Haruno Sakura.
She was a civilian with a clan name, after all.
It was only reasonable that she knew her chakra nature.
"True. Naruto and Sasuke don't have that concern."
"And you don't have much chakra, either..."
"How about this? I'll find you a more suitable teacher later."
At that, the disappointment on Sakura's little face vanished at once.
She looked up, eyes reddening, and pouted.
"Teacher Cangwu... What do you mean, a more suitable teacher?"
Looking at Sakura's pitiful expression,
Cangwu froze for a moment, then realized what was going on.
It seemed training with Might Guy and Rock Lee had left her with an indelible shadow.
In some ways,
Neji and Tenten were both unusual.
Sakura had only trained with them for a short while, and she was already like this... Of course, maybe she hadn't had a choice and had simply gritted her teeth and endured it.
Cangwu raised a hand and gently rubbed Sakura's head.
"Don't worry. This time, it'll be normal."
"Besides, if you can learn from that teacher... one day, neither Naruto nor Sasuke will dare take your attacks head-on."
"Also..."
Cangwu suddenly lowered his voice and leaned close to Sakura's ear.
He whispered, "Once you learn her secret techniques, you can make up for your regrets, too. Like... your flat front and back."
"She used to be just like you—a board, too. But now... you'll see when you meet her."
Sakura's cheeks flushed bright red.
At first, it was because Cangwu had leaned close.
His whisper in her ear made her feel as if a kitten were brushing her heart with its soft little paws, leaving her unbearably flustered.
After hearing him out, she was still embarrassed, but anger was rapidly bubbling up, too.
How dare he...
Sakura clenched her teeth and balled her fists.
She snapped, "If that's true, then you're the first person I'm going to hit!"
"You meanie of a teacher!"
Cangwu straightened up and smiled. "Go ahead. I'll even stand still and let you hit me."
Right... This meanie of a teacher doesn't seem afraid of any attacks... Damn it! I'm so mad. I want to bite him to death!
"Hmph!"
Sakura turned her head away.
"Teacher Cangwu, I want to learn the Rasengan!" Naruto stepped forward.
The smile on his face wasn't as natural as usual.
Sasuke thought for a moment, then said, "Teacher Cangwu, teach us the Rasengan first."
"After all, some people won't give up until they see the coffin. Want to surpass the Uchiha? Maybe in a hundred years."
At that, Naruto's eye twitched.
"Stuck-up Sasuke, I'll be the first to complete the training!"
"Idiot." Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Damn it... You really are stuck-up!"
As the two bickered, Naruto's mood gradually returned to normal.
Once they'd settled down, Cangwu took the balloons he'd prepared earlier out of his backpack.
"There are four steps to learning the Rasengan."
"I had you practice tree climbing and water walking so you could get a good grasp of how to release chakra."
"A balloon... Teacher, what's it for?" Sakura asked, puzzled, after taking one from him.
"It'll come in handy." Cangwu raised a hand and explained:
"The first step in learning the Rasengan is to gather chakra in the palm of your hand."
"Just like when you practiced walking on water and climbing trees, you need to gather chakra in the soles of your feet."
"I see... I know." Sakura inflated the balloon until it was about the size of Cangwu's Rasengan.
"If we succeed... the balloon will burst, right?" Sasuke asked.
"Exactly. Practice the first step on the way."
"Learning the Rasengan... It's simple, and it's difficult."
Bang—
Cangwu had barely finished speaking when a loud pop came from Naruto's direction.
Sasuke and Sakura were startled and hurriedly looked over.
Naruto had somehow made several shadow clones, and they were all staring intently at the balloon in his hand.
"Wow... I'm so jealous. Having lots of chakra is great!" Sakura patted her cheeks and hurriedly began practicing.
Cangwu watched Naruto and thought for a moment. The time was about right.
It's about time I met Kurama.
Otherwise, this guy will probably get stuck for a while on the last step of the Rasengan.
Sasuke remained silent, his eyes fixed on the balloon in his hand.
But even after a second pop came from Naruto's side, Sasuke's balloon still hadn't changed.
Damn it!
Gather already!!
"Nice work, Naruto. Keep it up," Cangwu said with a smile.
Naruto didn't get carried away like he usually did. He only gave a token reply before continuing to practice.
Everyone noticed the change in him.
It seemed those words had affected him deeply.
They'd even shaken something tender deep inside him.
And Cangwu's praise had helped, too.
Sakura's forehead was beaded with sweat.
Uchiha Sasuke was already drenched.
Their expressions...
Anyone who didn't know better might've thought they were using the toilet.
Bang—
A second person burst their balloon.
Pink... Haruno Sakura!
Sasuke's gaze instantly turned fierce.
But after bursting the balloon, Sakura was completely worn out.
She didn't continue. Instead, she kept replaying the sensation of bursting the balloon in her mind, trying to understand it.
I still don't have enough chakra... I hope the person Teacher Cangwu introduces me to is... normal.
Sakura felt awful, but there was no denying that the training worked.
Still, spending too long at it could cause psychological problems.
Seeing her, Cangwu bent down.
Sakura's eyes lit up, and she immediately jumped onto his back.
"Thank you, Teacher Cangwu. You're the best!"
Sakura-bro: (づ￣ 3￣)づ
Under normal circumstances, Naruto would've been envious and shouted that he wanted a piggyback ride, too.
But right now, all his attention was on learning the Rasengan.
Even though he found it difficult to control his chakra, he kept trying.
With the help of his shadow clones, his training progressed much faster.
Sasuke succeeded not long after Sakura burst her balloon.
But there wasn't the slightest hint of joy on his face.
Because... he'd been the last one to complete the step again.
Naruto had shadow clones and plenty of chakra, so he could try as much as he wanted.
Sakura had little chakra but a natural talent for chakra control, so it was only reasonable that she'd managed to succeed once so quickly.
Sasuke knew all that, but he refused to think of it that way. That would just be making excuses for himself.
I'm an Uchiha... Damn it!
Sakura was having the time of her life on Cangwu's back.
"Sakura, once you've completed the first step of the Rasengan, you should start practicing and get used to letting chakra flow into your arms."
"Why?" Sakura found a comfortable spot and rested her chin on Cangwu's shoulder.
"You know Tsunade, right?"
"Tsunade, that's... Hmm?!" Sakura thought for a moment, then instinctively started to say she didn't know.
Suddenly, a memory flashed through her mind.
"Teacher Cangwu, you don't mean... Lady Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin?!"
Hearing the shock and admiration in Sakura's voice,
Cangwu smiled and said:
"Exactly. The legendary Big Slug."
"Anyway... she's the person I meant when I said I knew someone suitable to teach you."
"What?!" Sakura's eyes widened.
The legendary Lady Tsunade... my idol... was actually flat-chested?
No, no, no... I'm focusing on the wrong thing!
Before you continue