Tsunade Can Hear My Inner Voice

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Tenten-sensei

"This is completely normal!"

Tenten declared proudly.

"The one who’s mastered Leaf-style taijutsu best is my teacher, Maito Gai. He’s Konoha’s only taijutsu-focused jōnin, and his strength is considered the greatest in Konoha by Hikari-senpai. But don’t go spreading that around, or people might laugh."

"The taijutsu adapted by Hikari-senpai is based on utilizing chakra’s unique properties to develop body protection and enhance the power of physical attacks."

"Right now, I’m going to teach you the first stage of training—stimulating your body’s instinctive self-defense response, and using that to improve your chakra control."

Shikamaru obediently raised his hand and, after receiving Tenten’s permission, spoke up.

"So, how exactly do we train?"

"Simple—horse stance and punching. Follow me!"

Rather than explaining directly, Tenten decided to demonstrate through action.

Finding a thick tree, she unsealed a storage scroll.

"Release!"

With a puff, a stack of paper about a meter thick and a large bundle of rope appeared on the ground.

"Now, divide this stack of paper into three equal parts and tie them to the tree with the rope. As for the height, just follow my lead."

Tenten assumed a horse stance.

Shikamaru and the others mimicked her.

"Shikamaru, Chōji, spread your legs a bit wider. Ino, you can match my stance—girls and boys train differently."

"Remember this posture. Once you’ve adjusted the height, wrap the paper stacks around the tree and tie it securely. Then, start punching it. Once you can protect your fists with chakra, you’ll move on to the next stage of training."

"Good luck!"

After giving her instructions, Tenten ran off to join Kamizuki Hikari, who was lounging under another tree, leaving the three kids in silence.

Eventually, Shikamaru broke the silence.

"Let’s get started."

They divided the papers into three stacks and tied them to the trees with rope.

"Let’s do this!"

Though the training seemed a bit simplistic, Shikamaru decided to give it a try.

Assuming the horse stance, he measured the distance with his hand and threw a punch.

The soft paper absorbed most of the impact, minimizing damage to his fist. Sensing this, Shikamaru punched harder the second time.

Chōji and Ino each took a side, settling into their stances before starting their punches.

Within five minutes, Shikamaru’s legs began to tingle, and fatigue set in, tempting him to quit.

’So this stance increases stamina consumption?’

Realizing the purpose of the horse stance, Shikamaru mentally patted himself on the back for his sharp mind.

He punched even harder, until the skin around his knuckles ached. His body’s self-preservation instincts urged him to stop.

But he didn’t.

Shinobi training was grueling—those who couldn’t endure had long been weeded out.

Despite his lazy demeanor, Shikamaru had never slacked on basic training.

Seeing Ino still persisting beside him, he refused to give up.

None of the three spoke up. The healthy competition among them kept their fists moving steadily.

Chōji was the most relentless—his punches were the fastest, and his injuries the worst.

Blood seeped from the cuts on his fists, staining the paper crimson.

"Hikari-senpai, who do you think will master the first stage first?" Tenten sat beside Kamizuki Hikari, making small talk.

Hikari was leaning against the tree, contemplating his past and future. (In reality, he was napping.)

Awakened by Tenten’s voice, he glanced at the three trainees and answered, "Chōji."

"Why? I thought you’d say Shikamaru!" Tenten was curious.

"Shikamaru is too smart. There’s a saying—’going too far is as bad as not going far enough’. Someone clever like him would try to find shortcuts for the first step. But the foundation of chakra defense relies on sheer effort. As for Ino, she lacks that competitive drive—she’ll only push herself once Chōji surpasses her."

Compared to Team Gai’s members, these three lived in luxury.

As the heirs of the Ino-Shika-Chō clans, they had received top-tier education and resources since childhood.

But precisely because of that, they lacked the burning desire for strength. Their training was perfunctory, never pushing beyond the bare minimum.

In contrast, Hikari admired Team Gai’s members the most.

Rock Lee had been deemed talentless from the start—without Gai’s guidance, he wouldn’t have even passed the Academy. Neji, raised in the Hyūga branch family as Hinata’s attendant, had developed an intense drive for strength, mastering both Rotation and Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms on his own.

As for Tenten—surrounded by such driven teammates, she had no choice but to keep up.

"Then I’ll bet on Shikamaru and Ino. If either of them wins, you owe me a favor, Hikari-senpai!"

"Seriously? You’re picking two people?" Hikari looked at her, speechless. He hadn’t expected Tenten to pull such a trick.

"Well, since you already chose Chōji, I’m stuck with the other two. So, wanna bet?" Tenten grinned like a fox that had just stolen a treat.

"Gambling is bad." Hikari said sternly.

Tenten wrinkled her nose. "Scared, Hikari-senpai? It’s fine to admit it."

"Fine, a bet’s a bet. One favor? I can handle it!"

"Heh, it’s a deal!"

Satisfied, Tenten ran back to the Ino-Shika-Chō trio.

Seeing the state of their paper stacks, she fell silent.

Shikamaru and Ino’s stacks were similar, but Chōji’s was punched through a dozen sheets, his knuckles cracked and bleeding.

Chōji’s determination reminded Tenten of Lee.

Back then, Lee had trained just as relentlessly, breaking bones and accumulating countless injuries.

If she gave Shikamaru and Ino any tips now, it would be unfair to Chōji.

"Keep it up!" After saying this, Tenten returned to Hikari’s side and sat down wordlessly, feeling a mix of admiration and disappointment.

"Good thing you didn’t say anything. Otherwise, the first test would’ve been ruined."

Tenten opened her mouth but slumped. "I lost. Chōji is doing the best."

"Winning or losing isn’t the point. If you had given them tips, that would’ve disappointed me. These three have grown up in comfort, never truly tested. That’s bad for them. The first stage might seem like it has shortcuts, but why do you think I made you train the hard way back then? Did you think I just wanted to torture you?"

Tenten frowned suspiciously. "Didn’t you?"

*Thwack!*

A fist lightly bonked her on the head.

"Of course not! Only those who endure pain and overcome its fear can become strong. I don’t want to raise three weaklings."

"Since I’ve been so understanding, can we forget about the bet?"

"Keep dreaming. You started this bet—I’m not letting you off that easy!"

"Hmph, you just like bullying me."

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