Disclaimer:
Naruto and all of its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
“Dialogue”
‘Thoughts’
-Author notes-
Chapter 07: Morning Routine
Sho’s eyes snapped open in the darkness of his room.
The world was still and silent, the Hyuga compound wrapped in the deep quiet of pre-dawn.
Through the window, he could see the faintest hint of grey on the horizon, as the sun started its slow climb toward the sky.
He’d been waking at this hour for a week now, and still, it felt strange.
For eleven years, his body had rebelled against any kind of exertion, and mornings had been a battle just to sit up, to force his limbs to move, to find the energy to face another day of weakness and disappointment.
But now…
Now his body ached, yes.
But it was a different kind of ache.
Not the bone-deep exhaustion of his illness, but the good kind of ache…the kind that meant he’d pushed himself.
The kind that meant he was growing stronger.
And thanks to the system, he had tangible evidence that he was indeed growing stronger every day, which helped with his motivation.
‘I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…
I actually look forward to these morning routines.’
He sat up slowly, testing his body.
His muscles protested, but they obeyed.
No dizziness.
No weakness.
Just the pleasant soreness of effort.
He dressed quickly, putting on some simple training clothes.
He’d learned to keep his movements quiet, to avoid the creaking floorboards that would alert the servants.
The Hyuga compound was full of eyes, both literal and metaphorical, and he couldn’t afford to be caught, for his father would definitely not approve of this.
‘The guards change at this hour.
I have a window of about 3 minutes before the new shift takes position.’
The Hyuga took their security seriously and rightfully so, given their status as one of Konoha’s founding clans.
But every system had its gaps, and Sho had learned to find them.
He slipped through the corridors like a ghost, his bare feet silent on the wooden floors.
The compound was a labyrinth of traditional buildings, connected by covered walkways and surrounded by high walls.
It was beautiful in its way, as well as elegant and timeless.
But to Sho, it had always felt like a cage.
He reached the outer gate and paused, listening.
The night guard was just leaving, his footsteps fading toward the barracks.
The new guard wouldn’t arrive for another few minutes.
‘Now.’
He slipped through the gate and into the forest beyond.
<><>
The forest was cool and quiet at this early hour.
The stars still glittered overhead, though the horizon was beginning to lighten.
Sho followed the familiar path through the trees, his feet finding the way automatically.
This was a perfect place to train, away from prying eyes.
A small clearing ringed by ancient oaks, where the canopy was thick enough to block the view from above.
A small stream ran along one edge, its water clear and cold.
The ground was soft with moss and fallen leaves.
It was almost a sanctuary to him.
When he arrived, Lee was already there.
The green-clad ninja was in the middle of his own training regimen.
His body became a blur of motion as he performed a series of rapid strikes and kicks.
His training weights clanked with each movement, the sound impossibly loud in the quiet forest.
“Shokuhi-kun!” Lee’s voice was as enthusiastic as ever, cutting through the morning stillness.
He stopped mid-strike, spinning to face Sho with a grin that could rival the rising sun.
“You are early today!
Excellent!
The early bird catches the worm, as they say!”
“I told you to call me Sho, “he smiled.
“Good morning, Lee-kun.
Ready to run?”
Lee’s grin widened.
“Always!
Today we will push ourselves harder than before!
We will run farther!
Faster!
We will become stronger!”
He struck a dramatic pose, his fist raised to the sky, his expression one of absolute determination.
A week ago, Sho would have found the display ridiculous.
Now, he found it inspiring.
‘He’s so…
certain.
So sure of himself.
He knows what he wants, and he’s not afraid to go after it.’
Sho thought about his own life.
The years of doubt, of fear, of quiet resignation.
He’d never been sure of anything.
He’d never dared to want something so badly that he’d fight for it.
But now…
now he was beginning to understand.
‘I want to be strong.
I want to prove them all wrong.
I want to be someone my sister can be proud of.’
He stretched alongside Lee, feeling his muscles warm and loosen.
The morning air was crisp against his skin, and he breathed it in deeply.
“Ready,” he said.
“Let’s go!”
<><>
They took off through the forest, Lee setting a punishing pace.
The trail wound through the trees, up and down small hills, across the stream and back again.
Sho’s lungs burned, his legs screamed, but he didn’t stop.
‘Keep going.
Don’t stop.
Don’t give up.’
He thought about his father’s voice in the darkness.
“Dying from sickness may be for the best.”
He thought about Neji’s cold eyes.
“You’re a weight around her neck.”
He thought about the elders’ whispers.
“The heiress shares your weakness.
She’ll never be worthy of the title.”
And he thought about Hinata.
Her gentle smile.
Her kind eyes.
The way she’d never given up on him, no matter how many times he’d failed.
‘I won’t let them be right.
I won’t be a burden anymore.
I’ll become strong enough that no one will ever look at me and see weakness again.’
[Endurance Skill Triggered: Allows the user to push the body past its normal limits for a short period of time.
Warning: Excessive use of this skill can lead to severe repercussions]
Sho pushed the System notification aside and ran faster.
The path opened up into a wider stretch of forest, and Lee increased the pace.
Sho’s vision started to blur at the edges.
His legs felt like they were made of lead.
But he pushed through it, forcing one foot in front of the other.
‘Four more minutes than last week.
I can do this.
I can-‘
His foot caught on a root, and he stumbled, barely catching himself before he fell.
Lee slowed, glancing back with concern.
“Shokuhi-kun!
Are you alright?”
“I’m…
I’m fine.” Sho gasped, forcing himself upright.
“Just…
just keep going.
I’ll catch up.”
Lee studied him for a moment, then nodded.
“Very well!
But do not push yourself too hard!
We have many more training sessions ahead of us!”
He took off again, and Sho followed, his heart pounding in his chest.
‘I can do this.
I can do this.
I can-‘
He ran.
And when he finally collapsed at the end of the trail, his body screaming in protest, Lee was there, offering a hand and a bright smile.
“Excellent!” Lee declared.
“You lasted almost four minutes longer than your first time!
Your stamina is improving rapidly, Shokuhi-kun!”
Sho took Lee’s hand and pulled himself upright.
His legs were trembling, his lungs were burning, and his face was covered in sweat.
But he was standing.
Four minutes longer.
That was progress.
He thought about his status screen, the numbers that had appeared when he’d checked that morning.
Strength and Vitality had increased.
His endurance had improved significantly.
His body was changing, slowly but surely.
‘It’s working.
All of this is actually working.’
“Thank you, Lee.” His voice was still breathless.
“I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Lee beamed.
“Nonsense!
You did all the work!
I just ran beside you!”
They were interrupted by a new voice.
“So this is where you’ve been disappearing to every morning.”
Sho looked up.
A young girl stood at the edge of the clearing with her arms crossed.
She had dark hair in twin buns and wore a practical training outfit…a sleeveless tunic over fitted pants, with bandages wrapped around her wrists.
A massive scroll was strapped to her back, easily twice the size of any scroll Sho had ever seen.
“Tenten!” Lee’s face lit up.
“You came to see me!”
“Dont get any ideas, Lee.
Sensei told me to check on you,” Tenten said dryly.
She walked closer, her eyes scanning Sho with obvious curiosity.
“And …is this the Hyuga you keep talking about?”
Lee nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes!
This is Hyuga Shokuhi!
He is my new training partner!”
Tenten raised an eyebrow.
“Training partner?
He looks like he can barely stand.”
Sho was offended by the comment.
It was the same dismissive tone he’d heard his whole life…the assessment of someone who saw only his weakness.
His hands clenched at his sides.
‘Who does she think she is?
She doesn’t know me.
She doesn’t know what I’ve been through.’
But before he could respond, Lee jumped in.
“Shokuhi-kun is extremely determined!
He works very hard!
And he has improved tremendously in just one week!
He could barely run for five minutes when we first met, and now he can run for nearly twenty!”
“What?!.
That’s ridiculous, Lee,” Tenten said.
“No one improves that quickly…” As she said this, her eyes moved to Sho.
Sho was surprised by Lee’s enthusiastic defense.
He’d expected Lee to be kind, but this was something else…genuine belief, not just pity.
He straightened up, meeting Tenten’s gaze.
“I’ve been…
I’ve been trying my best.
I know I’m not strong yet.
But I’m getting there.”
Tenten studied him for a long moment as if she was assessing him.
Sho felt like she was seeing right through him, past his weakness and into his determination.
Then, unexpectedly, she smiled.
“Well, if Lee says so, I’ll believe it.
My teammate would never lie about something like that.” She nodded, a hint of approval in her voice.
“And only someone truly hardworking could earn his compliments.”
Sho raised an eyebrow.
“Thank you, I guess…
Tenten, right?”
“Tenten,” she confirmed.
“I’m Lee’s teammate.
We’re on Team Gai together.”
“Team Gai?”
“Our sensei,” Lee explained enthusiastically.
“Might Gai!
He is the greatest taijutsu master in Konoha!
He taught me everything I know!
He is a genius of hard work!”
Sho had heard of Might Gai…everyone in the village had.
The man was legendary for his eccentricity, his blinding smile, and his incredible taijutsu prowess.
He’d heard the stories of impossible feats, of challenges completed through sheer willpower.
“He sounds…
interesting,” Sho said carefully.
Tenten snorted.
“That’s one word for it.”
<><>
They spent the next hour training together.
Lee led Sho through a series of conditioning exercises…push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and something Lee called “the tree-climbing run” that involved sprinting up the trunk of a massive oak and flipping off the highest branch.
Sho was terrible at it.
He fell more times than he could count, his body slamming into the forest floor with painful thuds.
But he kept getting back up, his jaw set, his determination unwavering.
‘I can do this.
I can do this.
I just need to keep trying.’
“The key is momentum,” Lee called from his perch on a high branch.
“You must not hesitate!
Hesitation will cause you to fall!”
Sho tried again.
He ran at the tree, his feet finding purchase on the rough bark.
Three steps up.
Four.
His momentum carried him higher.
Then his foot slipped, and he fell.
He hit the ground hard, the impact jarring his bones.
For a moment, he lay there, staring up at the canopy through the leaves.
‘Brittle Bones.
I still have Brittle Bones.’
But the pain was less than it would have been a week ago.
His body was adapting.
Growing stronger.
He pushed himself up and tried again.
Tenten watched from the sidelines, occasionally offering advice.
“Your foot placement is wrong,” she said, as Sho attempted the climb for the fifth time.
“You’re putting too much weight on your toes.
You need to distribute it evenly.”
Sho adjusted his stance, trying to follow her instructions.
The next attempt was smoother.
He made it halfway up the trunk before slipping.
“Better,” Tenten acknowledged.
“But you’re still leaning too far forward.
Your center of gravity is off.”
Sho nodded, filing away the advice.
“Thanks for the help.”
“Don’t mention it.” Tenten walked over to the tree where she’d left her massive scroll.
She unrolled it, revealing an impressive array of weapons…kunai, shuriken, senbon, and weapons Sho didn’t even recognize.
He stared at the collection, his eyes wide.
“That’s…
a lot of weapons.
What do you need so many for?”
“I specialize in weapons,” Tenten explained.
“I don’t have a specific style.
I just use whatever works for the situation.” She selected a pair of kunai, twirling them in her hands with practiced ease.
“Lee has his taijutsu.
Neji has his Gentle Fist.
I have my weapons.”
She threw one of the kunai at a nearby tree.
It struck the trunk dead center, the handle vibrating from the force.
“We all have our own path.”
Sho thought about that.
‘We all have our own path.’
He looked down at his hands.
“Maybe I can learn something from that,” he said quietly while wondering what his path should be, as he didn’t have any speciality yet.
Tenten glanced at him, a hint of approval in her eyes.
“Dont rush it.
You’ll find your own path one day.”
<><>
Later, as Sho was preparing to leave, Lee stopped him.
“Shokuhi-kun!
I hope to see you again tomorrow!”
“Same time, same place.” Sho smiled, a genuine warmth spreading through his chest.
“I’ll be here.”
“Excellent!” Lee’s grin was blinding.
“We will train until we cannot move!
That is the power of youth!”
Sho laughed, genuinely amused.
“I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand you, Lee.”
“That is fine!
Understanding is not required!
Only effort!”
As Sho walked back toward the Hyuga compound, the forest gradually giving way to the outskirts of the clan’s territory, he thought about the morning.
He paused at the edge of the forest, looking back at the trees.
The clearing was hidden from view, but he knew it was there.
His sanctuary.
His place of growth.
He thought about his status screen.
Strength and Vitality had increased.
Endurance had improved.
His body was changing, adapting, growing stronger.
‘A week ago, I could barely run for five minutes.
Now I can run for nearly twenty.
A week ago, I couldn’t even think about learning the Clone Technique.
Now I can create one perfect clone.’
‘What will I be able to do in another week?
Another month?’
The thought was almost overwhelming.
For the first time in his life, he had a path forward.
A way to become strong.
But he also knew that increasing his stats alone wouldn’t be enough.
The tournament was approaching, and he needed more than just endurance and strength.
He needed technique.
‘I need to improve my taijutsu.
The Gentle Fist.
The Hyuga’s signature style.’
He considered asking Hinata.
She was the only Hyuga who would help him without judgment.
She knew the forms, the techniques, the principles.
She’d been trained by the best teachers the clan could provide.
But she was also busy.
She had her own training, her own responsibilities.
Could he really ask her to help him?
‘What if she says no?
What if she’s too busy?
What if she thinks I’m wasting her time?’
He shook his head, pushing the doubts aside.
‘No.
She’s my sister.
She’s never given up on me.
The least I can do is ask.’
He made a decision.
‘Tomorrow, I’ll ask Hinata to help me train.
And if she agrees…
maybe I can start learning the Gentle Fist for real.’
He looked up at the Hyuga compound, its walls looming in the distance.
‘I’m coming for you, Neji.
I’m coming for all of you.
And when I’m done…
no one will ever look at me and see weakness again.’
[Status Update – End of Chapter 7]
Name: Hyuga Shokuhi
Level: 2
Title: The Eclipsed Spare
Stats:
Strength: 5
Agility: 4
Vitality: 5
Perception: 6
Chakra Capacity: 4
Chakra Control: 5
Status Effects:
Chakra Vein Constriction (Mild) – Permanent
Chronic Fatigue (Moderate) – Permanent
Brittle Bones (Mild) – Permanent
Byakugan Inefficiency – Permanent
Passive Skills:
Endurance: Novice (Level 3) – Allows the user to push the body past its normal limits for a moderate period of time.
Shuriken Throw: Novice (Level 5) – Increases accuracy when throwing shuriken and kunai by 30%.
Active Skills:
Clone Technique: Novice (Level 1) – Creates one tangible illusion of the user.
Clones have no substance but are visually identical.
Quests Active:
Eyes of the Clan – Objective: Perform well in the next clan tournament to demonstrate your growth.
(Progress: 0/1)
A.N: