ShuraZero
patreon
Chapter 93: Hot Springs
🕑 Added 2025-09-14 19:59:22 +0000 UTC"I can't take any more," Sakura said, her voice exhausted, almost a whisper.
The training ground was a disaster. A steaming crater, the size of a bathtub, marked the spot where the last Rasengan had vanished. To one side, an overturned metal bucket dripped murky water onto the mangled remains of a fish.
Naruto, lying on his back with his arms and legs spread out, panted at the sky.
"You think so?" he huffed, without moving. "I already tried. I even threw up a little, but nothing came out. I'm completely empty."
He turned his head with an effort that seemed painful, looking at Hinata, who was the only one still standing.
"Hey, Hinata-chan, are you sure I didn't hurt you? That last hit was… really clumsy."
Hinata gave him a small, tired smile. She was covered in dirt but seemed to be in the best shape of all of them.
"I'm fine, Naruto-kun. When you get tired, you start repeating your patterns. They become easier to read."
"Great. Even my failures are boring," he complained, letting his head fall back to the ground with a dull thud.
Sakura, sitting with her knees hugged to her chest, examined her scraped knuckles.
"That's very dangerous, Naruto. If you become predictable in a real fight, you're dead."
"Thanks for the encouragement, Sakura-chan. That’s why I love you," Naruto muttered into the dirt.
Karin, who had been leaning against a tree with her eyes closed and a hand on her temple, finally spoke.
"At least you haven't spent five days with the noise of three overloaded chakra signatures drilling into your skull. Tracking specific targets in this state is hell."
"Could you tell us again why you were doing that? Sometimes it feels like an invasion of privacy," Naruto replied, lifting his head halfway.
"Well, it's complicated," Karin snapped. "Lady Tsunade wanted me to monitor your levels, so none of you would collapse and die right here. Believe me, I'd rather not be putting up with this headache."
Naruto was about to shoot back a reply when a shadow fell over them all.
Tsunade stood before them, imposing. At her side, Shizune wore a slightly proud expression. Tsunade's face was an impenetrable mask.
"That's enough."
The phrase landed on them with the weight of a final command.
Naruto jumped to his feet, ignoring the protest from every muscle in his body. He tried to raise his hand; a weak swirl of chakra sparked in his palm and died out with a pathetic fizzle.
"But, Granny Tsunade, I've almost got it! I swear. It feels different this time. Just give me a couple more hours and…"
"And you'll pass out right here," Sakura cut in, giving him a look that was half warning, half exhaustion. "Don't be an idiot. You can barely stay sitting up."
"Shut up and listen, brat," Tsunade finished, her sharp tone leaving no room for argument. "You've been going nonstop for five days. You've compressed months of training into a single week. Determination is admirable, stupidity is not. If you don't stop right now, all this training will most likely be for nothing."
Her gaze swept over them one by one, lingering on the details they had ignored themselves. The fine tremor in Sakura's arms. The deep purple circles under Karin's eyes. Naruto's raw, bleeding knuckles. The way Hinata swayed, almost imperceptibly, on her feet.
"Right now, you aren't combat ready ninja; you're bodies on the verge of collapse. If you continue with this foolishness, you'll be injured by tomorrow. And an injured ninja is a dead ninja, especially in the situation we're in."
She let her words sink in. Naruto looked down, ashamed. Sakura rubbed her arms as if she suddenly felt cold. Karin let out a long sigh, a mixture of fatigue and relief.
"Today's training will be different," Tsunade continued. "In fact, you're not going to train today. You're not going to plan strategies. You're not going to think about tomorrow's mission."
The group exchanged confused glances. The silence stretched on, thick with uncertainty.
"So what do we do?" Sakura finally asked. "Sit around and watch the clouds?"
A half smile, barely perceptible, formed on Tsunade's lips.
"Something like that. You're going to the hot springs. Hot water, relaxed muscles, clear head. Shizune has already reserved a private bath for all of you."
The confusion on their faces deepened.
"Private?" Naruto repeated, not understanding.
"Private," Tsunade confirmed, "means it's just for you."
The impact of that last phrase was visible. Naruto's jaw dropped. Hinata quickly lowered her head. Sakura blinked, processing the information.
"A mixed… bath?" Naruto stammered. "Together… all of us together?"
Karin, ever suspicious, narrowed her eyes.
"Is this some kind of weird psychological test?"
"It's an order," Tsunade said, her tone shifting back to that of an expert ninja. "There are clear rules: mutual respect, no roughhousing that could cause injuries, and towels are to be kept at hand at all times. Shizune has already placed screens at the entrances and closed the shift to the public. No one can enter without my express permission. Now, get out of here and enjoy the bath."
The order, so unexpected, hit their accumulated exhaustion hard. The idea of a day off, of truly relaxing, was so foreign it took them a second to process. But it sounded incredibly good.
An hour later, the air was thick with steam. The private bath was a large, serene space surrounded by smooth, rounded rocks, with a small waterfall trickling softly at one end. On a wooden shelf sat a stack of clean, white towels. At the entrance, a discreet sign confirmed the area was reserved. Shizune had left nothing to chance: there were screens blocking the adjacent hallways and a canvas bag containing bottles of cold water, tea, and a first aid kit that, for the first time in a long while, no one felt the need to use.
In the men's changing room, Naruto stood for a moment facing the wall, a towel draped over his head.
"This is really happening…" he muttered to himself, swallowing hard. "A mixed bath. Reserved by Granny Tsunade. Mixed." He scratched the back of his neck, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks. "Okay. Okay. Rules. Respect. No stupid staring. That's easy. I can do it. Don't look. Don't look."
Sakura walked past him, already wrapped in her towel, and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Relax a little, will you? It's a private bath. Just act normal."
"Yeah, yeah. Normal," he repeated, sounding anything but.
Ino appeared from the women's changing room door, her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun. She had been invited by Sakura, since she sometimes trained with her and shared her exhaustion.
"What's wrong, Naruto? Got stage fright?"
"No!" he answered, too quickly. "Not at all! I was just… thinking about the water temperature. Yeah, that."
Hinata entered right after, silent, giving a slight nod as a greeting. She moved with her usual discretion, though as she passed near Naruto, her face turned red and she clutched her yukata. A few seconds later, Karin appeared. She held onto her yukata tightly, keeping her gaze fixed on the floor, clearly uncomfortable.
Naruto took a deep breath, adjusted the towel on his forehead like a headband, and with a war cry, jumped into the water.
"Aaaah!! It's burning hot… but it's awesome!"
He sank up to his neck, and the intense heat of the water instantly relaxed the tension in his face. For the first time in days, his mind stopped racing about the next punch, the next jutsu.
Sakura and Ino got in more carefully, sliding into the water slowly. They both sighed in unison as the heat enveloped them.
"I think I just felt my muscles officially surrender," Sakura said, resting the back of her neck on the smooth surface of a rock.
"Mine too," Ino agreed, adjusting her makeshift bun so it wouldn't get wet. "My dad made us repeat the Mind Transfer until we almost forgot our own names. Yesterday I tried to control one of the Aburame's insects and the backlash left me with a throbbing pain in my forehead."
She turned to Sakura, her expression a mix of their old rivalry and a newfound respect.
"Is it true what they say? That Lady Tsunade is teaching you directly?"
"Well, something like that," Sakura admitted, the fatigue still evident in her voice, but with a spark of pride in her eyes. "She's teaching me fine chakra control. Applying it to water, to skin, to the fish…" She made a frustrated face. "It sounds easy when she explains it. But it's not easy at all."
"Well, at least you're doing something useful and new," Ino replied, splashing her feet gently. "I feel like I'm just doing the same thing over and over. I guess repetition is part of the gig for a ninja."
"No one can do what you do," Sakura answered, with a sincerity that surprised Ino herself. "The Yamanaka clan's techniques are unique and amazing."
Ino blinked, taken aback by the frankness and lack of competitiveness in Sakura's comment.
"Thanks, Forehead."
Meanwhile, in a quieter part of the bath, Hinata was helping Karin get into the water. Karin moved with a painful stiffness, holding her yukata tightly until the last second. She submerged herself quickly, an instinctive move to hide her arms and shoulders. The bite marks she always tried to conceal seemed more visible in the soft evening light filtering into the enclosure.
Hinata said nothing at first. She simply sat beside her, letting the sound of the waterfall fill the silence.
"The water is a good temperature," she finally whispered, her voice barely audible over the murmur of the water.
"Y-yeah," Karin answered, still tense, her shoulders hunched.
Hinata waited a moment longer, giving her space.
"Your marks…" she began delicately.
Karin tensed up immediately.
"They look like the hands of the Hyūga clan elders," Hinata continued, in the same soft, calm tone. "After years and years of practicing the Gentle Fist. The skin holds the memory of every impact. It's not pretty to look at, but it's the mark of hard work. It's proof of perseverance."
Karin looked at her, completely bewildered.
"They're not shameful," Hinata said, looking her directly in the eye with calm. "They're proof that you survived. Proof that you got up again and again after being knocked down. That's a kind of strength, too. That counts, too."
Karin swallowed, feeling a lump in her throat that had nothing to do with tension. She couldn't think of a reply. She simply nodded, once. And for the first time in a long time, she relaxed her shoulders enough to take a deep breath.
On the other side of the bath, the peace didn't last long.
"Hey, Naruto, will you stop splashing!" Ino protested, covering her face with her hands.
"I'm not splashing!" he replied with a mischievous grin. "I'm practicing a secret jutsu! It's called the Uzumaki Typhoon!"
He thrashed his arms under the water, creating a sizable wave that hit Ino square in the face and, as a rebound, soaked Sakura.
"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, halfway between laughing and being angry. "Your secret jutsu is about to meet my 'Sink You to the Bottom with a Single Punch' jutsu!"
"You can't hit me in here! Granny Tsunade said this is a peace zone!" he backed away, laughing loudly.
"Forehead, attack from the flank!" Ino shouted, striking a ridiculous combat pose. "I'll distract him with my beauty!"
"Got it!" Sakura replied, advancing with a determined smile.
And so the war began. Water flew in every direction. Shouts and laughter filled the enclosure, mixing with the sound of splashing.
On the edge, sitting with their feet in the water, Tsunade and Shizune watched the scene. Shizune had her towel carefully adjusted and the first aid kit within reach, just in case. Tsunade held a small bottle of sake, and Shizune was in charge of refilling her cup whenever it emptied.
"They seem like just kids," Shizune said, with a melancholy smile.
"They are," Tsunade replied, taking a slow sip of sake. Her eyes, usually so hard, had softened. "And that's exactly why they needed this. Today, they need to relax."
Naruto, trying to escape the combined offensive of Sakura and Ino, hid behind a large rock, with only his eyes peeking above the surface. He saw Shizune and waved at her.
"Shizune-neesan! Come to the shelter! I need medical backup!"
"N-no, I'm fine here," Shizune said hurriedly, visibly nervous. "Besides, I have to make sure everything is in order and…"
Just then, a rogue wave from one of Ino's splashes soaked her up to her chin. She froze, her eyes wide with surprise. Ino and Sakura turned, an "I didn't mean to" expression on their faces. Naruto, putting on the most serious face he could manage, raised an index finger in the air.
"The healthcare alliance has been activated. According to rule 14 of the hot springs user manual: if Shizune-neesan gets wet, she must enter the battlefield to ensure strategic balance. I don't make the rules."
Shizune opened her mouth to protest but couldn't find the words. Tsunade raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by the situation.
"It's pure science," Naruto added, nodding his head. "A medical team is needed inside the combat zone to assess splash damage."
Shizune pressed her lips together, resigned. She looked to Tsunade for help, but she simply shrugged, giving her tacit permission to join in.
"Just a minute," Shizune capitulated, blushing. "Just one minute."
She moved to the edge and carefully entered the water. Naruto, with exaggerated solemnity, offered her a small shield: the wooden lid of a bucket that had been floating nearby.
"For your defense."
Shizune, not quite sure why, accepted the ridiculous shield. Ino smirked, and Sakura couldn't hold back a giggle. Hinata watched the scene with an amused sparkle in her eyes. Even Karin, from her corner, had to hide a small smile.
Naruto raised his hand and brought it down sharply, as if giving a starting signal.
"Let Operation Controlled Splash begin!"
Shizune sent a minimal splash toward Ino, almost as if she were signing a receipt. Ino responded with an equally small splash. Sakura followed suit, gently tossing a little water. Naruto, to "balance the forces," made a huge move but miscalculated, and the wave missed everyone. They all burst out laughing. Shizune tried to retreat discreetly, but Naruto, with no malice, included her in the next round, constantly switching targets so no one was left out. After the third or fourth exchange, Shizune was laughing, unable to help herself.
"This is completely ridiculous," she said, wiping water from her face. "But… I guess it's okay."
"Signed and approved by the doctor," Naruto announced, visibly pleased with his plan.
Little by little, the chaos subsided on its own. Naruto sank back up to his neck and let out a long sigh, releasing the last bit of tension. His shoulders felt lighter than ever.
"Now this is the life," he said with genuine sincerity.
"We really needed this," Hinata agreed in a soft voice.
Naruto looked at all of them, one by one.
"Even if it's a little weird being all together like this… I'm glad it's with you guys."
Sakura turned her head to look at him. She didn't quite smile, but the softness in her expression said it all.
"Don't ruin it by getting sentimental."
"I'll try," he laughed.
The sunset began to paint the sky in shades of orange and violet. Later, dry and dressed in clean yukatas, they sat on the wooden porch overlooking the garden. A cool breeze drifted down the hallway. The silence that settled between them was no longer awkward, but calm and shared.
Sakura and Ino spoke in low voices, holding steaming cups of tea.
"I still don't get how to maintain the mental connection if the target is moving at high speed," Ino admitted, frowning. "My dad keeps saying it's ‘instinct,’ but that doesn't help me as an instruction."
"Maybe you don't need a continuous connection," Sakura reasoned thoughtfully. "You could try short pulses. Establish the connection, get the information, release it, and recalculate the position. You'd use a lot less chakra."
Ino looked at her, genuinely surprised.
"You think that would work?"
"I don't know for sure," Sakura replied. "But from a medical standpoint, maintaining a continuous external flow of chakra is exhausting for the system. Pulsing it might lighten that load and give you more stamina."
Hinata and Karin listened from a short distance away. Karin, noticeably more relaxed than before, dared to speak without tightness in her throat.
"Hinata-san… The scars on the hands of your clan members… do they hurt a lot?"
Hinata turned to her, a little surprised by the direct question.
"At first, yes. They hurt a lot. Then the skin toughens, the bones get used to it. Over time, they become a part of you."
Karin looked down at her own arms. She nodded slowly, processing the answer.
Naruto was sitting a little apart, his legs dangling off the edge of the porch, his gaze lost in the darkening sky. A tough idea that Tsunade had thrown at him during training the day before was turning over in his head: the need to be harder, more ruthless when the situation required it. He didn't say the words out loud, but they were there, weighing on his mind.
Sakura got up and sat next to him, offering him her own cup of tea.
"You're too quiet. Did the hot water finally tame you?"
"Just thinking," he said, accepting the cup. "About all this."
"Me too," she replied, looking toward the horizon. "For the first time in a long time, I feel like I've rested."
"That's exactly it," Naruto nodded, with an unusual seriousness. "Protecting all of this."
Hinata settled quietly on Naruto's other side.
"We're ready," she said with a calm that seemed capable of supporting them all. "We've trained well."
Naruto looked at them both. He thought of Sakura, who was becoming the pillar of their team without even realizing it. Of Hinata, whose quietness gave them a silent strength. He thought of Ino, discussing tactics with Sakura with a naturalness that didn't exist before. Of Karin, who was learning to live and not just survive. He thought of Tsunade and Shizune, who pushed them to their limits but also knew exactly when they needed to stop.
They stayed like that for a while longer, in silence, with the warmth of the tea cups in their hands as night finished falling. Inside, the steam from the hot spring still clung to the rocks, holding the memory of their laughter.
Comments
travis btmb
Tftc
