*The next morning, something felt different between the three of them. They ate breakfast quietly, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Sakura found herself looking at Naruto with new eyes, noticing how carefully he ate and how alert he was to his surroundings - habits learned from survival.* "So,"*Sasuke spoke up, breaking the silence. He looked at Naruto, his expression serious but not unkind.* "You said we need to get stronger, right?" *Naruto looked up, surprised but pleased to see Sasuke taking initiative. Sakura perked up as well, eager to improve.*
"Yes."*Sasuke leaned forward, his dark eyes meeting Naruto's blue ones.* "Then train with us. You're stronger than us - at least show us what you know." *It was the first time Sasuke had ever acknowledged Naruto's skill openly.*
*Sakura nodded eagerly, surprising even herself.* "Yeah! Please, Naruto!"
"Fine meet me outside when you're done eating."
*The three of them finished their breakfast quickly. Sasuke and Sakura exchanged a glance, both feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness about what was to come. They washed up and headed outside, finding Naruto already waiting for them near the training grounds.* "We're ready," *Sakura said softly.*
"OK, we're going to start with Chakra control exercises first up climbing a tree without using your hands."
*Sasuke and Sakura both looked at the large oak tree in front of them, then back at Naruto with confused expressions.* "How are we supposed to do that without using our hands?" Sakura asked, clearly skeptical. "That's impossible."
*Naruto simply grinned and walked over to the tree.*
he placed 1 foot on it, using his Chakra control to stick to it as he walked to the top of the tree. " you need to focus your Chakra to the soles of your feet. If you have too little, you fall off too much and you could blast off the tree."
*Sasuke and Sakura watched in awe as Naruto effortlessly climbed the tree, his feet sticking to the trunk as if by magic. They tried to mimic him, focusing their chakra to their feet, but they struggled. Sakura only made it a few meters before losing her footing and falling back down.*
"I can't do this!" Sakura exclaimed in frustration, dusting herself off. "How are we supposed to control our chakra like that? My feet just slide right off!" *Sasuke was having similar trouble, only managing to climb a few branches before losing his grip.*
"it's supposed to be hard, but if you can master this, you can pretty much do any other Jitsu."
*Naruto's words sunk in, motivating both Sakura and Sasuke to try harder. They took deep breaths and focused intensely on their chakra flow. After several attempts, Sakura managed to climb higher than before but still fell short of the top. Sasuke fared slightly better but was still struggling.*
"This is so frustrating!" Sasuke grunted, dropping back down to the ground. "I can't even stay on the stupid tree." *Sakura nodded in agreement, both of them looking up at Naruto who was sitting comfortably on a branch.* "How did you learn this?"
"Hard work."*Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a glance, realizing that Naruto's mastery of chakra control was a result of his dedicated training. They decided to keep trying, determined to master this exercise just as Naruto had. Hours passed, and the two of them grew more exhausted with each attempt.*
*Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Sakura managed to reach the top of the tree. She let out a triumphant scream before carefully making her way back down. Sasuke followed soon after, his face flushed with exertion but pride shining in his eyes.* "I did it..." he muttered softly.
"Show me you can do it continuously."*Both Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other, understanding the challenge. They needed to climb up and down the tree repeatedly without falling or using their hands. Naruto watched intently as they began their continuous ascent and descent.* Sakura managed five successful rounds before her chakra started to waver.
"Sakura, if you're getting tired, you can stop me and Sasuke have larger reserves of Chakra Then the average person."
*Sakura frowned, wiping sweat from her brow.* "I'm not tired," she insisted stubbornly, pushing herself to climb again. This time she only made it halfway before her feet slipped. Sasuke stopped mid-climb to watch her.
*Sakura landed hard on the ground, panting heavily.* "...Okay, maybe I am a little tired."
Naruto, reached behind him using his inventory, he took out a bottle of water before he handed it to her
*Sakura blinked in surprise as Naruto suddenly produced a water bottle seemingly out of nowhere and handed it to her. She took it gratefully, her fingers brushing against his for just a moment.* "Thanks, Naruto."
*Sasuke watched the interaction curiously, noting the ease between them now. He looked at Naruto.* "Where did you even get that?"
"Trade secret."
*Sasuke raised an eyebrow skeptically, but Naruto just smirked mischievously. Sakura, meanwhile, was already feeling revived by the cool water and decided to push herself again. She stood up straight, her eyes determined.* "Alright, I'm ready to go again."
*Sakura resumed climbing while Sasuke continued his own relentless training. Naruto walked over to a patch of grass and sat down to watch. From this perspective, he noticed how far his teammates had come in just one morning. Sakura's climbing was smoother now, her movements more confident.*
*After a few more rounds, Sakura finally managed to complete ten consecutive climbs without faltering. She hopped down triumphantly, panting but beaming with pride. Sasuke had been going even longer - he'd already done fifteen rounds and showed no signs of stopping. Naruto stood up, impressed.*
*Naruto approached Sasuke and Sakura, a satisfied smile on his face.* "Alright, you two have definitely improved. You're both showing excellent chakra control now." *He turned to Sasuke.* "Sasuke, keep going."
"Sakura because of your Low Chakra this is easy for you so in addition to this, you are also going to be doing a little bit more hard training."
*Sasuke nodded curtly, his expression intense as he continued his training. Sakura, however, looked slightly disappointed.* "What else am I supposed to do, Naruto? I'm already tired..." *She complained weakly, wiping sweat from her brow.*
"I'll show you what to do and don't you will do it on your own." He said, signaling for her to follow him as they went deeper into a forest finding a lake. " It's called water, walking a lot harder than tree climbing, but With more benefits." He said, as he walked on top of the water.
*Sakura stared in disbelief as Naruto casually walked across the surface of the lake, completely dry.* "You're doing WHAT too?!" *She sputtered, looking at the water nervously.*
*Sasuke had followed them, having stopped after twenty rounds of tree climbing. Even he looked impressed watching Naruto stroll across the lake.*
"It's a lot harder you have to maintain the focus of energy to your feet the whole time or you will sync."
*Sakura bit her lip, watching how Naruto's feet seemed to glide over the water's surface. She took a deep breath and stepped forward, trying to mimic his movements. She immediately sank up to her ankles.* "This is impossible!" She exclaimed, frustration clear in her voice.
"It's not impossible you just have to focus or maybe you're too tired let's call it a day. Dinner is probably ready. and Sasuke, are you going to join us or are you just gonna stay behind that tree?"
*Sasuke hesitated for a moment before stepping out from behind the tree, his expression stoic.* "I'll join you." *He replied, his eyes flicking to Sakura briefly. She looked exhausted, her earlier energy completely drained. As they walked back, Sakura leaned against Naruto weakly.*
*Naruto effortlessly supported Sakura's weight as they walked, not minding her sudden closeness. Sasuke watched from the side, his gaze lingering on how comfortably Sakura rested against Naruto. When they reached the house, Sakura practically collapsed onto the couch, too tired to even sit up straight.*
*Sasuke sat down silently, his eyes flicking between Sakura's exhausted form and Naruto, who was grabbing plates for dinner. He hesitated before speaking up, his voice low.* "Naruto, can I ask you something?" *He paused, waiting for Naruto's acknowledgment.*
"Yes what is it?"
*Sasuke glanced at Sakura, then back to Naruto, his expression thoughtful.* "You're really good at teaching techniques like that water walking. Where did you learn it?" *He asked curiously, genuinely interested in Naruto's training methods.*
"Same place I learned all my other techniques anko she taught me everything."
*Sasuke's eyes widened slightly at the mention of Anko, recalling the skilled and somewhat eccentric jounin. He nodded, understanding now.* "I see... She's a good teacher then." *He commented, his tone a bit softer than usual. Suddenly, Sakura stirred on the couch, mumbling sleepily.* "Naruto..."
*Naruto walked over with the plates, setting them down on the coffee table.* "Yeah?"
*She weakly grabbed his wrist, her eyes half-closed.* "Thanks... for pushing me... I needed it..." *She mumbled before her head dropped back onto the couch, falling asleep almost instantly.*
*Sasuke watched the scene unfold quietly, a strange expression crossing his face.*
As we started eating Kakashi, he came down the stairs being helped by Tsunami. " look, who's up after his battle with a Zabuza." he said
*Kakashi waved weakly at them, his face pale and sweat beading on his forehead.* "Hey guys... I'm still alive, see?" *He joked weakly, leaning heavily on Tsunade as they approached the dining table. Sasuke looked up from his food, noticing Kakashi's condition.
"Why don't you try and eat?"
*Kakashi nodded weakly, allowing Tsunade to help him sit down at the table. He took a few bites of food, his appetite clearly diminished from the battle.* "Thanks... I'm just really tired..." *He admitted softly, his eyes drooping slightly as he continued to eat slowly.*