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A new year arrived, and with it, the first day of school.
After eating well in the last two months, he had visibly recovered and he grew a little. His continued training in meditation and chakra control within his body was still difficult but he was getting used to it. Persistence would pay off.
With a better body and sharper senses, he now spent at least an hour fishing in the river. He didn't catch fish every day, but he was slowly improving. He added a new food to his diet
The use of the Transformation Jutsu over these two months had really improved his control. It still hurt a lot, but he now took less than 12 minutes to cut all the seams. To make the constant purchase of large amounts of food more credible, he also impersonated other classmates, changing his jacket every time.
At least for now, no one had discovered what he was doing.
Thinking about it, a smile grew on his face. He hadn't known before how important eating well was; even his mood was better since then. That happiness dissolved as he remembered about his Jiji.
The fact that the suspicion in Jiji's eyes was still there every time he visited made things worse; he no longer felt like the Jiji he used to know, but a stranger.
In these two months, Jiji had only come to visit twice.
So, the only thing he could do was training.
Caught up in those feelings, he asked Ego why things had turned out that way.
"Ego, can you tell me why Jiji looks at me like that? Since my birthday, I've felt it. He feels conflicted about me."
[... He felt cautious about you, it was the same as the others. He felt fear.]
"Me? But I didn't remember doing anything wrong."
[You didn't do anything wrong, Naruto, but he did. He doesn't fear you; he fears the consequences of something he did.]
"...I don't understand." The child's voice was discouraged.
[It's fine. You don't need to understand that, as long as you know you are Naruto, that's enough. Be strong, Naruto.]
"Sure, I guess. Thank you, Ego. I didn't know what I would do without you." Naruto grinned.
Feeling better, he took his bag and went to school
When he arrived, there were already some kids in the classroom. It seemed that most of them had forgotten about the incident from the previous year. Going to his seat, he waited until Iruka showed up.
Seeing that everyone was paying attention, Iruka started the lesson.
"Morning, guys. This year, we'll finally begin physical conditioning. This will help you protect yourselves and increase the amount of chakra you have. Spiritual energy is difficult to increase for most people, but Stamina only requires persistent exercise.
We will continue with the Ethics lessons, and we've also added subjects like How to recognize the terrain and Basic use of ninja tools. The physical exercises will be three times per week, so remember to bring food and drinks from home."
After he said that, the classroom burst into conversation. Most of the kids were just finding out about his school program at that moment. Finally, something ninja-like: ninja tools.
Even if it was only for basic use, it was enough to excite the kids. Naruto was one of them, this would be the first time he could touch a Kunai.
"Calm down and follow me. Let's go to the field; I need to test your physical condition to program your training method."
Hearing that, the kids were disappointed. They wanted to practice with the tools but Iruka didn't hear their complaints.
A few minutes later, they arrived at a giant field. The racetrack looked as big as the school itself.
I will teach you something that will help you with this and in future races: stretching exercises.
Iruka demonstrated some stretching exercises for them.
"With this, you can run more and avoid most of the pain. You need to take care of your body, or no one will do it."
Naruto was watching the entire time. He found this boring, but if it was for training, he could only endure it.
Tomorrow he will begin his own training to improve his physical condition.
Sitting on the seat he had brought with him, Iruka spoke to the kids.
"Now, run until you fall exhausted. The lesson will end when all of you are on the ground."
The kids started running while they were complaining about the training.
The children from the Clans took the lead: Sasuke, Kiba, Choji, Hinata, and Shino. Following them were Ino, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Naruto. After these two months of eating well, his body had almost recovered, and he no longer felt exhausted after a short race.
The race continued and after less than 20 minutes some kids started to fall from exhaustion. At 35 minutes, only the clan kids remained. Except for Shikamaru, who, when he noticed the others had fallen from exhaustion, followed their example.
Iruka was taking notes every time a kid fell to the ground and told them to take a seat and rest while the others finished.
Naruto felt really amazed. He understood that people like Sasuke, Kiba, Choji and Shino were ahead of him. They were from renowned clans and had been strong since they were children.
But Hinata?
She was small and always stared at him with a lost gaze, as if she would fall unconscious at any second.
'Where does this girl get so much energy?
45 minutes since the race started.
The same kids remained at the front of the pack, and Naruto was running with them, but he felt his lungs burning. Everyone looked tired, and knowing he couldn't continue like this, he stopped and fell to the ground
Breathing heavily and sweating all over his body, he stayed on the ground until he heard someone fall from the front of the pack. It was Shino.
The rest of them fell on the ground within 15 minutes. After Shino came Hinata, then Sasuke. The first place was disputed between Kiba and Choji.
Both of their clans specialized in endurance: Kiba's for chasing the enemy with his dogs, and Choji's for using their skills to the fullest.
A few minutes later Kiba fell. running time: 1:04 minutes.
Choji seemed exhausted but he lasted longer: 1:17 minutes.
Seeing the winners of the race Naruto was deep in thought.
'This fat is sure to be good at running. No, I need to find my master and start doing exercise. Now I'm eating well so I can start.'
When everyone was sitting in a circle, Iruka clapped his hands.
"Well done, guys. Tomorrow I will give you an exercise program for each of you. Don't worry about me being partial; these programs were made by the Second Hokage. We have been using them since he founded the school."
It wasn't the first time the kids had doubts about that, so he explained that first.
"Go clean yourselves and rest for 30 minutes, after that we will start the next training."
After all the kids went to the bathroom, they returned to the classroom to eat. They felt hungry after that long race. No one expected Choji to be the first; Sasuke and Kiba were especially annoyed about that.
Naruto brought food to school as always, but he hadn't expected to run such a long race on the first day. After he ate everything, he was still hungry.
Burying his head into the desk, Naruto continued to wait.
He didn't know but Hinata was in the same situation. She needed a lot of food but she couldn't eat as she wanted because of her clan, and now running a long race made her feel so hungry.
The only one who seemed to be enjoying the situation was Choji, he always carried a large bag of chips.
The rest period passed and Iruka spoke once more.
"The next part will be ninja tool training. You will start with the first, but not the least important: the kunai. This year, you will fortify your hands and wrists to use it properly, although the process also involves the whole body.
If you don't train these parts, the next time you throw a weapon or an enemy hit you in close combat, you will most likely drop it.
In 8 months I will do a test.
Now, go to the gym."
Happy to be able to use a kunai, the kids followed him.
"I will give you an example, and you need to imitate me. If someone has a problem with this, raise your hand and I will help you."
Positioning himself in the center, Iruka started to show the kids the exercises.
He began doing exercises to increase the flexibility of the whole body, but he placed a special emphasis on the joints of the hands and the core.
Iruka continued to explain while he did the exercises.
"The first thing you need to do before using tools is to increase your flexibility. Your body cannot be rigid or you will hurt yourself when you are moving fast or using weapons. We will do this for 20-30 minutes every day for the next three months, or until you can go to the next step.
Perhaps some of you noticed that I did the exercises on the hands and core carefully."
No one expected that the tool they were learning today was flexibility, but they nodded in agreement.
Looking at the kids, a hint of pity appeared in his eyes, but the following words had to be said.
"Most of our ninja tools are used with our hands. If you can't grip them with strength, you will be more easily injured and could even die in a fight.
Death: they knew that the school would tell them about it at some point. But knowing it and quietly hearing it was different. The faces of some kids turned pale.
"I didn't want to tell you this. But this is what ninjas do. I hope you can prepare yourself enough to survive in any situation." He tried to comfort the kids but it didn't work.
The kids from the clans knew it, in their houses their parents had told them this before they entered the school. Being prepared before the others surely gave them an advantage but the nervousness couldn't be avoided.
Iruka spoke to them seriously.
"It's okay to be afraid, but don't let it consume you. The things I can do are to help you with your training. Do it, because your lives depend on it. Everything I will teach you over the next few years will be about surviving as a Ninja; becoming powerful is a separate matter.
The kids were still afraid but now they took it more seriously
"Haha, all of this is to make the next training easier so don't complain about that, guys. I hope all of you can live a long life.
Go, try to do the exercises. Also, you can ask for help from your friends."
The kids had already formed groups, and they started helping each other.
Naruto continued doing it alone until he heard soft footsteps behind him.
It was Hinata.
Naruto didn't know how to feel about her. He helped her once more than a year ago and that was all.
"Something's wrong, Hinata?
"Eh... you need help, Naruto-kun?" She said in a low voice.
'Why is she so shy?' Naruto felt confused but any help is welcome.
"Aha, could you help me then? I'll help you back if you need anything."
Hearing him accept, Hinata felt better and replied with a small smile.
"Mm okay."
The rest of the class only saw the interaction between these two in silence. The demon kid and the princess of the Hyūga clan; it was certainly weird.
One hour later everyone had learned the exercises.
"That's all for today. You could continue at home or just rest. See you tomorrow, guys." Leaving the gym, Iruka went to his office and the kids went to their houses.
The kids went together to their homes or took separate ways.
Naruto went with Hinata to the school exit.
Waving his hand, he said to her with a smile on his face.
"Thank you for today, Hinata! See you tomorrow!"
She replied in the same way but only gave a small wave.
"It's okay, thank you too, Naruto-kun."
'Heh, is she my first friend?' With that thought, he continued his way home. All that effort paid off.
When Naruto arrived at home, he went directly to the bathroom to take a shower. After doing that, he wanted to take a nap for almost 2 hours before he awoke.
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Rubbing his sleepy eyes he went to the bathroom to wash his face.
"Huff, much better. Let's continue with the training."
Sitting on the carpet cross-legged he started his meditation.
Feeling the amount of chakra he had on the space he felt glad, after these months of training it had increased almost 2.5 times. It was slow but before he could eat properly, the amount he gained at every session was less.
"Good! Tomorrow I will begin my exercise to see if I can meet my master. Well, at least that's what Ego said. I hope it didn't take long."
The day passed and it was time for dinner. Naruto meditated for another hour and a half and went to sleep.
The next day at 5 A.M he was in the river.
Although he could now meditate in such a state, the cold was still annoying. He always needed a while to get warm again, but not today.
When he ended his training, he got up and put on his clothes again.
"Hisss Let's do it!" With these words, he started to run through the streets where fewer people lived. At first the cold breeze of the morning made things worse, but after he ran for a few minutes his body got warm and he felt much more comfortable.
At school he continued with the stretch exercises with Hinata, running through the racetrack and learning theoretical lessons. And he added running in the afternoon and meditating at night.
This continued for two months and now his condition was one of the best in the class. At this point he was in equal conditions with Hinata, and Sasuke. Even if they also improved a lot in these two months. In two weeks or less they would reach Kiba and only the leader would remain: Choji.
Iruka told them that the next month they could start to learn how to use the tools properly and everyone felt motivated.
In the afternoon Naruto went near the river to continue with his training but today he saw an unknown person in the nearby field.
IIt was a person he had never seen in the village before, or at least, one he didn't remember. He continued running for a few seconds until a hint flashed in his mind.
Thinking about that, his thoughts returned to the book.
"Wait, bushy-brows? Isn't he my supposed master?" Going back to the same path, Naruto ran to the field, and he saw him again. A muscular man was sweating all over in the same spot, and with his strength, he made the ground sink.
Naruto kept his eyes on him, not knowing that the man was also seeing him.
Seeing that the kid wouldn't go, the man stood up and asked Naruto with a bright smile.
"Hey kid, do you need something from me? I saw you running these days and the thing you were doing in the river. It's interesting, keep up the hard work."
Naturo knew that someone was watching him; he could feel it, but no one approached to ask for anything, so he didn't pay attention to it.
"Hum, sir, what's your name?"
"Aha! You can call me Maito Gai! And what's your name, kid?" said the man forcefully.
"Ah, it's really him. He didn't look powerful, well, Jiji also didn't look like that but he was still the Hokage"
"I'm not 'kid', I'm Naruto. It's the first time I've seen you in the village. Did you come from outside?"
"From outside? No, I was on a mission. Sometimes I needed to travel far, and it took a while until I could return."
"Mm but I never saw you in this place.
"That's because I recently returned. Usually when I stay in the village I train here." Maito Gai grinned.
Clenching his fist, Naruto replied with a lively voice. "I see, just in the last two months I started started running. I wanted to grow strong and tall because Iruka-sensei told us to train if we wanted to survive later!"
He had a thoughtful look. "Then, that's why. If you continue coming down this path, you will find me in this field." But he said the next words with a strong voice.
"That's the spirit, Naruto! We need to get stronger, not only to survive. We need to do it to live!"
"To live? Isn't that the same? If we don't survive how could we live?" This time Naruto really felt confused.
"Aha, what's the fun in surviving? We need to strive for our goals! We need to live! Live the life we want! That's the path of the Youth!" The more Maito Gai spoke, the louder his voice became.
Offering his hand with a bright smile Maito Gai continued. "Now, young Naruto! You want to walk the path of youth with me?!"
'What is this dude talking about? But it sounds good, eh. Fine, what do I have to lose by trying? And he's the master Ego was searching for me.
"Sure! But how do I do that?"
"Hahaha! Just run with me and make your max effort on everything you do!" Saying that, he didn't wait for him and started running. He was confident the kid would follow him.
And he was right.
"Hey! wait!"
Naruto also starts running after him; with his short legs, he needed several steps to cover the same ground.
Even when he ran with all his might, he couldn't catch the man.
Almost 30 minutes had passed, and the only thing Naruto could feel was his chest burning. He thought that it would be easy because of the training he did before, but to reach the same speed as him he spent a lot more of his energy.
He wanted to follow him because the book told him that man would be his master; but his body couldn't keep up with his determination
"Huff...Huff.. damn it... why is he so fast..." breathing heavily, Naruto fell to the ground. They ran for almost an hour. It was the first time he had run at that speed, his body felt weak.
A sudden voice sounded from nowhere. "You lasted longer than I expected"
"¡AHHHHH! Where did you come from?!" Leaving the cozy ground, Naruto stood up and yelled to the bushy-eyebrowed man who appeared near him.
"Hahaha! I was waiting for you" Maito Gai said while his inner thoughts were quite different.
"What is with this kid? His body is crazy, it took me almost 4 months to reach the same condition"
"Don't do that next time, my small heart couldn't resist that." Putting his hand on his chest, Naruto said with apprehension.
"Hahaha! You're truly an amazing kid, Naruto. If you want to travel through the path of youth, you can come here in the morning and afternoons. I will wait for you!" Maito Gai invited him while they were walking to the start spot.
"Okay! Then see you tomorrow, sir!" Taking his exhausted body, Naruto went to his home.
The first step was done, he had met his future master. With that thought on his mind, he felt better.
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Naruto continued his training and now the school started teaching them the basics of ninja tools, but first they needed a better physique.
He has a better condition than the citizens, but he need to put more effort to reach the clan kids.
The first interaction with Hinata, I thought, wasn't that bad. Better to do it when they are only kids, and she had a reason. Everyone was doing the exercises with friends, but Naruto didn't.
They will be starting as friends and Hinata needed someone to help her. It seems that she had an inferiority complex for the situation with his cousin Neji and his father. What do you think about handling that issue?.
Naruto met Maito Gai again but this time he was in a better condition. His presentation showed how he amazed Naruto with his words.
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Thanks for reading!
Have a nice day.