Best Friends

Body Flicker Technique

A B-rank technique, but an extremely practical one.

This was a technique that used an explosive burst of Chakra to grant the user instantaneous acceleration.

However, because it required some windup before activation and left an opening after reaching the destination, many ninja only used it for travel.

Very few ninja could overcome that windup and recovery to use it in battle.

Of course, it was not impossible.

For example, the famed Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato, could overcome those drawbacks and use it in actual combat. However, after obtaining the Flying Thunder God, the Body Flicker Technique was no longer as useful to him.

Then there was Body Flicker Shisui, who had made a name for himself with this most ordinary of Body Flicker Techniques.

His Body Flicker Technique was so fast that it could leave behind dozens of afterimages.

Sakura sat by the river, reading through the scroll Hiruzen Sarutobi had given her.

Judging from the technique he had given her, he clearly wanted to shape her into someone who charged forward without hesitation, combining speed and strength.

And with Monstrous Strength as her foundation, learning the Body Flicker Technique came easily to her. The only difficulty was how to use it in battle.

If she could not overcome the windup and recovery, then this technique would be no different for Sakura than it was for other ninja—useful only for traveling.

But if Sakura succeeded in overcoming them, emmm...

Just imagine a Tsunade with Shisui's speed.

One punch turning that slimy snake into a dead snake.

Sakura sat by the river, looking at the scroll in her hands, and before she knew it, the sky had grown dark.

At this stage, physical training no longer had much effect on Sakura. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi himself had said that she was too young, and her meridians could not handle Chakra flowing too quickly.

She needed to take it slowly and wait until she grew a little older.

"Sakura!"

A familiar voice rang out in the distance.

Sakura looked up and found a little girl with pale blond hair waving both hands at her from the bank.

Only then did Sakura belatedly realize that it was getting late.

Sakura put away the scroll and walked toward Ino with a soft laugh.

"How did my young lady Yamanaka find the time to come see me today?"

Ignoring Sakura's teasing, Ino familiarly linked arms with her and spoke somewhat wistfully.

"Sakura, Sasuke has been ignoring everyone lately, huh?"

Sakura glanced at the troubled look on Ino's face and tilted her head.

"Hasn't Sasuke always been like that?"

"Oh, you don't get it. Sasuke used to look like he didn't like talking to people either, but he was completely different from how he is now."

"Now Sasuke is like a block of ice!"

"But that makes him even cooler!"

Sakura was a little speechless as she watched Ino swoon beside her. After choosing her words carefully, she said,

"Is it possible that he genuinely doesn't want to deal with people who keep pestering him?"

If possible, Sakura did not want Ino and Sasuke to become too entangled.

After all, Ino and Sasuke belonged to completely different worlds.

Though Ino did eventually give up on Sasuke, only "I" kept shamelessly throwing herself at him as though she were free.

"How could that be?"

"Sasuke is so handsome. He must be annoyed by everyone else pestering him, so he ignores them all!"

Ino immediately refuted Sakura with righteous conviction.

Well, looks were justice.

Sakura could only sigh helplessly. Unfortunately, Ino was destined to get nowhere with Sasuke.

"Huh?"

"I remember Sakura seemed to like Sasuke a lot too."

"Why did you suddenly stop liking him?"

Ino suddenly remembered something. She immediately released Sakura and scrutinized her best friend with a solemn expression.

Her beautiful cherry-pink hair, beautiful enough to make Ino jealous, was simply tied into a ponytail. She wore nothing but a plain black short-sleeved shirt, white ninja pants, and ordinary ninja sandals.

If there was one accessory that represented a girl's heart, it was probably the red headband Ino had once given Sakura to show off her forehead, which Sakura now used to tie up her hair.

And because she trained so often, Sakura gave off an inexplicable air of... coolness.

Yes, Ino was actually describing a girl as cool...

The kind of cool that was valiant and dashing.

Sakura looked at Ino with helplessness in her emerald eyes.

"That's because Ino likes him."

"I won't take anything Ino likes."

"Don't worry~~"

Sakura smiled and stroked Ino's head.

"Wuwuwu, Sakura is the best!"

"If Sakura were a boy, I'd definitely marry Sakura!"

Ino threw herself into Sakura's arms. Ino had originally been a little tomboyish when she was younger, but now, in front of Sakura, she was like a soft, sweet girl.

"Hey, hey, hey~~~"

"If I were a boy, knowing Ino liked Sasuke this much, I'd definitely get jealous."

Sakura chuckled as she patted the little girl in her arms on the back, speaking as though she were joking.

"Hehehe, if Sakura were a boy, I might actually have to think about whether to choose Sakura or Sasuke."

"But unfortunately, Sakura is a girl~~~"

Ino playfully winked at Sakura from her arms, then pinched Sakura's nose under her gentle gaze.

"Then if I were a boy, Ino probably wouldn't be hugging me so recklessly, would she?"

Sakura raised a pretty eyebrow, and both her hands shot straight toward Ino's waist.

"Ah!"

Caught off guard, Ino cried out, then immediately found her waist unbearably ticklish.

She tried to push Sakura away, but the difference in their strength was simply too great.

"Hahahahaha, Sakura~~~ You're so mean!!"

"I was wrong! Hahahahaha!"

"Please spare me!!! Hahahahaha!"

Ino laughed until tears came out. Losing her balance, she directly pulled Sakura down with her onto the grass by the river.

Looking at Sakura beneath her, Ino's face was flushed, though it was unclear whether it was from laughing or something else.

"Sakura bullied me!"

Ino put on a fierce expression as she looked at Sakura, yet she showed no intention of getting off her.

"Wasn't it Ino who pinched my nose first?"

Sakura could not help finding Ino's pretend ferocity amusing. No matter how fierce she tried to look, she was like a little kitten.

"Huh?"

Hearing Sakura's words, Ino froze for a moment, then stubbornly argued,

"I don't care! Sakura bullied me!"

"Yes, yes, yes. I bullied Ino."

Sakura's attitude made Ino feel as though she had punched cotton. There was no sense of accomplishment at all.

"Hmph, I'm ignoring you!"

"I'm going home!"

Ino climbed off Sakura, turned her head away, and spoke with a haughty expression.

"Then do you want me to pick you up after school tomorrow? We have academic classes tomorrow afternoon, so I won't be going."

"No!"

"Really not?"

"...I do."

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