holster and a set of senbon that shined with a bluish tint.
"Your needles are fast, but you take too long to get them out of the standard pouch," explained Naruto, tossing her the holster. "This has a spring mechanism. A tap on the thigh and the needle jumps into your hand."
Ino caught the holster in the air. Her eyes went wide. She put it over her pants in seconds. She made a quick movement with her hand and, sure enough, a needle appeared between her fingers.
"Wow!" Ino spun around. "This is great. And it matches my outfit." She looked at Naruto and winked. "You know how to treat a lady."
"I just want you to be lethal, Ino."
"Oh, I will be."
Naruto turned toward Hinata. She was playing with her fingers, looking at the ground.
"Hinata."
She looked up.
Naruto pulled out two wide bracelets of reinforced fabric. They looked heavy.
"Your Jūken is gentle, but sometimes you need impact when the chakra block isn't enough," said Naruto, handing them to her. "These have compartments with concentrated lead weights. You can take them off or put them on. And here..." he pointed to a small pocket on the inside of the wrist, "...there is space for two soldier pills and an antidote vial. I know you worry about running out of chakra."
Hinata took the bracelets as if they were made of glass. Her fingers brushed Naruto's.
"Naruto kun... you..."
"Try them on."
Hinata put them on. She made a fluid movement with her arms, the soft style of the Hyūga. The bracelets moved with her, adding inertia to her strikes without breaking her balance.
"They feel... good," said Hinata. Her voice was steady, even though her cheeks were red. "They make me feel safer."
"That is the idea."
Naruto turned back to Tenten, who was watching the scene with crossed arms and a satisfied smile.
"Good job, partner," Naruto told her.
"It was a pleasure to make real gear for people who know how to use it," replied Tenten. She looked at the three girls. "Well, now that you are armed to the teeth, what's next?"
Sakura punched her gloved fist against her palm. The sound was a sharp snap of leather against leather.
"Now we test this."
Ino drew another needle.
"I agree. I need to get used to this spring before tomorrow."
Naruto smiled. It was a fierce, contagious smile.
"Good. Combat formation. Tenten, I want you to pressure them. Throw everything you have at them. They have to learn to dodge a rain of steel."
Tenten pulled a scroll from her back.
"With pleasure."
The sun finished setting, but no one went home. For the next hour, Training Field 7 was filled with sounds of clashing metal, smoke explosions, and shouts of effort.
Naruto stayed on the sidelines for a moment, watching them.
Sakura moved with more confidence, using the gloves to deflect projectiles she would have dodged before. Ino fired needles with terrifying speed. Hinata used the extra weight to break the defenses of the wooden dummies. And Tenten... Tenten laughed while conducting the orchestra of weapons, feeling, for the first time, part of something bigger than a support team.
"Naruto! Get over here! Tenten says you can't dodge this."
Naruto laughed and ran toward them.
"I bet a bowl of ramen that I can!"
Night fell over Konoha, but on the training field, the anxiety about the exams had vanished.
***
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