BEEP!!! BEEP!!! BEEP!!! BEEP!!!
I shot up in bed so fast I almost headbutted the ceiling.
What the...
«Good morning. The time is 3:45 AM. Your training awaits.»
JARVIS, what the hell!
«You requested I wake you. I am waking you.»
Not like a fire alarm in my brain!
«Would you prefer a gentle melody? I have several. There is even a lovely lullaby from the Land of Water»
Shut up. I'm up. I'm up.
I sat there for a second, heart pounding, trying to remember why I'd agreed to this. Then my body reminded me. Sore shoulders. Achy legs. The memory of Sasuke's fist almost hitting my face.
Right. That's why.
I dragged myself out of bed. Looked at the other futons in the room. The other kids were sleeping. No one was moving.
POOF.
Another me appeared next to the futon. Same messy hair. tired eyes. and the Same annoyed expression.
"Lie down," I whispered. "Don't move. Don't snore."
Clone me gave me a thumbs up and collapsed onto the futon like a sack of potatoes.
«The clone will dissipate if it takes damage. Avoid hitting it.»
Why would I hit myself?
«Psychological projection is a common...»
Shut up, JARVIS.
I grabbed my shoes and slipped out the window.
---
The orphanage was dead quiet. I crept along the back wall, avoiding the loose board that creaked, and hopped the fence in one go. Landed on the other side. Listened.
Nonō was still asleep.
I ran.
The streets were empty. No civilians, and maybe some shinobi? Idk. Just me and the streetlights and the sound of my own breathing. It was weird seeing Konoha like this. Quiet. Peaceful. Like it was holding its breath.
Training Ground 3 was a ten-minute run. I made it in eight, mostly because I was scared JARVIS was gonna add sprints to my workout if I was slow.
The training ground was just a clearing. A few stumps. A river running along one side. A memorial stone off to the left, near the trees.
I walked to the center of the clearing. Cracked my neck. Took a breath.
Alright. Hit me.
«Warm-up: 20 jumping jacks, 20 high knees, 20 lunges. No rest.»
That's it?
«That is the warm-up.»
I did the warm-up. It was fine. I was feeling good. Confident. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.
«Phase one: Push-ups. Target: 50 repetitions.»
I dropped to the ground. First ten were easy. Second ten, my arms started shaking. Third ten, I was questioning my life choices. Fourth ten, my face was in the dirt and I was pretty sure I was dying.
«You have completed 37.»
I can't...
«You can. Continue.»
I pushed. My arms screamed. I pushed again. Sweat dripped into my eyes.
«42.»
JARVIS, I'm literally a child. This is child abuse.
«You are the one abusing the child. I am merely the program.»
You're an accessory!
«46. Three more.
I pushed. My whole body shook. I pushed again. My arms gave out halfway up and I face-planted into the dirt.
«50. Acceptable.»
I lay there for a minute, breathing dirt, wondering if this was what death felt like.
«Rest: 60 seconds. Next: Squats.»
I wanted to cry.
---
I was in the middle of my third set of squats when JARVIS's voice changed.
«Warning. High-level chakra signature detected. Eleven o'clock. Distance: 15 meters. Elevation: 4 meters. Signature is suppressed, but leakage is consistent with elite shinobi.»
I froze for half a second. Then kept moving. Didn't look up. If I looked up, that meant I noticed. A normal six-year-old wouldn't notice a suppressed chakra signature from fifteen meters away.
I dropped into another squat. Forced my breathing to stay heavy. Made sure my arms were shaking like I was struggling.
Who is it?
«Unable to identify. Chakra suppression is too effective. However, pattern recognition suggests...»
Just tell me when they move.
«Acknowledged.»
I kept training. Squats. Lunges. Crunches. JARVIS counting reps in my head, pushing me through each set. All while someone watched from the trees.
Ten minutes passed. Twenty.
«The individual has been stationary for 22 minutes. He is currently reading a book with a bright orange cover, but his left eye has not moved from your center of gravity. He is analyzing you.»
Orange book. Reading in a tree. One eye covered.
Is that...
«Probability of identity: Kakashi Hatake. 94%.»
The Copy Ninja. The guy who trained Naruto in the original timeline. The one who was always late, always reading porn, always looking like he'd rather be dead.
What the hell was he doing here at 4 AM?
«The memorial stone is located 40 meters east of your position. His stated reason for being here is likely mourning. His actual reason for watching you is unclear.»
I didn't like that. Kakashi was dangerous. Not like "bad person" dangerous, more like "he'll figure out your secrets and report them to the Hokage" dangerous.
What do I do?
«Continue training. Do not acknowledge him. Let him make the first move.»
And if he doesn't?
«Then you train until dawn and return to the orphanage. He will likely file a report. The Hokage will be informed. Your profile will be elevated.»
Is that bad?
«Unknown. It could be beneficial. It could be a problem. I recommend letting the situation develop naturally.»
That's not a plan.
«It is the only plan available.»
I went back to push-ups. Forty-five. Forty-six. Forty-seven.
«He is moving. Distance: 5 meters. He is no longer suppressing his presence. He wants to be noticed.»
A shadow fell over me.
I "startled." Jumped back, landed on my butt, looked up with my best wide-eyed clueless kid face.
He was standing right there.
Silver hair. Mask covering half his face. Headband tilted over his left eye. Slouching like he was carrying the weight of the world. And in his hand...
"Is that a book?"
Kakashi looked down at the orange cover. Then at me. Then back at the book.
"Yes."
He didn't elaborate. Didn't apologize for sneaking up on a six-year-old. Just stood there, looking bored, like he'd rather be literally anywhere else.
"You're a ninja?" I asked.
"Obviously."
"Are you a good ninja?"
He shrugged. "I'm alright."
«He is being modest. His kill count may exceeds 500 confirmed targets. He is the youngest jōnin in the village's history. He is kakashi hatake the copy ninja»
I know who he is, JARVIS, Stop glazing him, I know he is "Mr. world wide".
"Aren't you a bit young to be training this hard?" Kakashi asked. His visible eye scanned me up and down. "At 4 AM, no less."
"I wanna get stronger."
"Why?"
I thought about it. What would a normal six-year-old say? What would hit the right note without sounding like a weirdo?
"I don't wanna be weak," I said. "don't wanna be a burden."
His eye flickered. Something changed in his expression. Just for a second. Then it was gone.
"A burden," he repeated.
"Yeah. If I'm weak, I can't help anyone. I just get in the way." I looked down at my hands. "I don't want that."
Silence. Kakashi stared at me for a long moment. Then he closed his book with a snap.
"Your form is terrible."
I blinked. "What?"
"Push-ups. Your wrists are taking too much weight. You keep this up, you'll damage the joint. Won't be able to hold a kunai by the time you're ten."
He hopped down from the branch. Landed silent. Like a cat. Didn't even disturb the dirt.
He walked over and pointed at the ground. "Shift your hands inward. Shoulder width. And breathe out when you push. Not in. Try it."
I dropped down. Adjusted my hands. Pushed.
«Analysis complete. Correction reduces joint stress by 14%. Increases pectoral engagement by 22%.»
I finished the rep. Looked up at him.
"Like that?"
"Better. Your breathing is still off."
He crouched down next to me. For a second, I thought he was gonna demonstrate. He didn't. He just watched.
"You're holding your breath," he said. "Every third rep, you stop breathing. You're starving your muscles of oxygen. That's why you're shaking."
"How do I fix it?"
He was quiet for a moment. Then:
"Rhythmic breathing. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. Match it to your movement. Push, breathe out. Down, breathe in. Don't stop. Don't hold."
He showed me. Just a few reps. Fast and smooth, like it was nothing.
«I have recorded the rhythm. Mapping oxygen-to-blood ratio. This can be integrated into a passive breathing buff. Estimated efficiency gain: 18% over current method.»
You can do that?
«I can do many things.»
I tried the rhythm. In. Out. Push. Down. It was hard. My body wanted to hold, to strain, to fight it. But I forced myself to follow the pattern.
"Good," Kakashi said. He stood up. "Keep that up, you'll last twice as long."
I finished the set. Sat back on my heels, breathing hard. Kakashi was still watching me. His visible eye wasn't bored anymore. It was curious.
"You're the kid from the orphanage," he said.
It wasn't a question.
"Yeah."
"I've seen you. Around the village." He paused. "With Naruto."
My heart rate jumped. JARVIS was quiet.
He's been watching Naruto. And I was collateral.
"He's my friend," I said.
Kakashi nodded slowly. Something in his expression shifted again. Softer. Almost sad.
"Good," he said quietly. Almost too quiet to hear.
He looked at me for another second. Then his eye moved down to my arms. To my chest. To the chakra pathways JARVIS had been expanding for six years.
"You have decent reserves," he said. "For a civilian kid."
He noticed. The Sharingan. He can see chakra.
«He is analyzing you. His curiosity is genuine.»
"Can I ask you something?" I said.
"Sure."
"How do I train chakra control? Like, really train it? The Academy stuff is too easy."
Kakashi tilted his head. "You find the Academy training easy?"
I shrugged. Tried to look sheepish. "The leaf thing was okay. But I wanna do more."
He was quiet for a moment. Then he reached into his pouch and pulled out a handful of leaves.
"More, huh?"
He held out his hand. Five leaves sat on his palm.
"Most kids train with one leaf. One point of contact. That's simple." He picked up one leaf, pressed it to the back of my arm. "Try keeping this one stuck while you do push-ups."
I looked at him. He was serious.
"Now do all five."
"What?"
"You want more. This is more." He pressed leaves to my forearm, my bicep, my shoulder. "Every tenketsu point. You keep them all active while you train. If one falls, you start over."
He's insane.
«He is kakashi.»
I know. Bruh
I dropped down. Five leaves stuck to my arm. I pushed. Four stayed. One fluttered loose. Why was this actually harder then wall walking?
«in wall walking you just have to sustain chakra to your sole of your feet, in this you have to sustain chakra on multiple points of your body»
"Start over," Kakashi said.
I growled. Started over.
Three reps. A leaf fell. Started over.
Five reps. Another leaf. Started over.
My arm was shaking. Sweat was dripping down my face. But I kept going.
Kakashi watched. His eye was unreadable.
"You don't have to do this," he said. "You're six. No one expects you to be strong yet."
"I do."
"Why?"
"Because there are people I need to protect," I said. "And I'm not gonna let them down."
Kakashi stared at me.
For a second, just a second, I saw something in his eye. Pain? Recognition maybe. Like he was looking at someone else. Someone long gone.
Then it was gone. He was the lazy jōnin again.
"Keep training," he said. "I'll be back in a week. If you can hold all five leaves for fifty push-ups, I'll teach you something new."
He turned. Walked toward the trees. Didn't look back.
"Hey!" I called after him. "What's your name?"
He stopped. Looked over his shoulder.
"Hatake Kakashi."
And then he was gone. Like he was never there.
I sat in the dirt, breathing hard, leaves still stuck to my arm. Two had fallen during the conversation. I'd have to start over.
«Your heart rate is elevated. Your muscles are at 78% fatigue. Your palms are bleeding slightly from the dirt. Would you like me to...»
Nah I'm finishing this.
«You are bleeding.»
I said I'm finishing.
I dropped down. Started counting.
One. Breathe out. Down. Breathe in.
Two. Leaves on. Hold.
Three. Arms shaking.
Four. Sweat in my eyes.
Five.
A leaf fell. I growled. Started over.
«User. Hatake Kakashi has not left the training ground. He is watching from the eastern treeline. Through his Sharingan.»
I didn't look up.
One... Two... Three...
Let him watch.
---
END CHAPTER 8
---
A/N: Creation is hard, Leave a power stone.
Xx-----xX
If you want to support me and also want to read +10 advanced chapters then go ahead and check out my P@treøn, links in the synopsis. I have currently 7 chapters on my P@treøn but I will try to update two chapters per day so I can reach upto 10.