Beta: Eretein. (Thank you for so much.) Also, she's published a RWBY fic called Artificer. Give her love.

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me, only the Oc.

CHAPTER SEVEN: Only one way

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Although Sakumo only had one son, it was obvious he lacked the experience to raise him properly.

When someone had a ninja life and had kids, it was usually about balancing their civilian life and their job. I met civilian children with shinobi parents who didn't know why their parents were absent for so long.

It didn't happen with Sakumo, which was understandable. A man who was raised under the questionable regime of ninjas (like Konoha was in the early days), would turn any innocent child in the outside world into a seasoned killer. Sakumo knew nothing other than weapons, combat tactics, and slicing someone's neck without making noise.

I didn't think Sakumo would've wanted Kakashi to follow in his footsteps . However, thanks to his reputation due to his mission record , Kakashi wanted to be like him, like any child who wanted to be like his father - to be proud.

It was undeniable, Kakashi was a prodigy who never went unnoticed by anyone. Not even in the eyes of the Hokage who accepted that Kakashi was accelerated two years in the ninja academy at just the age of six.

Half of Kakashi's success was due to his evolved mind, but half was thanks to the training Sakumo gave us.

While the other children received toys on their birthdays, Sakumo gifted us weapons. While the other children were taken to the plaza to play, Sakumo would take us to the training ground to teach us how to knock someone unconscious.

For Kakashi, only that world existed. And having no other point of view, it was also the only one for me. I didn't realize you could balance both lives until I saw other children play hide and seek without little rules. However when I saw it, it felt like another culture entirely.

We left Kakashi on his first day at the academy. Throngs of children swarmed the hall. .

I stayed behind Sakumo's legs the entire time.

"That child will be the next Hokage. I assure you, Sakumo," the Hokage said standing next to us.

Every parent who crossed the entrance to the academy bowed to him and the children watched him with their bright eyes.

But the hokage stared at me as he said, "You too will be a good kunoichi in the future, Hanare. As were your parents. Right, Sakumo? "

I tilted my head towards him.

Sakumo pursed his lips and rested his hand on my shoulder.

"We must go, Hokage-sama." Sakumo bowed. "Hanare must study."

We came out of school, walking along the streets buzzing with people.

Sakumo's eyes were glazed over. . It reminded me of my father's gaze. It wouldn't be the first and last time he was lost in another place - a place that I never knew.

With the coming of Kakashi's classes, his training with Sakumo became much more intense. They used to train leaving me next to the books. Until one day Sakumo told me to accompany them.

Seeing Kakashi training gave me the feeling that he wasn't a kid. He didn't look like one. He'd run back and forth for an hour, doing squats and push-ups. When Sakumo told him to stop - usually three hours later - he began to dodge shurikens and kunais and deflected them towards all kinds of objects.

"Hanare, come here," Sakumo said.

The sun had not yet set. Unsure, I placed my book at the foot of the tree.

Kakashi was still standing next to Sakumo, facing the training dummy he used to hit.

"Kick the left side of the doll with the front of your foot," Sakumo said. He crossed his arms.

I frowned, my eyes darting from him to the doll.

"Just do it."

I hit it as hard I could.

"Well, now try to rotate your hips as well," he said, kicking the doll while twisting his hips.

He nodded as I tried again.

"Keep going until I tell you to stop," he said and turned to Kakashi.

That day I ended up with a sweaty body and shaky legs.

The workouts did not diminish. Every day at the same time, Sakumo made me do different exercises for hours. I didn't understand his purpose, but I did it without question. Sakumo didn't speak harshly. Instead, he spoke with a soft voice, exercising all his patience.

He made us stretch every morning and gave each of us private lessons.

When we walked through the village, Sakumo would point out some object or person to me, and when we returned home he'd ask me to describe it in its entirety - their features, what they were wearing, what direction they were headed. The details I'd forgotten in two seconds he pointed out to me. Also, he asked me for concise explanations why I believed the person was wearing those clothes or holding that object in his hand.

I couldn't even sleep, knowing another hard day of bruises awaited me. Also, I still had the constant sting on the back of my neck from hunching over and struggling to read. It was something basic, according to Kakashi. But for me, it became a strange symbol of another language - something my mind, for some reason, refused to memorize during Sakumo's lessons.

The workouts were no different. I couldn't run more than a kilometer before my lungs begged for air. My y punches were slower than Kakashi's. A part of me kept repeating I could learn to punch like him.

However, there were things I couldn't learn from theory or practice.

"You won't hurt him Hanare. It's just a superficial fight," Sakumo said. "You just have to touch it."

I pursed my lips. My fists hung in the air.

Kakashi sighed, lowering his hands .

"Why?" I ran my tongue over my parched lip. "Kakashi didn't do anything to me."

"Because it's simple, silly," Kakashi said rolling his eyes. He used to call me that without any malice. "It's for which-"

"For your resistance," Sakumo said, staring at him. He looked at me again. "You won't hit him hard, just touch him lightly."

I looked at Kakashi. He raised his arms. I looked at my fists, my vision starting to blur.

"I can't," I said, my voice shaking.

"Hanare, come on. I know you can-"

"I can not!" I said, hot tears trailing down my cheeks.

Sakumo opened his eyes.

I pressed my lips together, my heart pounding in my chest.

I looked at the ground and turned my back on them, sprinting toward the house.

Sakumo found me sitting on the porch. He left a plate of food next to me.

"I'm sorry," I said, hugging my knees to my chest.

Sakumo was silent for a moment.

"No, Hanare. It doesn't matter. I put you through a tough workout without even warning you." He sighed as he ruffled my hair. "I'm used to Kakashi. Besides, I..."

He trailed off, watching the fireflies.

"I want you to be with Kakashi," Sakumo said. "He's extremely smart, but-"

I kept my eyes on my feet.

I wanted to tell him that I didn't know what he was talking about - what the purpose of that training was. I wanted him to explain more like he always used to . Untangle the thoughts in my head and make it easy to understand.

"Come to training tomorrow. We will see how to fix your fighting style."