Chapter 24: A Lesson at the River
By the time Naruto returned to the campsite, the moon was high. Sasuke was still relentlessly practicing his tree-walking, his form a testament to sheer, stubborn willpower. Sakura, having mastered the exercise with her natural chakra control, was resting, watching him with a mix of admiration and concern.
Watching Sasuke stumble and scrape his way up the trunk yet again, Naruto let out a low, impressed whistle. "Such dedication," he murmured, before yawning widely and finding a comfortable spot to sleep.
The next morning, Naruto awoke to find Sasuke still at it. The Uchiha's clothes were torn, and fresh scratches marked his arms, but a fierce determination burned in his eyes. He could now reach the top in a burst of speed, but lacked the fine control to stand there effortlessly like Sakura.
"Now that's what I call a work ethic," Naruto commented through a yawn as he stretched.
He ambled over to where Kakashi was leaning against a tree. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei. What's for breakfast?"
Kakashi gave him a flat look. "What about the game you were supposedly hunting last night?"
An awkward silence descended.
"Ah, well, you see," Naruto began, his expression turning serious. "It was so dark last night, all the sensible prey were already asleep. I didn't see a single thing!"
Kakashi simply sighed in resignation, rummaged in a storage scroll, and tossed Naruto a strip of bland, dried travel rations.
"Thanks, sensei!" Naruto chirped, retreating to his previous spot to eat his meager breakfast while casually observing Sasuke's continued struggles.
As he chewed, Sakura approached him timidly. "Naruto-kun?"
"Yeah?" he replied, his attention divided between the dry food and Sasuke's entertaining attempts.
"Well, since we're waiting for Sasuke to finish, I was wondering... could you teach me something else?" she asked, her voice hopeful.
"Wouldn't it be better to ask Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto said, still not looking at her.
"I did," she admitted, her shoulders slumping. "But he said learning anything else would take too long right now." Internally, she was fuming at their sensei's dismissal.
Naruto thought for a moment, then cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled across the clearing, "Hey, Sasuke! How much longer is this gonna take?"
Sasuke, mid-sprint, faltered and nearly fell from the tree trunk. He shot a venomous glare at Naruto. "One hour," he bit out, his voice icy.
"One whole hour?" Naruto drawled, his tone dripping with such exaggerated disdain that it made Sasuke's knuckles turn white with the urge to punch him.
Sadly, he knew he'd lose.
Burying the fresh humiliation, Sasuke channeled his fury into his training, attacking the tree with renewed vigor.
"So, Naruto-kun? Is there anything you can show me?" Sakura pressed, her big, green eyes pleading.
Under her persistent gaze, Naruto finally relented. "Alright, fine. I'll teach you something."
"Really? Thank you, Naruto-kun!" she exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Naruto finished his rations and walked over to Kakashi. "Sensei, I'm taking Sakura to the river nearby to train. We'll be back within the hour."
Kakashi gave a lazy wave of his hand. "Don't get swept away."
A few minutes later, they stood at the bank of a swiftly flowing river.
"Wait here," Naruto instructed Sakura. He then walked calmly onto the surface of the water, his feet resting on the current as if it were solid ground.
"This is the next step," he explained. "Water-Walking. The principle is the same as tree-walking—it's all about chakra control."
"Isn't it just the same thing, then?" Sakura asked, confused.
"Not quite," Naruto corrected. "A tree is solid. You just need a constant output of chakra to your feet. But water moves. This exercise forces you to constantly, and minutely, adjust the amount and flow of your chakra to match the shifting surface. It's a much finer degree of control."
Sakura nodded, understanding dawning. Mimicking her approach to the tree, she focused chakra into the soles of her feet. Carefully, hesitantly, she placed one foot on the water's surface. It held! Emboldened, she shifted her weight onto it.
"I'm doing it!" she squealed in delight.
The moment her concentration broke, so did her chakra control. With a sharp cry, she plunged through the surface and into the cold, rushing current.
"Gurgle—! Naruto—! Help—! Gurgle!"
The river was stronger than it looked, and Sakura, a mediocre swimmer at best, was instantly pulled under and carried downstream.
Naruto, who hadn't anticipated this, moved swiftly. In a flash, he was in the water, pulling a sputtering and coughing Sakura back onto the safety of the shore.
Back on dry land, Sakura coughed violently, expelling river water from her lungs while shivering in Naruto's arms. Her soaking wet clothes had drenched Naruto's top as well.
Once her coughing subsided, Naruto asked, "You okay?"
"I... I think so," she managed, her teeth chattering.
"Ready to try again?" he asked, releasing his hold on her and proceeding to peel off his own wet shirt.
"Wha—what are you doing?!" Sakura yelped, her face flushing crimson.
Naruto gave her an utterly deadpan look. "My clothes are soaked because of you. I'm changing." He unsealed a scroll and pulled out two fresh sets of clothing—both identical to his own usual style. He tossed one set to her. "They're my spares. They'll have to do."
"Th-thank you," she stammered, her face still burning.
As she looked for a secluded spot to change, Naruto called out, "Just a suggestion, but you might want to finish the water-walking training first."
Sakura looked down at her drenched, clingy clothes, which left very little to the imagination, and then back at the river. "I... I think I'll save the rest of the water training for another day," she mumbled, her voice barely audible.
"Suit yourself," Naruto shrugged, entirely indifferent. As he pulled on his dry shirt, he couldn't help but make a mental comparison to Hinata. 'Yeah... Sakura's development is seriously lacking. No curves to speak of. And her personality isn't cute enough to make up for it like a lively kunoichi.'
Sakura found a large tree and changed behind it, her heart still racing. When she emerged, clad in Naruto's slightly-too-large orange and black outfit, her blush had yet to fade. "I'm done. We can go back now, Naruto."
"Alright, let's go." Naruto nodded, his expression blank as he turned and started walking back to camp without a second glance.
Sakura trailed behind him, her eyes fixed on his back, a storm of confusion in her mind. 'Why aren't I angrier? A boy other than Sasuke-kun just saw me... like that. Is it because he's strong? Or because he's actually kind of handsome now? Ugh, Sakura, you're the worst!'
(End of Chapter)
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