Chapter 14

(Recap)

"Do I remind you of them?" My voice is quiet, the question carrying more weight than I intended.

She snorts, but there's a warmth in her eyes. "You've got your father's stubbornness, that's for sure. And maybe a bit of your mother's spark. But you're still you, Itto. Remember that."

Her words settle in my chest, grounding me.

"Enough talk," she says, breaking the moment. "Start with a jog around the clearing. Ten laps. And no slacking."

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(Itto pov)

I nod and start jogging, the cold morning air biting at my skin. My legs feel heavy, but I push through, focusing on the rhythm of my feet and my breathing.

"Keep your pace steady," Sobo calls out. "No point in sprinting if you can't last the distance."

I grit my teeth and keep going, her words echoing in my mind. This wasn't just about running; it was about endurance, about proving I could handle what was coming. By the time I finish the ten laps, my legs feel like jelly, and my chest is burning, but I force myself to stand tall.

"Not bad," she says, her tone grudgingly approving. "You didn't collapse. That's a start."

"Thanks," I pant, wiping sweat off my forehead. "What's next?"

"Push-ups, squats, crawling under those ropes over there. Then we'll move on to tools and technique."

She was relentless. Every muscle in my body protested as I push myself through the drills. By the time I finished all those my whole body was shaking like a leaf. I could barely stand. I was gasping for breath as I bent down to support myself on my knee.

"You're stubborn," Sobo comments from the sidelines. "That'll help you in a fight. Just don't mistake stubbornness for skill."

Finally I collapsed onto the ground, panting no longer having the strenth to even stand

"Okay you can have a ten minutes brake" soba said and disappeared to God knows where.

I lay there staring at the sky not believing a kid barely three year olds can do all this in this world. The genetics and were completely different here in the Naruto world. Ten minutes later on the dot soba appeared net to me Lila a ghost.

"Get up," she barked. "We're not done yet."

I force myself to my feet, wobbling slightly not knowing where such a strong willpower came from. She stepped forward, kunai in hand, and I instinctively tense.

"Now we see how you react," she says, and without warning, she lunges.

My body moves before my mind can catch up. I duck, barely dodging the swing, but she's faster than I expected. Her strikes are controlled, precise, and I'm forced to stumble back, trying to stay out of range.

"Your stance is too open," she says, her voice sharp. "Tighten it. Think! If I were an enemy, you'd be dead by now."

I adjust, trying to mimic what I've seen in scrolls and sparring matches, but it's clumsy. Her next strike catches me off balance, and I tumble to the ground.

She sighs, stepping back. "You're slow, but you've got decent instincts. We'll work on the rest."

As I sit there catching my breath, she kneels in front of me, her expression unreadable.

"Your father," she started, her voice softer now, "would've taken that first hit on purpose just to see how I'd follow up. And your mother… she'd have dodged it entirely. You remind me of both of them in different ways."

Her words hit me harder than any of her strikes. I stare at her, unsure of what to say.

"I don't talk about them much," she continues, "because it's not easy. But you should know… they would be proud Of you. Even if you weren't really a genius or tried so hard. So take a rest once in a while child. Don't act like you have the weight of the world on your shoulder."

I swallow hard, a lump forming in my throat. While they weren't the only reason I trained so hard because knowing what I did about this world anyone would want to be strong, I had to admit that the story of my parents ever since I heard them did affect me more than I thought it would.

" Would they still be alive if they hadn't tried to have a child?" I asked sullenly. Not understanding why I had developed such strong feelings two people who were basically strangers, if not for the blood relation between us.

"That's not your fault," she says, sudeenly enveloping me in a hug. her tone firm but kind. "But their legacy lives in you, Itto. Every step you take, every lesson you learn—it's for them, too."

I nod, not trusting myself to speak.

We spend a little time just like that hugging each other. After an unknown amount of time passes I let go slowly.

She stands, offering me a hand. "Come on. We're not done yet."

Getiing a cheeky smile on my face I replied

"But you told me to rest s sobo~"

And that's how I got spanked on the first day of my training.

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The rest of the day passes in a blur of drills and corrections. By the time the sun starts to set, I'm sore in places I didn't know could hurt, but there's a strange satisfaction in it.

"Good," Sobo says, watching me as I stumble through the last kata of the day. "You're still a little clumsy and awkward, but you're definitely improving."

I groan, but there's no real complaint behind it. As I make my way back inside, I glance at her one last time.

"Thanks, Sobo," I say, and her expression softens for just a moment before she waves me off.

"Don't thank me yet, Itto. You've got a long way to go. From tommorow onwards all you physical training will be done by me. And in the evenings you will be trained by your jiji in mental streagth. Sometimes even Yoshiko and Akio will drop by to train you. So be ready. From Tomorrow onwards you will get really busy"

"Damm really? Do we need to go that far? "

"Remember Itto, you are the on who wanted to be strong." and with those words which I regret having said ringing inside my head I went to my room.

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As I collapsd onto my futon that night, my body aching and my mind buzzing, I thought about grandma's words—about my parents, about my own path. How I owed them eternally for giving birth to this body. For giving birth to me. These Thought only led to make my decision stronger.

That I would not only survive, but I would live and thrive. In this strange world of Chakra, ninja, heros, villians, hopes and dreams.

Having such heavy thoughts I couldn't remember when I drifted off to sleep the next day.

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