Konoha: The Honored One

"Very good. Only good kids get candy," Gojo declared, his voice dripping with faux authority. He pulled a lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped it with a theatrical flourish, and popped it into his mouth.

Sakura blinked.

Wait a second.

Gojo-sensei just said only good kids get candy. Then he went and ate it himself?

Who exactly was he rewarding here?

"Anyway," Gojo continued, twirling the lollipop like some kind of sugary scepter, "you've now got two Chakra reserves. One is your own, and the other is stored in the seal." He waved a hand as if drawing an invisible diagram. "When your Chakra tops out, the extra will flow into the seal. Think of it like your personal backup battery."

Sakura nodded, feeling the faint trickle of energy pooling in the seal on her forehead. It was subtle, but the sensation was unmistakable.

"See? Simple, right?" Gojo asked, his tone as casual as if he were explaining how to boil water.

"Y-Yes, sensei!" Sakura stammered. She couldn't believe how easily Gojo had created this secondary Chakra reservoir for her. It was unreal.

Gojo gave her a knowing smile. "So, Sakura, what's next? Any burning questions for your genius sensei?"

Sakura hesitated, then clasped her hands in front of her. "What should I do now, sensei?"

Gojo stared at her for a moment, then sighed dramatically. "Wow, you flip sides faster than a page in a cheap novel."

Her face burned. Sure, she'd been skeptical earlier, but now she was fully onboard—especially after seeing his strength.

"Alright," Gojo said, tossing the lollipop stick into the grass. "Control your Chakra."

"Control Chakra?" Sakura repeated, tilting her head. "But we've already learned that, haven't we?"

"You think you've learned it," Gojo corrected, his tone dripping with amusement. He raised a single finger, wagging it like a parent scolding a naughty child. "But you haven't seen it my way yet. Watch."

He turned to the nearest tree, raised his finger, and flicked it.

BOOM!

The tree didn't just tremble—it exploded. Bark and branches shot into the air like shrapnel. The trunk itself was hurled backward, smashing into a cluster of other trees and toppling them like a stack of dominoes.

Class 7 stared in stunned silence.

Naruto was the first to recover. "H-How is that even possible?!" he yelled, practically choking on his words.

"Simple Chakra control," Gojo said with a shrug, brushing a stray leaf off his shoulder. "Easy, right?"

"Easy, my butt!" Naruto muttered, arms flailing in disbelief.

Sasuke, who had been leaning coolly against another tree, straightened up, his dark eyes narrowing. He said nothing, but the intensity in his gaze spoke volumes.

"Alright, Sakura," Gojo said, pointing to another tree. "Your turn. Punch through it."

Sakura swallowed hard, closing her eyes to focus. She channeled her Chakra into her fist, just as Tsunade had once demonstrated.

With a determined shout, she swung.

Thunk.

The tree barely shook. A few leaves drifted lazily to the ground.

"Eh?" Sakura looked at her fist in confusion. Then, the pain hit.

"It H-Hurts!" she cried, clutching her hand, which was now bent at an unnatural angle. Blood trickled from her knuckles, staining the ground.

Naruto winced. "Ouch. That's… rough."

Even Gojo looked momentarily stunned. "Wait, seriously? You broke your hand?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe this. I expected Naruto to mess up, but you, Sakura?"

"I-I thought I had enough Chakra!" Sakura sniffled, tears streaming down her face.

"Yeah, well, clearly you didn't." Gojo sighed, crouching down to inspect the damage. "You managed to break your own hand instead of the tree. That's… impressive, in a bad way."

Sakura sniffed again, looking up at him pitifully. "Gojo-sensei, can you heal me? Please?"

"Do it yourself," he said, standing up and dusting off his coat. "You've got Medical Ninjutsu now. Consider this an opportunity to practice."

With that, he turned on his heel and headed toward his tent.

"Sensei!" Sakura wailed.

"Anyway," he called over his shoulder, "work hard, kids. Self-reliance is key!"

Inside the tent, Gojo flopped onto his cot with a sigh. "They'll thank me later," he muttered, closing his eyes.

Two Days Later

The sun beat down mercilessly as Class 7 continued their training.

Naruto crouched on the ground, veins popping on his forehead as he formed seals over and over. "Why do I keep summoning these stupid cat toys?!" he yelled, glaring at the feathered teaser lying in the dirt.

Meanwhile, Sasuke sat cross-legged, his face a mask of concentration. Sparks danced around his hands as he worked on refining his Lightning Chakra.

Sakura, her left hand now fully healed, practiced her punches on yet another tree. Each strike was stronger than the last, though she winced with every hit.

At a Distant Casino

Far from the forest, the bustling sounds of a crowded casino filled the air. The room was alive with the clatter of dice and the shouts of gamblers placing their bets.

Tsunade sat at the center of it all, a stack of cash in front of her and a confident smirk on her face.

"Small. 200,000 ryo," she declared, slamming the money onto the table.

The crowd went silent.

"Isn't that… Tsunade?" someone whispered.

"The legendary gambler?"

"No, no," another corrected. "The legendary… Sucker!"

A wave of excited murmurs swept through the crowd. Everyone knew what that meant: Tsunade was here to lose money.

The casino owner rushed forward, practically tripping over himself in his eagerness. "Tsunade-sama! Always a pleasure to see you!"

With a confident grin, Tsunade waved her hand. "Bring it on. Today's the day I win big!"

The gamblers exchanged knowing looks. Sure it was.