Oer -

  After living through this insane schedule for a while, I had to admit—I wasn't a mae. No matter how much I wao push myself, going all out for aire year without rest was just unrealistic. My body wasn't unbreakable, and my mind wasn't invincible. If I kept this up without any breathing space, I'd burn out before I even reached my real goals.

  So, from yesterday, I made some adjustments. The pn was still intense, but now it had enough room for rest so I wouldn't lose motivation and could actually keep going long-term.

  ------

  I started my ms with physical training right after waking up. But instead of just running, I made a little tweak—running on the walls inside my room. This way, my physical endurand chakra trol would improve together. If I was going to train, I might as well be effit.

  During academy hours, I sat at the back, seemingly paying attention but actually w on two things at once. I focused on cutting a metal piece with my wind nature chakra—a slow and frustrating process but necessary. At the same time, I practiced f chakra threads. So far, I had mao form a thin thread, but trolling it? That was another beast entirely. I couldn't eveimate how long it would take to thread from all my fingers and manipute objects properly. Maybe a full year. Maybe more. But I had a reason for this effort, and I k would be worth it in the long run.

  Ohe academy ended, I headed to the library to study different fields. Just for an hour. After that, I spent my evenings alone, practig taijutsu katas and strengthening my pink muscles.

  Some days, I felt exhausted. My body ached. My fihrobbed from overusing my chakra. And my mind screamed for a break.

  But every time I thought of stopping, I remembered Okabe-sensei's words from css:

  "You move well, but you're fighting like a wild animal."

  That stuck with me. No matter how strong I became, if I didn't know how to fight properly, I'd get crushed the moment I faced someone skilled. Strength without teique was useless. That was enough to keep me going.

  ---------

  One evening, I tried practig hand seals by myself. Big mistake. I thought it was just about f the right shape with my fingers, but it was way more plicated than that. I o release chakra in a specific flow while making the seals, and without proper knowledge, I was just making random hand signs like a fool.

  That's when I had an idea.

  Since I was in the academy, why not use my resources? Specifically, my teachers. And who better than Iruka-sensei, our chakra theory instructor? The same Iruka-sensei who would ter bee a teacher and guardian to Naruto.

  For the past week, I had observed him. Unlike some other instructors, Iruka genuinely wanted his students to survive. Not just bee shinobi quickly, but actually live. Maybe I was biased because I had watched him in the anime, but from what I had seen, he was a good teacher.

  So, I decided to talk to him.

  A versation with Iruka

  Ihe teacher's …

  I knocked and stepped in, spotting Iruka going through some papers. He looked up and reized me almost immediately.

  "Oh, Kazeo. Good evening!" he greeted with a small smile. "What brings you here this te?"

  I took a deep breath. "Sensei, I was in the library reading about jutsus, but the scrolls say they require hand seals. I tried them, but… I 't make a jutsu work."

  Iruka's expression shifted slightly. He leaned bad sighed. "Kazeo, the academy teaches jutsus after six months. Why are y to learn by yourself?"

  I hesitated for a moment, pretending to be uain. "Sensei… I heard some of my cssmates already perform jutsus, but I 't. I don't want to fall behind."

  That was only half a lie. I did want to surpass them, but saying that ht wouldn't have helped my case.

  Iruka rubbed his forehead. "They're from s, Kazeo. Their families have already traihem. But don't worry—you'll learn it iime."

  I lowered my head slightly and, with the best puppy-eyed look I could muster, said, "But Sensei… I really don't want to be behind. Please, just teach me this ohing. I won't try to learn more thasu. Pretty please?"

  Iruka let out a deep sigh, clearly struggling to say no. After a moment, he finally gave in. "Fine. I'll teach about it in the css. But promise me ohing—you will NOT learn any fire jutsus without pruidance."

  I nodded quickly. "I promise, Sehank you!"

  He ruffled my hair and asked about my studies, even inquiring about my friends. It was a nice versation. A remihat despite everything, I was still just a kid in the academy. After that, I left to tinue my training.

  --------

  Three days ter, as promised, Iruka dedicated two entire sessions to hand seals.

  I finally uood why jutsus required them. Hand seals weren't just random gestures; they were intricate movements that molded chakra in specific ways. There were twelve primary seals, each trolling chakra differently, and the more plex a jutsu, the more seals it required.

  Then there were exceptioe shinobi like Hashirama could use advaeiques with minimal or no seals, but that required insane chakra trol and years of experience.

  At the end of the lessons, Iruka personally helped each student with chakra molding. Unsurprisingly, only the kids succeeded immediately. I struggled at first but got the hang of it after the sed session. Now, I could finally try learning real jutsus in my one-hour library time.

  ---------

  While looking for hings to study, I stumbled upon something iisu.

  Kenjutsu wasn't just swinging a sword. It was the art of blending precision, power, and chakra into a deadly dance.

  One line from the scroll stood out to me:

  "The true mastery of Kenjutsu lies not in the bde, but in the fluidity of movement, in uanding the oppo's rhythm, and in anticipating the strike before it's even made."

  I was intrigued. But for now, Kenjutsu could wait. I wouldn't be fighting anyone seriously for another year or two.

  Simirly, I found scrolls on Mediinjutsu asu.

  Mediinjutsu required full-time dedication, so I set it aside for the future.

  Genjutsu? I wasn't sure if I had talent for it yet, so I'd check it out after being a Genin or in.

  But the biggest shock came when I found a scroll oation teiques in the D-raion.

  Meditation wasn't just for focus. It actually helped increase chakra reserves. The scroll detailed proper breathing teiques, sitting positions, and chakra circution exercises. If I wao grow stronger, I his.

  So, I decided—I'd start meditating from tomorrow.

  -------

  I grabbed a pencil and paper and wrote down my new schedule:

  Monday to Friday:

  Wake up → Meditation → Wall running

  Academy

  Wind nature training + Chakra threading

  Hand seals + Chakra molding (one hour)

  Taijutsu katas + Pink muscle training

  Sleep

  Saturday:

  Shuriken & kunai throwing instead of Taijutsu

  Sunday:

  Only Meditation + Chakra threading. Full rest day.

  For food… I still relied on ration bars. I tried cooking on Sundays, but to be ho—what I made wasn't edible.

  Once I mastered hand seals, I'd start learning basid jutsus. Step by step, I was getting there.

  ---------

  After 3 weeks of living alone -

  The sun hung low in the sky, casting an e glow over the vilge as Kazeo stepped out of his small apartment. It had been three weeks since he passed the academy exam, and his life had settled into a routiraining, studyiing ration bars or whatever he could cook and then sleeping. A normal cycle. A productive one.

  A… somethi off.

  He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. Living alone isn't as gmorous as he thought… It was kinda lonely.

  He made his way to the marketpavigating through the bustling streets. The st of grilled skewers mixed with the sharp tang of fresh vegetables filled the air, making his stomach growl.

  --------

  That same evening,

  On his way bae , he stumbled upon a festival. Paper nterns lihe streets, illuminating the faces of vilgers enjoying the festivities. The sound of taiko drums echoed in the air as children ran past him, ughing.

  He hadn't po stop—he had food to cook, training to do—but a tug on his sleeve made him pause.

  A cssmate from the academy, a loudmouth named Renji, gri him. "Oi, Kazeo! You're here too?"

  "Just passing by."

  "No way! You gotta try this!" Renji shoved a stick of dango into his hands.

  Kazeo hesitated, but after taking a bite, his eyes widened slightly. Sweet , soft , warm. He hadn't had something like this in weeks.

  Renji grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward a game stall. "e o your aim!"

  Kazeo rolled his eyes but pyed along. He picked up a kunai and aimed at the target. It was rigged—he could tell—but with precise trol, he adjusted his throw, nding a perfect hit.

  The vendor blinked in surprise before relutly handing him a small plush fox. Kazeo stared at it, unsure what to do with it.

  Renji ughed. "You look like you have no idea what fun is."

  Kazeo snorted. "And you look like an idiot holding three stuffed animals."

  Renji grinned. "At least I'm an idiot who knows how to enjoy life."

  For a moment, Kazeo just stood there, taking in the ughter, the lights, the warmth of the vilge.

  Maybe Renji had a point.

  ---------

  The m -

  A wet, half-soapy shirt smacked against his cheek as he tried to scrub it . His small apartment had no washing mae, so he had to do it by hand.

  "Tch… why is this so difficult?" he muttered, scrubbing harder.

  He had uimated how tough undry could be. The soap was to, the water too cold, and his hands ached fring out the fabric. After nearly half an hour, he proudly held up his washed shirt… only to realize it had shrunk.

  Kazeo groaned. "Great. Now I have a crop top."

  A kno his door interrupted his suffering.

  He ope to see the orphanage caretaker, the old woman who raised him. She took one look at his undry disaster and sighed.

  "You're hopeless."

  Kazeo frowned. "I was figuring it out."

  She chuckled, stepping inside. "e here. I'll teach you properly."

  She guided him through the steps—how to soak, how t, how to dry. It was a simple thing, but something about it felt warm. Like a piece of home still lingering in his new life.

  Before she left, she pced a small bag on his table. "It's miso soup and rice. You 't live on instant ramen or ration bars forever."

  Kazeo watched as she walked away, feeling an unfamiliar tightness in his chest. He swallowed it down and whispered,

  "…Thanks, Grandma."

  Later that day, as he sat outside reading a cooking book, a small bck cat limped toward him. It was thin, its fur dirty, eyes tired.

  Kazeo sighed. "Aray."

  The cat meowed weakly.

  With a resigned shake of his head, he reached into his bag, breaking off a piece of dried fish. "Fine. But don't get used to it."

  The cat hesitated before snatg the food aing greedily.

  Kazeo leaned back, watg the su. "Guess we're both just figuring things out, huh?"

  The cat purred in response, curling up beside him.

  Maybe… just maybe, he wasn't as alone as he thought.

  Some days ter -

  Kazeo was strolling through the streets of Konoha when, just as he turned a er near an alleyway, a sudden *whoosh* of air sent a chill down his spine.

  A masked ninja appeared right in front of him, dressed in dark clothing, his presenearly suffog. Kazeo stopped immediately, his instincts fring.

  The ninja's voice was cold aral. "Kazeo"

  ------

  (To be tinued...)

  [

  Guys , give me ideas for what should Kazeo ask from hokage as his reward?

  ]