Chapter 21: Chapter no.21 Training Tips from a Fellow Kunoichi
Read advance chapters (+ 30 ) of all my works or want to support me .
https://www.p.a.t.r.e.on.com/Adamo_Amet
....
Join us on discord
https://discord.gg/h3kDw7ma
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Sakura looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes determined. She'd thought long and hard on her father's advice; on what she needed to work on and make up for...
... There was still a lot she needed to figure out. But she had a good starting point.
The first thing that had come to her mind was her team. So far, she hadn't really contributed anything besides taking up some of the work on D-rank missions. She'd done a bit to help Naruto when he was dealing with the aftermath of the battle on the bridge, but that was massively outweighed by how she'd put him down before. She'd never really done anything for Sasuke. And if they were to go on any dangerous mission now, even an actual C-rank, she knew she'd probably just slow them down.
That had to change.
Being there for them would be tough. Sakura didn't even know where to begin, but it was easy enough to not yell at Naruto for every little thing. Of course, he hadn't actually done anything to annoy her lately... but still. She just had to keep in mind to be kinder and more considerate to Naruto and more supportive of both of them. Really supportive, not just toadying when it came to Sasuke.
And she needed to stop being dead weight. And that meant she needed to train. Kakashi had taken to teaching them how to fight more effectively... and, wow, had he hammered into her head how much work she needed. But it wouldn't be enough to just train her skills; she needed to be faster. Stronger. And that meant some personal training.
The books Kakashi had given her were lying on her bed. She'd get started on that later tonight. Unfortunately, she didn't have the Shadow Clone Jutsu down yet, but she was sure she would soon enough. For now, she needed to exercise...
....
But where to start? Sakura considered her options for a moment before deciding to try out a ninja tool shop. They'd have to have something that would help speed things up, and maybe some advice if it was run by an actual ninja.
She nodded to herself and made her way to the door. Once outside, she considered where she should start. She knew the weapon shop she used was probably a no-go, as she knew it was run by civilians. They might be able to help her, but she still thought a ninja run shop would be her best bet.
She remembered a shop she used to pass by on her way to the academy and decided to try that one out first. No luck; the shop owner knew his tools but didn't have much advice for training beyond the standard. So she continued her search.
Two shops later and Sakura hadn't found much other than disappointment. They had, in fact, been run by civilians, and so they hadn't had much advice for her on where to start. They did at least offer quality gear, but she'd had a decent supply of weapons, so that hadn't offered her anything. She could only hope this one would have what she was looking for.
As the door creaked open, she heard a voice within the store. "Yo, Tenji. Is my order in yet?"
The pink-haired girl stepped inside the store to see a slightly older girl standing at the counter, talking to the shop owner. She was a bit taller than Sakura, with dark brown hair shaped into two buns. She wore a pink, sleeveless qipao blouse with yellow buttons and dark green pants.
"Why yes indeed. Just came in, in fact. Sorry for the delay." The shopkeeper said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He was a man who looked to be in his late forties, wearing a simple white shirt, black pants, and a forge apron. He was tall, standing slightly higher than her sensei with a muscular build, almost like a bodybuilder. He had short black hair cut flat at the top and coal colored eyes.
"That's ok, just let me see the goods. I've gotta keep my arsenal stocked up." She said, leaning forward onto the counter, and Sakura could practically hear the smile in her voice.
The man laughed. "You got it. Only the best for my number one customer." He turned around and walked behind the draped doorway that led to the back.
As Sakura walked into the store, the girl turned to see her, allowing the pink-haired girl to see she had eyes that matched her hair. She gave her a cheerful wave. "Hey there, you look lost."
"Huh? Um... yeah, I guess I am." Sakura shrugged. "I usually only come to places like this to buy tools."
"Oh, looking for something new?" The girl asked conversationally. "Maybe I can help out. Name's Tenten, by the way, you?"
"Sakura Haruno." The pink-haired girl returned before looking around, focusing on training equipment. "I'm looking for something to kick start my training, but I barely know where to start. The other shopkeepers were civilians so, they couldn't really tell me anything besides the obvious..."
Tenten raised a brow and gave Sakura an appraising eye after looking at her forehead protector. "Just getting started, huh?"
"Uh... yeah... I kinda have a lot to make up for..."
Now Tenten looked a little irked, resting an arm on the counter. "Ah, you're one of those fangirls who don't take being a kunoichi seriously, aren't you?"
Sakura cringed. Yeah, that pretty much summed up how she'd been until now. She could understand why Tenten was annoyed; she probably had experience with people like her. While she thought her academics marked her as a great ninja in the making before, she could see now how someone like her would give kunoichi a bad name...
... She could deny it, but she wouldn't. She was facing her mistakes and moving past them, and that meant owning up to them. "I am... I was. My team and I had our first real mission not too long ago... it was bad. I couldn't do anything but stand on the sidelines." She stood up straight and looked at the older girl resolutely. "It was a wake-up call. I want to change. I want to be able to fight beside them instead of holding them back like I did before, so... here I am."
Tenten seemed to weigh her words before smiling. "Well, in that case, I'll be happy to help." She then frowned. "Though from what I know of your type, my first bit of advice is stop dieting." She stressed those last two words. "Your body needs fuel, you know? You need calories and the right nutrients to build up muscle. If you don't eat right, it could slow or even kill your progress."
Sakura grimaced. She hadn't even thought of that. "... yeah, that makes sense."
Tenten sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Where to begin...?" It was at that point that the shopkeeper returned from the back. He was holding a pretty large roll, big enough that he had to carry it on his shoulders.
"Here you go. Everything you asked for." With that, he unfurled it on the counter and... Wow. It covered the whole thing.
There were dozens, probably well over a hundred different weapons inside. Shuriken, kunai, Kusarigama, daggers, short swords, you name it. If it was smaller than a katana, it was probably there. 'Woah, overkill much?' She thought as Tenten ran back to the counter.
As if all that weren't enough, he added three scrolls on top of that, though apparently there was enough trust between them that Tenten didn't feel the need to test it. Her eyes gleamed as she looked over the various pointy objects before she hurriedly took out a check. "Nice! Thanks, old man."
"No, thank you." He said, taking the check. She wasn't surprised he was grateful. If Tenten made purchases like that all the time, she probably half paid to keep him in business by herself.
That was an exaggeration, of course. Probably.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone