"HUUUU!!!"
"Concentrate. Handle all the discomfort with a strong mind!"
"HAAAA!!!"
"Remember, stay on your postures. This will help you change your habits!"
"HUUU!!!"
"Great, keep it up!"
The conditioning session eventually began.
Presently, Yoichi was instructing the people from the Uchiha and Senju clans in a wide training ground. The air was thick with the scent of sweat and the heavy heat of hundreds of bodies moving in unison.
Their bodies are stiff, locked into old ways of moving. I have to break them before I can build them.
Though both sides still held some prejudice because of their historical conflicts, the leaders had ultimately approved this venture. They knew that survival in the coming years required more than just old grudges.
Exchanging pleasantries, graceful courtesy, and unspoken authority were shown once Mito Uzumaki and Kohaku Uchiha met. It was a nice display of civilized agreement between the two.
As expected of the two prominent clans that had dominated the Shinobi world for centuries, they chose to lead with poise rather than steel.
The training ground was a sea of blue and white, colors that once clashed on battlefields now standing side-by-side in deep horse stances.
Every muscle trembled under the strain of Yoichi's "Martial Path," but no one dared to drop their guard.
"Again!" Yoichi's voice boomed across the field.
"Yo! It seems that you have a knack for being an instructor."
Jiraiya stepped into the training ground with a wide smile. Beside him, Orochimaru and Tsunade walked with measured steps. The three of them scanned the field, their eyes moving over the rows of sweating Uchiha and Senju members.
They nodded in silent understanding.
Each of them remembered their own struggles when first walking this Martial Arts Path.
Tsunade crossed her arms, her gaze lingering on the Senju side. She felt a strange sense of relief seeing her kin actually working alongside their old rivals.
"They look like they are about to snap," she noted, though there was a hint of pride in her voice.
Orochimaru's golden eyes were fixed on the flow of movement. He watched the Uchiha and Senju standing side-by-side, their old hatred suppressed by the sheer physical demand of the training.
"It is a fascinating sight, Yoichi," Orochimaru said softly. "To see such raw discipline without having any scruples from both sides."
Yoichi didn't stop his pace. He adjusted the posture of a nearby student before acknowledging his teammates.
"Pain is a great equalizer," Yoichi replied.
"They don't have the energy to hate each other when their bodies are screaming."
The presence of the three added a new layer of pressure to the field. The clan members straightened their backs even further.
Nobody wanted to look weak in front of the village's top talents.
"So, what did the three of you plan by being here?" Yoichi asked, glancing at them.
In his mind, his friends were always busy with their own missions and habits.
This kind of visit felt unusual.
"What do you mean by that?" Tsunade replied.
She moved in close, sliding her arm through his and pulling him toward her. "We're here to help you, you know!"
Jiraiya felt a wave of jealousy as he watched them.
The way Tsunade's curves pressed against Yoichi's arm made the nature of their relationship obvious.
She held him with a comfort that only lovers shared.
At sixteen, their physical changes were prominent.
Yoichi's muscular, tanned skin and the scars on his body gave him a rugged charm.
His clothes were still messy, consisting of a white coat and baggy pants.
Jiraiya looked at Tsunade and wondered what she had eaten to transform into such a beautiful woman. She had grown into a striking figure, carrying herself with both strength and grace.
He really is the lucky one, Jiraiya thought with a sigh.
Orochimaru watched the Uchiha and Senju warriors standing together. His golden eyes tracked their heavy breathing and shaking limbs.
"Tsunade is right," Orochimaru said smoothly.
"The scale of this training is too large for one person. If you intend to train both clans simultaneously, you will need supervisors who understand the strain."
He's not just here to help; he wants to see how the basic techniques affect the different bloodlines.
Yoichi felt the warmth of Tsunade's hold.
He didn't pull away, instead turning his attention back to the rows of struggling shinobi.
"Fine," Yoichi said. "If you're here to help, pick a row. They need to see that the basics are what keep a ninja alive."
Soon enough, the three displayed their skillsets in front of the shinobi. They moved with a fluid power that made the basic postures look like deadly weapons.
"Wow! That looks so powerful!"
"It's truly a sight to behold! We can achieve power like this? I can't wait!"
"Heh! As if you can do that, Senju brat!"
The Uchiha and Senju shinobi seemed to be injected with adrenaline. Motivated by the exhibition, their determination became fiery.
Rowdy cries resounded across the field as they pushed through the pain.
In contrast, Yoichi watched them with a smile until the memory of Amegakure resurfaced.
The images of rain and ruin flashed in his mind, dampening his mood.
I wonder what they are doing now...
"Maybe it's time for me to face them," Yoichi muttered under his breath. "I can't keep running while Genji and the rest are suffering in that hellhole."
At this point, Yoichi realized he had almost forgotten them.
There were no excuses, only admittance.
With the prestige and the comfortable life he now had in Konoha, he had truly let the thoughts of his childhood companions slip away.
I've built a paradise here, but I left them in the mud.
The guilt was a cold weight in his chest.
He looked at the powerful warriors before him, then at his own scarred hands. The path of Martial Arts was about more than just Konoha's strength, it was about protecting those who couldn't protect themselves.
Once the three finished their powerful exhibition, Tsunade promptly noticed Yoichi's absent-minded expression.
The fire in the students' eyes didn't seem to reflect in his.
"What's wrong?" Tsunade asked, furrowing her brows. She stayed close, her eyes searching his face for a sign of trouble.
Yoichi took a deep breath and looked toward the horizon. "It was like this..."
He explained his plan to leave for a while to find his friends from the rain-soaked lands. In his mind, as long as there was still time, he had to try and bring them out of the darkness.
Even with the "butterfly effect" changing the timeline, Yoichi felt that there was still a window to visit them before the world went up in flames.
Hiruzen couldn't implement the Martial Arts system immediately anyway. It would take weeks to print manuals and train the Academy teachers.
This gap was his only chance.
"You're going back to Ame," Tsunade stated, her voice dropping. She didn't ask; she knew his heart.
"I have to," Yoichi replied. "I've been a shinobi of the Leaf for a while, but I was a child of the rain first. I owe them that much."
Jiraiya and Orochimaru walked over, catching the tail end of the conversation. Jiraiya's usual grin faded into a serious look of understanding.
"It's a dangerous place to go alone right now, Yoichi," Jiraiya warned. "The borders are tightening."
"I know," Yoichi said, his gaze hardening. "But I'm not the same helpless kid who ran away."
...
Yoichi stood in the center of the Hokage's office.
The evening light was dying, leaving the room in a hazy orange glow. Hiruzen sat motionless, his pipe unlit as he listened to the request.
"The Land of Rain is a graveyard for foreigners right now, Yoichi," Hiruzen said, his voice grave. "The tension with Hanzo is at a breaking point."
"I am aware of the danger, Lord Hokage," Yoichi replied. He kept his stance steady, his hands relaxed at his sides. "But my heart is divided. I cannot lead the clans here while my friends are dying there."
Hiruzen sighed, a cloud of smoke finally drifting from his lips. "If you are captured, the village cannot claim you. Is your past worth your future in Konoha?"
"My past made me the man who can offer you that future," Yoichi countered.
He didn't blink.
After a long silence, Hiruzen stamped a neutral seal on a parchment.
"Go. You have three weeks. If you aren't back by then, I will have to report you as missing in action."
Before heading to the gates, Yoichi stopped by his family home. Naoko was already waiting by the door, her face pale. Nobuyuki stood behind her, his hand resting protectively on her shoulder.
"You're going back to that place, aren't you?" Naoko asked, her voice trembling.
"I have to, Mother," Yoichi said softly. "I left people behind. I can't build a life here knowing they're still in that rain."
Nobuyuki sighed, his gaze stern but understanding. "The Uchiha name carries weight now because of you. If you go, do it quickly. Don't let the shadows of the past swallow the man you've become."
Suddenly, a small pair of arms wrapped around Yoichi's leg. Seven-year-old Akira looked up, his eyes wide and worried.
"Are you going to fight the bad guys in the rain, Big Brother?" Akira asked.
Yoichi knelt, ruffling the boy's hair. "I'm going to find some old friends, Akira. I'll be back before you even finish your new posture drills."
Naoko stepped forward and hugged him tightly, the scent of home lingering on her clothes. "Please, Yoichi. Just... come back to us."
The village gates felt unusually tall as Yoichi approached them under the cover of early dawn.
Tsunade stood by the stone pillar, her arms crossed.
"You're really going, then," she said.
"I have to," Yoichi replied.
Tsunade stepped forward, her hand reaching out to grip the lapels of his messy white coat. She pulled him close, her forehead resting against his chest.
The silence between them spoke of a deep love that didn't need complicated words.
"Don't get yourself killed for a memory," she whispered. "I won't forgive you if you make me wait for nothing."
"I'm not going there to die," Yoichi said, resting a scarred hand on her shoulder. "I'm going to bring the rest of my family home."
Nearby, Jiraiya leaned against a tree, while Orochimaru stood in the shadows.
"Don't worry, Tsunade," Jiraiya called out.
"He's too stubborn to let a little rain stop him."
Yoichi gave them a final nod.
He turned away from the warmth of the village and the woman he loved, facing the dark forests that led toward the Land of Rain.
...
The lush greenery of the Land of Fire withered away, replaced by twisted, grey trees and a sky that never stopped weeping. Yoichi crossed the border, the cold rain immediately soaking into his white coat. He moved with predatory silence, his feet barely splashing in the puddles.
This feeling...
His Spirit Aperture began to throb.
It was a rhythmic, violent pulse against his skull, unlike anything he had felt in Konoha.
Simultaneously, his Battle Instinct screamed in his mind.
It's suffocating. Like the air itself is trying to crush me.
He stopped moving.
The rain seemed to freeze in mid-air.
From the depths of the shadows, a hand emerged from a tattered sleeve, reaching out toward him.
Banshō Ten'in!
A terrifying gravitational force erupted.
The ground beneath Yoichi's feet shattered as he was violently jerked forward.
The vacuum of the pull was so strong it threatened to tear his muscles from the bone.
Yoichi didn't panic. He grounded his heels, and the Heavenly Demon Qi surged from his core.
Dark, viscous energy wrapped around his limbs, anchoring him to the earth.
The black Qi clashed with the invisible force, creating a visible distortion in the rain.
Yoichi stayed rooted. His baggy pants fluttered wildly in the localized storm, but his body didn't budge an inch. He stared ahead, his eyes locking onto the figure stepping out of the gloom.
Long, wild hair dampened by the rain.
The rippled purple of the Rinnegan glowed faintly.
It was unmistakable.
Uchiha Madara...
The legendary shinobi narrowed his eyes, his gaze scanning Yoichi's face with a haunting intensity.
Madara's composure cracked.
His aura flared, turning the rain into steam.
Same facial shape. Same distinct earrings. Same physical appearance.
"Who are you..." Madara's voice was a low, dangerous growl. "And why do you look exactly like my sensei?!"