Chapter 7-The Spark Within

And a long afternoon it was indeed.

Hyouketsu had spent hours explaining chakra in excruciating detail, refusing to let his brothers try anything until they could pass his quiz. They eventually succeeded—though not before dozing off once or twice in the process.

But today was different. Today, they would finally move on to chakra manipulation—after completing their daily physical training.

Their routine was brutal: bodyweight exercises with extra weight strapped on, sprints and endurance runs, and, of course, stretching and taijutsu drills.

All four of them had been learning the Kiri Academy taijutsu style, the foundation upon which any future fighting style could be built. Their progress was steady, but among them, Hyouketsu's improvement was the most notable. His past-life experience with martial arts—particularly Thai boxing—gave him an edge. He already knew how to fight, but adapting to his new, smaller body was a challenge.

Having short, flimsy limbs after a lifetime of being taller and stronger made everything awkward. Movements that once felt natural were sluggish and unbalanced. But little by little, he was adjusting.

'If we all keep this up, we'll be able to start sparring in three weeks.'

Finishing his final stretch, Hyouketsu turned to his surrogate brothers.

"How many sets do you guys have left?" he asked, barely able to contain his excitement. After all, this was it. The moment they'd all been waiting for.

He was about to introduce them to what made shinobi superhuman.

"We're on our last sets. Give us a minute," Renji grunted through gritted teeth, clearly not a fan of stretching.

Hyouketsu nodded and waited patiently as the two finished. Soon, Souta and Renji sat cross-legged in front of him, eager and expectant.

"So… how do we unlock our chakra?" Souta asked.

"You don't have to 'unlock' it," Hyouketsu explained. "It's already inside you, flowing naturally. What you need to do is learn how to feel it. Chakra is like a muscle—the more you use it, the stronger it gets. As you train, it'll become easier to sense and control."

Renji crossed his arms. "So how do we feel it?"

Hyouketsu smirked. "By meditating while using the Tiger hand seal."

He demonstrated, pressing his hands together in the well-known sign.

"To sense chakra, you need to clear your mind and focus inward. You're looking for a warm, tingling sensation moving through your body. Once you find it, try to alter its flow. At first, it'll be difficult, but with practice, it'll become second nature. After that, we'll move on to the Leaf Exercise."

Renji groaned. "Great. A couple of days of meditating. Just what I wanted to do."

"Stop whining, Renji. Do you want to learn how to use chakra or not?" Souta quipped, grinning.

"Yeah, yeah…" The eldest of the three sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

As the three boys settled into meditation, silence filled the clearing.

Well—silence for everyone except Hyouketsu.

His mind refused to quiet.

Ever since dying and being reborn, his thoughts never stopped racing. Not that he'd ever been particularly good at clearing his head before, but now? Now, it was impossible.

The moment he tried to push them away, they came back stronger.

His mother's voice.

His father's words of advice.

His brother's mischievous grin.

The strange entity that revived him.

The purge.

His new family.

All of them flickered through his mindscape, overlapping in an endless loop.

'Damn it…' He clenched his jaw. 'I'm not going to get anywhere like this.'

Instead of forcing the noise down, he tried something else.

He let the thoughts flow.

Instead of fighting them, he simply acknowledged them, letting them pass like waves washing over him. He didn't resist. He didn't chase them.

He just breathed.

Inhale.

Pause.

Exhale.

Pause.

Inhale.

Pause.

Exhale.

Then—something changed.

A spark.

A tiny prickling sensation, deep in his core, like ants crawling just beneath his skin.

It was faint at first, but as he focused, it grew stronger.

Warm.

Pulsing.

Vitalizing.

It spread through his body like rippling heat, flowing in steady waves. It felt alive—something ancient and powerful, something uniquely his.

For the first time, Hyouketsu truly felt his chakra.

The pain in his muscles? Gone. The exhaustion in his limbs? Faded. All that remained was the comforting warmth spreading through every fiber of his being.

Is this really what chakra feels like…?

His breath hitched as he fully embraced the sensation, awestruck by the sheer euphoria of it.

This wasn't just energy.

This was life itself.

---

After hours of meditation and learning to rile up and control their chakra, the three boys finally settled down at their makeshift camp. A fire crackled at the center, its glow illuminating the towering trees around them. The ever-present mist clung to the air, swirling lazily in the fire's warmth. The occasional pop of burning wood was the only sound, aside from the rhythmic rise and fall of their breaths.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Hyouketsu was content.

He sat watching the tiny embers flicker and drift into the night, mesmerized by the way they danced before vanishing. His mind, so often plagued by restless thoughts, was quiet. At peace.

For once, he simply existed.

But his moment of tranquility didn't last long.

When he finally pulled his gaze away from the fire, his eyes landed on Kaiza—who was watching him with an unreadable expression. His surrogate father wasn't staring at the fire, nor at the two boys sleeping soundly beside them. His sharp, calculating gaze was fixed on Hyouketsu.

He had looked at him like this before.

Analyzing me. Studying me.

A slow, creeping discomfort settled in Hyouketsu's chest.

Kaiza's expression wasn't unfriendly, but there was something in his eyes—something searching, something questioning.

Then, finally, he spoke.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Hyouketsu tensed slightly.

"…Sure. Shoot."

Kaiza didn't look away.

"What made you like this?"

Hyouketsu's stomach twisted.

Here we go…

Feigning confusion, he tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Kaiza didn't buy it. His voice was calm, but firm. "You don't act like a child. Not even a teenager. You think like an adult, you teach like an adult, and you know things a seven-year-old shouldn't know."

Silence stretched between them. The fire crackled, filling the void.

"I'm not saying I don't trust you," Kaiza continued, his tone softer now. "And I'm not trying to force you to tell me something you don't want to. But…" His eyes searched Hyouketsu's face. "I needed to ask."

Hyouketsu inhaled slowly.

He'd known this conversation would happen eventually. He had dreaded it.

And yet, sitting here under the dim firelight, with the mist curling around them, he felt… relieved.

Kaiza wasn't accusing him. He wasn't demanding answers.

He was worried.

And that was somehow even harder to deal with.

"I get why you're asking," Hyouketsu admitted, finally looking away. "And I'm glad you trust me. But… I can't tell you. Not yet."

Kaiza studied him for a long moment.

Hyouketsu clenched his fists, trying to put his swirling emotions into words.

"But I can promise you one thing," he continued, voice quiet but firm. "You're my family now. And if there's ever anything that could put you in danger, I'd never keep it from you." He met Kaiza's gaze again, and this time, there was no hesitation.

"I lost one family. I'll die before I lose this one, too. I swear it."

Kaiza didn't speak right away.

Then, slowly, a small smile formed on his lips.

"That's all I needed to know."

He turned back toward the fire, eyes thoughtful.

For a while, neither of them spoke. The flames flickered, casting shadows across their faces. In the distance, an owl hooted, its voice barely cutting through the thick mist.

Eventually, Kaiza exhaled.

"We should get some rest," he murmured. "Tomorrow, we head to the next village. Our supplies are running low."

Hyouketsu nodded. "Yeah. Good idea."

Kaiza's expression darkened slightly. "We need to be ready for anything. For all we know, bandits or Kiri-nin could be lurking nearby."

Hyouketsu swallowed. He's right. Traveling was always a risk, especially with the state Kirigakure was in. There were too many enemies, too many threats.

Still, that was future Hyouketsu's problem.

For now, he just wanted to sleep.

"Alright. Sleep well," he mumbled, already shifting under his blanket.

Kaiza hummed in response. "You too."

Hyouketsu closed his eyes, exhaustion finally pulling at him. His body was sore, but the warmth of the fire and the steady breathing of his brothers lulled him toward sleep.

Just as he was on the edge of unconsciousness, Kaiza's voice broke through the silence.

"Hey, Hyouketsu."

He cracked one eye open. "Yeah?"

There was a pause. Then—

"The same goes for us, you know."

Hyouketsu blinked. "…Huh?"

Kaiza let out a soft chuckle. "You're family. And we won't let anything happen to you, either." He turned on his side, getting comfortable. "You're not going to lose us. I promise."

Hyouketsu stared at him.

Something in his chest ached.

He wanted to believe that.

He really did.

"…I hope you're right," he whispered, voice barely above a breath.

"God, I hope you're right..."