At the Hokage's medical training room. The smell of antiseptic herbs, cooling salves, and sterilized equipment filled the air.
The room was quiet, except for the soft scribble of notes and the occasional hiss of chakra.
Karin sat on the left side of the room at a clean table, her hands hovering over a pale tomato as it sat cut in half on a tray. Tsunade stood behind her, with her arms folded, while Shizune handed over chakra diagrams for reference.
Sakura stood across the room, carefully channeling chakra into a sliced fish. It was the same exercise Tsunade had gone through as a student herself, reviving organic tissue slowly and evenly with precision chakra flow. Too much and it would rot. Too little and nothing would happen.
Naruto was in the corner of the room, watching the scene unfolding before him with a completely bewildered expression.
"They're healing tomatoes and sushi," he muttered. "This has to be some weird prank."
"They're training their chakra control," Kakashi said calmly beside him while reading a scroll. "Medical ninjutsu demands precision."
"I could just eat it and be done with it," Naruto said as he stared at Kakashi.
"That's why you're not in that class," Kakashi responded.
Karin frowned as a small stream of green chakra shimmered from her palm. "Okay… steady now. No more sizzling like earlier."
"Focus it in the center. Don't let it disperse." Tsunade's sharp eyes narrowed.
Karin gritted her teeth and narrowed her hands slightly. The chakra flickered, condensed, and for the first time, it shimmered with balance. The tomato twitched slightly, its inner tissues glowing.
"I did it?" she said, blinking.
"You closed part of the wound. Not perfect, but it's healing." Tsunade said as she leaned forward and inspected the fruit.
Karin blinked again. Then grinned. "Heh. That's kinda cool."
"Of course it is. You've got raw talent, you just lack control. You'll get there."
"Way to go, Tomato Healer!" Naruto gave her a thumbs-up from the corner.
Karin turned and snapped, "Call me that again and I'll shove this tomato down your throat!"
"Good. A little fire keeps the chakra sharp."Tsunade smirked.
Sakura, on the other hand, was dead silent, her green eyes narrowed, her lips pressed together in full concentration. Her green healing chakra gently seeped into the fish's torn side. Sweat rolled down her forehead.
Kakashi looked up and walked behind her quietly, watching with interest. "Her control's even better than it was this morning."
"She's a natural. It took me weeks to get to this level when I was her age." Tsunade joined him, nodding slowly.
Sakura took a shaky breath, and with a final push, the fish sealed shut, glowing softly before settling.
"I did it," she whispered. "I actually did it…"
There was a pause, and then-
Naruto leaped up and pointed at her "SHE DID IT! SHE ACTUALLY HEALED THE DEAD FISH!"
"It wasn't dead," Shizune muttered.
Sakura turned red but smiled broadly. "It worked. It really worked!"
Tsunade stepped beside her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well done. Now do it again ten more times."
"One success doesn't make a medic. It just means your real training starts now." Tsunade grinned.
"Goodbye, Sakura-chan. We barely knew you." Naruto gave her a pitying look.
"At least she didn't fry hers earlier." Karin laughed and went back to her tomato.
Naruto turned to Kakashi. "How do you stay calm while everyone around you is getting scary strong?"
"I'm used to it." Kakashi looked down at him.
"Hey, can't I try healing too?" Naruto raised a hand.
Kakashi tilted his head. "You'd probably cauterize the fish with too much chakra."
Suddenly, a loud bark echoed down the hallway and a small blur raced into the room.
"Pakkun?" Kakashi blinked as the little pug leaped up onto the table beside the tomato tray. He had summoned them earlier as he had completely forgotten about these pups.
Fortunately, they didn't mind the Snake summoning contract as he knew some animals couldn't tolerate each other at all.
"Smells like burnt tomato and fish," Pakkun said as he sniffed the air, tail flicking.
"Training exercise," Kakashi explained.
"Hey! You didn't say you summoned him! I wanna pet!" Naruto rushed forward.
Pakkun side-eyed him. "I'm not a pet."
"That's a talking dog?" Karin blinked.
"Wait, you didn't know?" Sakura turned.
"I live with Kakashi-sensei, not his pet zoo."
"Excuse you," Pakkun muttered. "I'm family."
Tsunade sighed but smiled faintly. "Alright, enough distractions. Karin, next up is live tissue response. I want you to heal this cut," she said, pulling out a sterile training dummy with chakra-simulated flesh. "It'll react if you do it wrong."
"Let's go." Karin walked over and cracked her knuckles.
"So I'm just going to keep healing fish?" Sakura stared at her empty tray.
"That's the plan." Shizune set down a second tray.
"You're gonna smell like sushi forever…" Naruto whispered behind her.
Sakura gave him a death glare, which Naruto cowardly shrank his neck.
Kakashi clapped his hands. "Well, seems training is under control. I'll check on dinner prep."
"Already?" Naruto perked up. "Is Kurenai making that spicy miso fish again?"
"And dumplings." Kakashi nodded.
"Tempting." Tsunade raised a brow.
"Thought I'd let them work while we get ready. Training continues tomorrow morning."
Sakura and Karin both groaned, already sensing the long road ahead.
As Kakashi and Naruto turned to leave, Karin looked over her shoulder and called, "Hey, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Thanks. For, you know… all this."
"You're welcome." He smiled gently.