The sun hadn't even finished climbing over the Hokage Rock when I woke up. I didn't need a alarm. My body just felt... ready. It wasn't that I was overflowing with energy; it was more like my muscles had a higher "density" than they did yesterday. I felt heavier, more grounded.
I sat up, the thin cot groaning under my weight. My lungs felt clear, and I felt ready to tackle anything the day might throw at me.
"Leo? You're actually up and dressed?"
Sister Nanako stood in the doorway, a stack of threadbare towels in her arms. She looked surprised. The old Leo was usually a lazy boy... Kinda like me in the past, usually sleeping in instead of waking early.
"Big day," I said
"You're... you're really going through with this?" she asked, her voice softening. She walked over and straightened my collar. I could see the worry in her eyes.
In this village, the Academy was a factory for soldiers, and she knew it. For an orphan, it was a way to eat, but it was also a way to die.
"I have to," I replied. I didn't give her a heroic speech. I just looked her in the eye with a steady gaze that seemed to unsettle her. 'I can't let the chaos of this war and what will follow it consume me... I have to be strong enough to not be dictated by other people... Instead be the one to dictate the rules.
Breakfast was the usual—watery miso and a bowl of rice that was rather undercooked. I ate every grain, chewing slowly. I needed every calorie.I was a growing boy, and if I wanted to survive the training ahead, I needed to fuel this body
(At the Academy Ground )
The morning air was thick with the scent of pine and the nervous energy of hundreds of kids, but it felt heavy—stagnant. I stood in the middle of the Academy courtyard, my hands shoved deep into my pockets, watching the spectacle.
At the front, standing on a raised wooden stage, was Hiruzen Sarutobi. The Third Hokage. He looked exactly like the "kindly grandfather" from the anime, wearing those iconic robes and a smile that seemed to radiate warmth. However he also radiated strenght and authority.. This was him in his prime.
"The leaves of the forest dance," Hiruzen's voice boomed, carrying that practiced, melodic weight. "Where the leaves dance, the fire burns. The shadow of the fire shines upon the village, and once again, new leaves shall bud."
I felt a phantom itch behind my eyes. The Will of Fire. From the outside, it was a beautiful sentiment. But with my head full of meta-knowledge, it tasted like ash.
I looked at the six-year-olds around me, their eyes wide with awe, and then I thought about Hashirama Senju. The man had literally founded the hidden village system so children wouldn't have to die in trenches anymore. And here was his successor, standing on a podium, using poetry to prime the next batch of child soldiers for a war that was currently chewing through the village's ranks.
I thought about Danzo Shimura, probably lurking underground right now, plotting how to turn these "leaves" into disposable roots.
It was a sick joke.
"Propaganda at its finest," I thought, my jaw tightening. I wasn't some wide-eyed kid. I knew exactly what this village was—a military machine.
And right now, I was just a cog being polished.
"Sorry! Out of the way! Excuse me!"
A frantic voice cut through the Hokage's dramatic pause. A kid with orange goggles and a blue jacket came skidding through the crowd, tripping over his own feet and nearly head-butting a Hyuga kid. Uchiha Obito. He looked disheveled, his face flushed with shame as he tried to blend into the crowd while Hiruzen gave him a "disappointed but indulgent" look.
But the real disruption came a second later.
"EIGHTY-NINE! NINETY! NINETY-ONE!"
A thunderous shouting erupted from the back of the courtyard. The crowd parted like the Red Sea as two figures came barreling through on their hands. Might Duy and his son, Guy, were performing handstand laps around the entire perimeter of the Academy, their faces crimson and sweat pouring off them in sheets.
"Father! My youth is burning!" Guy roared, his voice cracking.
"That's it, Guy! Ignite your passion!" Duy yelled back, his mustache quivering with effort.
The pair finished their final lap right at the edge of the student ranks, flipping back onto their feet with a synchronized thumbs-up and the signature smile.
The other parents looked away in embarrassment, but I couldn't help but stare. These were the only two people in this entire village who weren't full of crap. They weren't fighting for any political agenda , they were just fighting to be better than they were yesterday.
"Enough talk," the proctor barked once Hiruzen stepped down. "Fitness evaluations begin now! If you drop, you're out!"
The tests were brutal. They started us with pushups, then sit-ups, then pull-ups until our muscles screamed.
I dropped into position, my teeth grit. My 1% Sync gave me a solid foundation—my bones felt denser, my grip firmer—but I wasn't a god. By the fiftieth pushup, my arms were shaking. By the seventieth, my chest felt like it was being crushed.
Beside me, Guy was a blur. He wasn't just doing the exercise; he was acing it. He was faster, stronger, and more conditioned than I was. Years of Duy's "special training" had turned his body into a weapon long before he ever touched a kunai.
"Ninety-eight! Ninety-nine! ONE HUNDRED!" Guy shouted, his eyes locking onto mine. He saw me struggling to push through my seventy-fifth rep. Instead of a smirk, he gave me a look of pure, unadulterated respect.
"You! Your form is lagging, but your eyes... they haven't given up!" Guy adjusted his position to match mine. "I, Might Guy, shall stay at your pace to ensure our youth does not flicker out!"
"Don't... patronize me... Bowl-cut," I wheezed, forcing my arms to lock out.
"It is not patronization! It is a challenge!" He slowed his rhythm, intentionally matching my agonizingly slow reps. It was infuriating, but it worked. I didn't want to be the guy who quit while the green jumpsuit kid was cheering him on.
Then came the run.
Fifteen laps around the track. Kakashi took off like a shot, his movements fluid and efficient—the product of Hatake genius. I settled into a middle-of-the-pack pace. My lungs were burning by lap four. By lap ten, my vision was starting to swim. I wasn't a machine; I was a six-year-old orphan who had spent most of his life eating thin soup.
Guy stayed right next to me the whole time. He was barely even breathing hard, but he kept talking.
"What's your name ?" Asked Guy
"Shimon.... Shimon Leo" huffing and puffing like I just ran a million miles, Sure felt like it.
"One more lap, Leo! Think of the sunset! Think of the victory!"
"Shut up... and run," I coughed.
I finished the final lap and collapsed onto the grass, my heart hammering so hard I could hear it in my ears. I was exhausted, filthy, and my legs felt like lead. But I had finished.
An hour later, we were gathered in the main hall. The head instructor stood on the stage, a scroll in his hand.
"This year's talent is... Decent," the instructor said, his eyes scanning the room. "The village needs warriors. The following students have been assigned to the Accelerated Track, Class 3-A."
"Hatake Kakashi."
"Uchiha Obito."
"Nohara Rin."
"Might Guy."
"Yuhi Kurenai."
I held my breath, my fingers digging into my palms.
"And Shimon Leo."
"Class starts in 2 days " he said
I let out a long, shaky exhale. I'd made it. I looked over and saw Guy pointing at me with a blindingly white grin. Kakashi was already heading towards his home, not spared a single glance back.
I stood up, wiping the dirt from my knees. I didn't have the fire yet. I didn't have the "Hysterical Strength." I was just a tired kid in a room full of monsters. But as I looked at the Hokage Rock through the window, I felt a cold, sharp resolve.
Hiruzen wanted leaves to burn for his fire. I was going to be the one who controlled the heat.
[Synchronization Progression: 1.3%]
Author's Note
Hope you liked the chapter if you did drop a review , throw some stones and leave some comments... And if you did not like do the same telling me why.