Sasuke had barely spoken since he saw Sakura demonstrate that move.
He walked near the back of the group, wandering along absentmindedly.
In theory, precise chakra control could separate physical and mental energy with pinpoint accuracy.
Sasuke nudged a pebble away with his toe.
It rolled into the grass at the roadside, startling a dusty-gray sparrow.
But it was too early to say anything about that.
Even he, someone with Cursed Energy, hadn't fully figured out how it was extracted. Bringing someone else in to experiment with it probably wouldn't help.
He'd watch a little longer. If Sakura really had a talent for using Cursed Energy, there'd be time to find out.
"Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke pulled himself from his thoughts and turned his head.
Sakura walked to his right, about one person's width away.
She'd tied her ponytail a little higher than usual today. The mountain breeze had mussed the wisps over her forehead, and she was trying hard to look casual.
"There was a sign by the road saying the town ahead has hot spring buns. Do you want to..."
"No."
Sakura closed her mouth, nodded, and turned back to watch the road.
About two minutes later, she turned to him again.
"Sasuke-kun, about what you said last time, the problem with guarding yourself after releasing concentrated chakra..."
"I've been thinking I could use the inertia from spinning to bring my center of gravity back. Do you think that would work better?"
"You can try it. Don't spin too hard, or you'll leave yourself wide open."
"Okay." Sakura answered, absentmindedly pinching a strand of hair dangling beside her ear. She twirled it twice, then let go.
Then she spoke again.
"Sasuke-kun, are you thirsty? I brought a canteen—"
"I'm not."
Naruto's loud voice rang out up ahead.
"Hey, Sakura! You've asked him eight hundred times already! Can't you ask something useful?"
Sakura's face flared red, the color spreading from the base of her neck to the tips of her ears.
She clenched her fist, and her knuckles cracked.
"Naruto, shut up! When did I ask him eight hundred times?!"
"Just now! Are you thirsty? Do you want to eat? Are you tired? Do you want a hot spring bun? You—"
"Wham!"
Sakura punched a tree by the roadside, leaving a fresh, bowl-sized dent in the trunk.
Wood chips flew into Naruto's hair. He looked from the tree to Sakura, then silently hurried up beside Jiraiya.
Sasuke glanced at Sakura.
She pulled back her fist, swept the loose hair from her forehead behind her ear, pressed her lips into a thin line, and kept walking. Her footsteps sounded a notch heavier than before.
Sasuke said nothing and turned his gaze back to the road ahead.
By evening, the four of them had reached an inconspicuous little town near Tanzaku Street.
The town didn't look very big, but it was certainly bustling.
People streamed in and out beneath the noren curtains of the taverns, and there was no shortage of customers at the grilled skewer stalls.
Two large red lanterns hung outside the casino, and the clatter of dice and gamblers' shouts spilled out from within.
Jiraiya pointed to an inn on the corner with a Pine Leaf sign. "Let's stay here tonight."
"I'm going to gather some information. You guys can go do whatever you like for a while."
Standing outside the inn with his arms crossed, Naruto snorted as he watched Jiraiya disappear.
"That old man just left? Is he really going to gather information?"
Sasuke set his backpack on the ground. "Let's look around."
"I'll come too!" Sakura immediately chimed in.
Naruto raised a hand, about to speak, when Black Dog appeared at his feet. "You stay here and practice your clones."
"Why?!"
"Because yesterday's clone didn't even have a face." White Dog sat beside the inn's doorframe, licking his front paw. "Even I felt sorry for it."
Naruto's mouth drooped into an exaggerated pout.
"I'm going—"
"Naruto, good luck!" Sakura pressed her hands together and smiled at him, then turned and followed Sasuke.
Naruto stood there, watching Sasuke and Sakura's backs disappear around the corner.
Black Dog smacked his calf with its tail. "Hand Seals."
"Yeah, yeah! Clone Technique!"
The evening street was painted warm orange by lanterns and shop signs. Tavern banners swayed in the breeze, and white smoke hissed above the iron griddles at the dango stalls.
Sasuke walked slowly with his hands in his pockets, while Sakura walked beside him.
He wasn't interested in shopping for its own sake, but a new place meant new information and resources. He should at least get a feel for the layout.
At some point, Escaping Rabbit slipped out of the shadows and hopped onto an empty wooden crate by the roadside. It crouched there, swiveling its long ears as its red eyes watched two drunken men arguing outside the casino across the street.
"They've been arguing for ages," Escaping Rabbit remarked in a soft, sweet voice.
Sakura walked to Sasuke's right. She'd been in a good mood at first, but after they'd gone halfway down the street, she noticed several young women sneaking glances at him.
A shopkeeper carrying a basket of vegetables smiled at Sasuke. Beside her, a girl selling sweets pretended to wipe down a table, but kept sneaking looks in his direction.
Two girls walking together, both a few years older than Sakura, leaned close and whispered to each other. Then they covered their mouths and giggled.
Sakura's fists clenched.
Hey! Sasuke's still so young! What are you old cows doing, trying to sink your teeth into fresh meat?!
She quickened her pace, just as a girl came walking toward them.
The girl held a fluffy white cat in her arms. It was adorable.
Sakura's attention was drawn to the kitten, but when she looked up, she saw the girl staring at Sasuke with her mouth slightly open.
That girl! I really want to punch her!
No, she couldn't do that.
She was a teammate Sasuke respected for her strength now. She wasn't the same as she'd been a year ago!
Sakura raised her hands and slapped her cheeks twice. Her palms cracked against her skin.
Escaping Rabbit watched her curiously. "Sakura? Why are you hitting yourself?"
"I'm swatting a mosquito."
"A mosquito? I don't see one."
Just then, someone yanked open the casino's doorway curtain from the inside.
A tall woman with long blond hair stepped out.
She wore a gray-green short jacket under a haori with the character for "gambling" on it. A diamond-shaped purple mark sat on her forehead, and high-heeled sandals clicked evenly against the stone as she walked.
Her face was faintly flushed, and the smell of alcohol on her breath carried several steps. But she didn't stagger like a drunk; her steps were merely a little careless.
The woman raised her arms and stretched. The hem of her short jacket lifted, revealing the defined lines of her abs.
Then she stopped, narrowed her eyes, and looked at the sign above the entrance before glancing down at her empty purse.
"Shizune, how much money do we have left?"
The girl following her carried their luggage and cradled a small pink pig. She looked down and counted the coins in her wallet.
"Lady Tsunade, we only have three hundred ryo left. If we gamble again, we won't be able to afford an inn."
"Argh! I lost again! That crooked dealer was definitely cheating!" Tsunade grabbed a handful of her blond hair and flung the loose strands over her shoulder.
"Twelve rounds in a row, and every single one came up low! Twelve rounds! What kind of insane luck is that?!"
Shizune hunched her shoulders and tried to comfort her in a quiet voice. "Lady Tsunade, um, maybe we should go back to the inn first. We've already spent today's budget..."
"Shut up, Shizune! I can't win it back?"
"If we can't stay at an inn, we can sleep under a bridge."
Tsunade casually tucked the purse into her clothes and yawned.
She turned and was about to leave when the people standing by the roadside caught her eye.
A black-haired boy, two dogs, a rabbit, and a pink-haired girl.
Tsunade stopped in her tracks.
Her gaze fell on the gunbai emblem on the back of Sasuke's clothes.
"An Uchiha Clan brat?"
Before you continue