"Ahhhhhh!!"
Though Naruto's eyes remained calm and expressionless, Ino felt as if she were standing naked before everyone.
Finally, unable to bear it, she screamed angrily, "Damn it, Naruto! You're so annoying! Did you do this on purpose? I hate you so much!"
The intense embarrassment overwhelmed her, and after shouting a few words, she covered her face and sprinted away.
Naruto, on the other hand, was attempting to find the right balance for his chakra release by placing his feet on the water's surface.
Startled by Ino's outburst, he toppled directly into the water with a loud splash.
Naruto was slightly taken aback. After all, Ino was still a young girl, and her mental endurance was lacking.
But it didn't matter to him. With his current status, others would simply come and go as they pleased; there was no need for consolation.
Once Ino had calmed down, she would surely return to him, and then he would offer some comforting words.
"Hey, what's wrong with Ino? She's reacting so dramatically!"
Sakura emerged from the water, looking utterly helpless, her entire body drenched.
Her attire was already quite revealing, but now it clung to her skin even more so.
Sakura remained oblivious to her own condition and instead focused on Ino's plight.
Naruto took a quick glance before speaking, "Maybe she couldn't handle some of the scenes in the fantasy world. You can only go to her and ask what happened."
Although she was younger and her curves were not yet prominent, Sakura still had a certain charm.
Naruto continued, "I didn't think Ino would be so weak. It seems she was too pampered by her family. The genjutsu broke after just two times. I hope you can last longer, Sakura."
Sakura felt a twinge of pride and put her hands on her hips, "Don't compare me to that blockhead. You're right, her endurance is terrible. Let's see how I do next."
Inwardly, she was already planning to tease Ino about this incident when they met again.
But she didn't notice the unintended effect her stance had. With her hands on her waist and chest pushed out, she had inadvertently created a rather captivating view.
Naruto waved his hand and said, "Don't talk too much. It would be great if you could master this ability before falling into the water ten times."
"Ten times? You underestimate me. I'll be fine in three at most. No, two is plenty!" Sakura exclaimed confidently, raising an eyebrow.
If she had more guts, she would have said just once.
Determined to prove herself, Sakura carefully approached the hot spring pool again.
The process was flawless, and she walked towards the pool with poise, not finding any issues with herself.
The advantage of a closed space is that it's easy to overlook certain details.
With Sakura's back to him, Naruto took the opportunity to observe her situation more closely.
While her front view was underwhelming, she looked quite good from behind.
It's a pity she's still too young.
If she were the Sakura from Boruto...well, that's a different story.
"Ah!"
As Naruto was lost in thought, Sakura finally gave in. Despite her efforts, she couldn't maintain her balance and fell into the water with a splash.
Emerging from the water, she couldn't help but shiver.
The abrupt change from hot to cold was quite unpleasant.
"If you can't take it, just say so. Training isn't something you can rush; it takes time."
Naruto tried to divert Sakura's attention before she could react.
Sakura was indeed a little agitated when she heard this, and she quickly said with her head held high, "I'm not as squeamish as Ino. Where are you now? It's still early!"
After saying that, she turned around and walked towards the hot spring pool again.
However, Sakura had learned some tricks. Although she sank slightly when walking on the water, with the water almost reaching her ankles, she managed to walk a certain distance slowly while her body swayed.
If this continued, she should be able to stand steadily on the water after practicing for a while.
It was a pity that Naruto had no intention of letting her practice so peacefully. He stood not far away and casually slapped his palm towards the hot spring pool.
Wind Style · Hayate Palm!
In an instant, the water surface of the hot spring pool fluctuated slightly.
"Yeah!" Sakura was walking reluctantly, but when the water surface moved, she lost her balance.
This time, Sakura did not immediately step out of the water. Instead, she squatted slightly, letting the hot spring water submerge up to her neck, as if this made her more comfortable.
"Hey, Naruto, what are you doing?" Sakura asked slightly angrily, "I'm obviously doing well and will stabilize soon. Are you teasing me on purpose?"
Naruto took two steps forward and came to the edge of the pool, smiling, "I didn't mean to tease you. I just made it more challenging for you. I had already held back my strength just now, and the fluctuation was much smaller than in a normal river outside."
"If you can't handle this level, then it won't be useful in battle. Do you think that's true?"
Sakura was constantly caught off guard and felt a little worried.
But after listening to Naruto's explanation, it seemed to make sense.
The fluctuations of external water flow were indeed greater. Once a battle occurred on the water, the fluctuations would be even more severe.
"Okay, okay, but even so, can you inform me before taking action?" Sakura sighed.
She had no choice but to walk out of the water with a look of helplessness under Naruto's intense gaze.
If she continued to soak, Naruto would probably think she was giving up, and Sakura's character certainly wouldn't allow that.
She was still thinking about how to find balance, and she still didn't notice the situation. This time, Naruto was even more shameless in his admiration.
Naruto smiled and said, "I won't inform you in advance. I want you to be able to maintain your momentum even if you're caught off guard. Even if the entire water surface has huge waves, you can still stand firmly. Only then can you be considered qualified."
"Ah?" Sakura grimaced, "Do you want to practice to that level?"
"If you want to progress further on the path of medical ninjutsu, this is a stage you must go through." Naruto said with a serious expression, "Of course, if you're content with being an ordinary medical ninja, the conditions can be appropriately relaxed. But..."
"No! There's no need to relax, that's fine!" Sakura refused immediately.
Who wouldn't want to be better?
Before, there was no opportunity, but now the Seventh Hokage himself was personally teaching her, and for an ordinary girl like Sakura, who came from a civilian background, it was a wonderful opportunity that had simply fallen from the sky.
Naruto's half-joking, half-serious encouragement helped develop Sakura's resilience.
Even if it was a bit of hardship, it was worth it for someone who didn't have a chance before.
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