Chapter Three: Training is like Gymnastics

So apparently some things stay completely consistent across all lives. My passion for reading, writing and all things creative is definitely this. As soon as our calligraphy lessons began I pretty much ate them up. Where my twin scowled at the paper I grinned and pretty much lit up. Although my chubby hands are definitely not productive towards writing or drawing.

It's still fun though and every spare minute that I get I now also practice my calligraphy. The characters for my name especially. It's calming and familiar. Something that I can simply do without anyone really fussing too much over it.

As soon as I start getting decent, and grasp the characters a lot better I begin to weave stories. Swirling them across the paper given and simply grinning to myself as I tell tales half forgotten or never even began.

It's nice. Even if half the time my twin stops me and tugs me away with a look of pure terror on their face over whatever it is that I'm writing.

It's not like it's dangerous though.

I mean my chakra is even more tightly leashed than even some of those dogs back home that wore muzzles to prevent them from biting. It would seriously take some extreme bad luck for me to slip up at this point. A lapse in concentration won't really shake that control either... Because once it's curled up it just remains there until I decide to allow it to flow once more... Or fall asleep. Whichever comes first.

It's a subconscious split of my attention.

It doesn't take much effort and I'm not worried. Even if my twin is.

"Obito!" they hiss and I look up from my paper putting the ink brush off to the side with an unimpressed look on my face. "it's dangerous!" they sound so sure of that and I roll my eyes.

I pick the brush back up and continue the pattern completely ignoring them. This is also a routine, and one that I'm quickly tiring of. I know that words here can have power. But, I'm pretty sure that requires intent and also quite clearly chakra which as I've said I have tightly leashed and locked up.

"Obito please" I barely raise my head to respond.

"Leash!" it's got enough meaning to convey my message and I can hear them huff in displeasure before moving away. It almost makes me feel guilty but I just really can't be bothered right at this moment.

I'm far more invested in my calligraphy right now. In my writing and creating. It's like writing and drawing at the same time really. Since the characters can be moved around and painted in such a way that it's pretty much creating a beautiful art piece as it is creating a story for others to read and tell.

Also there's nothing about controls or active dangers. No explode symbol or runes half remembered from websites. Nothing that could be twisted into anything actually dangerous... Just stories that have been waiting to be told.

Just stories that can't really be weaponized.

At least I don't think that they can be.

I look up when a shout pierces the air to see our grandmother standing in the open sliding door. Tomoko stands beside her looking smug. I would groan but it's not unexpected really. Again it's all routine really.

Tomoko is really only trying to keep me safe. I know that better than anyone really. I just kind of wish that they would try a little less at times.

"Harmless! See" I say moving to the side a little and letting Grandmother see exactly what I've been writing. And really it is harmless. A short little story about a dog and a candle... There might have also been something about a mouse but I wasn't entirely clear on all the details that I worked in.

"Obito!" she doesn't sound disapproving, more worried and I frown before taking a deep breath and blowing it out in a sigh.

"I know. I know... Don't write patterns without someone watching" it's amazing that I can say that so clearly. Then again I'm now three and a half. Also we've started learning stretches and warm ups in the morning.

Tomoko insisted on it.

The routine is in fact incredibly annoying and draining to me. I don't enjoy it at all... Well okay maybe a little. Also we've finally figured out a bit more about our shared connection. Finally figured out how to use it properly.

Which mostly means that we get into poke battles mentally rather than physically.

Siblings are like that after all. There to drive you almost insane with their antics. Although I am much better at it than Tomoko is and it shows in most of our interactions. They judge situations before running in. I just kind of judge for a moment before running in anyway and going with the flow. I'm good at that, a snap decision and a snap plan.

At this stage though it's not as though I really need to be good at slowing down and planning though. Adaption however is key to a lot of things. So I'm working on that, seeing how much chaos I can get into even just in the house and testing my limitations. Which is mostly keeping my charka completely contained and practicing my stealth by following Grandmother's example.

She was definitely a shinobi at some point and it shows in her body language. It doesn't matter that she's in her sixties. She's still very clearly dangerous and I almost want to dare someone to attempt to kidnap either me or Tomoko.

It would not end well at all... For the kidnapper specifically.

Our Grandmother is a freaking badass.

It's so awesome. Now I just kind of want to go back to my calligraphy. So I look back down at it and then up at her with the best puppy eyes I can do.

"No Obito. How's about you try practicing some of those stretches I showed you?" she says and I jut out my lip into a pout. I don't like the stretches. She laughs and it's a light and carefree sound. I really like it. "Come on now Obito. Surely you don't want Tomoko to overtake you?"

That sparks it and both of us trade heated challenging looks before running off ready to practice our stretches. And tumbles, it's not like I don't know what they're preparing us for. But I'm actually kind of looking forwards to it, if only because it's such an interesting opportunity. Also because I can't really imagine any life as a civilian in this world.

Especially not as an Uchiha... Every member of the clan that I've met so far has been either a member of the Shinobi Corps or they've been part of the Military Police. The latter option does not interest me at all.

Way, way too stressful. Seriously, I don't even have to go outside, don't even have to be grown to know that the default setting of the clan is stressed and frustrated. Trying to pretend that we have everything under control when it comes to the crime reported by the civilians.

Seriously you would think that for a Shinobi Village there would be less of it. Nope, if anything there's an equal amount of crime here as there was in my previous life... And unfortunately less people to deal with it because the Uchiha are the police. The only police.

Our pride gets in the way of even asking for help there.

I stretch my hands up above my head and twist a bit watching my twin. The stretches are simple really but I just don't enjoy doing them... After we're finished it's tumbling practice. Which reminds me of learning front and back rolls during gymnastics for the three years that I done them...

I don't even know why I stopped... Something about the place being closed down?

It's not even important really. Since here and now I'm learning new things along with my twin. New things that are likely to be very important in the future. Unfortunately it's a lot of work and no one enjoys work. Especially when they're keeping their chakra compressed. I tire vastly sooner than Tomoko and soon stop panting from exsertion... I actually lasted longer that time. It's only a small triumph really even as Grandmother comes out with some lemonade(at least it tastes like lemonade) and cookies for us to enjoy while we're resting.

It's a lot of work preparing to even learn the basic katas, and also to get ready to go to the shinobi academy in a few years. I don't even know if it'll be worth it in the end.

We're barely over our toddlerhood after all. Only just three and a half. I know that it's effective and we are improving but how much will that really matter when it comes to actually learning to be a shinobi.

How much will stretches and physical conditioning matter when it comes to chakra, and socialization and history? How much will any of this matter? I don't think that it will be enough. It's just a feeling that I get. I don't feel as though any of it will be enough to truly prepare either of us for what's coming. For the challenges in the future.

This world is good at throwing curveballs at you after all from what little I do know of the 'prime' timeline. What I know of canon.

So I actually am putting one hundred and ten percent into this. Even if most of my enthusiasm is for calligraphy and other creative stuff this physical training is also important. Even if it's only tumbling and stretches. A couple of swings and flips. It seriously is like gymnastics actually... The basics at least.

Makes me feel incredibly nostalgic really. Also reminds me of my little leopard print leotard. I was what seven when we stopped doing it... Besides it was our teams theme.

I shake away the memories and sip at my lemonade watching as my twin immediately proceeds to jump right back into their training. As they proceed to continue stretching and tumbling. I simply sit and watch. I'm not exactly as good as they are at this kind of stuff. I'm keeping up, barely, but I am.

Of course, this is with my chakra compressed and leashed. If I allowed it to flow freely who knows how much better I would be doing. Who knows how I would stack up.

I certainly don't. I'm sure though that I would likely be better than Tomoko. Also, I know that because of the suppression it's likely grown. Chakra is incredibly strange in the way it works. It expands and grows based on the way that you use it... And keeping it suppressed the way that I am seems to be encouraging it to grow and expand. I know that people who train themselves to exhaustion get that same boost since it replenishes above it's original limit... But I don't know the logic behind it.

Physical training encourages the growth of the physical half, the Ki. Meditation and controlling your breathing encourages growth of the spiritual half, the Chi.

So does just growing. Growing improves both. Yet as I am, I've discovered that it's growing as I keep it suppressed and controlled. Probably because it means that I'm working harder just to function and keep up with everyone else my chakra kept tightly contained.

It means that eventually I'll be able to surprise others I think.

But for now it just makes me look weaker, smaller and more vulnerable. Which is fine. I have my family after all, and training with these limitations just make it that much more worth it. Besides it makes my twin feel better that they're the stronger one. For now anyway, I can feel how much they want to be able to protect me, how much they need to protect me.

If I can play into the illusion that I need that protection and allow them to feel as though they're able to, that's fine.

It's not like I don't enjoy the sentiment. The feeling that someone is there looking out for me. Even if they're only just older. Even if in the long run we'll probably both be looking out for one another in equal measure. Since I can feel their emotional fragility as clear as the sunshine illuminating the planet. As clear as the full moon in a sky empty of stars.

I hit the bottom of the cup and set it down beside me. I take a deep breath and stretch myself out before bouncing to my feet.

Moving through the stretches also faintly reminds me of watching people practice dancing really. Raising fingers up as far as you can keeping feet flat as you bend over and reach for your toes. Twist, posture. It's amazing really and some of these stretches echo of those exercises I was once given in an attempt to help me with my pain. Really though, I just like to see how well I can now flow through them. How well I'm able to shift from one to the next in an uninterrupted movement.

I may be slow, slower than my twin. But there's no stiffness or faltering movements in my body. I start and then I stop at the end. Humming to myself an absent tune that suits me just fine.

It's actually a touch haunting and I can see when Tomoko stumbles over one of their stretches. I can see when they spin wide eyed to stare at me as I began to tumble. Tuck and roll. And then... A handstand.

Hands flat against the ground and legs as straight as I can get them as I balance there. I hold it, and close my eyes. It's not really anything special but it does actually strain a bit before I lower myself back down and shake it out a bit. Looking over to my twin and Grandmother I smile and shrug.

Before clapping my hands together. It's simple enough really, and throwing stuff like Handstands in doesn't really disrupt it or change anything really. After all I really do consider this a lot like gymnastics.

It's all practicing and flow and rhythm. Smoothing out your reflexes and maintaining flexibility.

It's amazing really. Yet because I'm me I also tend to toss in other things that don't fit as just stretches. A couple of jumps in place, testing balance for landing on one leg and then the other, holding, stretching up maintaining that pose.

Then dropping down and stretching with my legs right out in front. Arms reaching again for the toes but this time parallel with a straight back. Seriously though, it's fun and entertaining, a return to stuff that I had almost forgotten.

Some of the stretches also reminded me of Yoga and some stuff that we'd done at the start of the day during Primary School for whatever reason...

School could be weird sometimes.

Then again, coming from the person who was known by everyone just by her reputation of being the single most weird person in the school... I don't really think that it applies. I mean seriously, everyone knew me back home, I don't know how they knew me but they all knew me. Always with a greeting so I don't know whether I could call anything weird or strange without sounding like calling the kettle black.

At least here and now I'm having fun growing up and learning alongside my twin. And causing complete bewilderment at times when I slip into English.

It's fun.