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Sakura spits blood out of her mouth and grunts as she heaves herself to her feet.
“Sakura!”
“I’m fine,” she says, staring down her opponent. Tsunade-shishou doesn’t have a hair out of place, and she looks bored.
“I thought you said having your cheering squad on the sidelines wouldn’t distract you,” Tsunade says, putting her hands on her hips.
“I’m not distracted,” Sakura growls, and runs forward again. Tsunade is fast and skilled but Sakura has sheer determination on her side. “And I’m still here!”
Tsunade curls her fingers and flicks off a single attack, and Sakura flings herself out of the way of a giant explosion of earth and rock. She isn’t fast enough to dodge the second attack, and is blown backwards to tumble to the ground.
“Don’t give up yet!”
“I don’t know… if she gave up, would that mean we could go out for dinner sooner?”
“Chouji, you know that eating is after the training session. You shouldn’t have to question that…” Sakura can hear Shikamaru’s sigh from across the training field.
“You two are impossible – cheer for Sakura!”
“She’s doing just fine without it.”
“She hasn’t landed a hit yet, though. Maybe it’s because she’s hungry?”
“Not everyone thinks with their stomach!”
Sakura gets her feet underneath her and stares at Tsunade, trying to figure out what she’s trying to teach her. There’s always a point to these lessons – normally, Tsunade will give her piles of books and let her get into the practical work after she’s devoured all of the theory. There must be something that Tsunade wants her to understand on her own. Or maybe it’s because there’s no books on the subject, which means that it’s something about Tsunade’s strength training.
“Are we done?” Tsunade asks.
“No,” Sakura replies, trying not to feel frustrated. What’s the lesson?
She runs forward again, because Tsunade is obviously needling for action. She’s getting better at channelling her own strength, but only when she can sit still and concentrate on it.
“Come on, Sakura. I know you can do better than this. Can’t you even fight back?” Tsunade tuts after she easily fends Sakura off again. Sakura narrows her eyes and thinks while she dodges another few attacks. Tsunade always expects the best, and Sakura is only interested in being the best, to prove that she deserves the attention that she gets from the Hokage.
She flips over a blast and centres herself, finding the careful peace and stillness within herself that allows her to concentrate. Usually she can only do this when she’s sitting still with no other distractions, but she can at least try. She moulds her chakra, sending the exact amount needed into her fingertips. It’s harder to concentrate while running, but she can still do this. She can.
When Tsunade launches her next attack, Sakura punches right back.
The blast leaves the entire area smothered in dust. Sakura can hear Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji coughing at the edge of the training ground, but she’s caught up in the euphoric feeling of successfully using her strength in a combat scenario.
“Not bad kid,” Tsunade says. As the dust settles, Sakura can see that she’s lightly powerded with the fallen earth. “What did you do differently?”
“Mould the chakra in its entirety, and then send it to my hands,” Sakura says, half breathlessly. She’s been running around a lot.
“A start,” Tsunade nods. “When you master the technique, you should be able to use it in a split second, as soon as you can move. But you’re still getting used to it – and this is further than anyone else has been able to take it.”
“You haven’t taken many other students,” Sakura says wryly.
“I only have time for the best,” Tsunade sniffs. “Now I have to go back to the office – think about what you’ve learned, and maybe ask your cheerleaders if they can help you practise. Just remember to be careful.”
“Yes, Tsunade-shishou,” Sakura says, bouncing at Tsunade’s heels as the Hokage leaves the training grounds.
“Aw, did you finish already?” Ino sighs as they reach the three of them. “We didn’t even get to see!”
“I’m sure it was super cool,” Chouji reassures her.
“It was ‘super cool’ indeed,” Tsunade says, arching one eyebrow. “Run along now.” She waves her hand.
“Thanks!” Sakura cheers, grabbing onto Ino’s arm and setting them off along the path.
“You’re getting stronger all the time,” Ino says. “I’m proud.”
Sakura ducks her head. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Ino says firmly. “But just know that every time you get stronger, I’m training twice as hard! There’s no way you’re ever going to beat me.”
“You won’t need to beat me if we just work together,” Sakura says, leaning into Ino’s side.
“True,” Ino sniffs. “Though don’t let any of the boys hear you say that. They can’t think of anything outside their competitiveness.”
“We’ll just have to show them how it’s done, then,” Sakura says. Ino grins at her, and Sakura can’t help but lean over and press a kiss against her lips. Ino kisses her back.
“A reward for a good job,” Ino teases.
“Are we going to eat now?” Chouji asks from behind them.
“After training!” Ino yells over her shoulder.
Sakura can’t help but smile as she hears the boy’s twin groans.