Compared to the battle between the cool-headed Sasuke and the chubby Chōji, the clash between the cunning Shikamaru and the reckless Naruto was something else entirely. Watching from the sidelines, Sakura finally spotted her close friend Ino approaching.
"What are you doing here?" Sakura shot Ino a sharp glare, clearly annoyed.
This annoying girl was definitely here to make her look bad in front of Sasuke.
'Hmph, I've seen through your schemes. Your tricks won't work on me anymore.'
"Of course I came here to see you!" Ino gave Sakura a 'you know what I mean' look, then sweetly sat down beside her.
"Stay away from me!"
Sakura's anger hadn't cooled yet, and she had no intention of being friendly. But Ino shamelessly scooted closer anyway.
"Come on, this test is just Hikari-senpai getting a read on you guys. Besides, the main focus here is Sasuke and Naruto. You're just tagging along, so why take it so seriously?" Ino said with a playful smirk.
"What do you mean?" Sakura was puzzled. She had only been told to come here for training—no one had actually explained what was going on.
"Relax, it's just a formality. Let those guys sweat it out, and as long as Hikari-senpai's satisfied, he'll think they're worth his time. Don't believe me? Look!" Ino pointed up at Kamizuki Hikari, who was perched on a tree branch, calmly watching the sparring below.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Hikari instinctively glanced toward Ino.
So when Sakura looked up, she happened to catch his eyes shifting away.
"Uh... is it really okay for us to slack off like this?" Sakura still wasn't the confident kunoichi she would become in the future. Skipping out openly on training made her uneasy.
"Of course it's fine. Hikari-senpai's super chill!" Ino said confidently.
That explanation sounded reasonable, but seeing Ino's smug face, Sakura couldn't help but feel a vague sense of worry.
Could it be that this so-called "best friend" was just trying to trick her?
Hikari only cast a fleeting glance at Sakura and Ino before turning his attention back to Sasuke, whose attacks were growing sharper. Hikari's expression became unreadable, almost enigmatic.
In some ways, Sasuke resembled Uchiha Madara—a true Uchiha, with tremendous potential. When provoked (or beaten down), he grew stronger, and at an almost absurd pace.
If Naruto didn't have the "protagonist's luck" along with the massive cheat that was the Nine-Tails, there would be no way for him to keep up with Sasuke.
Comparing the two, Naruto's personality gave him the advantage.
Being a shinobi was a profession that lived in shadows. Between Naruto's outgoing, carefree nature and Sasuke's cold detachment, most people preferred someone like Naruto. After all, no one could guarantee they'd never make mistakes. Everyone secretly hoped for someone who would help them out, or forgive them.
Those qualities, however, were nearly impossible to feel from Sasuke. He only cared about a select few.
Look at Chōji now, seriously injured... and Naruto, caught up in Shikamaru's calculations. One chose to cause harm, while the other ended up suffering because of a comrade.
"That's enough!"
Hikari had seen all he needed. Continuing was pointless.
At his order, Shikamaru immediately halted his assault, and Chōji stopped as well.
Naruto, who hadn't once used his Rasengan against Shikamaru, finally relaxed upon hearing the match was over.
Only Sasuke remained sharp-eyed, assessing Chōji's vulnerable spots one last time before finally dispelling his Lightning Release.
The reason Chōji was still standing was that Sasuke hadn't gone all out—and because Chōji's body was far tougher than most. Especially when he enlarged himself, his defense against Chidori multiplied tenfold.
"Hikari-senpai!"
Ino dragged Sakura over with a bright smile. "Look, here's my prisoner!"
Before Sakura could even say a word, she heard Ino declare that she was her "prisoner". Just as Sakura was about to protest, Ino startled her with the sudden gesture of slipping an arm around her waist.
'So that's why Ino had been acting strange lately... So that's why she didn't like Sasuke anymore... Could it be... she likes me?!'
"Don't move~"
Ino gently held Sakura's waist. "Your life... is in my hands."
At those words, the boys instinctively glanced at where Ino's hand rested—and their faces changed.
A kidney strike.
For a man, the importance of the kidneys was self-evident.
Even if one wasn't eager for female attention, certainly no one wanted to live without a kidney.
"Ino, you lied to me!" This time Sakura was truly hurt. She never thought her best friend would brazenly deceive her like this.
Now everyone must think she was a complete fool.
"Alright, I've seen enough of your abilities. What you all need most right now is stamina. So—go run!" Hikari pointed toward a destination. "Circle the Forest of Death and come back. Shikamaru, you will lead the team."
"What? Hikari-senpai, do I have to go too?" Shikamaru groaned. All he had done was slack off a little, and now this was his punishment.
Life was far too damn hard.
"No, no," Hikari waved him off. "Don't overthink it. I'm not singling you out. All three of you, go. You're all shinobi, right? Don't tell me you plan to abandon your comrades? Now get moving!"
Shikamaru's mouth twitched as he watched Hikari climb back onto the tree to resume his nap. He sighed helplessly.
"So... we're really going running?" Naruto asked curiously.
He wasn't one to overthink. If Hikari-senpai gave an instruction, he was going to follow it.
"Of course we are!"
Shikamaru pulled himself together, then glanced at Chōji's wounds. Seeing they had already healed enough not to hinder movement, he finally relaxed.
"Let's go. If there's anything to say, we'll talk on the way."
The group of young shinobi, eyes full of confusion, set off on their run into the unknown.
Once they were out of Hikari's sight, Ino immediately turned to glare at Team 7 with resentment.
"It's all your fault! Now we have to start over with the most basic training again!"
Sakura blinked, confused. "What does this have to do with us? This is Hikari-senpai's training plan!"
Ino sighed, then explained: "It's because Hikari-senpai's too lazy. All of his training starts from the basics. If you guys lose patience and quit, he doesn't have to bother with you."
"Whoa, that's seriously underhanded!" Naruto said, unable to believe it.
He had thought Hikari was a reliable senior. To treat their training like a joke—this completely shattered his impression.
"Well, I wouldn't call it underhanded exactly," Shikamaru cut in. "He's just a plain bastard. As long as you don't mistake him for a good guy, you'll be fine."
Sakura felt uneasy, though she didn't know what to say.
Naruto, on the other hand, believed it without question.
Only Sasuke saw through the ruse. "Why do I get the feeling... you're all trying to drive me away?"
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