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 09: Friends
The first four days of Sho’s legendary quest were absolute hell.
One hundred push-ups.
One hundred sit-ups.
One hundred squats.
Ten miles of running.
Every…single…day.
His body screamed in protest, more than ever before.
In fact, he never thought it would be possible to push himself to this degree.
And if that was not enough, the chronic fatigue that had plagued him his entire life made everything twice as hard, sapping his strength and testing his will.
But he didn’t stop.
Because he knew that if he gave up now, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
If he let this chance to remove some of his weakness go because it was too painful…there was no telling if he would ever receive another opportunity like this.
‘I can’t stop.
If I stop, I’ll never be free.’
He’d completed four days so far.
Four days of agony.
Four days of pushing himself past every limit he’d ever known.
And now, he was at the academy, trying to pretend he wasn’t dying.
<><>
The morning sun streamed through the windows of the classroom, casting shadows across the desks.
Iruka-sensei was at the front of the room, going on and on about the rich history of the Hidden Leaf Village and the importance of the Will of Fire.
Sho sat in his usual seat near the back, his pen moving across the page in a desperate attempt to take notes.
His hand was trembling slightly, the muscles still recovering from the morning’s workout.
‘Focus.
I need to focus.’
But it was hard.
So hard.
His body was screaming for rest, for sleep, for relief.
Every fiber of his being wanted to collapse onto his desk and close his eyes.
He glanced to his left.
Naruto was sitting right next to him, his head drooping, his eyes half-closed.
He was clearly struggling to stay awake too, though for different reasons.
‘At least I’m not the only one.’
Sho forced himself to sit up straighter, to focus on Iruka’s words.
He couldn’t afford to fall behind on classes.
Not now.
Not when he was finally making progress and graduation was so close.
<><>
However, after all the theory part was done, it was time for the practical classes.
Sho had always struggled with the academy’s physical exercises.
His weak body had made even the simplest tasks a challenge.
But today was different.
Today, he wasn’t collapsing.
He ran the laps like everyone else.
He did the push-ups.
He completed the agility drills.
His body was protesting, but not as much as usual.
‘One hundred push-ups.
One hundred sit-ups.
One hundred squats.
Ten miles.
Every day.
This is nothing compared to that.’
And Naruto was quick to notice how different he was performing today.
“Hey, Sho!” The blonde boy jogged up to him after the session, his face flushed with exertion.
“You were actually keeping up today!
What’s going on?”
Sho smiled, though it came out as more of a grimace.
“I’ve been training a lot recently.”
“Really?” Naruto’s eyes widened.
“Like, real training?…by yourself??
“Well…actually, I met a genin very recently.” Sho paused, considering how much to reveal.
“His name is Rock Lee, and he has been helping me build up my stamina.”
Naruto’s expression shifted.
His eyes lit up with interest, but there was something else there too.
“You’ve been training with someone, and you didn’t tell me?”
Sho winced.
He’d known this was coming.
Naruto was his best friend, his only real friend at the academy.
And he knew that keeping secrets from him felt wrong.
“I was going to tell you,” he said quickly.
“I just…
I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t going to suddenly collapse again.
I didn’t want to get your hopes up if I failed.”
Naruto stared at him for a long moment.
Then, slowly, his grin returned.
“That’s cool, I guess.” He punched Sho’s shoulder playfully.
“But you better not forget about me!
We’re supposed to graduate together, remember?”
“I remember.” Sho smiled, relief flooding through him.
“I wouldn’t forget about you, Naruto.
You’re my best friend.”
Naruto’s grin widened.
“Good!
So…
can I meet this Lee guy?”
Sho blinked, surprised by the request.
“You want to meet him?”
“Of course I do!
Anyone who can help you get stronger is someone I want to know!” Naruto’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Maybe he can help me too!
You know, with the whole…
chakra thing.”
‘The whole chakra thing.’ Sho knew what Naruto meant.
His friend had always struggled with chakra control, with the basic techniques that came so easily to others.
The teachers dismissed him as lazy, untalented, and hopeless.
But Sho knew the truth…that Naruto tried harder than anyone.
He just couldn’t seem to make it work.
“Come with me tomorrow then,” Sho said.
“Early morning.
Before dawn.”
Naruto’s face lit up.
“Really?
Can I come?
Wait… did you say before dawn?!” He grimaced.
Sho let out a chukle.
“Yes, before dawn.
We meet at a clearing in the forest outside the village.
I’ll show you.”
Naruto’s grin was so wide it looked like it might split his face.
“This is going to be awesome!
I can’t wait!”
<><>
The next morning, Sho slipped out of the Hyuga compound before the sun was out.
His body was still tired from the previous day’s training, but the thought of introducing Naruto to Lee gave him a boost of energy.
‘This is going to be interesting.’ He thought that the two of them had many things in common.
He reached the clearing just as the first rays of sunlight began to creep over the horizon.
Lee was already there, as always, going through his warm-up exercises.
“Shokuhi-kun!” Lee called out, his voice bright and enthusiastic.
“You are early!
And you brought someone with you?-” He paused, his eyes landing on the figure emerging from the trees behind Sho.
Naruto was barely winded, his face flushed from the run but his breathing steady.
He was practically bouncing on his heels, his energy seemingly boundless.
“Sho!
That was a nice warm-up!” Naruto grinned.
“I thought you said we were going to run though!”
Sho shook his head, a rueful smile on his face.
“That was just getting here, Naruto.
The real run hasn’t started yet.”
“Oh.” Naruto’s grin didn’t waver.
“Even better!”
Lee’s eyes widened, studying the blonde boy with newfound interest.
“This one has impressive stamina!
He ran all the way from the other side of the village and still has energy to spare!”
“Yeah, well…” Naruto rubbed the back of his head, suddenly self-conscious.
“I guess I just have a lot of energy.
Always have.”
“Naruto, this is Rock Lee,” Sho said, making the introduction.
“Lee-San, this is Naruto Uzumaki.
He’s my friend from the academy.”
Lee bowed formally, his expression serious.
“It is an honor to meet a friend of Shokuhi-kun!
Any comrade of his is a comrade of mine!”
Naruto blinked, clearly taken aback by the formal greeting.
“Uh…
yeah!
Nice to meet you too!” He glanced at Sho, whispering loudly.
“Is he always like this?”
“Always,” Sho confirmed with a small smile.
“Wonderful!” Lee straightened up, his grin returning full force.
“Shokuhi-kun has told me about you, Naruto-kun!
He says you are also determined to become stronger!
That is excellent!”
Naruto’s eyes widened.
“He…
he talks about me?”
“He speaks of you often,” Lee confirmed.
“He says you are his best friend.
That you never give up, even when things are difficult.
That you dream of becoming Hokage one day!”
Naruto stared at Sho.
“You…
you told him that?”
Sho shrugged, looking away.
“It’s true, isn’t it?” He knew the reason Naruto wanted to become the Hokage was to gain the approval of Konoha’s citizens, who had always been harsh on him.
He didn’t think Naruto should be so concerned with the opinion of the civilians but kept that to himself.
Sho was in no position of speaking either, as he had always wanted to earn the approval of his Father and to make his sister proud.
Naruto was quiet for a moment.
Then his grin returned, brighter than before.
“Yeah.
I want to become Hokage one day.”
“Alright,” Sho said, clapping his hands together.
“Let’s start training.
Naruto, you’ll be running with us.”
Naruto’s eyes lit up.
“Finally!
I’ve been waiting for this!”
Lee struck a dramatic pose.
“Today we shall run five miles!
Then ten!
Then twenty!
We will push ourselves beyond our limits!”
“That’s…
a lot of miles,” Naruto said, his enthusiasm dimming slightly.
“You will handle it easily!” Lee declared.
“Your stamina is impressive!
I could see it in the way you arrived!”
Sho watched the exchange with a smile.
Lee had accepted Naruto immediately, without judgment, just as he thought he would.
He saw the blonde boy’s energy and determination and recognized it as strength.
‘This is going to be good for Naruto.’
<><>
Training with Rock Lee was brutal.
The energetic genin always set a punishing pace, his training weights clanking with every stride.
Naruto, to everyone’s surprise, kept up easily, his legs pumping, his breath steady.
“I thought…
this was supposed…
to be hard!” Naruto called out, barely winded.
Sho, on the other hand, was struggling.
His lungs burned, his legs screamed, and every step felt like a battle.
“Your friend has incredible stamina!” Lee observed, easily keeping pace despite his weights.
“I bet he could run for hours without stopping!”
“Years…
of running…
from mobs!” Naruto grinned, though there was a hint of bitterness in his voice.
“You learn…
to move fast…
when everyone…
wants to…
catch you!”
Sho flinched and almost lost his balance.
He knew what Naruto meant…the villagers would sometimes chase him, throw things at him, or call him names.
The running wasn’t just exercise for Naruto.
It was survival.
He pushed himself harder, refusing to be left behind.
‘If Naruto can do this despite everything he’s been through, so can I.’
[Warning: Endurance Skill Activated]
Sho saw the message displayed before him and knew what it meant.
This skill was the main reason he had been able to push himself so hard, as it allowed him to push his body past its normal limits for a moderate period of time.
However, it always came with a cost…a lot of pain and the potential to become injured.
But this never deterred Sho, because if he didn’t do it this way, he would never surpass his limitations.
<><>
By the time they finished, all three of them were resting on the grass,
Except Naruto didn’t seem all that tired.
He was breathing heavily, yes, but he was already sitting up, his energy seemingly endless.
And Rock Lee was still doing fine.
Sho glanced at them while trying to keep his breathing in check.
He knew Lee had only stopped for his sake.
“That was…” Naruto panted, “awesome!
Can we go again?”
Sho stared at him in disbelief.
“You…
you want to go again?”
“Of course!
That was just a warm-up, right?” Naruto bounced to his feet, his grin wide.
“I could do that all day!”
Lee laughed, a full, genuine sound.
“I like you, Naruto-kun!
You have the spirit of youth!”
“You don’t think I’m crazy?” Naruto asked, suddenly uncertain.
“I think you are magnificent!” Lee declared.
“Your body is a temple of endurance!
We must train together every day!”
Naruto’s eyes lit up.
“Really?
You mean it?”
“Of course!
A comrade who pushes himself is a comrade worth having!”
Sho watched from the grass, a smile spreading across his face.
His body ached, his lungs burned, and he was covered in dirt.
And he’d never been happier.
<><>
Later, as they were packing up to leave, Naruto pulled Sho aside.
“Hey, Sho…”
“Yeah?”
“I just wanted to say…
thanks.” Naruto wasn’t looking at him, his gaze fixed on the ground.
“For bringing me here.
For introducing me to Lee.”
Sho blinked, surprised by the sincerity in his friend’s voice.
“You don’t have to thank me, Naruto.
You’re my friend.”
“I know, but…” Naruto finally looked up.
“No one’s ever done something like this for me before.
No one’s ever…
included me.
Made me feel like I belonged.”
Sho didn’t know what to say.
He could relate to Naruto’s pain…he’d felt it himself, the isolation, the loneliness, the crushing weight of being unwanted.
“Look…I know what that’s like,” he said quietly.
“Being alone.
Being hated for no reason.
Having everyone look at you like you’re nothing.”
Naruto nodded slowly.
“Yeah.
I guess you do.”
“Which is why we’re not going to be alone anymore.” Sho met his friend’s gaze.
“We have each other.
We have Lee.
We have people who believe in us.”
Naruto’s eyes glistened.
He blinked rapidly, looking away.
“Yeah.
I guess we do.”
[Status Update – End of Chapter 9]
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 4) – Allows the user to push the body past its normal limits for an extended 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.
Gentle Fist: Novice (Level 1) – Basic understanding of Hyuga Gentle Fist techniques.
Strikes are still clumsy and imprecise.
Quests Active:
Eyes of the Clan – Objective: Perform well in the next clan tournament to demonstrate your growth.
(Progress: 0/1)
The Road of the Strong – Objective: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and run 10 miles every day for 30 days.
(Progress: 5/30)
A.N: