Sharp Edge

Different but the Same

Shikamaru mentally groaned.

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Akane stared a tree up and down. It's high enough. She approved of the tree with a cheerful hum to herself.

So I concentrate on my feet. She crouched before the tree and closed her eyes eyes. She evened her breath. She chanted, "Inhale, Exhale," in her mind.

Imagine. She thought about the flowing of liquid inside her body, imagining that chakra is another flowing liquid.

To my feet. She tried to feel it. She tried to feel it going down, slowly coating her feet.

She opened her eyes. She stood up and walked to the tree. She raised her foot and stuck it to the tree. She tried to test how much it sticks. She felt it like a huge styrofoam that won't stick to a wall without any adhesives.

She remembered the scene of Naruto and Sasuke getting thrown off as they climbed the tree. Too much chakra repels it. She tried to make the coating to climb up. She tested it once again by putting it on and off.

It was okay. She tried to climb it by sticking her other foot out to the tree. Her hair fell behind her to the floor as she just stood there. Her body was perpendicular the tree. She walked up while still trying to keep her breathing even. She reached the top and sat on a branch. I think it's gonna be harder on me if I was running. Concentrating while maxing my stamina, hmm...

She heard rustling of bushes to her right and out came running a hyper-active blonde donning buckets of paint and a rope going round his waist.

She jumped down from the tree and snaked her arms round his waist. The blonde let out a yelp. With huge strides, she spun to the back of a tree while she moved one of her hands over his mouth.

A few minutes later a few people came bounding out the bushes right after. They stopped at the place where Akane and the blonde were previously at. One of them barked out orders.

"You go look there! You go to the east! I go forward! You go back! And you!" He paused as he pointed at the scrawny looking one of them. "Report this to Hokage-sama!" After that, they quickly started their search again for the blonde that Akane was hiding.

Akane let out a sigh of relief. Sh loosened her hold on him as he slipped out of her arms and spun around to look at her. He sighed in relief. "Oh, it's just you, Akane-chan."

That statement brought a frown to her face. "What do you mean just me, Naruto-kun? You make me feel degraded."

Naruto immediately panicked upon her words. "I-I didn't mean it like that or anything! I'm sorry!"

A smile graced her lips as she saw him panicking while flailing his hands about. She then chirped as she reached her hand out to pat his head, "You're forgiven."

He let out a sigh of relief as he leaned in to her touch more, feeling better.

The bushes rustled. Akane became alerted as her hand flew to her thigh holder and pulled out a short rope. She pulled Naruto's wrists behind his back with one hand. She swiftly and skillfully tied the blonde's wrists in a tight knot. She held it up as she looked at the new comer.

Their teacher, Iruka-sensei, came bounding out. She innocently smiled at her teacher as she held Naruto's tie up to him.

Naruto gasped and he pouted. "Akane-chan you traitor." He mumbled.

She looked back at Naruto with a childish smile. "Teehee~"

Iruka ruffled her hair. He then reached his hand out to take the rope. She held it back. He sent a questioning gaze to her.