Half a year has passed since I started training. That's like… a million days or something.
I don't cry after training anymore. Well… I almost never cry.
Like always, I wake up at 7 a.m. sharp. The sun peeks through the window and hits me in the face.
I sit up and stretch my arms high. My muscles are sore, but it's a good kind of sore. The kind that means I'm getting stronger.
I brush my teeth super fast—Mama always says I miss the back ones, but whatever—and then I race into the kitchen.
"Morning!" I say with a big smile.
"Good morning, sweetheart," Mama says, already putting eggs and rice on the table. "Eat up before your father gets mad."
"He doesn't get mad!" I giggle. "He just gets all serious-face."
She laughs and kisses the top of my head. "You're right. Now eat."
At 8 sharp, I'm outside in the cold morning air. Papa's waiting like always, arms crossed and eyes calm.
"You ready?" he asks.
"Yup!" I bounce on my feet.
"Twenty laps."
I nod and start running.
The wind whooshes past me as my feet hit the dirt road around our little village. I count each lap in my head.
One… two… three…
By lap ten, I'm breathing hard. By fifteen, I'm dripping sweat. But I don't slow down. I don't stop.
Twenty laps. All the way.
I finish just before lunch time, hands on my knees, chest rising and falling like crazy.
Papa watches me with a proud look. "Better. You can handle more now."
I wipe the sweat from my face. "Still hard…"
"But you didn't quit."
"'Cause I'm not a quitter!" I say, standing up straight again.
Next is the boulders.
They're big. Way bigger than before. One of them is as tall as my chest.
I grunt and pick one up. It's heavy. My legs shake. But I move it. Then another. Then another.
From one side of the yard to the other.
Over and over.
Papa watches quietly. His arms are crossed, but I see the corner of his mouth twitch a little.
He's proud.
By the time I finish, I feel like my arms are made of noodles. We go inside to eat lunch. Mama made noodles with pork and vegetables and a big pot of tea.
I eat two bowls.
"You're going to grow up faster than your father at this rate," Mama teases.
Papa just snorts into his tea.
After lunch comes my favorite part: Interceptor Fist training.
Papa shows me the forms again.
Step to the side, elbow block, palm strike. Move with the attack, not against it. Feel it before it comes.
We spar after. I still can't beat him. But today, I surprised him.
I dropped low during a punch and tapped him right on the ribs. Just once. A clean hit.
He blinked, then smiled a little. "Good. You're starting to see it."
I grinned so big my cheeks hurt.
After sparring, it's time to meditate.
I sit cross-legged with my back straight, hands on my knees.
A single leaf sits on my forehead.
Chakra control. That's what we're working on now.
I push my chakra up, just like Papa told me. Try to hold it steady. Try to keep the leaf from falling.
I used to mess up a lot. But now? Sometimes the leaf stays on the whole time.
Today was one of those days.
Papa didn't even say anything. He just nodded once. That's how I know I did good.
Then, Mama calls me into the back yard.
She's smiling, but she looks a little serious too. Like something special's about to happen.
"Koi," she says, kneeling in front of me, "do you remember what I told you about the Fireball Jutsu?"
"Yup!" I say. "It's the cool jutsu with the big fire and it's super important for Uchiha people!"
She smiles and nods. "That's right. It's a rite of passage. Every member of our clan learns it."
I tilt my head. "What's a clan again?"
She looks down for a second, then back up at me. "A clan is like a really, really big family. Not just parents and kids—but cousins, uncles, aunts… everyone."
"Where are they?"
She's quiet for a second. Her smile gets a little sad.
"Well… your father and I left the clan before you were born."
"Why?" I ask.
"There were… problems. The clan and the village they lived in didn't get along. We left to live a peaceful life."
"Oh," I say.
I don't really get it, but I can tell it's something that made her sad, so I don't ask more.
"Okay," I say, and smile again.
She smiles too and pats my head. "Let's focus on your training, alright?"
She shows me the hand signs: Tiger, Horse, Boar, Ram, Snake, and Tiger again.
Then she breathes in deep—real deep—and lets out a giant fireball. It's huge and bright and super loud.
"WHOA!!" I yell, jumping up and down.
"Your turn," she says.
I try.
I do the hand signs real slow and suck in as much air as I can.
"FIRE STYLE: FIREBALL JUTSU!"
…
Just smoke.
Mama laughs softly. "You'll get there. Just keep focusing your chakra in your belly."
"I will!" I shout.
The sun's going down now, so Papa tells me it's time to meditate again.
I sit outside and do it, leaf on my head, quiet and still.
I don't know why, but I feel warm inside.
Even though the fireball didn't work, I'm getting better.
I know it.
Afterward, we all go inside. Papa heats up the bath while Mama makes dinner.
Dinner is sweet grilled fish with rice and miso soup.
I tell Mama all about my day, even the part where Papa blocked my coolest punch.
"He used his knee!" I whine.
Mama laughs. "That's smart of him."
"I still landed a hit though!" I say with a grin.
After dinner, I get in the bath. The warm water feels amazing on my tired muscles. I splash a little and Papa gives me the stink eye, so I stop.
Then it's time for bed.
Mama helps me into my pajamas and tucks me in tight. Papa sits on the chair next to my bed with the orange book in his hands.
He reads a few pages.
I close my eyes and listen.
The gutsy ninja is still running from bad guys, still not giving up. I wanna be just like him someday.
Strong, brave, and never giving up.
I open my eyes just a little and look out the window.
The stars are all over the sky like glitter. The moon is glowing big and white.
"I'm gonna learn the Fireball soon," I whisper to myself. "And then I'll be a real ninja."
I close my eyes again and smile.