The forest clearing was silent, save for the sound of leaves moving in the wind. Kurenai leaned against the trunk of an oak tree, arms crossed over her chest and an indecipherable expression on her face. In the center, the tension between the two girls was palpable; the genuine irritation of two people who know each other too well.
Ino Yamanaka shook her hair, brushing a blonde lock off her forehead. She looked at her own hands, then her boots, and finally let out a loud sigh.
"Did we seriously choose this place? There's mud, Naruto. My boots are new."
Naruto, sitting on the grass a few meters away next to Hinata, rolled his eyes.
"It's a training field, Ino. The mud is part of the premium package. Besides, you're supposed to be a ninja, not a catalog model."
"I can be both, thank you very much." Ino put a hand on her hip and looked at Sakura, who was finishing adjusting her black gloves. "And what about you? Are you going to keep tightening those gloves or are you going to fight? You've been at the velcro for five minutes. Rrrrip, rrrrip. It's annoying."
Sakura looked up. Her green eyes showed no amusement.
"I'm making sure they don't slip when I hit you. It would be a shame to miss because of the equipment."
"Ooh, scary." Ino let out a giggle. "Is this the famous 'team meeting'? I thought Naruto brought us here to talk strategy or split loot. Not to get dirty."
"The strategy comes later, Ino-pig." Sakura took a step forward and cracked the knuckles of her right hand, one by one. "First we need to calibrate. Naruto said your stats went up a lot."
Ino smiled.
"Oh, they went up. Believe me. I feel... light. Like I dropped a sack of rocks I'd been carrying my whole life." She started doing little hops in place, testing the bounce in her legs. "Naruto did a good job. I feel lethal."
"That's what I want to see." Sakura raised her guard, adopting her classic taijutsu stance. "I want to see if it's true or if only your ego grew, which was already big enough."
"Jealous, Billboard Brow?"
"Curious. Let's see if that 'Goddess' you talk about can last a round against me. And don't you dare hold back."
"If I don't hold back, you're going to break, Sakura."
"Try me."
From the sidelines, Naruto leaned forward, unable to sit still. His eyes darted from one girl to the other.
"This is gonna be great, 'ttebayo!" he whispered loudly, nudging Hinata in a friendly way. "Look at how they're looking at each other! Sparks are gonna fly! It's better than any fight Sasuke and I ever had. Well, fewer assassination attempts, I hope."
Hinata watched her teammates with evident concern. Her hands fiddled nervously in her lap.
"Sakura-san looks very confident." Hinata activated her Byakugan for an instant; the veins around her eyes bulged slightly and then relaxed. "But Ino-san's chakra... it feels different, Naruto-kun. It's more... agitated. Very intense. Do you think it's safe?"
"It's the best way to learn, Hinata!" Naruto assured her, though he lowered his voice a bit. "Kurenai-sensei is here so they don't actually kill each other. Besides, they need to get it out of their system. There's too much history between them. Believe me, a couple of punches and they'll be fine. It's shock therapy."
"Therapy?"
"Yeah. Sometimes you just need to punch your friend in the face to understand them. Works for me."
Kurenai pushed off the tree and walked to the midpoint between the two girls. She raised a hand, cutting through the air and the chatter.
"Enough talk," Kurenai announced. "Simple rules. Taijutsu and Ninjutsu allowed. No irreversible or lethal attacks. The objective is to incapacitate or make the opponent surrender. I want to see control, not just brute force. Understood?"
"Understood," said Sakura, without taking her eyes off Ino's blue ones.
"Loud and clear," Ino replied, flexing her knees.
"Begin!"
Kurenai jumped back and disappeared into the high branches to get a better view.
Ino didn't wait. Not a second. Her body demanded action, a physical violence that would have seemed vulgar to her before. She launched herself at Sakura.
Ino crossed the distance in a blink, kicking up dirt under her heels.
"Take this!" Ino yelled.
She threw a high kick aimed at Sakura's temple. The air hissed with the movement.
Sakura didn't even blink. She raised her left forearm to block.
BAM!
The dry sound of the impact echoed in the clearing. Naruto winced empathetically.
"That sounded hard," he commented.
Ino felt the vibration travel up her shin, but Sakura hadn't budged a millimeter. She was planted like a rock.
"Fast," Sakura admitted, pushing Ino's leg outward to unbalance her. "But you lack weight, Ino. You're all air."
Ino used the momentum of the push to spin in the air, land elegantly, and launch an immediate flurry of punches.
Left, right, hook to the liver. Her movements were precise. The new Dexterity Naruto had granted her through the system showed in the fluidity of her joints. She aimed for ribs, throat, solar plexus.
Sakura danced to a different rhythm. She dodged just enough, moving her head millimeters to let Ino's fists pass. She deflected blows with an open palm and absorbed minor impacts on her shoulders without flinching.
"Is that it?" Sakura provoked, dodging a jab with a simple neck movement. "Where is that update? Naruto sold me that you were a threat."
"Shut up!" Ino gritted her teeth. "Stop moving!"
"Stop missing!"
Sakura saw an opening. Ino had overextended her arm on a straight punch.
"Gotcha."
Sakura's right hand shot forward and caught Ino's fist in mid-flight. The impact of the grip kicked up dust around their feet. Sakura's hand clamped down.
Ino's eyes went wide. She tried to pull her arm back. She tugged hard. Nothing. The grip was immovable.
"My turn," said Sakura.
She pulled Ino violently towards her and connected a knee to her stomach.
"Gah!"
The air left Ino's lungs in a hoarse moan. She doubled over. Sakura didn't let go. She pivoted on her heel, loaded Ino onto her hip, and threw her with a basic judo move executed with brutal force.
Ino flew.
She landed heavily three meters away, rolling through the grass until she stopped.
"Oof!" Naruto put a hand to his own stomach. "Sakura-chan didn't come to play today. I felt that knee."
Hinata watched with wide eyes, analyzing every flow of energy.
"Sakura-san's chakra network is very stable," she explained quietly to Naruto. "Her control is perfect. Ino-san has a lot of power now, a lot of speed, but she spends it all on big movements. Sakura-san waits and counters."
Naruto nodded, looking at Hinata with a smile.
"Wow, Hinata. You've gotten really good at reading fights. You used to cover your eyes."
Hinata blushed slightly but didn't look away from the combat.
"I... I've been practicing. I want to be useful."
"You are useful," said Naruto firmly. "But it's amazing how we've changed, right? A month ago, this would have been a hair-pulling fight. Now it looks like high-level combat. They're scary."
On the field, Ino stood up, coughing. She wiped a grass stain off her cheek with the back of her hand.
"That hurt, damn it," she spat.
"It's a fight, Ino. It's supposed to hurt," Sakura replied, waiting in her stance, relaxed but alert. "Are you going to give up? I can treat you to lunch if you admit I'm better."
"In your dreams."
Ino straightened up. Her blue eyes shone with a new determination. The hit had woken her up. The vanity had vanished, replaced by fighting instinct.
"Fine," said Sakura. "Prove it. Come here."
Ino took a deep breath. She remembered Naruto's words when he explained her new abilities. Direct attack. No physical contact. Use the mind.
"I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face, Sakura."
Ino opened her eyes.
[Psychic Needle]
Sakura noticed the change instantly. It was Ino's gaze. It focused with a terrifying intensity and Sakura's instinct screamed DANGER.
Sakura jumped to the side on reflex.
Something invisible sliced the air where her head had been a second before. Sakura felt a shiver run down her spine. There was no sound, no wind, just a sensation of pure threat.
"I missed!" Ino shouted, frustrated.
"What the hell was that?" asked Sakura, landing and rolling.
"Stand still and find out!"
Ino launched another one. This time, Sakura wasn't as fast. She was coming out of the roll.
The invisible force grazed her left shoulder.
Sakura let out a choked gasp and her left arm fell limp at her side.
"Ah!" Sakura grabbed her shoulder with her right hand. "What...? I can't move it."
"It works!" Ino celebrated with a wild smile. "It actually works! Hurts, huh!"
From the sidelines, Naruto jumped to his feet.
"She did it! It's the new ability!" he shouted, pointing. "Hinata, look at that!"
Hinata strained her eyes with her Byakugan.
"It's... it's a very fine thread," she described, fascinated. "Pure Yin chakra. It attacked the shoulder nerve directly. It cut the signal from the brain."
"Exactly!" Naruto was euphoric. "It's like a genjutsu but physical! It's awesome!"
On the field, Sakura was backing away. Her left arm hung useless.
"Attack on the nervous system..." she panted, analyzing the situation quickly. "It's like a chakra scalpel, but ranged. Very smart, Ino. Very dangerous."
"And I have more!"
Ino launched a volley. She didn't need hand seals, just visual concentration.
Sakura ran. She started zigzagging through the clearing.
"Stop running and fight!" Ino yelled, trying to lock on the target.
"I'm looking for the angle, idiot!"
Sakura knew she was at a disadvantage at range. Ino had the range. Ino had the invisible ammo. If she stayed still, Ino would paralyze her limb by limb until she was left like a rag doll. She had to close the gap. And she had to do it now.
She ignored the dead sensation in her left arm. She channeled chakra into her legs. Everything she had.
The ground beneath her feet cracked with the pressure.
BOOM!
Sakura disappeared from her position. Her straight-line speed was blinding.
Ino tried to follow her with her eyes. She tried to aim. But Sakura was moving faster than her conscious thought.
"Shit!" Ino tried to backpedal.
Too late.
Sakura appeared in front of Ino, invading her personal guard. She was so close Ino could see Sakura's eyelashes.
"Checkmate."
Sakura used the open palm of her right hand.
She struck the center of Ino's chest.
She activated [Breaking Point] at minimum output. Just a pulse.
BOOM!
The impact was devastating. The air left Ino's lungs violently, emptying them completely. She was launched backward as if hit by an invisible truck. She flew five meters, her feet not touching the ground, until she crashed into a dense bush with a crack of broken branches.
Silence returned to the field instantly.
Sakura remained standing, breathing heavily, with her left arm hanging and her right hand smoking slightly from the chakra friction.
"Ino!" shouted Naruto, running onto the field.
The bush moved. A shaking hand pushed the leaves aside. Ino dragged herself out. Her dress was torn at the shoulder, she had leaves in her hair and a stunned expression.
She coughed, desperately seeking air.
"I'm... I'm alive..." she croaked.
She tried to get up, but her legs failed. She fell to her knees in the grass.
Sakura walked toward her. She moved slowly. She stopped in front of Ino and looked down at her.
Ino looked up, expecting the mockery. Expecting the "I told you so."
Sakura extended her right hand.
"You can get up, right?" she asked. There was no sarcasm in her voice. Only tiredness.
Ino looked at the hand. Then she looked at the scratches on Sakura's face and the arm hanging limp.
"You're a beast, Billboard Brow," murmured Ino. "You beat the hell out of me. My whole chest hurts."
"And you almost neutralized my arm forever. If you had hit me in the head or neck with that invisible thing, I would have lost instantly. You have a terrifying weapon, Ino. Really."
Ino blinked, surprised by the honest praise. She took her rival's hand.
Sakura pulled and helped her up. Ino wobbled a bit and Sakura steadied her.
"I still lack control," Ino admitted, shaking leaves off her dress with a grimace of disgust. "I got too excited. I wanted to win."
"We both lack control," said Sakura. "That's why we're here, right?"
Naruto and Hinata arrived running beside them.
"You guys are alive!" celebrated Naruto, looking at one and then the other as if they were wonders of the world. "That was incredible! Ino, you flew! You actually flew! And Sakura, you moved like lightning at the end!"
Hinata immediately approached Sakura's left side.
"There's a blockage in the shoulder's chakra network," Hinata diagnosed softly, touching the area. "It's... it's very precise. Ino-san, your aim was perfect."
Ino fixed her hair, trying to recover some dignity.
"Of course it was perfect. It's me."
"But the flow is interrupted," Hinata continued, focused. "Sakura-san, this is going to hurt a little when I unblock it."
"Do it," said Sakura, gritting her teeth.
Hinata pressed two specific points. Sakura let out a hiss of pain, but then rotated her shoulder.
"Better. Thanks, Hinata."
"You're welcome."
"Ino-san, are you okay?" asked Hinata, turning to the blonde.
Ino looked at herself. She was dirty, bruised, and disheveled.
"I'm a mess, Hinata. Look at this. This dress was imported." She laughed, a tired but genuine laugh. "But yeah, I'm fine. Only my pride hurts. And my ribs. And my butt a little from the fall."
Kurenai landed softly beside them.
"Good fight," she said. "Both have demonstrated interesting new capabilities. Ino, you depend too much on mental attacks and neglect your physical defense once you start attacking. If Sakura had a weapon, you would be dead."
Ino lowered her head. "I know, sensei."
"Sakura," continued Kurenai. "You took a big risk charging head-on against an attacker with unknown range. If Ino had a second needle ready, she would have hit you in the face."
"I know," nodded Sakura. "It was a calculated risk."
"A dangerous calculation. But you showed guts. And control at the end. Sakura, good job withholding lethal force."
"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei."
Naruto put his hands behind his head, grinning from ear to ear.
"So... are we officially a functional team now? Did we pass the 'wanting to kill each other' phase?"
Ino picked a last twig out of her hair and looked at Sakura.
"I guess so," said Ino. "At least until I learn to return that hit, Sakura. You owe me a new dress, by the way."
"I'll buy it for you," promised Sakura, relaxing her shoulders. "With Naruto's money."
"Hey!" he protested, jumping. "My money isn't infinite! I want to save for ramen and new gear! Kunai aren't free!"
"You're the leader, you pay for collateral damage," Ino sentenced, recovering her usual commanding tone. She started walking toward the exit of the clearing. "And I need a bath urgently. I stink of sweat."
"Let's go," said Sakura, putting her healthy arm around Ino's shoulders. "Let's go home. I'll treat you to tea. And maybe I'll help you clean that dress."
"You better."
While the two girls walked away, arguing about detergents and combat techniques, Naruto stayed behind for a moment.
He looked at Hinata. She was still there, standing quietly, watching her teammates leave.
Naruto sighed, remembering how hard it had been to reach this point.
"Recruiting Ino was a nightmare, you know?" he told Hinata in a low voice, like a confidence.
Hinata looked at him. "Was it that bad?"
"Worse! I went to the flower shop. I thought: It'll be easy, Ino likes new things. She almost took my head off with a flower pot." Naruto made exaggerated gestures with his hands, recreating the scene. "And then the negotiation dinner... she ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, Hinata. The most expensive. Girls are... complicated."
Hinata let out a soft giggle, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Ino-san has a strong character. She knows what she wants."
"Strong is an understatement! She's a volcano that screams about fashion and boys." Naruto shook his head. Then he stopped and looked at Hinata intently. "I wish they were all as easy to deal with as you, Hinata. Life would be so much simpler, really. I wouldn't have to wear a helmet to talk to people."
For Hinata, that was more shocking than any jutsu. She felt the heat rise up her neck to her face at an alarming speed.
"E-easy...?" she stammered, playing with her fingers frantically. "Simpler...?"
"Of course! You're super chill, you listen to me, and you never yell at me or hit me for being an idiot," Naruto continued, completely oblivious to the internal collapse of the girl in front of him. "You're the best, Hinata. Really."
Hinata emitted a high-pitched sound, very similar to a boiling kettle, and wobbled a bit on her feet.
"T-thank you... Naruto-kun..."
"Hey! Wait for me!" shouted Naruto to the other two, who were already far away. He turned to Hinata one last time. "Come on, Hinata. If we stay here, Kurenai-sensei will make us clean the clearing."
Naruto started jogging to catch up with Sakura and Ino.
"Hey, Hinata!" he said, turning around while running backward. "When we're done with all this team mess... can I treat you to another bowl of ramen? But this time without fainting, okay? I got scared last time."
Hinata watched him walk away. Her heart was beating so hard she thought it would pop out of her chest. But she smiled. A wide, happy smile.
"Y-yes, Naruto-kun," she whispered to herself. "No fainting."
Kurenai passed by her, put a hand on her shoulder, and smiled slightly.
"Let's go, Hinata. Or they'll eat all the dinner without us."
"Yes, sensei!"
The group reunited on the dirt road leading back to the village.
"So..." began Ino, who seemed to have already recovered her energy. "What's the plan now, Supreme Leader? You have us all. We've already hit each other. What's next?"
Naruto walked with his hands in his pockets, looking at the road.
"Training," he said. "Training until we can't move. And then doing missions. Real missions. I want this team to be the best in Konoha."
"Ambitious," commented Sakura.
"Necessary," corrected Naruto. His tone became a little more serious for a second. "I want us to be the strongest."
"Well, with my new ability and Sakura's brute force, I think we have a chance," said Ino. She looked at Hinata. "And how are you doing with your... eye thing?"
Hinata looked up.
"I'm improving. I can see... further now. And with more detail."
"Perfect," said Naruto. "Ino is the sniper. Sakura is the tank. Hinata is the radar. And I..."
"You are the bait," completed Sakura.
"Hey!"
"It's true," supported Ino. "You're loud, shiny, and orange. You're the perfect bait."
"I am the damage, just so you know," Naruto grumbled. "The one who does the big damage."
"Whatever you say, bait," laughed Ino.
Naruto sighed, but he was smiling.
"Anyway. Who's hungry? I know a new barbecue place. Well, it's not new, but I've never been because it's expensive. But today... well, I guess I'm paying. To celebrate."
"Barbecue!" Ino's eyes lit up. "That makes up for the dirty dress. Let's go."
"Wait! I said it was expensive!" Naruto panicked seeing Ino's enthusiasm.
"Too late. You already said it." Sakura slapped him on the back. "Walk, Naruto. You have to feed your troops."
While they walked toward the village, amidst laughter and arguments about the menu, Naruto felt a strange calm. Ino complained about the mud, Sakura teased Ino, Hinata listened with a shy smile.
It was perfect.
"Hey, Naruto," said Sakura suddenly, lowering her tone a bit. "Do you seriously think we're ready? For whatever comes."
Naruto looked at her. He saw the doubt in her green eyes. He saw Ino waiting for the answer, even though she pretended to look at her nails. He saw Hinata attentive.
"No," admitted Naruto sincerely. "We're not ready yet. That's why we're going to eat meat until we burst and tomorrow we're going to train until our bones ache. And then the next day too."
He smiled, that smile that promised everything would be okay even if the world was falling apart.
"But we'll get there. I promise. No one gets left behind. That is my ninja way, and now it's ours."
Ino rolled her eyes, but smiled.
"You're so cheesy sometimes."
"Shut up and walk, Ino. The meat won't wait."
Kurenai watched them from behind, keeping a prudent distance to let them interact.
"An interesting team," she murmured to herself. "Chaotic, unbalanced, and loud. The Third was right. They have potential."
Night was falling over Konoha, but for the new team, the day was just beginning. The shadows lengthened, but the laughter rang clear on the forest path.
"By the way, Naruto," said Ino. "That 'system' of yours... can it do anything with my hair? I feel like it lacks volume."
"It's not a magic hair salon, Ino!"
"What a waste of divine power."
"Sakura, say something to her!"
"She's right, Naruto. If you can give us strength, you should be able to give us good hair. Priorities."
"Hinataaa! Help me!"
Hinata let out a clear, crystalline laugh.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I think you lost this battle."
Naruto groaned, defeated by absolute majority.
"Women... they're more dangerous than a monster, believe it."
And so, arguing about ninjutsu cosmetics and barbecue, the team disappeared in the direction of the village lights, leaving the destroyed clearing behind as a silent witness to their birth.
*****
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