Chapter 35: Bruised Ego, Bruised Body

Chapter 35 – Part 1: Bruised Ego, Bruised Body

The sun sat high over Konoha, casting long shadows across Training Ground Eleven. It wasn't one of the most popular spots—just a cleared circle of dirt surrounded by sparse trees and battered training posts—but it was open space, and for someone like Ren, that was more than enough.

He stretched awkwardly, his joints protesting like rusty hinges. Nearby, Kota mimicked him with surprising grace for a seven-year-old.

"You're not doing it right," Kota said flatly, watching Ren's uneven posture.

Ren exhaled. "That's the best you're getting. My muscles weren't built for backflips and dropkicks—they were built for... books."

Kota squinted. "Books don't punch back."

"I'm learning that the hard way."

They were halfway through a basic stance drill when a voice cut through the air. "Hey! You two booked this ground?"

Ren turned. A teen stood nearby, maybe twelve or thirteen. Spiky hair, dark eyes, a smirk that begged to be punched. Two other boys stood behind him, and not far off, a pair of girls giggled, glancing their way.

Ren gave the kid a polite nod. "Didn't know we had to book it."

The boy stepped closer. "Well, now you do. Name's Daisuke. This is our spot today. But I'll tell you what..." He eyed Ren, then Kota. "You give me a quick spar, and maybe I'll let you hang around."

Kota tensed beside Ren. "You don't have to fight him. He's just showing off."

"I know," Ren muttered. "But if I back down in front of you, I'll have to live with the shame forever."

Kota blinked. "...That's stupid."

"Very."

Ren stepped into the circle. "Alright, Daisuke. Let's make it quick."

Daisuke grinned and dropped into a flashy stance. "Try to keep up, old man."

Old man? Ren didn't even have a comeback. He just sighed, raised his arms—and barely managed to dodge the first kick.

Daisuke moved like a whip—fluid, sharp, and annoyingly agile. Ren blocked one punch, then took a second to the ribs. He tried to counter, but his swing was sluggish. His body still hadn't caught up to his intentions. Two weeks of taijutsu training meant he knew where to place his feet—but not how to stop them from tripping over each other.

Daisuke swept his legs low. Ren leapt—late. He hit the ground hard, a grunt escaping his throat.

"Oof."

The girls clapped politely. Daisuke turned and gave them a smug wink.

Ren lay on his back, staring at the clouds. "I'm starting to understand why shinobi don't wear glasses."

Kota crouched beside him. "You got beat up."

"Correct."

"You need more training."

"Also correct."

"You still looked kinda cool."

Ren turned his head. "Kinda?"

Kota shrugged. "You didn't cry."

Ren grinned through the ache in his ribs. "Yet."

- - -

The sting of the spar still pulsed in Ren's shoulder. He pressed a hand to the sore spot as he trudged down the path, Kota quietly following at his side.

They hadn't said much since leaving the training ground. The girls had long gone—bored or unimpressed, Ren didn't know. The trainee who had knocked him down hadn't even gloated. Just dusted off his pants and walked away like it had all been a warm-up.

That somehow stung more.

Ren exhaled, slow and shaky. The pain in his body wasn't nearly as heavy as the one in his pride.

He glanced at his bandaged hands—scrapes, not cuts. Proof he still didn't know how to block properly. His movements had been clumsy, uncoordinated. Every punch thrown had been telegraphed. Every dodge half a second too slow.

"I've only been learning taijutsu for, what, three weeks?" he muttered to himself, lips tightening. "Of course I got my ass handed to me."

Kota gave him a sideways look but said nothing, as usual. He was used to Ren's habit of talking out loud when he was processing something.

Ren stopped beneath a tall tree near the edge of a quiet street. The shade cooled his neck, and the noise of the village seemed to fade around him.

"This can't go on," he said. "I can't just hope I'll get better from random training sessions."

He sat down cross-legged and pulled out a scrap of charcoal and a piece of thin parchment he'd stuffed in his belt earlier. His handwriting in this world was still terrible, but legible enough for now.

He began writing.

Ren's Weekly Training Plan

— Goal: Apply to Academy in 3–4 weeks

1. Physical Training (Morning & Evening):

Push-ups, sit-ups, squats – build core strength

Long-distance running – increase stamina

Short sprints – improve reflexes and explosive movement

Stretching – flexibility and injury prevention

2. Taijutsu Practice (Daily):

Focus on balance, footwork, timing

Ask Juro-sensei for basic forms (kata)

Practice strikes against trees and padded surfaces

Watch others spar – learn patterns and rhythm

3. Chakra Control (Nightly, during meditation):

Tree climbing practice

Visualization of tenketsu points and chakra flow

Maintain flow while moving hands/feet

Breathing techniques during motion

4. Language & Reading (1 hour/day):

Learn Academy-standard vocabulary

Practice writing letters and reading books Juro lent him

Ask for help when confused – no more prideful guessing

5. Rest & Recovery (Mandatory):

No skipping sleep. Healing takes time.

Meditate when sore. Let chakra soothe the body.

He stared at the parchment once he was done. The letters were smudged and uneven, but the plan felt solid. Achievable.

"I can't afford to drift anymore," he whispered, more to himself than to Kota.

Kota leaned slightly over his shoulder and squinted at the messy page. "Looks like a lot."

"It has to be."

Ren folded the paper and tucked it into the inside of his shirt. "If I'm going to survive in this world, I can't half-ass anything. And I'm not going to just survive. I want to live."

Kota didn't respond. But as they stood and started walking again, Ren caught the faintest upward twitch at the corner of the boy's mouth.

He felt it too—something solid beneath their feet. A direction.

---

The night in Konoha was different from the war-torn woods Ren had grown used to. It was too peaceful. Too quiet. The buildings didn't groan when the wind blew, the trees didn't creak like old bones. It was… still. Even the sky looked polished above him, the stars piercing and distant.

Ren sat in the small room he and Kota had been assigned, cross-legged on the floor, a candle flickering beside him. His small notebook was open. He had written a few bullet points earlier, laying out a basic plan for his growth.

1. Physical training – daily.

2. Chakra control practice – twice daily.

3. Taijutsu basics – watch and mimic.

4. Try to enroll in the Academy.

He tapped the end of the pencil against his chin, then added:

5. Observe others. Learn quietly.

It had only been a few weeks since Juro began training them. A few weeks since he learned what chakra was, how it flowed, how it felt inside him. Since then, he'd tried to apply what little he remembered from his old world—chakras, meditation, the way focus could shift your breath and your body. But still, his body was weak. His movements slow. The spar earlier in the day had proven that clearly.

He could still hear the laughter of the girls when the cocky trainee knocked him flat. It hadn't even been a hard hit—he simply couldn't dodge fast enough.

Kota had remained quiet through it, and that made it worse somehow.

Ren leaned his head back and sighed.

"I'm not there yet," he muttered to himself.

But that didn't mean he couldn't get there. He just had to train smarter. He'd start with body conditioning. Push-ups, running, striking drills—things he'd read about. He would observe actual Academy students when he could. He had to learn from them. From everyone. Even if it meant pretending to be weaker than he was, just to get in close.

Kota was already asleep. He had curled up in the far corner of the room, clutching the blanket like a shield. Even now, he didn't seem to trust comfort. Ren understood that feeling far too well.

He closed the notebook and leaned back, staring at the wooden ceiling. It was too quiet.

Then—

A creak.

Ren's ears twitched.

A faint rustle two houses over. A breath being drawn. Then more—footsteps above, something shifting in the attic, a dog barking distantly, an insect skittering beneath the floorboards.

The sounds layered, folding into one another, all sharp, all vivid.

Ren sat up straight, heart pounding. His ears ached. It felt like someone was whispering directly into his brain from every direction.

He shut his eyes, hoping that would dull the sense, but it didn't.

Instead, it got louder.

Each sound crashed into him like a tidal wave. A child crying softly somewhere. A kunai clinking. Wind hissing through a cracked tile. Kota breathing beside him—too loud. The throb of his own heartbeat—it was deafening.

Ren clutched the sides of his head.

"Stop," he whispered. "Make it stop…"

The noise didn't listen.

It kept growing. As if the entire world had decided to scream in whispers.

He felt his chakra inside him, but it was… moving. Vibrating with the noise. Amplifying it. Something had shifted—was this from his earlier training? Did something finally click?

Or had he broken something inside himself?

The pressure built. The flood of sound refused to be filtered.

The world became nothing but breath and whisper and shudder and pain.

"Juro—" he tried to call, but his throat barely made a sound.

He couldn't even hear his own voice.

The candle beside him flickered violently, the flame bending as if recoiling from the chaos inside his skull.

His body trembled.

His knees hit the floor.

Then darkness swam into his vision.

He collapsed, barely hearing the thump of his body against the wooden floor.

And finally, silence.

- - -

well what can I say wait for next chapter. give a review or something if you don't like about this story. I will try do do it right 👍.