Chapter 62: An Unpredictable Daily Life
With a light turn of her wrist, Sakura's chakra returned the shoes to their proper place.
Sakura's mom gave her a look of "hating iron for not becoming steel." "You're so lazy, you won't even bend down..."
Sakura, with a thick face, pretended not to hear.
Grinning, she dispelled her Transformation Jutsu, and her appearance, covered in water and mud after the sparring session, was revealed before her mother.
Before she could get angry, Sakura dashed into her room.
Her mother's angry voice was left behind.
"You child, I told you not to train if you're going out in those clothes! Are you itching for a spanking again?!"
"I'll wash my own clothes in a bit, no need to trouble your elderly self!"
"You wash them clean? I'll just have to wash them again! And you walked in without wearing slippers! I just finished mopping the floor!"
"My feet are much cleaner than your floor!"
"Also, your clothes are soaked and sticking to your body! You're a big girl now, have you no shame!"
"I used a Transformation Jutsu! You can't see, you can't see!"
"No jutsu is acceptable! A young lady should..."
"Lalala, I'm taking a bath, I can't hear anything~!"
And Haku's laughter, as clear and pleasant as silver bells.
The bathtub at home was very spacious.
The warm water rose past her shoulders. Curled up in the water, surrounded by warmth, she felt a sense of comfort.
All this time, the heart that had been worrying about Haku's fate was finally put at ease.
The continuous, high-intensity sparring with Naruto had consumed a lot of her stamina. These past few days, ever since the Chunin Exams began, her mind had been constantly tense. She took this opportunity to relax.
Lying there like that, she didn't feel like moving at all.
She just listlessly played with the water in the tub, humming a little tune she didn't recognize.
She emptied her mind, not thinking about Orochimaru, the Chunin Exams, training, the Konoha Crush plan, and other troubles.
It wasn't until the water turned cold and her mother urged her a few times from outside the door that she got up to dry herself.
Through the mirror, she could see her upper body. Her features were gradually maturing, and there was a heroic spirit in her delicate brows.
Those bright, emerald eyes were filled with a leisurely languor.
She casually wrapped herself in a bath towel and pushed the door open to go out. There were only women in the house, so there was no need to mind.
This frivolous behavior naturally earned her a few more nagging words from her mom. She took it all with a thick face, sat directly at the dining table, picked up her chopsticks and sneakily ate a few bites of food, and then coaxed her mom with a few smiling words about how super delicious the food was.
And so she praised the old lady until she was too embarrassed to lecture her anymore.
"Like a little glutton! Don't you know to observe some etiquette when there's a guest!" her mother chided with a smile.
Sakura's empty stomach was already growling. She had no time for bickering and just buried her head in her food. Haku, watching from the side, couldn't help but laugh secretly.
There was no training in the afternoon.
Naruto had been taken away by Jiraiya to train. Sasuke was receiving individual tutoring from Kakashi. For the next month, Sakura could arrange her own training.
She could choose to research new ninjutsu on her own, or learn Ice Style from Haku.
That Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals move—she had admired it for a long time.
But there was no time this afternoon.
It would be too inconsiderate to drag Haku, who had just returned, to go training.
What's more, she had to accompany Haku to buy personal necessities.
Towels, toothbrushes, clothes, and so on. The interrogation department hadn't left her with anything when she returned.
Sakura's mom had made a long list. Sakura looked at it carefully and only then realized that a girl needed so many private items. Sakura didn't know that she also had a set, it was just pressed at the very bottom of her bag under her ninja tools and had never been used.
Before going out, her mom even put some light makeup on Haku. Her excited look was as if she were trying to vent all the frustrations she had suffered over the years with her own daughter onto Haku's face.
The lightly made-up Haku was stunningly beautiful. The dresses that Sakura found too girly to wear looked just right on Haku.
Below the knee-length skirt, her fair calves were revealed.
Haku stood quietly, like an orchid standing alone in the world.
A peerless beauty, dwelling in an empty valley...
The sky is cold, her jade sleeves are thin; at dusk, she leans against the tall bamboo.
Walking on the street, the head-turning rate was extremely high.
Ninja also have emotions and desires; they are not unfeeling robots. When they see a beautiful woman, they will also take notice, unconsciously slowing down their steps to take another look.
The commoners with weaker willpower turned their heads even more frequently.
Haku had never seen such a scene, and a faint blush quietly appeared on her face.
It was quite lovely.
Although Haku was three years older than Sakura, one was a gentle, soft girl, and the other was a transmigrator. When they were alone, it was more like Sakura was taking care of her little sister, Haku.
Neither of them had the habit of window shopping.
Following the list, they efficiently bought everything on it without being too picky in the process. While most girls like to wander around aimlessly when they shop, this pair handled their business cleanly and efficiently.
Seeing that it was still early, Sakura pulled Haku along to see the ninja tool street.
Although the list her mom had given was detailed, it didn't include things used by ninja. Although a standard set would be issued after she was officially employed, a qualified ninja would more or less supplement it with some extra equipment and protective gear.
For example, Haku's senbon.
Although Haku was unwilling to do too much fighting and killing, she still needed some basic self-defense weapons.
Walking into a ninja tool shop called "Purple Abyss," a young apprentice in charge of miscellaneous tasks greeted them energetically.
"Ladies, what can I help you with? We've just gotten a new batch of ninja tool accessories, with all sorts of colors and styles. Would you two like to take a look?"
He had mistaken the two of them for ordinary civilian girls.
Ninja had a high status and a cool look, so many civilian children liked to dress up as ninja, just like the military fans of her previous life.
Haku's ordinary girl attire had caused the shop assistant's misunderstanding. Sakura was too lazy to say much. She just lifted her forehead protector, which was covered by her collar, and held it in front of her neck. The shiny ninja forehead protector instantly dazzled him.
"My apologies, ninja-samas," he quickly changed his tune. "What can I get for you? Our shop sells all kinds of ninja tools, all well-made and at a discounted price..."
"We'll just look around first," Sakura interrupted him faintly.
She casually picked up a pair of black fingerless gloves. They were very resilient. She tried them on and moved her fingers and palm. The gloves, of an unknown material, were light, fit snugly, and had a delicate feel. Her slender, green-onion-like fingers moved nimbly without any stickiness.
Sakura nodded with satisfaction, took off the gloves, and handed them to Haku. "You try them. They feel pretty good."
Then they tried on a few more pairs, kept the one that felt the best, and decided on Haku's first piece of equipment.
When they asked how much the senbon cost, the young man said helplessly that the shop was out of stock and asked them to look for them in other shops.
This entire street was full of shops selling ninja tools. If they looked around, they would definitely find some.
Leaving Purple Abyss, they strolled into a second ninja tool shop, only to almost bump into someone who was coming out.
"Sakura-chan?"
"Hinata-chan?"
It was a coincidence that couldn't be more coincidental.
"Ah, and this is...?" Hinata was slightly surprised.
She was facing Sakura, but her eyes were looking at Haku.
"She is—"
Just as she was hesitating how to introduce Haku, she saw Haku take the initiative to step forward.
"Haku Yuki. I'm a friend of Sakura-chan's. Just call me Haku. It's nice to meet you."
A little surprised, she looked at Haku, who was smiling and introducing herself to Hinata with great poise.
"Ah... I'm Hinata, Hyuga Hinata. I'm Sakura-chan's classmate and friend from the academy. It's nice to meet you," Hinata said with a quiet smile.
"Are you here to buy ninja tools? This shop is a ninja tool shop run by our Hyuga clan. I can give you a twenty percent discount! Come in and take a look!"
The two of them actually walked in holding hands.
Can a woman's friendship be established in just two short sentences of self-introduction?
It felt a little incredible.
After buying a few things at the Hyuga clan's shop, Hinata then took Haku and Sakura to a few more shops, and they gathered all the equipment.
Hinata's addition made the three-person team feel a little more like girls on a shopping trip.
At least they weren't like Sakura, who didn't consider aesthetics at all when choosing things.
For example, a pair of bracers that made Haku's fair wrists look even fairer and more slender, but had little practical use. Sakura would never have bought them, but the two girls bought them very happily.
The two of them were like friends of many years. Although Haku didn't talk much, she always had a faint smile on her face, quietly listening to Hinata, nodding from time to time, or saying a few words in a soft voice.
On the contrary, Sakura felt a bit like a third wheel.
On the way back, Haku asked.
"Hinata-chan, is she Sakura-chan's best friend?"
Sakura thought about it carefully and answered solemnly, "Hn, she's one of my best friends!"
Haku then smiled gently.
When asked again, she wouldn't say what she was smiling about.
Meanwhile—
On the other side, Naruto and Jiraiya had already left Konoha and arrived at a small town.
The exhausted Naruto was currently undergoing training in the Summoning Jutsu under Jiraiya's guidance.
According to his idea, when Naruto was very tired and his chakra was used up, it was easiest to draw out the Nine-Tails' chakra. That way, he could truly complete the Summoning Jutsu in one go.
Although there had been no progress so far, this was still only the first day.
Jiraiya was confident that before the third exam, he could have Naruto complete his training and find Tsunade to bring her back to Konoha.
Time flew by quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it was already the last week.
On a training ground in Konoha with a river flowing through it.
The ground was littered with pieces of a mirror-smooth ice block and shattered senbon and kunai.
Heavy panting could be heard continuously from the two girls who were facing each other.
"As expected of you, Sakura!" the long, black-haired girl said with a smile!
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