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Chapter 38: Arc 4 Brawling in the Streets
🕑 Added 2024-05-28 00:44:44 +0000 UTCWelcome to Arc 4!
It's a fun little arc I expect to have great fun with.
Fun.
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Up, down, up down- Sakuraâs a big fan of push-ups these days. The stark contrast between when she started and now is astounding. Back then she spent just an hour with Naruto and it was enough to practically put her in a coma. Now, sheâs actually lost count of the pyramid she just completed. Sheâs just following Sasukeâs count because itâs easier for her. Supposedly they just completed twenty seven? That means, what, a few hundred more pushups to complete if theyâre going down?
Itâs ridiculous, but whatâs more ridiculous is just how much of a lull sheâs entered with it. She doesnât care, itâs nothing, itâs as simple as breathing and as easy as numbing her mind and moving on to the next time sheâll need her attention.
Kakashiâs standing there, tapping his foot on the dirt while watching them impatiently. Heâs pushing them to go faster and faster with every session, trying to push every ounce of strength into them he can with all of his ire and demonic might. Tentenâs worried about her sword, well sheâs worried about Kakashi. Then again, he gave her the sword so maybe the issue is one in the same.
When the push ups are done, itâs running, when thatâs done itâs climbing the trees, darting from one to the other on targets with precision that collapse and make you restart if you miss the mark. When thatâs done, itâs weapons training. When thatâs done, itâs pain training, back to weapons training, acrobatics, terrain, even some first aid and she has nothing but a blurry memory of the past several days.
Theyâre doing something crazy soon, sheâs sure of it. Itâs not nearly as bad as the hell training back in Wave, but then sheâs fitter now than she was back then so it might be identical and she wouldnât know. She feels powerful, like a hidden boss thatâs erupted onto the scene out of nowhere. Nothing Kakashi can throw at her now matters, muahahahaha!
Except it does.
âOof.â Her face hits the dirt for the fourth time today.
âKakashi, fucking, why?â She groans, while a Naruto clone splashes her with a bit of water just in case she falls asleep.
âWhy what?â The madman asks, kneeling down so he can pick her head up by her hair and look directly into her red eyes with his singular gaze. âIs there a problem, Sakura?â
Thatâs another change recently. Two, really. Heâs been treating her more brutally, and her swordâs influence just wonât leave her eyes anymore. She hasnât had pretty greens since before she got her sword back from Tenten.
Itâs sad, she kind of misses how her eyes looked. She didnât appreciate it before, now she does, but she hasnât wanted to let the sword go from her side either. She even sleeps with it, letting it go feels like a crime now. Tenten made it seem so bad that sheâs got an irrational fear that someone might try to steal it and seal it or something.
Itâs absurd, but she canât shake it, and itâs not messing with her thoughts like it did Tenten so sheâs not particularly worried about it. Well, okay, it might be messing with her thoughts to protect itself but not in a bad way, sheâd pick up on wanting to eat people all of the sudden.
âYeah, youâre being a dick.â Sheâs surprised to find sheâs not decked for that.
âThatâs fair.â The man drops her, sliding to his feet and clapping her hands. âEveryone, lunch in twenty minutes. Weâre going to a BBQ place so have your manners.â
âWeâre covered in dirt.â Naruto reminds.
âThatâs why I gave you twenty minutes.â He says, and the boys leave to go clean up, while sheâs stuck laying there feeling bad about herself. Yeah okay so sheâs not totally strong enough to handle this, but sheâs getting there!
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Meeting Kakashi and the boys at a BBQ while still covered in dirt feels a little awkward, but itâs dirt borne from her efforts so she has very little to complain about. Sheâs proud of herself, and she wonât be deterred from that.
The place is nice, and she stands out quite a bit in training gear. The scent of fresh food in the air makes her body practically vibrate in anticipation. Working up an appetite is hard to describe for her, but Hakuâs made sure she hasnât missed a single meal recently so sheâs starting to get used to feeling hungry.
Itâs funny how little parts of being human like that disappear if you ignore them long enough.
She catches the eye of someone at another table, who immediately grins at her and shoots a thumbs up her way. Thatâs another thing, recently, going anywhere public has resulted in one extreme reaction or the other. It seems thereâs no getting away from kissing Ino in a public place before picking her up bridal style and running through the village with her.
Itâs so awkward. It only takes a moment to order before the food is out, and itâs one of those places they have to cook the food themselves so, she readies herself to figure out what she wants before Kakashi starts putting out their meats in orderly manners along the hot plate. âIâm not doing that bit.â He says starkly, âwe have much more important things to discuss without one of you three giving yourself food poisoning.â
âI feel like we can cook some meatâŠâ Sakura trails.
âCan you?â Kakashi challenges her, and her flushing cheeks and awkward sideways gaze is enough for him. âAs you may have noticed recently, our training has been stepped up.â Sakura canât help but wonder if sheâd get a cooking skill if she put her all into it. Could she get really good at it and show him?
Thatâs what sheâs gonna do. On whatever this next mission is, sheâs going to learn how to cook so she can stick it to Kakashi. Sheâll blow his mind!
âWe noticed,â Naruto says, âSakuraâs been wondering if the village is about to be invaded or something.â
She has the shame to not look back yet, just let that one wash off her.
âKind of.â Kakashi says as if heâs talking about going for a brisk snack.
âIâm sorry what-â She can barely start before heâs got a finger up in front of her face, waggling from side to side. Heâs so mean to herâŠ
âThe chunin exams are in a couple of months.â Kakashi explains, leaning back while watching meat sizzle. It should be done very soon, this stuff is cut so thin that it cooks in seconds. âYouâll all be going since itâs hosted in Konoha, so many other nations will be arriving to try and show us up. We need our best and brightest at the forefront.â
âIsnât it a little soon to be sending us?â Sakura asks, âI thought the exams were for second years at the least.â
âYeah, Sakura, if you think your team is normalâŠâ Kakashi lets that one sit, and lets her complete it in her head.
âEheh-fairâŠâ She scarfs some delicious protein down when Kakashi expertly brings the meat to their plates with ninja precision. Itâs not something that should look better just because a ninja did it, but it sure does, ninja drama is just great in all places.
âThe issue is that because enemy nations may participate, some will be out to kill you, and killing is completely allowed,â Kakashi begins, âthe chunin exam is a substitute for war plain and simple, and I want you all ready for war.â
âMm..â Sakura gets that, nodding to herself mid bite, itâs so good! Itâs all juicy and meaty and the savory flavor overtakes her mouth. Well, maybe she just needs something in her mouth after all that training.
âI see where this is going.â Sasuke says, his eyes flashing with recognition.
âCorrect, I need to give two of you one-on-one training to prepare you for a death game. The other is already more than ready, and needs some more hands-on experience in a very different way.â
âI dunno if Naruto is ready for that.â Sakura ponders, âI guess he has infinite lives with his clones, thatâd make it a lot better, is it Sasuke?â Itâs not for several seconds, that she realizes there are three male gazes focused directly on her. âDid I get something on my face?â
âAhem, sooo, who wants to explain it to Sakura?â Kakashi asks, faking a cough.
She watches her boys play rock paper scissors out of nowhere while she looks between them, feeling very left out of something.
âSo not fairâŠâ She grumbles, âmy charm is high enough for me to be embarrassed now but not high enough for me to understand. This is bullying.â
âRight, so, take this.â Kakashi slips a note across the table to her.
âIs no one going to explain it to me?â She asks, while the boys get on with their sixth game of rock paper scissors.
âGive this to Gai Maito, understand?â Kakashi asks.
âLike right now?â She looks down at the food, all the sizzling meat thatâs, all on her side how did she miss that?
Kakashi then plates it all in a tupperware he got from somewhere- âgo, now, yes.â
âErm, okayâŠâ Sheâs not sure why she feels like sheâs on a walk of shame but sheâs not going to a famous jonin covered in dirt, sheâll hit up the shower at home first before figuring out where he even is, most likely? Screw them for still playing rock paper scissors! Theyâre so mean to her. âI just, could I get a little explanation?â She whimpers pitifully with wide vulnerable demon eyes and the best version of a puppy-like pout she can manage.
âFine, Iâm going to be giving the boys one on one training to make up a bit of the gap, while you needs to see how more advanced ninja your age deal with varying tactical situations, preferably, observing methods that donât involve running up with a sword and chopping the problem in half and then coming home covered in blood.â
âSoâŠâ Sakura trails.
âYouâll be joining team three for a Low B rank mission. It should take you out of the village for about two weeks, prepare accordingly. Youâll find them at training ground thirty seven.â
âTeam threeâŠâ Sakura trails, thinking- âwerenât they a veteran genin team?â
âAnd yet.â Kakashi starts with no small amount of exasperation, âthe amount of times they have climbed onto a guy with a sword and âstarted stabbingâ,â he uses his fingers to give her quotes, âis probably less. Iâm sure youâll have plenty to bond about.â
At least hell training is over.
Comments
Dopplerdee
Poor TenTen. She can't escape the Sakura. Also Sakura is once more a mood. Knowing you did somthing wrong but not what and nobody will fucking tell you.
