The next morning…
Mist rolled off the lake behind Tazuna's house as Haruto stood alone in the small clearing nearby. His eyes were tired but focused.
The others were still asleep—or pretending to be. Kakashi hadn't moved since yesterday, and Naruto and Sasuke were probably too proud to admit how drained they were.
But Haruto was restless. Angry at himself.
"I'll get better… even if no one notices."
He formed a hand seal and took a deep breath. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
Two clones appeared beside him. Haruto blinked. He hadn't even realized he could make more than one at a time.
"Alright, let's go."
He charged forward, aiming a kick at one. It blocked easily and retaliated, landing a punch into his ribs.
"Ghk—!"
The other clone swept his legs, sending him to the ground.
Poof! Both clones popped from the hit.
Haruto coughed. "Okay… not bad. Again."
---
Over the next few hours…
He pushed himself, summoning three clones. Then five.
Each time, he fought harder. Dirt covered his arms, blood trickled from scrapes on his chin, and bruises dotted his legs.
He couldn't overpower them, but he could outlast them.
"Seven… clones…" he gasped. "Just need to… stay standing…"
He charged again, this time rolling under a clone's punch, sweeping its legs, and kicking another in the chest.
Poof! Poof!
Two down. Five to go.
Haruto stood, shaking, chest heaving.
But he didn't stop.
"Even if I can't win against Zabuza, I'll fight better than last time."
---
Later that day…
Naruto walked by and froze at the edge of the clearing. He saw Haruto limping, bruised, as he slammed a punch into his final clone. Poof!
Haruto collapsed onto his knees, panting.
"…He's training hard," Naruto mumbled. "Guess he does care."
He quietly turned and left, not saying a word.
The sun dipped low, casting orange light through the trees. Haruto was bruised, scraped, and utterly exhausted. He dropped to his knees after the last clone vanished, chest heaving.
But something was different.
"That last one… I knew where it was going to hit."
He replayed the moment in his mind: the clone had gone for a left hook—exactly what Haruto expected. Without thinking, he'd sidestepped and countered.
It wasn't reflex.
It was instinct.
Or… was it memory?
He blinked. "Wait… all their experience comes back when they disappear… I'm learning from fighting myself. Literally."
A slow grin crept onto his battered face. "So if I keep doing this… I'll get faster. Smarter. I will be better!"
He collapsed onto his back in the grass, staring up at the clouds, arms spread wide.
"…I'm not the strongest… but I've got something."
Haruto walked quietly toward a secluded lake, his body aching from hours of brutal training. With a tired sigh, he stripped off his dirt-stained clothes and stepped into the cool water. The shock of it against his bruised skin made him hiss, but he welcomed the sting.
He scrubbed away the dried blood, mud, and sweat, watching it swirl into the lake. As he stood there, the surface reflecting the fading sky, something clicked inside him.
"So this is it… the foundation of everything—combat awareness."
through fighting his own clones over and over again, he'd learned how to predict, react, and survive. He could now hold his own against at least seven of his clones at once, even if they were just as fast and aggressive as him.
He didn't understand how exactly—it wasn't raw strength or genius.
It was grit. Persistence. Learning through pain.
Haruto stepped out of the water and dressed in clean clothes, his limbs still sore but his spirit steady. He made his way back to the house in silence.
---
That night, around the dinner table, the mood was quiet but warm. Tazuna poured himself a cup of sake, and Naruto was already halfway through his third bowl of rice. Haruto sat beside him, quietly eating his food, still reflecting on his training.
Suddenly, the front door creaked open.
A small boy stepped in, his eyes shadowed and voice sharp.
"Why are you all laughing and eating like everything's fine? You're just gonna die anyway."
Naruto froze mid-chew. Haruto looked up, blinking.
Tazuna sighed. "Inari… not now."
The boy—Inari, Tazuna's grandson—stood with clenched fists. "You don't understand anything! Gato will kill you all. No one can stop him."
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Naruto's grip on his chopsticks tightened. "So that's the fear we're up against…"
Haruto sighed deeply
Naruto stood up, slamming his chopsticks on the table. "What's your problem, kid?! You think we came here to play ninja or something?"
Inari scowled. "You don't get it! People who stand up to Gato end up dead! Just like Kaiza…"
Haruto watched the exchange quietly, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he stood up too.
"I'm not brave like Naruto," he said softly. "I don't have flashy jutsu or a hero story. But I've bled here already… and I'll keep going. Even if I'm afraid."
Inari blinked, caught off guard.
"I'm not asking you to believe in us," Haruto added, voice firmer now. "Just… don't act like we've already lost."
Naruto looked over, surprised at Haruto's words. "Tch. What he said!"
Inari's eyes wavered, but he turned and stormed off without another word.
The room stayed silent for a while.
Tazuna nodded slowly. "Thank you, both of you."
Kakashi said nothing, but his eye lingered on Haruto for a few seconds longer than usual.
Kakashi as a veteran on war, can differentiate a person's physical strength at least entirely
Kakashi noticed that haruto's chakra now grew more destructive and dense, his body? On the other hand looked pale on the outside but ...it's full of power
'has his bloodline awakened?' kakashi thought
But tomorrow's training will confirm everything