Training… it was a good thing she'd put Team 7 on training before the Wave arc.
After all, a good aura farmer always had a hypemen.
Flashback:
Sasuke frowned, arms crossed as he leaned against the wooden fence of Training Ground 7.
His dark eyes narrowed at Sakura, who stood across from him with an entirely too smug look on her face.
"How did you do that?"
Sakura turned. "Do what?"
"The paint." His dark eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms. "You controlled it with your chakra, didn't you? That's how you got it to spread evenly without spilling a drop."
Naruto, who had been lying dramatically on the ground after another grueling D-rank mission, suddenly perked up. "Wait, what? You can do that?"
Sakura tilted her head. "Of course. It's just a basic chakra control technique."
Sasuke's frown deepened. "Explain."
She raised a brow. "You're actually asking me to explain something?"
He scowled. "Sakura."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+50 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Being a Chakra Control Prodigy.)
Sakura smirked. Then, with the grace of someone who had mastered the fine art of aura farming, she took a single step back—
And moonwalked up the nearest tree.
Naruto's jaw dropped. "WHAT THE HELL—"
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly before narrowing in suspicion. "Tch."
Sakura, still moonwalking like she was born to defy physics, crossed her arms. "Tree walking. It's a chakra control exercise. Very basic. I've been doing it since before we graduated."
Naruto pointed aggressively. "THAT'S NOT BASIC. THAT'S WITCHCRAFT."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+10 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Shameless Style Points.)
Sakura ignored him. "It's simple. You focus chakra into the soles of your feet and maintain a perfect balance—too much, and you break the surface. Too little, and you slip."
She turned around, casually skating down the tree in reverse before landing gracefully on the ground.
"So, do you guys want to learn, or do you want to keep staring?"
Two minutes later, Naruto and Sasuke stood in front of a tree, skeptical.
"This is stupid," Sasuke muttered.
"This is AWESOME," Naruto declared.
Sakura sighed. "Just focus chakra into your feet and run up the tree. If you do it right, you'll stick. If you do it wrong…"
She trailed off, giving them both a meaningful look.
Naruto grinned. "Alright, believe it! Shadow Clone Jutsu—"
*Poof*
A second Naruto appeared, and together, they both charged forward—
Only to immediately slam into the tree and slide down in a comically synchronized heap.
Sasuke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Sakura smirked. "Told you."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+8 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Watching Naruto Suffer.)
Sasuke scoffed. "Move."
With a single step, he gathered chakra, sprinted forward—
And made it exactly three steps before his foot overcharged, shattering the bark and sending him flipping back onto the ground.
Sakura hummed. "Oh? Looks like someone has too much chakra and not enough control."
Sasuke sat up, scowling.
Naruto, still recovering from his impact, groaned. "Ugh… Why is this so hard?"
Sakura leaned against the tree, looking entirely too smug. "Because you guys never trained for Chakra control more than the leaf exercise."
Sasuke turned his glare toward her. "And you did?"
Sakura smirked. "Of course."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+9 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Flexing on Sasuke.)
By the end of the week, Sasuke had climbed to the top of the tree effortlessly.
Naruto had… significantly more knife marks in his than anyone else.
But he did succeed. Eventually.
Which meant… it was time for part two.
Sakura gestured to the river in front of them. "Water walking. Same principle. More complicated."
Naruto gawked. "You mean we have to—"
Before he could finish, Sakura casually strolled onto the water's surface like it was solid ground.
Naruto's eye twitched. "Why do you keep doing that?!"
Ding!
[Aura System]
+15 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Effortless Style.)
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, watching as the ripples beneath her feet barely disturbed the surface.
"…It's different," he muttered.
Sakura nodded. "Water moves. That means your chakra needs to constantly adjust to stay balanced." She turned back to them, standing effortlessly over the waves. "Now, go ahead. Try."
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances.
Then, simultaneously, they stepped forward—
And immediately sank like rocks.
*SPLASH*
Sakura smirked.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+15 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Watching Team 7 Struggle.)
It took another week.
But eventually, Naruto and Sasuke stood side by side on the water, perfectly balanced.
Sakura smirked. "Congratulations. You're finally competent."
Naruto pumped his fist in the air. "YEAH! I'M A WATER NINJA NOW!"
Sasuke simply exhaled, nodding to himself. "Congratulations. You're finally competent."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+20 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Singlehandedly Speedrunning Team 7's Training Arc.)
And then there came the next problem
Naruto scowled, arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently against the training field. "Oi, Sakura, what's the big deal? My clones are fine!"
Across from him, Sakura stood with her arms folded, looking at him like he was a particularly dumb puppy that had just chewed up its own tail.
"Fine?" she echoed flatly. "Naruto, you summon a hundred of them, and they all rush in like headless chickens. If you're lucky, they punch the right guy. If you're not, they trip over each other and take you out instead."
Naruto opened his mouth to argue—then immediately shut it.
…Okay. That had happened before.
Sakura sighed, shaking her head. "You have so much potential, but you fight like an idiot. So I'm going to fix that."
Naruto's scowl deepened. "Oh yeah? And how?"
Sakura raised a single senbon and pointed it at his forehead protector.
"By teaching you how to actually use that oversized chakra pool of yours properly."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+10 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Sensei Mode Engaged.)
"Alright, first lesson," Sakura said, pacing in front of Naruto as he stood in the middle of the field. "What is a Shadow Clone?"
Naruto blinked. "Uhhh… A clone?"
Sakura closed her eyes. Inhaled.
Then promptly smacked him over the head.
"Yes, obviously, but what kind of clone?"
Naruto rubbed his head. "A solid one?"
"Yes!" she nodded. "Unlike normal clones, Shadow Clones are real, physical copies of yourself. That means they can think. They can learn. And if they can think and learn… what else can they do?"
Naruto frowned, gears slowly starting to turn in his head. "…I dunno."
Sakura resisted the urge to smack him again.
"They can coordinate."
Naruto blinked.
Sakura continued, pacing. "If you send in a hundred clones, and they all act like you—meaning they rush in, screaming, swinging wildly—then you're wasting your numbers. Your clones should be working together. Not getting in each other's way."
Naruto hummed, rubbing his chin like a wise old sage. "Huh… I never thought about it like that."
Sakura clapped her hands. "Good. Now we move to step two."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+5 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Teaching the Hyperactive Knucklehead.)
"Alright, create ten clones."
Naruto grinned, forming the Ram seal. "Alright! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
Instantly, a chaotic mess of blondes appeared, some standing in place, some immediately wandering off to do random things, and one tripping over a rock and face-planting.
Sakura's expression didn't change.
Her aura farming never stopped.
"…Okay. First, we need to work on summoning functional clones."
After about an hour (and several more forehead smacks and quite a few senbon in no-vital body parts), Naruto finally started producing clones that didn't immediately look like lost children at a market.
"Now," Sakura said, placing her hands on her hips, "we're going to train in formations."
"Formations?" Naruto tilted his head.
"Yes," she said. "Instead of just sending all your clones forward randomly, you can group them into teams of three. That way, they can cover each other's blind spots, react better, and actually be useful."
Naruto furrowed his brows, deep in thought. "…Like a squad?"
Sakura smirked. "Exactly."
Naruto stared at her for a long moment, then suddenly grinned.
"Alright, boss," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Teach me how to be a clone commander."
Ding!
[Aura System]
+10 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Revolutionizing the Shadow Clone Jutsu.)
By the end of the week, Naruto was different.
Not just in skill… though that had skyrocketed, but in confidence.
He didn't just spam clones anymore.
Now, when he summoned them, they moved.
They had roles.
They weren't just disposable distractions. They were extensions of himself.
And for the first time, Naruto realized…
He wasn't fighting alone.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+15 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Training Arc Complete.)
.
.
Back to the present:
Zabuza's eyes gleamed. "A clone war eh? Then come at me brat!"
Ten more water clones rose out of the the lake.
And they rushed forwards to meet Naruto's own.
Each team of three moved like a unit, splitting off to engage individually, covering each other's flanks.
The first squad intercepted two water clones… one Naruto feinted low while the second went high, distracting the enemy long enough for the third to drive a kunai straight through its chest.
*SPLASH*
The clone collapsed into water.
Another squad flanked left, one Naruto slid low into a sweeping kick, throwing a water clone off-balance, while the second clone launched it into the air. The third Naruto appeared behind it, slamming it downward with a powerful axe kick.
*SPLASH*
Zabuza frowned.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+100 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Overcoming the Naruto Combat Handicap.)
Sasuke moved next.
The water clones were still faster and stronger than Naruto's, but they weren't nearly as skilled as the original. Elemental clones were pre-programmed constructs which meant—
They were predictable.
He darted through the battlefield, kunai flashing, his eyes sharp as he analyzed every movement. He wasn't at the level of a Sharingan user yet, but he was still a prodigy.
A water clone lunged at him from behind—
Sasuke planted his foot, pivoted, and slammed a kunai straight into its gut before it could even swing.
*SPLASH*
Another charged—
Sasuke blurred to the side, redirecting its momentum with a precise sweep of his leg, using its own speed against it before driving his kunai into its throat.
*SPLASH*
Another.
He vaulted over it, twisting mid-air, and delivered a sharp kunai strike to its exposed back.
*SPLASH*
Zabuza watched, unamused.
"Tch."
He'd underestimated the dark haired boy.
And then there was the pink-haired.
She stood completely still in the center of the battlefield.
Watching.
Calculating.
Zabuza's remaining clones hesitated for a split second, something about her unnerved them.
And then Sakura moved.
With surgical precision, she flicked her wrist, two senbon whistled through the mist, deflecting off of each other, striking pressure points with pinpoint accuracy.
A single hit to the right joint locked movement, another to the chest disrupted chakra flow.
[Aura System] Skill : Precision Anatomy —Your knowledge of human anatomy rivals that of a seasoned combat medic. You instinctively understand the locations of nerves, pressure points, and muscle weaknesses. This allows you to incapacitate foes with precise strikes, disable chakra flow, and maximize damage with minimal effort.
The clones wobbled—then collapsed, unable to maintain their form.
*SPLASH*
She hadn't even broken a sweat.
Ding!
[Aura System]
+150 AP Gained.
(Farming Method: Intellectual Flexing.)
In less than a minute, the battlefield shifted.
What should've been a massacre turned into a counterattack.
Zabuza clicked his tongue. His clones had been nothing more than a test, but the results were annoying.
The Uchiha was a natural fighter, quick to adapt. And the blonde idiot…
Zabuza's eyes narrowed at Naruto, who stood grinning confidently in the middle of his formation of organized, combat-ready clones.
… was far more dangerous than he'd expected.
But the pink one?
She was as skilled with Senbon as Haku… no.
Maybe even more.
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Two chaps because I forgot to upload yesterday. My bad.
This is kinda the boring part of the wave arc and I think it gets better later, I'm not really a good judge of my own writing.
200 stones for an extra chap!
Or if you can't wait then feel free to support me on my Patreon where a few extra chapters are available!
Patreon: Teddartic