Chapter 27: Fire in the Bones

A year is a long time in a world at war.

Kayomi didn't grow in bursts of glory. He grew in silence in snow-bitten mornings, in the dull ache of overused muscles, in countless hours where no one was watching.

Now, beneath the spring sun, breath steady and arms dusted with sweat, the memories came flooding back.

Spring – Month One

The mornings were cold when he began. Frost rimmed the rooftops, and his breath hung in the air like mist. Still, Kayomi rose before the sun.

100 push-ups. 100 pull-ups. A kilometer run. And then… Enkōken.

The Flame Claw Fist was wild fluid, predatory. A style meant to be felt, not memorized.

> "Let your chakra pool in your fingertips," the system instructed in its calm voice. "Let the beast within guide you."

Tiger was the first form low stances, heavy balance shifts, hands curled like claws. The first week, his legs trembled from holding the crouch too long. His knees throbbed for hours afterward.

By the third week, his wrists ached constantly. The twisting, snapping movements of Enkōken's form put pressure on joints that hadn't caught up to his willpower yet.

He trained anyway. Gritting his teeth through sore thighs and stiff elbows. Some nights, he barely slept, his body pulsing with warmth from residual chakra burn.

Summer – Month Four

Team Sakumo's reputation had begun to rise. Ambushes, tracking missions, small skirmishes they saw real combat now.

And through it all, Kayomi brought his claws.

His movements had grown sharper wilder. Each strike hummed with chakra. Enkōken's second and third forms Snake and Wolf Fang were more agile, less about brute strength and more about flow.

One mission stuck with him: a nighttime raid on a Hidden Mist outpost. He'd moved like smoke quiet, coiled, and efficient. When they returned, Sakumo gave him a nod.

> "You're not fighting like an Uchiha," he said. "You're fighting like Kayomi."

The praise warmed more than the fire he conjured.

Autumn – Month Seven

The leaves bled crimson. Kayomi's muscles ached constantly deep, slow-burning soreness in his shoulders and lower back. But it wasn't the kind that meant damage. It meant progress.

He'd grown leaner. More defined. His fourth form, Tsunuru no mai cranes dance flowed like a river with rhythm and grace. Shisui even admitted he had to work harder to keep up.

> "You're not reading me," he'd joked, panting. "You're just moving."

Kayomi had smiled.

"I'm done predicting. I want them to predict me."

His joints still twinged during sparring reminders to pace himself but he pushed through, always just short of the edge.

Winter – Month Ten

Snow dusted the training field. Kayomi trained barefoot in the cold, heat blooming beneath his skin.

The fourth form Tsunuru no mai all about controlled outbursts. Chakra flared at his joints when he struck too hard, leaving a warm sting. Sometimes, the recoil left his arms numb for minutes at a time.

> "Control the flame," the system Notified "Don't let it control you."

He started wearing fingerless gloves again not for show, but to help regulate the heat.

Mebuki noticed one day, handing him a small vial of salve.

> "Use it," she said simply. "No point training if you can't lift your arms tomorrow."

Spring – Month Twelve

He turned nine quietly. A small dinner with his parents. A pair of training sandals from Soari. A comb from Akari

> "For your wolves," his dad said with a chuckle. "And maybe your hair, if you ever start combing it."

He laughed a real one.

His body had changed. Not just in muscle, but in movement. Everything flowed smoother now. He knew where to place his weight, when to breathe, when to hold back.

The daily routine hadn't changed. It just felt… lighter.

> 100 push-ups

100 pull-ups

1 km run

30 minutes of Enkōken

Shadow sparring or clone drills

The soreness never really left but it became familiar. Welcome, even.

Now

Kayomi stood in the clearing, surrounded by scorched bark and cracked stones. His wolves sat nearby, tails flicking lazily.

He inhaled. Held it.

"System," he said aloud. "Status."

[STATUS WINDOW – KAYOMI UCHIHA]

Age: 9

Clan(s): Uchiha / Inuzuka

Special Traits:

Chakra Eater (Lv. 2)

Prodigious Mind (Lv. 6)

Incendiary Chakra (Lv. 6)

Fire Dragon Slayer Magic (Awakened)

Six Eyes (Lv. 7)

Beast Magic (Lv. 9)

Enkōken – Flame Claw Fist [Progress: 70%]

---

[STATS]

Chakra Control: High Jonin

Chakra Reserves: High Jonin

Ninjutsu: High Jonin

Taijutsu: Low Jonin

Genjutsu: Low Jonin

Tracking / Sensory: Mid

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He let out a soft exhale.

Stronger. Not invincible. Not finished.

But on the path.

And that was enough