6

During the morning, Haru ate his breakfast before heading out. He walked along the bustling streets of Konoha, as civilians went about their jobs and lives. He couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between them and the orphanage. Sometimes, he couldn't help but feel that the orphanage was the forgotten part of Konoha. However, it provided a stable life for the orphanage and its residents, and for many of the children residing there, that was enough

After a couple of minutes, he reached his destination, a secluded spot in the forest that he designed himself , It was a circular area was surrounded by trees, each one with a unique target attached to it. Some were stationary, while others swayed in the breeze, suspended from a thin thread.

This was the spot where he had devoted most of his time in the recent months, as it aided in his training of eye-hand coordination and served as a shuriken practice substitute

As he trained, Haru took some stones from the ground. He then began throwing them at the targets. In the beginning, he started with the easier ones, but as time went on, he challenged himself by adding more movement, such as running and jumping, combining various techniques in his throws. He didn't stop until he successfully hit all of the targets

So, he sat down under a tree to catch his breath. The idea for this training came from his past memories about Itachi, Haru initially tried out of curiosity. But, he soon discovered that it was an effective exercise, and has since been experimenting with different target simulations

Feeling slightly hungry after a short rest, Haru headed back to the village. As he continued to exercise, he noticed that his appetite was growing. After some contemplation, he headed to one of the restaurants in the village and ordered some food. As he ate, he couldn't help but notice that many of the kids were coming in and out of the restaurant in small groups. Most of the children in Konoha would gather to play together, and despite their young age, they had already formed different cliques. At the center of these cliques was what Haru referred to as the "ninja group," made up of the children from the clans in Konoha, who were the most popular among the children due to their superior physical fitness and athleticism. They were always the center of attention during games such as hide-and-seek and tag.

After finishing his meal, Haru decided to visit the playground, even though he was initially hesitant to interact with the children there. However, he knew that bonds and friendships were often formed at that age, so if he wanted to become close to them, he needed to start building those relationships now

After arriving at the playground, Haru was faced with a group of children running from another child who was chasing them. Despite being alone, the child successfully caught the majority and chased the rest until they were too tired to continue. He proudly proclaimed, "I caught all of you!" with a big smile on his face. However, the other kids disputed his victory, stating that he only won because he relied on his stamina. The child firmly maintained his stance, saying "A win is a win. You can't go back on your word. I won't be the chaser next time."

Haru located a shaded spot under a tree and lay down, watching as the children started a new round of tag. Suddenly, a voice spoke, "That's my spot, you know." He looked up to see a boy with a lazy expression standing above him. So he replied, "It's the best spot." The boy nodded in agreement and lay down next to him. The boy then said, "Well, it's big enough for two people, don't you think?" Haru chuckled and closed his eyes, relaxing as the breeze and the cheerful laughter of the children filled his ears

After a short nap, Haru woke up to the sound of two other boys trying to wake the child beside him After several attempts, the boy finally woke up, grumbling about how nosy they were. Haru couldn't help but take notice of the familiar combination of a lazy, fat, and blonde-haired kids. which was none other than the "boar-deer-butterfly" combination or, more specifically, the fathers of the shikamaru ino and choji

hen the two boys noticed Haru, they asked who he was. The hild got up, stretched lazily, and introduced himself, "Hey, my name is Shikaku Nara. What's your name?" Haru smiled and replied, 'My name is Haru Ishida. Nice to meet you' Shikaku responded, 'Nice to meet you too. Sorry about the noise. These are my friends, Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi.' Haru nodded at them and Choza offered him some of his snack. The three of them sat down and began eating, and then began asking Haru questions about himself. After giving them some answers, During their conversation, Haru and Shikaku couldn't help but realize the similarities between them. As a result, they grew closer after spending some time together. In the end, the four of them enjoyed each other's company and decided to hang out more often before heading back home.