"You are growing strong, Masaru." Maruboshi smiled, easily dodging the young boy's attacks.
It was early morning, the sun about to rise and the air holding a refreshing chill. Training field fifty seven was empty as usual, except for the two of them, and as usual they were sparring.
The old man thought back to several months ago and once again felt amazed by the progress his student had achieved. From an emaciated sickly boy who had little to no training to a promising young shinobi. But...
He sighed, catching Masaru's fist and holding him there. "That's enough for today. There's something I want to discuss with you before school."
Masaru caught his breath before following his teacher to a set of logs resting near a campfire, where his signature wok could be seen resting over the flames with a healthy broth soup warming inside.
He felt a strange calm to himself that he hadn't felt in a while. He'd noticed it after he came back from his summoning trip the other day, when he genuinely sat down and enjoyed some time with his new friend, Haruto. In the moment, he didn't think of coming up with an excuse to go and train like he usually did, and he found that strange.
'So many goals in the future, with so much at stake, and I'm content?' The feeling confused him.
Masaru sighed, grabbing a bowl and filling it with soup, sprinkling some of the seasoning he knew Maruboshi enjoyed before handing it over and making a bowl for himself. They sat and ate in comfortable silence for quite a while, long enough for the sun to peak over the tree tops.
"...I admire your drive."
Masaru looked up from his meal, finding his teacher's dark eyes peering down at him. "What do you mean?"
"You have never once complained to me about training. We have joked and played, but when it mattered not a peep has leaked from your mouth, even when suffering."
Masaru scratched the back of his head. "I'm feeling a 'but' coming."
"...But rest is just as important as training." His teacher said, pinning him with a look when he went to open his mouth. "If you overwork yourself, you will become weaker, not stronger."
His head drooped down, his gaze settling on his hands. Masaru knew that of course, but it had always seemed like such a waste, sitting around while such dangers were just over the horizon.
A hand appeared over his own, and he looked up to realize Maruboshi had kneeled in front of him, a much softer gaze in his eyes now. "I won't even begin to understand what happened to you while missing, but what I do is that it has given you an immeasurable want or need to grow stronger."
Though Masaru lacked that portion of memory, he felt an emotion well up in his chest. He was struggling with himself, wanting to gain the power to change what seemed like an inevitable future, or at least to make it better.
"I once told you that a shinobi is more than the chakra he wields, and I meant more than the tools he has at hand." Maruboshi placed a hand over Masaru's heart. "One's strength must come from somewhere, and everyone has something to fight for. I believe you fight for yourself, but also for Konoha. I've heard it in your words, and I've seen it in your actions."
That confused him for a moment, but that was quickly settled. "Stopping on your way to school to help an elderly woman cross the street, preventing a mugging, helping a younger man than yourself get up again after being beaten."
They were small and insignificant moments that Masaru had barely even thought twice about, but with his teacher bringing them up they suddenly seemed a little more important to him. "At every opportunity, you have shown kindness to the village, but you have yet to allow give it back."
The old man sighed, finally getting to the point. "You must create connections, Masaru. You must find friends, or this village we call a home will be anything but one."
Masaru sat with that for a long time. It wasn't a simple matter that could just be put into words, but he could feel in his heart that his teacher was right. He knew what he fought for- survival, and the hopes that he could make this world a little brighter in the end.
But why?
"..." He couldn't find an answer. He had no reason to fight for this village. Truly, his current and only reason to gain strength right now was for himself. To ensure that he wouldn't die. But even that wasn't simple. Sure he wanted to live, but again, why?
He had nothing connecting to this world. In fact, he had every reason to die. He had a perfectly calm and reasonable life before he arrived here, and now he was faced with violence at every corner. It was a harsh reality here, and nearly everyday he thought about the possibility of returning.
But reality changing powers like that were so far above his head that he couldn't afford to think about them, thus we return to square one: Why fight?
'...I need friends. I...need a family, if I can find it in this hellhole of a world. Something to hold onto, at the very least.' He thought.
Masaru sighed, shaking his head and standing. "Thank you for your guidance, Moroboshi sensei."
He grabbed his things, reattaching his blade to his hip, where it had now become a comfortable weight. Finally, he bowed before leaving the training grounds. "I'm off to school now."
Maruboshi nodded. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow then."
Konoha was just a beautiful and full of energy as it always was, even this early. On the main street, vendors had long set up their stalls, sending the wonderful scents of various foods to the air. Some sat on their porches, watching their children run around and play with each other.
An older woman was attempting to carry a bag of seeds under her arms, but her strength failed her several times, causing it to nearly drop to the ground when a new pair of hands caught it, easily heaving it up and over the young man's shoulder.
"Oh thank you dear, but I can manage on my own." She smiled.
Masaru smiled as well, waving his hand. "I'm going this way anyway, the least I can do it lend a hand."
She sighed wryly but nodded. "Alright, I'm just a few houses down from here. How old are you?"
"I think I'm almost 13."
She raised a brow. "You think? How come your parents haven't told you such a simple thing?"
He showed no reaction, simply looking forward. "My parents were killed in the line of duty several years ago, and I experienced some amnesia afterwards, so I don't remember much of my early childhood."
Her hands shot to her mouth, covering the gasp that left it. "Oh I'm so sorry! I had no idea, or I wouldn't have said such an insensitive thing!"
"It's okay, I know you didn't mean it like that."
Sometimes he thought of them, his parents, but often he found that he shouldn't. They were gone, and there was nothing he could do about that. Though he did visit their graves at times, for the sake of the boy whose life he'd taken over. It was the least he could do- tell them that their child was safe and growing into a strong shinobi.
He sighed, shaking the thought from himself just as they reached the woman's home. "You can put that down right there and I'll handle the rest."
Wiping his hands, Masaru wished the woman well before getting back on the road. Soon enough, he'd reached the academy, climbing up its wooden steps to the top floor where the graduates took their classes.
He strolled down the hall, eyeing the murals on the wall. It was all propaganda, of the will of fire or the Hokage or otherwise. It reminded him of back home, where social media had become infested with fake news and ceaseless politic dick measuring contests.
Walking up to the door labeled 6-A, he slid the door open and stepped inside. As Masaru walked to his usual seat by the window, he noticed that most of everyone had already arrived, including one Uchiha Izumi.
For a brief moment, the thought of potentially romancing her crossed his mind, but he knew that Itachi and her had a history between them, and he didn't want to venture into that kind of territory. 'I'll find someone eventually...probably...'
Taking his seat, he turned to Izumi. "Good morning Izumi, how's your morning going so far?"
She glanced towards him, confused at his sudden interest. "Fine, I suppose. How come you're so sociable today?"
It wasn't an interest in making friends, Izumi seemed to be genuinely interested in his sudden change in nature. She'd long pegged him as an unsociable introvert who just so happened to have quite a bit of talent. It was an interest in correcting an assumption she'd made.
Masaru shrugged, leaning back and resting his head on his hands. "My sensei told me that I should make an effort to make friends now that I'm almost guaranteed to graduate."
A sneer found it's way to her face. "So now that you met your goal you're content?"
It was now Masaru's turn to scoff, leveling her with a gaze deeper than she imagined the boy could produce. "There's no way in hel I'll stop training. I'm disgustingly weak, and I'll do anything I can to change that."
He let out a breath and his voice eased back from the harsh tone. "But I also understand that I can't do everything alone...Plus, it would be nice to have a few friends."
She gazed at him for a long moment, then trained her gaze forward. "...Well I think differently."
"How?"
"Strength means everything to the Uchiha. If I don't show that I'm dedicated and talented enough to improve, then the clan won't support me. My career as a shinobi will end right as it begins." There was more to be said, but she ended it there. It wasn't as if an outsider would understand anyway, even if he was a Kano.
"...Then how about we spar from time to time?"
She glanced back at him, frowning. "What?"
Masaru grinned, like he'd found a loophole in her words. "If you're so worried about growing stronger, then sparring with a classmate every once and a while is fine, right?"
She sighed and turned back to her notebook, but Masaru could tell he'd nearly convinced her. She just needed a final little push.
He sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "And just when I thought I could connect with another Uchiha in my year. Looks like I'll have to stick with that oppurtunity Itachi gave me..."
Izumi's neck nearly broke she turned her head so fast. "I...tachi?"
Masaru nodded. "I had a conversation with him not long ago, and through some means it seems we might end up working in the same place. I offered to be his friend as well, though I haven't heard back about that particular conversation..."
She stared at him for a moment, her eyes going through several emotions. He stared back with a knowing look that frustrated her. "...I might have some time to spar every once and a while."
Masaru smiled brightly. 'One down, many more to go.'
|AN| Still having trouble with college stuff, but I needed to get my mind off of it for a few hours. Let me know whether this length is good, its nearing 2k and I feel like that's a decent length for a chapter.