Konoha Village
Sakura had spent the entire night at the training grounds, but no matter what method she tried, she couldn't merge the released lightning and water-natured chakra. She couldn't help but feel a little discouraged.
There must be something I'm not understanding. With a weary body, Sakura walked home.
Reaching the building, she trudged up the stairs, step by weary step. She pushed open the door to her apartment, kicked off her shoes, revealing her delicate, pale feet, and slipped into fluffy pink slippers before heading towards her room.
Meanwhile, Mebuki Haruno was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Seeing Sakura walk in, yawning incessantly, she immediately scolded, "You finally know to come back! Where were you all night?"
"I was training... Yawn..." Sakura replied, sporting dark circles under her eyes and letting out another yawn.
"Don't you go. Come help me," Mebuki said, seeing Sakura about to push open her bedroom door.
"Mom, are you serious? I'm really sleepy right now," Sakura complained, even dropping her usual polite speech.
Mebuki glared. "A young lady with such poor manners. How will you ever get married?"
"Yes, Mother," Sakura said, instantly snapping to attention. To avoid her mother's nagging, Sakura obediently went to the kitchen to help.
Once in the kitchen, Mebuki tossed Sakura a blender. "Go wash the strawberries in the fridge, and then make four servings of strawberry milkshake."
"Yes," Sakura replied, opening the refrigerator and taking the strawberries to the sink to wash them.
"Mmm, so delicious." Sakura popped a washed strawberry into her mouth as she cleaned them.
"No sneaking!" Mebuki scolded upon seeing this.
"What's the big deal? It's not like one or two will make a difference," Sakura mumbled in dissatisfaction.
"If you're like this, how will you ever take care of a family? You're a girl... in the future..." Mebuki launched into another lecture.
Yawning, Sakura dumped the freshly washed strawberries and milk into the blender's pitcher. She pressed the start button and stared blankly as the strawberries and milk were crushed and mixed together.
"...I really shouldn't have sent you out... You came back with all these bad habits. How will you ever get married like this...?"
Mebuki continued to nag. It was probably a common trait of parents, always worrying about this and that once they had children, fearing that their child would stumble on the path of growth.
Sakura tilted her head, looking at her mother's caring yet nagging face in the early morning sunlight. A faint warmth spread through Sakura's heart.
With a slight smile, she poured the blended strawberry milkshake into four glasses. Picking up one, she took a sip.
Mmm, tastes good. The sweet and sour taste of the strawberries combined with the fragrant milk made for a perfect start to the day, opening up her appetite.
"Go wake up Karin," Mebuki instructed.
"Yes," Sakura replied reluctantly, putting down her glass and preparing to leave. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her.
She turned back to look at the blender, then at the strawberry milkshake in the glass. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed. The young woman suddenly felt like she had a preliminary idea for the problem she had been struggling with all night.
If the blender was the human body, the strawberries were lightning-natured chakra, and the milk was water-natured chakra, then when the two ingredients were mixed, you got strawberry milkshake.
If this idea was feasible, then the formation of Storm Release required mixing the nature transformations of two types of chakra within the body, and then releasing it. That would create Storm Release.
If that was the case, it would require even higher chakra control skills. Perhaps it would even necessitate using four different mental processes simultaneously: extracting chakra from the body, simulating the two chakra nature transformations within the chakra pathways, controlling the mixing of these two types of chakra to form a new chakra, and finally, releasing the new jutsu.
It seemed that bloodline limits weren't so easy to develop after all. She had originally thought that using two mental processes simultaneously would be enough, but if her theory was correct, it would require four.
No wonder so few ninjas in the ninja world could develop bloodline limits. Unless they were exceptionally talented, ordinary ninjas would be better off focusing on learning the five basic nature transformations, and perhaps developing a new nature at most.
Although it was difficult, it at least gave Sakura a direction, preventing her from training aimlessly.
Sakura really wanted to discuss this with the first person to combine a bloodline limit, to see if her idea was correct. But as far as Sakura knew, the first known bloodline limit user in the ninja world was the First Hokage.
However, it wasn't certain if the First Hokage was actually the first. Before the Warring States Period, it was unknown if there were other Wood Release users in the Senju clan. If there were, then the First Hokage wouldn't be the first.
Sakura had always felt that the Senju clan's bloodline limit was actually the Sage Body, not Wood Release. The Senju could also be said to have a bloodline limit based on their physical organs. By that logic, the First Hokage would be a dual-bloodline user.
But for some reason, none of the First Hokage's bloodlines were inherited by Tsunade. The Sage Body aside, if the First Hokage was the first to combine Wood Release, Tsunade, being only one generation removed, should logically have been able to use Wood Release.
Following this line of reasoning, it could only mean that before the First Hokage, in a much earlier era, there were other members of the Senju clan who could use Wood Release. The First Hokage was simply a case of atavism.
"What are you spacing out for...?" Mebuki's urging voice came from beside her.
Snapping back to reality, Sakura saw her mother's angry face. She rushed forward and hugged her mother tightly.
"Thank you, Mother..." After being forced to do chores by her mother, Sakura had inadvertently stumbled upon a path to combining a bloodline limit. She was instantly in a great mood.
Although the road ahead was difficult, it couldn't stop the young woman's current excitement. With a bloodline limit, the path to becoming a powerful ninja would be much smoother.
"Hehe, you child..." Mebuki enjoyed Sakura's affection with a sense of satisfaction. This was the first time in over ten years.
Unbeknownst to them, they were on completely different wavelengths.
"I'll go wake up Karin," Sakura said, bouncing out of the kitchen and pushing open the bedroom door.
"Karin, wake..." Sakura saw Karin lying face down at the desk, asleep. In a water basin on the desk, a fish was swimming happily.
This was the method Sakura had taught Karin to practice the Healing Jutsu. She hadn't expected Karin to be so diligent. Seeing the constantly swimming fish, Karin had probably succeeded.
Karin was slumped over the desk, a soft snore escaping her nostrils. Karin had probably also stayed up all night.
Sakura went over and patted Karin's shoulder, but Karin didn't wake up. Shaking her head, Sakura reached out and scooped Karin up in a princess carry.
She walked to the bed, put Karin down, took off her slippers, and moved Karin's small feet onto the bed.
"Hmm... Sleeping like this probably isn't comfortable," Sakura muttered, touching her chin and looking at Karin, who was still fully clothed. "Oh well, looks like I'm stuck with this chore."
She gently removed Karin's clothes and pants, revealing her pale skin. Seeing the already somewhat developed twin peaks on her chest, Sakura felt her face heat up slightly.
Hmm, I should have a little something by now too, she thought. Reaching out, she touched her own chest. Indeed, as she grew older, her chest was gradually becoming more prominent.
She had been so immersed in training that she hadn't paid much attention. Now, she suddenly realized that her body was slowly starting to develop.
Should she buy a bra, then? If her chest continued to grow, it would be very inconvenient for fighting.
"Sakura..."
Her mother's voice came from outside the door. Sakura gently closed the door and went out.
"Where's Karin?" Mebuki asked.
"Karin practiced too late last night. She's still sleeping," Sakura said, patting her flushed cheeks.
"Sigh... Alright, then we'll save some for her," Mebuki said helplessly. Mebuki understood the demands of the ninja profession well.
After eating, Sakura didn't go to train. She hadn't slept all night and was extremely tired. After eating, she felt even sleepier.
Tiptoeing, she opened the bedroom door, also took off her clothes, and, with a flushed face, lay down next to the sleeping Karin.
Although Sakura was now in a female body, she didn't feel any particular attraction towards males. This was probably due to the lingering memories of her previous life as a male. Or perhaps it was because she was still young, and her female hormones hadn't fully affected her yet.
She didn't know what the future held, and she didn't want to think about such distant matters. She would cherish the present. At this moment, Sakura rested her hand on Karin and drifted off to sleep.
________________
patreon.com/Shinobi_Scrolls