ACADEMY DAYS III - TESHIN

Shoto's days follow a specific routine. He gets up early in the morning to get in more training and practice his form, hone his martial art. He's taken to training inside the dojo, after his training behind the house woke up his family a few times. So dojo, it is. It works just as well for him but he does prefer to hit the tree trunks for endurance training.

His parents have shown worry that he's overworking himself, waking up much earlier than they'd recommend and putting more of a strain on his growing body than he should, but he's brushed it aside. He needs to be in perfect shape if he's to be the top taijutsu practitioner and show off the Teshin clan's Shorin-ryu martial arts. Most of all, he needs to be several steps ahead of Jiriki Hyuga.

As he continues his training in the hall, teachers from the Teshin clan begin to arrive in order to prepare for the day and soon after, students begin flooding. That's his cue to take a rest before school starts.

While changing out of his training robes, he does see a rather peculiar figure enter the dojo. A young girl of no more than 15 years of age with long dark brown hair tied in a ponytail. Her very distinct pale eyes are a dead giveaway of her identity. A Hyuga.

Shoto raises a brow at her presence here. Why would a Hyuga of all people come to the Teshin clan's dojo. Surely they have their own place to train and wouldn't need to mingle with anyone else.

The girl is immediately welcomed by none other than his own parents, themselves just arriving in the dojo.

"Lady Hanabi." Asami Teshin bows to the Hyuga heiress, as does her husband. "It's an honour to welcome you."

Hanabi bows back. "Asami-sensei, Itosuke-sensei. Thank you for agreeing to see me."

"Of course. How could we ever refuse?" Asami motions her to follow them further inside, to possibly discuss… something. Shoto's preparing his things more slowly now, kind of curious why Hanabi Hyuga of all people is here.

Itosuke asks a question Shoto himself has been asking. "I'm still uncertain as to why you would seek us out. The Hyuga's Gentle Fist is hardly something we can assist you with training."

Hanabi follows them toward the back of the dojo, towards a door that leads to a series of room; most of them changing rooms but also some rest rooms and offices. "It's not training that I require, Itosuke-sensei, but experience against other fighting styles. The upcoming Chunin Exams may be the most important in a long time and I aim to perform at my best."

'So it's about those Chunin Exams?' Shoto thinks to himself as he finally finishes packing his things, having taken longer than he should.

Heading to the exit, Hanabi calls out to him. "You're Shoto, right? Hinata's student."

Shoto turns around, surprised to be recognized. "Um, yes?"

Hanabi smirks, "Keep at it, alright? Don't let him put you down." and goes with Itosuke and Asami to the back rooms of the Shorin dojo.

Shoto raises a confused eyebrow. "Could she mean…" He shakes his head. "Nevermind."

At the Academy, days go by as normal. Tenten teacher the usual subjects- ancient and recent history of the shinobi world, jutsu theory, and even survival. Her specialty, of course, is weapons training, where she runs them through practice, encouraging them to pick up a new weapon each time.

Today, Shoto picks up a nunchaku. He watches Yokumaru fumble around with a tanto blade, while Kotori tries to keep a wakizashi stable in her hands. Hopefully this'll end with all limbs still attached.

He takes a glance at the Hyuga who's getting better acquainted with a chain-sickle. For a very brief moment their eyes meet and they immediately turn to face away from each other, pretending it never happened.

When it comes with right down to it, Shoto doesn't need a weapon. Neither do his friends as far as he's concerned. They've both got amazing abilities that would be better honed instead, but it never hurts to have a fallback in case things go south. For him, though, his weapons are the only weapons he needs, should all else fail. Jiriki is probably thinking the same thing. Their pride comes from their martial art, not steel.

Still, they have to take part in this class. It's part of the curriculum, after all.

-x-

The part of the day Shoto actually looks forward is the taijutsu spars, where he gets to show off what he's really capable of.

"Shoto Teshin." Tenten calls out for the boy to step forward.

Shoto takes his position on the field, expectantly waiting for his opponent for today to be chosen. He knows who he wants to fight, but has never come up.

"Genzai Sarutobi." Tenten calls out the second participant.

Shoto lightly groans in annoyance. Not today, either.

As Genzai steps forward with his hands in his pockets, Tenten eyes both Shoto and Jirirki, and thinks to herself. 'I wonder how long I can keep these two separated…'

Genzai and Shoto give the traditional start of shinobi spars, with the Seal Of Confrontation- index and middle finger pointed upward. It took Shoto a bit of time to get used to this one, as he'd subconsciously give his own greeting of bowing with a fist in his palm.

Looking at the relaxed Genzai now, he realizes he's never truly seen him fight seriously. He always gives these halfhearted attempts and even though he does win, that's more because the classmates he was paired against just aren't that good with taijutsu. Looking at the young Sarutobi now, one hand still in his pocket… Shoto's motivation is diminishing. Seeing someone not taking martial arts seriously is infuriating to say the least. First the Hyuga, but now the Sarutobi makes light of the situation. Looks like this one needs to be taught a lesson.

"Begin!" Tenten gives the signal.

Shoto dashes forward, not waiting even a moment for Genzai to even try any sort of defence, given how terrible his starting stance is. One hit should be enough to decide this.

Shoto delivers a jab to the sides of the stomach, but Genzai slips out of the way. Another jab to the chest that Genzai spins out of the way for, spinning right into Shoto's face, as a matter of fact. Far too close for comfort, far closer than he ever should've gotten and yet he somehow was fast enough to do it.

Shoto pushes him away and takes a step back himself. 'This guy…'

Genzai smirks. "Watching you and Jiriki have a go at it… This big rivalry about taijutsu mastery… Really, who cares? It's just annoying, isn't it?" He yawns.

"Didn't strike me as the type who cares." Shoto runs at him.

"I don't. That's why it's annoying to watch every day." Genzai runs forward, as well.

When Shoto comes near, he goes for another jab but stop mid-way. He switches to a kick, hoping to catch Genzai off guard. It doesn't work.

Genzai leaps in the air and wraps a leg around Shoto's leg which was aiming right for his shoulder. He snakes his leg around and pulls Shoto off-balance, just close enough for him to spin mid-air and deliver an axe kick to the Teshin boy.

Shoto falls face-first to the ground just as Genzai lands on his feet and takes a step back. Shoto grunts in frustration and pushes himself up with one hand while cleaning his face with the other.

On the sidelines, Jiriki smirks. "So he's actually trying now."

"He's always trying." Kashiwama munches on some snacks next to him. "You just try too hard."

Jiriki crosses his arms and pretends he didn't hear that.

'This guy's a taijutsu master, too? He's been hiding his abilities from us? No, Jiriki Hyuga and Kashiwama Senju probably know exactly what he's capable of.'

Genzai remains in a completely neutral position. Nothing about his current demeanor would suggest he's in a fight. That only pisses Shoto off even more.

This time, he braces himself like never before, taking on a more defensive stance. He focuses all of his energy to face this one unexpected foe and prepares to strike with more thought.

The two boys continue their bout at a more event pace now that Shoto has cleared his head. Genzai fights with impressive speed and an unpredictable fighting style. The Shorin-ryu can stand up against many forms of martial arts and is well equipped to handle different situations. This, however, is entirely different.

Genzai's taijutsu is wholly unpredictable and has no rhythm to it whatsoever. He's constantly spinning, jumping, or both. His attacks don't follow a pattern that Shoto can recognize and no two attacks are really the same. He's almost like…

"A monkey." Yokumaru observes from the side.

Kotori nods. "It's weird how anyone can fight like that. Reminds me a lot of Hayai."

"That was… your friend from the Hidden Cloud?"

"Yeah. It's a different style but really wild just like Genzai's."

The class gasps. Kotori and Yokumaru turn their attention back to the fight just in time to see Shoto gets kneed in the chest and shoved to the ground. Genzai stands atop the fallen Shoto, knee pressed down on the chest.

Shoto grits his teeth and tries to push himself up to no avail. "Fine. I give."

Genzai stands up and offers a hand to his opponent. Shoto ignores it and stands up on his own.

"Alright then." Genzai puts his hand back in his pocket, not overly disturbed by the display.

Before Shoto can get out of the arena, Tenten calls out to him. "The Seal of Reconciliation."

The two boys intertwine their index and middle fingers, the same ones used to issue the challenge, into what's also called the Unison Sign, meant to symbolize good will and no bad intentions between the two foes. Whether that's actually true is another matter altogether.

Genzai has his usual aloof expression in stark contrast to the frustration Shoto feels.

"Don't get too caught up in stuff that doesn't matter." Genzai goes back to where Jiriki and Kashiwama are.

Tenten sighs. 'I might have to keep these two apart now, too.'

Kashiwama laughs and pats his friend on the back. "That was awesome!"

"An odd time to show off, don't you think." Jiriki huffs. "So does this mean you plan on sparring with me again?"

Kashiwama laughs. "Maybe this time you'll actually win."

Jiriki grumbles and crosses his arms.

Genzai sits down to rest from the spar. "Well, you know how it is. Sometimes life sways you one direction, the next day- in another."

"Now you just sound like an old man..."

Shoto, on the other side of the group plops down on the ground with a dissatisfied grunt, coming from both frustration and pain.

"Wow, who knew Genzai was that good." Yokumaru comments.

"Damnit. I was so focused on beating Jiriki…" Shoto lightly hits the ground with a fist.

Kotori takes out a medicinal salve from her pack and hands it to Shoto. "Use this. Mom made it."

"Thanks." He takes the salve and begins applying it to his sore spots. It stings on touch but that might be just the bruises.

"You're gonna obsess over this, aren't you?" Kotori asks with a knowing smile.

"Wha- I don't obsess!" Shoto protests.

"You kind of do, though." Yokumaru agrees with her assessment.

Shoto grumbles. "Yeah, well, shadap."

-x-

At the end of the school day, as everyone heads out to go home, the three usual suspects are still together until their paths fully diverge.

"Hey, Yoku, Shoto, wanna go to one of the training grounds and really let loose?" Kotori grins.

Shoto chuckles. "Where's this coming from?"

"Well, y'know, we still gotta train on our stuff, right? And it's always good to train against other people."

Shoto scratches his chin. "I suppose."

That's probably what Hanabi Hyuga meant when she stopped by the dojo earlier. Training on your own can only do you so much good until you stop being able to grow. The shinobi world is varied and unless you know how to deal with that variety… Shoto looks back, taking a cursory glance at the Academy that's still barely in view. His eyes dart around for the Sarutobi boy but he's nowhere in sight, probably gone home already.

"I actually can't." Yokumaru chimes in. "We're going to dinner."

"With your mom?" Kotori asks.

Yokumaru nods in response. "Yeah. And Teuchi and Ayame."

Shoto smiles and fistbumps him on the shoulder. "So you're all good now?"

Yokumaru smiles. "I think so. At least I'm trying to be."

Kotori runs up to him and gives him a tight hug. "That's great, Yokumaru! So you made up with your mom."

"Yeah. It's… still a lot to take in but you guys were right. Talking about it was good."

Shoto crosses his arms. "Of course we were right. We always are."

"You have fun, alright?" Kotori beams. "We'll try not to get too strong without you."

Yokumaru laughs. "Don't hold back just for me."

With that, Yokumaru goes for a family dinner, or as close to a family as they are right now, while Kotori and Shoto Flicker away to the nearest training.

Shoto looks at Kotori from the corner of his eye. "If you summon that stink bird, I'm never training with you again."

Kotori laughs. "Way to be a sore loser."

Later that evening

After an afternoon of sparring and further training with Kotori, Shoto returns home thankfully not stinking of manure because of that hoatzin thing they saw in the Land of Water. He still has no idea how or why Kotori isn't affected by the throat-wrenching smell.

He opens the doors to the dojo to be met by a sight he wasn't necessarily expecting. Hanabi Hyuga is still here for some reason, sitting to the side next to his mother Asami.

Probably the weirder part is what's happening in the arena itself. His father Itosuke is currently sparring with… a green man. A bowl haircut, thick eyebrows, a green jumpsuit- an absolutely odd combination of elements and yet here it is in front of him.

When he enters, his mom beckons him to join them by the side which he does while keeping an eye on the spar.

The green man is fast. Even if it's just for training, he can tell this guy isn't even using a fraction of his abilities and yet he's still delivering these heavy blows and kicks. Itosuke Teshin is well trained, one of the best among the clan, but the Shorin-ryu martial art hasn't had to stand against actual shinobi since the Second War. It's definitely lost its edge; an edge that Shoto intends on sharpening once more.

Shoto bows to his guest and sits down seiza-style next to his mother. "Your training isn't over?" He asks Hanabi.

Hanabi smiles to him. "The day went quicker than we anticipated. And then Rock Lee came to the dojo and I couldn't simply leave without watching this fight."

"Rock Lee?" Shoto turns his attention back to the arena. "Is that who that is."

Hanabi nods. "My sister never talked about him?"

"I think they did. Apparently he's super strong, right?" Shoto tries to recall some conversations they've had over their year-long journey together. They've talked about a lot so it's difficult to remember full details about a stranger he's only just now seeing for the first time.

"He is."

The spar doesn't continue for much longer. They observe the shinobi and his own fighting style which mainly revolves around spinning kicks and constantly moving around your opponent. It's not a controlled fighting style like the Hyuga's Gentle Fist or the Teshin's Empty Hand but it's not wild like Genzai's fighting style from today.

"So how was your day, dear?" Asami asks.

"It was normal. Nothing really… that… different." Well, not entirely true. Shoto whips around to look at their guest again. "Lady Hanabi, you want to practice against multiple styles, correct?"

Hanabi raises a brow. "Yes, that's correct."

"So you're familiar with every fighting style in the Hidden Leaf?"

"To an extent. Many within the Leaf don't practice a particular style as our clans do. There's certain techniques the Hidden Leaf teaches, which Rock Lee and his teacher Might Guy have mastery over but many simply follow a standard form of taijutsu."

"What about the Sarutobi clan's taijutsu?"

Hanabi cocks her head. "Sarutobi? They don't really have a specific taijutsu as far as I'm aware, although some definitely have an unorthodox fighting style. I presume that comes from their clan summons, and many take after them. Some take after them too much, being arrogant, obnoxious, far more in-your-face than any reasonable person should, and loud. So very loud." Hanabi grows exasperated.

"That… sounds really specific." Shoto wonders if he somehow struck a nerve.

Hanabi clears her throat and composes herself. "Either way, their taijutsu comes more from their relationship with their Monkey summoning contract. Are you… asking for any particular reason?"

"What do you have on your mind, Shoto?" Asami asks.

A male voice breaks their conversation. "Yet another outrageous notion, I presume." Itosuke approaches the three of them, with Rock Lee following closely behind.

"You've finished your spar?" Asami stands to assist her husband with getting dried off.

"We have indeed." Lee flashes a grin and a thumbs up. "It was a most fruitful spar. I've learned much from our time, Itosuke-sensei."

Itosuke laughs. "I'd say I was the one who learned today."

Shoto focuses on his father for a moment. Seeing his more lighthearted demeanor and friendly interaction with people not of the clan… He's a completely different person from just 2 years ago, when he refused to even consider others as worth the time. What he said is true, he's also learning, and the results are showing.

Shoto stands up and bows to their guests. "It is an honour to meet you. I'm Shoto Teshin."

Lee returns the bow. "Rock Lee, the honour is mine. You're Naruto and Hinata's disciple, yes? And Itosuke-sensei and Asami-sensei's son."

"I am, sir."

Lee grins. "You've many strong people placing their hopes on your, Shoto Teshin."

"I'll do my best not to disappoint." Shoto reaffirms.

Hanabi stands up, straightening her robes. "Well then, I believe it's time for me to head home. I've taken up too much of your day already."

"Nonsense." Asami reassures her. "It was our pleasure to host you today. You're welcome to the Shorin-ryu dojo at any time."

"I shall head out, as well!" Lee stretches. "I'm yet to do my 1000 laps around the village!"

Hanabi chuckles. "You still intend to continue training?"

"Of course!" Lee grips his fist, prepared to give a speech. "Training never stops. If at any point you feel you can better yourself, then you should do it. No questions about it. That is how I've lived my life and how I intend to live it. Would you like to join, Hanabi?"

She waves her hands dismissively. "I believe my own training is done for the day. I've clan matters to attend to."

"Then let us be on our way! Itosuke-sensei, Asami-sensei, Shoto, we shall meet again!"

Both Lee and Hanabi bow before heading toward the front door together. Just as they open and step out, Shoto runs up to them. Or more specifically, up to Rock Lee.

Itosuke and Asami share a look. He's definitely got something planned.

"Um, excuse me!" Shoto calls out. "Would you… would you teach me? The Hidden Leaf style."

"Oh?" Lee raises a bushy brow. "An eager learner, huh? But you already have teachers, don't you?"

"I do but to make my taijutsu stronger, I need to evolve it. I need to learn more and make it brand new so it can be a proper taijutsu for a shinobi, and for that I need to find a style that works with our Empty Hand. Naruto-shisho and Hinata-shisho are strong but their taijutsu is too different. Please." Shoto bows.

Hanabi smirks. "So that's why you were asking about the Leaf's styles. Jiriki get under your skin?"

"Well, there's that but a lot of other things, too." Shoto looks up, anticipating his answer.

After a moment of contemplation, Lee gives a thumbs up. "Who am I to refuse such an eagerness to improve? If you wish to learn, then be prepared to become the strongest you could possibly be! I will not go easy on you just because you are Naruto's disciple!"

"I wouldn't dream of it!" Shoto beams.

"Then let us start!" Lee declares.

"... Um… now?"

"Of course! What better time to start learning than right now! If the passion is there then you must act while the fires of your youth are burning bright!"

"Oh, uh…" Shoto looks around in a panic, "Just one minute!" and runs off to the main house to leave behind his things and get a change of clothes.

Itosuke approaches, with Asami next to him, sighing. "That boy… He's gone and done it again. You don't need to humor him."

Hanabi laughs. "I can see why my sister and Naruto took such a liking to him. He's got guts."

"And he used to be such a reserved boy." Asami muses. "Now he's asking everyone left and right to train him. I apologize for the inconvenience." She bows to Lee.

"Eagerness to learn is nothing that needs apologizing. I shall take him under my youthful wing and help him grow to the best of my abilities."

"We should go and have a conversation with him." Asami looks to her husband who nods in agreement. That boy is slowly but surely becoming a handful.

"We should." Itosuke bows to their two guests and they take their leave, following their son inside.

Now just the two of them, Hanabi turns to Lee."You're taking up a lot of responsibility. In addition to opening your own dojo and taking in disciples, you've also agreed to help me train for the Chunin Exams. Do you have the time?"

"Of course I do. I'm not only teaching, but also learning how to teach and learning how to navigate this new stage of my life. It is crucial that I push myself to become stronger. It's not just Shoto who wishes to grow."

Hanabi smiles. "You really are as Neji described you. I had my doubts a person existed that would earn so much of his praise."

Lee smiles as he looks up to the darkening sky. "It's for him that I push myself. I spent most of my Genin career trying to catch up to him as a fellow taijutsu user but now I need to catch up to him as a person, as well."

"That's what I want, too. Just... don't let that overtake who you are."

Lee tilts his head in confusion. "In what way?"

"Neji… he always had a lot of things on his mind. Whether it was when he was young and hated us from the main branch or when he grew older and we became closer, he was always thinking on a grander scale. He never stopped to think about his own life, about what he wants as a person rather than as a part of a bigger whole."

Lee pats her on the shoulder. "That's surprisingly insightful, Hanabi. Thank you."

At this point, Shoto comes rushing back to them with a change of clothes. "I'm ready!"

"Alright then!" Lee's voice booms. "Let's begin with 1000 handstand laps around the village!" He flips over to stand on his hands and begins walking into the village.

Shoto stares for a few seconds. "Wait, what?"

Hanabi chuckles and pats him on the head. "Good luck. You're going to need it."

Hyuga clan district

Returning back home, Hanabi passes through the common training grounds for the Hyuga clan before going directly to her father. There, she spots many Hyuga, from both the main and the side branches, practicing their form, including one of the most promising youths- Jiriki Hyuga.

She remains for a few minutes, observing the instructors giving commands and leading by example. Some lag behind and don't shift their position quick enough, others get the directions wrong. It's something they'll get the hang of with time.

She recalls a time when such mistakes were inexcusable, when a simple verbal reprimand wasn't enough. Her mistakes had to sink in to ensure that she never repeats them. That led to a very disjointed familiar bond. She never knew the traditional warmth of a parent and she never got close to her own sister until just a couple years ago. Thankfully that's change a great deal.

The closed off nature of the Hyuga is slowly coming to an end.

"Lady Hanabi?" Jiriki slowly approaches her, bowing deeply at the clan heiress. "May I ask you a question?" His head remains lowered.

"Of course, Jiriki. Come sit with me." She pats the wooden boards by her side.

"Ah, no, I'd never." The boy becomes flustered. If any of his classmates saw how meek he is right now, that would ruin his entire image. "Is it true you spent the day with the Teshin clan?"

"I did." She cocks her head and smirks. "Do you not approve?"

Jiriki jumps back. "I-I'd never think to judge!" He blurts out quickly to try and defend himself. "It's-It's just…" Hanabi patiently waits for him to speak his mind. "Is there anything for us to learn from them? We're one of the oldest clans with traditions spanning hundreds of years that have kept us one of the strongest. Why learn from others when we've more than enough skill and knowledge."

Hanabi sighs. "I'm sorry that mentality's been thrust into you, Jiriki. There's many things we can learn. Some of the strongest and most powerful people were the ones who didn't shun others and welcome change with open arms." She stands up and pats him on the shoulder as she passes by him. "You might be surprised how much you can learn from Shoto."

Jiriki grumbles. "I doubt it."