At 7:15, Sasuke was already running through his warm-up strikes when Tenten cleared some rocks with a leap and landed next to Sasuke.
"You're late, Tenten. You'll practice like Sasuke while sticking to the side of a rock. I'll tell you when to stop."
Kakashi called out from above, and Tenten got right to it, clearly used to physical conditioning thanks to Gai.
Sasuke continued for ten more minutes before he was led away by one of Kakashi's shadow clones, Kakashi dropping down and stopping Tenten after 10 minutes of continuous strikes and sticking herself to the side of the rock.
Sasuke kept practicing for ten more minutes until one of Kakashi's shadow clones waved him over to take a break.
Nearby, the real Kakashi dropped from a high ledge, landing next to Tenten to stop her drill. She had been performing continuous overhead slashes for twenty straight minutes, all while using chakra on her feet to stick sideways to the cliff face. Her movements were flagging, and Kakashi stepped in before her grip on the rock could slip.
"Sit."
Kakashi commanded, and Tenten sat immediately, needing no convincing.
Kakashi reached into his pouch, pulled out a book, and handed it to her.
"That's a fuinjutsu book with my own notes written in. When you're not busy on missions with your team, or here training, consider this your reading material. I will quiz you on certain seals at random. I won't punish you for not knowing a seal, but this will reinforce the knowledge you'll gain from reading. When you're confident with a seal, you'll create it under my watch and only my watch."
Kakashi emphasized 'only my watch,' making sure she understood his seriousness about the topic.
"Yes, Sensei."
Kakashi nodded in satisfaction before handing her a flash of water and continuing to talk.
"When you're too exhausted to swing, you'll read; when you get bored of reading, or the words seem to blur, you'll spar with either Sasuke or me in Kenjutsu."
Kakashi deliberately made it tough to see if she really wanted to improve, and he wasn't disappointed by the determination he saw.
"Good, read this; don't skim over anything. I don't care if you get past the first page; I just want you to familiarize yourself with everything that you do read."
Kakashi tapped the ground with his foot, an earth wall shading Tenten and allowing her a place to rest her back as she read.
By the time the sun started to set, Tenten felt like she was made of lead.
Kakashi hadn't been exaggerating when he said it would be tough. For hours, she had been trapped in an exhausting cycle. Whenever her arms grew too heavy to lift her sword for another set of repetitive kata, Kakashi would make her read and then quiz her on what she had read, correcting every theoretical error and sloppy slash alike.
Her muscles were screaming, and her brain felt entirely fried from absorbing pages of complex fuinjutsu.
A few feet away, Sasuke was wiping down his new chokutō with a clean cloth, his breathing heavy but steady. He looked tired, but his posture showed a level of conditioning that Tenten could only envy right now.
Kakashi's shadow clone popped into a cloud of smoke, leaving only the real Kakashi standing in front of her. He looked down at Tenten, his eyes taking in her trembling shoulders and sweat-soaked hair.
"That's enough for today," Kakashi said, his tone turning a bit gentler as he held out a hand, Tenten taking it and standing. "You didn't quit once. Go home, eat, and sleep. Same time tomorrow."
Tenten could barely find the breath to nod, turning before feeling something slip into her hand what looked like a ball of some kind, but it wasn't like a kid's play ball or anything; it looked made of herbs and some things she couldn't identify.
"What is this, Kakashi-sensei?"
"That is a medical bath ball that I've created recently. Sasuke has been using it for months now. For it to work, you must drop it in a full tub of hot water; the ball will dissolve and sink into your open pores, soothing your muscles, and even help expand your chakra pool very slightly."
Kakashi explained, watching Tenten's eyes shine despite her clear exhaustion.
"That's amazing. Have you released this? You'd make so much money from these."
Tenten held the ball up like Simba from The Lion King.
'That's the plan; I need money if I'm going to invent more impactful things after all.'
Kakashi thought before shaking his head.
"I'm planning on releasing them soon; consider these ones, and the others I give you to be a gift and free of charge as long as you're being trained by me."
Tenten nearly cried happy tears; the difference between Gai and Kakashi was like night and day. Gai was boisterous and loud, and never stopped creating a scene wherever he went; Kakashi appeared much colder on the outside, but he was nice, tough, but fair, and he didn't embarrass her by being a menace in public.
Kakashi sighed at the sight.
'Gai, you might have psychologically broken the poor girl.'
Kakashi thought as he shook his hands.
"Maa, calm down, It's just a gift, nothing serious."
Kakashi was going to have Tenten walk home as another form of training, but seeing her like this was too much, so he grabbed her shoulder and vanished, taking her home.
When Kakashi returned, he didn't see Sasuke there, spreading out his observation and feeling him walking slowly toward home.
'He must be thinking; he never walks that slow.'
Kakashi knew that Sasuke was thinking about the Breath of All Things, and he knew that it no doubt frustrated the boy that he didn't see any progress, but that frustration was the very reason Sasuke hadn't been able to grasp even a sliver of the Breath of All Things. If Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu was perfect for Sasuke, then the Breath of All Things was the direct opposite. Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu is a style based on speed and explosive movements, complementing Sasuke's style, even his chakra nature. But the Breath of All Things requires complete emotional neutrality and a clear spirit.
Kakashi knew this would be Sasuke's biggest hurdle; he also believed that Sasuke would be changed by it for the better once he achieved it. The spirit of one who lived for revenge doesn't calm to the point they can achieve this spiritual state overnight.
Kakashi disappeared in a flash, appeared in his home, and thought about tomorrow, planning to send shadow clones to watch over Sasuke and Tenten while he showed Tsunade the medical bath ball. Once he explained how it worked, it could be produced and sold, allowing the village to take a percentage and fund the other inventions he had already started on.
- Chapter End -
The big skip is almost here, everyone. The start of Shippuden! woop woop!