[Nara Yoru]

Yoru wakes up after a short night's sleep, he was used to it, but it was still a little tiring, the boy goes to the bathroom, takes a hot shower to see if he looks less tired, because his dark circles are not helping much, he gets dressed and brushes his teeth, the boy runs down the stairs, arriving in the kitchen.

When Yoru arrives he just takes a slice of bread and puts it in his mouth, in a way that the boy seemed in a hurry, his destination was the Hyuuga district, where he would call his friend Shigure.

The boy, before leaving, sees his father taking care of the garden, Yoru approaches slowly and starts to help his father, he was a man who worked a lot so helping him might ease that.

Finally the boy leaves, the morning is pleasant and the sun is more beautiful than ever, and then he walks, catching a glimpse of his surroundings.

After a long walk, Yoru finally arrives at his destination, the hyuuga district, the boy positioned himself in front of that big gate, waiting for someone who could give him some information, he saw an adult passing by, Yoru approached him and asked:

-E-Excuse me, could you tell me if H-hyūga Shigure is present? I need to tell him something, sorry if I wasted too much of your time.

[Hyūga Shigure]

"above the surface". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." VISIT It was still early in the morning, but Shigure was already up and training in the dojo of the Main House. His Byakugan was activated as he focused on trying to expand the range of his doujutsu. It was tiring and involved a lot of effort and hard work, but he was used to that. He felt like he was getting closer and closer to expanding the limits of his kekkei genkai, and the sole thought was enough to give him the drive to continue. However, as he trained his doujutsu, he immediately noticed Yoru walking just outside of the Hyuuga District and from the looks of it, he was heading his way. "Hm? What is he doing here today?" he wondered, pausing his training to get up. He walked towards a towel he left hanging by the door and wiped down the sweat from his face, while a member of the branch house who was cleaning the entrance noticed the approaching boy. "Hm? Oh, you are Nara Yoru, Shigure-sama's teammate, aren't you? Shigure-sama is currently training in the dojo, but he told me to fetch him whenever one of you guys showed up, so give me a moment." the man's tone was formal and polite, but before he could actually leave to go and fetch Shigure, the young heir to the clan was already making his way to the entrance. "Shigure-sama!" the man exclaimed, falling to his knees to bow to the young man. The level of etiquette and respect displayed by the Hyuuga clan was extreme, and it felt even weird to see Shigure being treated in such a formal way, when the young man was so chill and laid back in general. Shigure smiled at the man and made a hand gesture for him to get up. "Don't worry, Kato-san. I saw Ruru approaching with my Byakugan. Please get up. I'm heading out for the day." he said in a gentle and caring tone. The member of the branch house got up, gave Shigure another respectful bow, and then went back to his affairs. Shigure walked out of the gates and stood before Yoru, folding his arms in front of his chest with a kind smile on his face. "It's quite early! Did you fall from your bed? Hahaha! Just kidding!" he joked, laughing a bit. "So, what's up?" he casually asked, wondering if Yoru - perhaps - was looking for some training. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Water Walking Training Hyuuga District [Nara Yoru] [406 words]

[Nara Yoru]

Yoru was a little surprised that the adult already knew his name, in a way this surprise was a relief for the shy boy.

Another pleasant surprise was the unusual arrival of Shigure, Yoru quickly linked this to the use of Byakugan besides being in the dojo, Yoru seemed a little more active because of the shock, making him almost forget he was there.

The sweet and gentle tone that Shigure directed to others was the characteristic Yoru liked the most about him, despite being heir to such a conservative clan, the boy never had a haughty and arrogant attitude, on the contrary, he always seemed to speak to others as an equal for equal, Yoru once again finds himself deep in thought.

Shigure's joke made Yoru wake up from his thoughts, the boy laughed shyly and replied:

-W-well, I'm kind of used to t-that haha. Well, Shigure-san, I came here to ask you something, s-since you taught me to walk in trees, I was wondering if you could help me walk on water? O-of course, if you want, I don't want to overwhelm you, you h-have a lot of t-things to take care of.[/ b]

[Hyūga Shigure]

"above the surface". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." THE PLACE WE MET Yoru was looking for guidance so he could learn another very important technique for a full-fledged Genin, and that was the Water Walking Technique. The young Hyuuga arched his brows, a bit surprised with the proposal, but thinking about it, he felt like he was competent enough to guide him through it. Moreover, this training would also help Yoru develop a better control over his own chakra, and that would help him very much in the future of his career as a Shinobi. Having decided to help, Shigure gave him a firm nod. "Sure thing! I can help with that. Let's go to the training field where we first met. The river there will be good enough to train this." he said, giving Yoru a large smile. Then, without further hesitation, Shigure leaped atop of a roof, waiting for Yoru to show signs he was ready to follow, and once he did, the two would run towards Training Field 3. It wouldn't take them long to get there, and once they arrived at the area, Shigure would approach the river, but he did not yet step on it. Turning on his heels to face the young Nara, he lifted his index finger as he began his explanation. "Although they are similar in concept, the execution differs from the Tree Walking Technique, for you see... While using the Tree Walking, you focus on adherence, whereas the Water Walking needs to generate resistance with the water surface, hence being the more complex of the two." he said, pausing briefly to allow his teammate to absorb the information. "The way to do it is to focus the chakra on your feet and rotate, so that the movement of your chakra prompts the surface to acquire more resistance, and as such, it becomes able to support your weight. Any questions?" he asked before proceeding any further with the training session. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Water Walking Training Training Field 3 [Nara Yoru] [322 words]

[Nara Yoru]

Yoru attentively listens to Shigure and upon hearing that they would go to the training ground that Yoru learned to walk in the trees, the boy couldn't hold back his enthusiasm and let out a genuine smile, looking even more determined and confident.

And just like that, the boy sees his friend leaping on the roof, waiting for Yoru to start and also infected by the curiosity to learn new techniques Yoru gives the signal, jumping quickly and following the young Hyūga.

When they arrived, the two boys approached the river, Yoru again pays attention to Shigure's explanation and it actually seemed very difficult, although it also reinforced his chakra control, Yoru looks at Shigure embarrassed and says:

-Is it okay if I t-take my shirt off? I-I don't want to get it wet.

And then the boy takes off his shirt, showing his thin physique, his black hair contrasting with the pale skin and then Yoru tries for the first time, entering the river the boy closes his eyes and then tries to focus the chakra on the soles of his feet and without realizing it the boy puts on too much, he even manages to stand up for a moment and even take a step, but then the boy falls, swallowing some water.

The boy tries again, this time putting little, this time the boy couldn't even balance, falling hard.

[Hyūga Shigure]

"above the surface". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." CHAKRA CONTROL When he paused to ask if Yoru had any questions of his own, the Nara surprised Shigure by asking if he could remove his shirt, so not to get wet. Well, it was wintertime and it was a bit cold, so he wasn't too sure it was a good idea, but it would get worse for sure if he did fall into the water, so he saw no reason to really say no. The Hyuuga scratched the back of his head. "I mean, sure. Just don't try to toughen up too much, I know it's cold. You know what, I will get a camp fire so you can warm yourself if you do fall in the water, but hey!" and as the idea crossed his mind, he cracked a large smile and chuckled. "If anything, it will be a good incentive to learn it fast! Hahaha!" his light-hearted tone was, in a way, seeking to remove the tension generally associated with training new techniques. As Yoru began to try it, Shigure activated his Byakugan so he could keep an eye on the boy while he gathered some wood from the trees nearby. "No, Ruru! That's too much cha.. Oh." but before he could properly warn him, Yoru had fallen inside the ice cold water and swallowing some of it before he left to try again. Shigure sighed as he returned with some firewood and placed it on the ground near the river. "You are trying to overcompensate it with more chakra. But that won't help. This technique requires a pristine chakra control, and you need to make your chakra rotate on your feet to create resistance with the water surface. If you just keep on pouring chakra out of your feet, you will just waste it. Try to focus on your body, feel the chakra flowing inside your pathway system." he shared some words of advice, while keeping his doujutsu active so that he could analyse how well Yoru was performing. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Water Walking Training Training Field 3 [Nara Yoru] [334 words]

[Nara Yoru]

Shigure's advice made the boy reflect, not on the training itself, but on his own personality, as shigure said the boy tries to use a lot of chakra at once, trying to make up for something, maybe that's what he wanted? Have something to compensate for shyness, maybe not, or wanted to impress someone? Probably his sensei and companions, Yoru didn't want to be a burden, the boy was drowning in these thoughts, but it was time to go back, he needs to make it and then he says:

-I need to master this technique, not for me, but for you guys, I want to make Yuuta-Sensei proud and be a good companion...

The boy says this floating, while trying to feel the chakra spreading through his body, he feels it, going from head to toe and then it was time for him to shine.

And so the boy's goal was this, use the chakra to get balance and then rotate to suit the weight and finally be able to walk on water, Yoru takes a deep breath and starts to get up, it felt like a lot of chakra, but then this excess began to ensure the rotation that Shigure had asked for, Yoru feels the weight and then gives a smile, it was a sign that he was doing it correctly and then the boy starts taking steps, small to first get used to and then follow the rocking.

It wasn't long before Yoru started to run, the feeling of joy filled the boy's heart, which seemed to be running with all his strength, maybe that's what he needed too, trust him more, follow his heart, without fear of failure.

[Hyūga Shigure]

"above the surface". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." PROGRESS With Shigure's tips, Yoru was quickly adapting to it and adjusting the flow of his chakra. He didn't have a large chakra pool like some people do, but if he learned to control it, he would become an even better Shinobi. Luckily for the Nara, it seemed like he had some talent for control, and with some guidance from Shigure, he adjusted the flow of his chakra and the rotation of it, and after a short while, he started walking on top of the water. Shigure barely had time to finish lighting up the camp fire so the boy could warm himself up from the cold when he noticed that he started walking a bit faster. He was motivated, he wanted to do this not only for his sake, but for the sake of his team, and Shigure could respect that. Folding his arms as he watched the boy, he noticed he was now starting to run and adapting his chakra to that, and that was incredible, he was indeed a genius and quick learner. "He does his clan justice." he couldn't help but to think that; the Naras were known for giving birth to many geniuses, and he was glad one of them was a member of his team. But this was not enough to determine if he had truly mastered the technique or not, so Shigure decided to take it up a notch. The Hyuuga grabbed a kunai from his leg holster and an explosive note from his back pouch and attached them together. Then, without hesitation, he threw it in the water behind Yoru, to create a wave. The sudden change to the water surface would require the boy to adapt his chakra, or he would fall again. "To truly master this technique, you need to be flexible, Ruru! The water surface changes way more than the solid surfaces you are used to! Adapt your chakra, keep a good control of it, and you should be fine!" he warned him, hoping he would be successful in facing that wave. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Water Walking Training Training Field 3 [Nara Yoru] [344 words]

[Nara Yoru]

Yoru was happy with his achievement, but even he knew it wasn't enough and even he wanted more, he wanted to prove himself, the boy ran seeing his friend idly seeing Yoru's enthusiasm as well.

And that's why Yoru became a shinobi, was it amazing how the boy could learn things so quickly, was it a family thing, inherited from his father and maybe his mother? Since the boy had never met her, despite that he never felt the lack of a mother figure, despite the curiosity to know what it's like to have one, and again it wasn't time to think about it.

As Yoru looked at Shigure, he quickly noticed something, the boy threw a kunai with explosive paper in order to generate a wave, this was the perfect challenge, it was an even more unstable surface, perfect to give more confidence to Yoru, who thought : "Well, the grip used in this jutsu reminds me of the effect of paraffin on a surfboard, with the momentum of my running I would be able to surf this wave, something hypothetical, but it's worth a try!"

And then the boy uses the momentum of running until he gets close to the wave, doing that the boy started to adapt the chakra in his feet, using them as a kind of board, it worked, the boy started to surf that wave and finally he started to leap it, as if he was a surfer doing a maneuver, the boy goes very high, giving even a mortal to show off, with that the boy calculated perfectly the time of the fall, being perfect.

After that the boy came out of that cold water, with a determined smile he says:

-Did you see, Shigure-san?! I got it! Haha!

Despite having said that, he wanted to say something else, something he thought was very personal, but he still wanted to ask and so he asked:

-Shigure-san, I wanted to ask you something, d-don't answer if it's too personal, b-but I wanted to know what it's like to have a mother figure?

[Hyūga Shigure]

"above the surface". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." SUCCESS AND QUESTION When the kunai exploded and created the wave, Yoru managed to control his chakra and adapt it to the new situation, showing that he truly did understand how the technique actually worked, and that made Shigure confident he had indeed learned it, so he smiled at the boy. When he came out of the water, excited about his accomplishment, the Hyuuga gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up. "Sure did! It was awesome! Good job, buddy!" he was proud of his teammate and friend and has not even trying to hide it. Once he came out, Shigure directed him to the camp fire so he could warm up and dry himself from the water. He wanted to go over a bit more on the technique, but once they were near the fire, Yoru mentioned that he wanted to ask something and Shigure nodded, waiting for the question. When the Nara boy did ask it though, it surprised Shigure for he did not expect that at all. "Oh! About that... I see. Well..." Shigure's expression became quite thoughtful and he touched his chin with his index and thumb, massaging it for a bit before staring back at the boy. "My mother... Her name is Sanae. She was kind to me, although we were never too close. You see, my mom is from the branch house, and as such, she obeys my father without hesitation, even if she disagrees with him." he explained, gazing away to the river with a bittersweet look on his eyes. "Other than that, I don't think I'm a great person to ask about those things... I was never close with either one of my parents, not even my little sister." he admitted, and even if that caused him some pain, he had learned to deal with. "The closest thing I had was Natsuo-jiichan, who I kinda saw like a father in a way." Natsuo was Shigure's uncle and his first sensei; the eye that Wahei now had belonged to him. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Water Walking Training Training Field 3 [Nara Yoru] [337 words]

[Nara Yoru]

Yoru felt a pang in his heart, not because he asked that, but because he still didn't understand the boy, for Yoru, people were like books, they could read and increasingly get information from them.

Yoru takes a deep breath, trying to think of an answer to Shigure, one that doesn't hit him directly, but as if it were a welcome and then he says:

-Do you know why I always use San with you guys? Well, throughout my life I've never had friends, my shyness gets in the way a lot, it's because of it that I've never made many friends, but relax because I've always had problems, because I'm always smart too and don't know how to communicate well, people they thought I was arrogant or even weird, I never cared about it, my father's thing, I can't say I understand your feelings, because I really don't understand, nor do I intend to understand so soon, besides the fact that my birth wasn't very well received in the clan, because my mother wasn't even a shinobi, so it also led to the fear of not being well seen by other members, sorry I'm talking too much, but I call you guys San because I respect you guys a lot, you Shigure-san is like an older brother, it's like my heart asks me to follow your dreams, like a moth is attracted to fire, so is Wahei-san and Yuuta-Sensei is like a father, he has a warm and welcoming spirit, which i really want to Shigure-san is that we're here with you, we're your family!

And then Yoru finishes his speech, with a gente smile in his face.

[Hyūga Shigure]

"above the surface". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." FAMILY Colour Shigure surprised, for he had never expected to hear such a motivational speech from Yoru. Maybe he was wrong, and he wasn't just a kid he needed to protect, but he was an intelligent and capable boy who had much to add to this team. Shigure had this tendency of being overprotective, something he developed after losing his original team during the Chuunin Exams, but things were different now, and if he truly wanted to be a part of this team, he needed to start believing they would be there for him as much as he was there for them. If he kept on trying to shoulder all the burden himself, not only he would fatally fail, but it would also be a disrespect to his teammates. "Yoru... I didn't know that. I'm sorry you had to go through that. I can't say I relate to how you feel, because everything in my world was about being a Shinobi, even the first time I ever set foot outside of my house it was because I was going to the Shinobi Academy." he said, chuckling lightly as he remembered how excited he was to see the world without the need for his Byakugan. "I was always very alone... Until I had my team, and then they died. I guess I never really fully made peace with that, so I apologise if I have been patronizing in any way, or if it seems like I don't fully trust on you guys as Shinobi, but that's not the case..." and when he paused, he sighed, shaking his head. "Truth be told, I'm afraid to lose you guys. I don't want what happened to ever repeat itself, and I'm trying my best... But there's only so much I can do on my own. I need to learn to rely on you guys too, because... Well, like you said, you guys are also my family, ya know?" and as he said that, Shigure opened a subtle, yet happy smile on his face. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Water Walking Training Training Field 3 [Nara Yoru] [341 words]

[Nara Yoru]

After his speech, Yoru felt a big weight coming off his back, it was more like an outburst, but as if from now on he didn't need to be hiding in a shadow anymore, but joining the light, like his own nindo that even shadows can live among the light, but now it was Yoru's turn to listen.

Hearing everything Shigure says, Yoru looks at him, not with pity, but as if he was taking his pains for himself, the boy says:

-Wow... I didn't know, Shigure-San. Hey! No need to apologize, I'm enough haha! And we're not going to die, not with me here haha.

It was the boy's attempt to break that strange atmosphere, Yoru starts to blush, he just remembered that he was shirtless, despite being in front of a straight man, it made Yoru a little embarrassed.

Yoru responds again to what Shigure says:

-Calm down, it's okay! We are here for you, aren't we? And these things take time, Shigure-san. You better follow the wave, take your time, you know? And there's nothing to fear, anything I'll give you a hand! By the way, this training left me a little hungry, did you bring anything hehe?

And then Yoru finishes his speech, with an embarrassed smile and a rumbling belly.

[Hyūga Shigure]

"above the surface". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." FOOD FOR THOUGHT This had been a nice day, a nice bonding moment for the two of them. He came out of the Hyuuga district today thinking he would only teach Yoru something, but in the end he was learning with the boy, and it felt good. It was reassuring to hear he didn't plan to die, but Shigure knew well enough that it was not a promise they could really make, but the intention behind it was good. "Yes, Ruru. We will make it out of the exam alive, and as Leaf Chuunin." he said in a happy, confident tone, followed by a firm nod. Then, just as Yoru mentioned food, Shigure laughed out loud for a change and nodded a couple times. "I sure do! Got some Rice Balls with Salmon and Cream Cheese filling. Give me a sec." he said as he reached out for the little bento box he had, giving two of the rice balls to Yoru and keeping two for himself. "They might be a little cold, so just hold them near the fire for a bit, and they should be good." he advised, as he put both his rice balls close to the camp fire there for a few seconds, and then gave them a bite. "Delicious!" he exclaimed as he tasted it, as per usual. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Water Walking Training Training Field 3 [Nara Yoru] [284 words]

[Nara Yoru]

Yoru loved his day with Shigure, training was one of the factors, but it was a great day for Yoru to overflow, the boy made sure beforehand that his shirt was already dry and already with the expected result, the boy wore his loose blouse, hiding the thin body that always left the boy insecure.

As soon as Yoru notices the bentō boxes, his eyes start to sparkle, as the food looked homemade and food like this is the boy's favorite, food that carries stories.

After Shigure gives two rice balls to the boy, Yoru thanks him gently and says:

-Well, thanks for the meal!

And then the boy started to eat, not caring too much about the temperature of the food, he took small bites in order to enjoy the food from beginning to end.

Upon hearing Shigure's exclamation, Yoru laughs a little and even decides to tell a joke:

-Shigure-san, I have a question, how do you eat so much and still be smaller than me? Haha!

And then the two boys stop eating and leave the training ground, first Yoru takes his friend to the house, smiling and waving at him and finally goes towards his house, where he would study more and more.