[Wahei]

"Shogi-time! War of the sharp-minded". "Winning doesn't always mean being first. Winning means you're doing better than you've ever done before." Bonnie Blair. Mind and body fullness. - My age? - Wahei needed to think for a while - That's a good question. - he admitted, sighting a little. - I need to tell you another secret of mine, but after we finish this mental game, ok? - he smiled back to the boy's enthusiasm. Things went as expected and the boys really had that great moment over playing and chatting. Wahei smiled widely when Yoru got all excited to the challenge of a 2x1 match, and replied back enhancing the boy's spirit. As their mental game went through, Wahei felt that the better moment to tell Yoru about his synthetic nature would be even later, since the dark-haired boy seemed distracted with the matches they've been playing in a row. As expected, Wahei added another loss to his score, but was feeling victorious to the simple fact that he had been able to maintain the game from the beginning until it's end. - Wow! This was tough. Visual support is really important for building up a strategy, but making this a habit will enhance our capability in so many ways that I don't even know where to start listing! - he seemed really surprised by the challenge - Thank you so much for this! - he added, cracking his habitual smile. As another match began, Yoru started to movement himself and training his chakra flow, which gave Wahei an ideia. - What about we make this even harder? - then he stood up, and started to warm up with Yoru. - You already know that I have a lot of 'body awareness', right? What you probably don't know is that I can probably do move and barely anything with my body. That's why I'm so good with chakra control and mednin stuff. - he wasn't bragging, actually Wahei was always plenty honest when he could or not do something, as if it was something pretty normal to say or admit. Anyway! - he concluded - The secret of this is multi-task practice, focusing and especially concentrating into your body awareness. Since you have been teaching me a lot of this strategic game, enhancing my mental skills, I thought to repay for it showing you a little on how to achieve body full-awareness. - he then started making some hardcore yoga postures as if it was nothing, again not to brag but to prove his point. Wahei taught the basis for Yoru, like breathing and warming up accordingly and little exercises to excel his muscles to its max. Then he finally proposed: - Now that you know the basics, it's time for us to make a hardcore match! A triple-training of body, mind and chakra control! Follow my lead! - the grabbed two pieces of paper he found in the house, four kunais, and then turned to Yoru again - Here! - he instructed - Use this in your forehead to amplify your concentration. Focus your chakra here like you probably used to do at the academy - then he showed up the trick to Yoru. When the boy repeated the movement accordingly, making the paper stick in his forehead by using chakra control, Wahei would thumbs up and follow to the next step. Okay!.. - he leaned the kunais in the floor asymmetrically, walking and standing over it - Now - do the same with the kunai, sticking it in your foot - Oh, you can also use this for a surprise attack. Keep that in mind for the future - and then he lifted up his leg to show the sticked kunai in his foot. - Once you have done this, is time to jump! - using a precise chakra boost, it was his time to jump towards the ceiling and hanging there with the principles of the Kinobori (tree climbing) like Yoru has done moments earlier - You see? Now I have three different spots of concentration. One in my fore head that is thin and soft, other two in my foots that are thick, and the last in my hands that basically require me to hold not only my body weight but also everything else too. Try to keep it steady! - he called Yoru to that challenge, guiding the boy on how to perfect the movement until he made it. Very good, mate! - he said, quite proud of the boy's outcome in that short brief. Since he had the principles, a good chakra control and was also a genius, Wahei knew that Yoru would end up handling it. - Okay! Now we start playing! - he said with a certain challenging look in his face - This time, I'll play first. Yoru knew how to beat Wahei, but they have been playing and training for hours now after a long day of work. He was exhausted. Wahei not seemed to be that tired though, which was a real surprise - where did the boy get all that amount of energy? As a matter of fact, Wahei could hold that position for hours because he had been prepare for such by his passed mom. His training to become a mednin was more than tough, so handling that was a piece of cake for him. His challenge would become with that last match. And so they played. Wahei took the advantage of Yoru and made the table turn. After a pretty hard match - the toughest and longest they have played so far - Wahei came with all he had learned that day and eventually called the checkmate. - I did it! I really did it!! YAY! - he started to cheering all up balancing in the ceiling, seeming to be actually sort of comfortable in that position, while Yoru was probably at his limits. - That's what I call a funny day, my friend! Thank you so much for helping me out today. - he leaned his hand in Yoru shoulder in a friendly gesture. - What about we prepare something to eat while I tell you this other secret of mine? - he would then move along with Yoru to the kitchen and fill him in what he knew about his own past. Specially the "synthetic" part, and how his mother adopted him and bring him to Konoha to become a ninja. "From the very moment we're thrown into this world, we're fated to bring each other nothing but pain, suffering and misery. I was also blindly obsessed with a trivial and irrational need for vengeance. But I was left behind. Alone. Forgotten. Abandoned. Forsaken. But now, the fog has been truly lifted. One can never run from its ghosts. And that’s exactly all that I am. A lost memory. An undying shadow, in this world of light. From now on, I’ll have to live up to this semi-charmed kind of life. Regardless of this phantom pain. This is my fate. This is my Destiny. It’s not the light which will guide us through the darkness, but the darkness that shall guide us through the light. Never forget. Always remember." Ra-Ri-Ru-Re-Ro (らりるれろ). One's balance strengthening! - Body and mental hardcore training - [Nara Yoru ] [1047 Words]

[Nara Yoru]

Was that what he was going through? Yoru wondered, the training that Wahei imposed on Yoru was extremely difficult, the boy could barely concentrate on the game, imagine concentrating on these multiple tasks, but that didn't mean that the Nara wouldn't do his best, he would do everything to make that game difficult.

Some time passed and finally Wahei won the game, Yoru fell to the ground exhausted, but with a genuine smile on his face, the rhythm of his breaths seemed faster due to fatigue, he looked at Wahei and said:

"Congratulations, Wahei-san! You did it! And how can you do it without being tired? You're really admirable!"

The tone used by the boy reinforced the sincerity in his words, Wahei was really an amazing person and shinobi and that made the boy happy, who knows, maybe one day the Nara would reach that point of chakra control, Wahei liked the day, the converse is true, Yoru never had such a fun day, so that was the feeling of having friends, the boy seemed deep in thought.

Wahei prepared food while he was about to tell his secrets, for the young Nara it could be something to break the mood or generate something more casual, the Nara smiles at Wahei and says:

"It's ok! I just can't take too long, my dad gets a little angry when I get home late, maybe even worried hahahahah!"

But before that the boy remembering the original position of the pieces, he tries to help his friend and organizes the pieces just like when he arrived, just like when Wahei was playing with his mother.

[Wahei]

"Shogi-time! War of the sharp-minded". "A sweet friendship refreshes the soul." Proverbs 27:9 Gesture. - Haha! Don't take me wrong, I'm tired. But my excitement is bigger than my body fatigue. It's a matter of will, my friend - he said enthusiastically as ever. All and all, the training with Yoru was something else, but spending the rest of their days together put their friendship in a whole different level. Wahei was genuinely happy for what they had been through and considering the boy's hurry, he made a quick dinner so he wouldn't get late or be bothered by time. But few moments before his leave, Yoru made a simple gesture that meant the world for Wahei. The boy's had this sharped mind and was able to remind the position of the pieces from the last game he had played with his mom. The boy went speechless and his eyes got all teared up wet. He couldn't hold his feelings and hugged his friend, sobbing and thanking him for making that for him. After a while, rubbed his wet eyes and just said awkwardly - I miss her so much, y'know? - with a rub tone trying to explain the obvious, but clearly no words were needed. Eventually they said good bye and Wahei keep in his couch watching the board. Memorizing it carefully so he would never lost track of that game again. Yoru and Wahei would play again in the following days, but it was his responsible now to put the pieces back in that specific order. Eventually, he ended up buying a new board and left the old one untouched in a shelf. He also buy a portable board and gave it to Yoru, so he could carry it in his bag and play wherever he wanted to. This was the mark that consolidated the strong friendship between Kazuhira Wahei and Nara Yoru. "From the very moment we're thrown into this world, we're fated to bring each other nothing but pain, suffering and misery. I was also blindly obsessed with a trivial and irrational need for vengeance. But I was left behind. Alone. Forgotten. Abandoned. Forsaken. But now, the fog has been truly lifted. One can never run from its ghosts. And that’s exactly all that I am. A lost memory. An undying shadow, in this world of light. From now on, I’ll have to live up to this semi-charmed kind of life. Regardless of this phantom pain. This is my fate. This is my Destiny. It’s not the light which will guide us through the darkness, but the darkness that shall guide us through the light. Never forget. Always remember." Ra-Ri-Ru-Re-Ro (らりるれろ). One's balance strengthening! - Body and mental hardcore training - [Nara Yoru ] [300 Words]