[Nara Yoru]

The day was cold, typical of this time of year, what really woke the boy up was the strong wind hitting his window, Yoru quickly gets up, he showers and gets dressed, heading to the kitchen, where he only ate an onigiri, after brushing his teeth and leaving shortly thereafter.

The boy's destination was none other than the training ground, where he went to train his skills, the walk was long, but nothing to tire the boy, he was already well used, he reaches his destination, slowly approaching a wooden stump, apparently to train his physical proficiencies, something in the boy that needed to be molded.

The boy starts to hit, increasing the strength degree little by little, the boy liked to be taken by the tide, to do things according to the time and then without realizing it, he starts to hit more and more, until the boy notices tracks of blood on the wooden stump, coming from his fists, but even so the boy kept knocking, repeating the same thing over and over:

-I'll make it! For them and for me! I won't stop, not even a faint can stop me for so long...

And then Yoru loses his balance, trying to support himself on the stump so he doesn't have such a bad fall, even that couldn't stop him, hitting more and more determinedly.

[Hatake Toshizō]

"a chance meeting". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." CHILD'S GAME Toshizou had just dropped his daughter home, after having their first real conversation as father and daughter, and due to that he was in a particularly good mood. He was strolling through the woods within the village, passing by some of the training fields. As he walked to one of them, he heard a noise from the distance. "Hm?" seemed like someone was training. There was the sound of heavy, laboured breathing, and that of impact, as if they were training with a stump of wood. Those sounds remind him of his days on the academy, and his early Genin days, which prompted the veteran to smile and chuckle lightly. His curiosity lead him to approach the source of the sound, and when he got close enough, he saw a young boy. He was tall, but he still looked fairly young. The will of fire burned deep inside his eyes, even though his posture and technique were flawed and open, almost as if he had barely any experience with Taijutsu. The boy's body also spoke for itself. With his sharp, vermillion eyes, Toshizou could analyse his muscles from the distance. They weren't well developed, and the boy was skinny, not someone used to the battlefield yet, or at the very least, not someone who was used to the frontlines. "You end up breaking your wrists punching like that, kid. That form is horrible. What are you trying to accomplish?" his tone was calm, but the honesty of his words could hit like a rock. Almost at the same time he says that, the boy loses his balance and falls. Toshizou sighed and shook his head, approaching the boy a little more and staring at him. "You are a Genin, right?" he asked, even though the answer was pretty obvious in his eyes. He couldn't be an academy student, because he already had the leaf's forehead protector with him. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" Training Training Field 4 [Nara Yoru] [322 words]

[Nara Yoru]

As Yoru stood up, he heard a voice, a voice he wasn't used to, he looked to the side and saw a man, he had beautiful white hair that lived in harmony with red eyes, which drew more and more of the boy's attention, he was a little taller than Yoru, just by looking at him, Yoru could already feel that he was a strong man.

The unknown man asked Yoru a question, the tone the man used had a certain calm, strange even in the world of shinobi and then the boy replied, with the usual polite tone:

-S-Sorry to bother you, sir. I didn't know there was anyone here besides me, I know my Taijutsu is still bad, but as you can see I'm not very strong physically and I wanted to make up for it, what I want is not to be a burden to my team, I want to get strong and at the time I had to train alone.

And then came another question, the man comes closer to Yoru, asking if the boy was a genin, the boy was wondering why so many questions or even curiosity and then he answers again, with a smile on his face:

-Yes, I'm a genin, I'm currently on Team 3, my name is Nara Yoru, nice to meet you!

And then the boy tries to wipe the blood flowing from his fists and extends his hand, waiting for a greeting.

[Hatake Toshizō]

"a chance meeting". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." TEAMS When Yoru explained why he was training Taijutsu, admitting that it was one of his shortcomings as Shinobi, Toshizou touched his chin in a rather thoughtful expression. "It's commendable that you are trying to train the areas you feel you are at your weakest, kid, but you are also overlooking an important factor: A shinobi doesn't need to be well-versed in every area, that's why we put people into teams, so others can compensate for the areas you lack." he started explaining, showing he was knowledgeable of how the team formation process worked. "Still, having a stronger body wouldn't hurt." he shrugged, pausing to listen to the boy answering his second question. As he suspected, he was a Genin. When he revealed he was from Team 3, Toshizou arched one brow. "Oh, so you are Yuuta's student. That's... Interesting. The man can be a bit of a loose canon, but I still find him useful to the village. Well... This actually makes sense, you are paired with the Kazuhira boy and the Hyuuga heir. Makes sense to me why you would be lacking in Taijutsu. If I had to guess, kid... You would be more inclined to ninjutsu and genjutsu? Is that correct?" he asked, and it made sense he was like that, because a Hyuuga is always going to be well-versed in Taijutsu, and the other kid was a medic of sorts. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" Training Training Field 4 [Nara Yoru] [236 words]

[Nara Yoru]

Yoru felt touched by that man's answer, the boy never thought that way and now it seems that more doors have opened and then Yoru showed his usual curious face, usually when he is deep in thought.

Surprise, it was the only emotion the boy could feel and show, the experience of that man was immense and this led Yoru to get more and more curious, even wanting to ask a question, he breathes a little and says:

-Well, now can I ask you a question? Due to the fact that your questions exude experience and knowledge, at first I thought you were just a jonin, but from the weight of your words, from your experience, it's an experience that exceeds that of a normal jonin, so I can assume that you are an elite jonin, right?

And then the boy finishes his question with a smile on his face, waiting for an answer from the mysterious man.

One more question popped into his head, something that felt a little personal, but then Yoru realized the man asked another question and so he answered:

-Yes, you're right! I have more affinity with ninjutsu and genjutsu, but I also want to explore myself as an individual ninja so that I can somehow help the team more.

Now it's Yoru's turn to ask, it was a more personal question, more in keeping with his clan and then he says:

-I could be wrong, but this characteristic white hair reminds me of the hatake clan, would you be a member of that clan?

[Hatake Toshizō]

"a chance meeting". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." DEMON OF THE FLEETING BLOSSOMS Toshizou arched one of his brows and folded his arms at the boy's remarks. He was right to say that he was above a normal jounin, and that he was considered one of the elite shinobi of the village, so he nodded. "I am indeed considered one of the elite shinobi of the village, you did well to notice that with this little interaction of ours." then, the young Nara admitted Toshizou was right in his assessment, but that he still wanted to explore himself so he could become a better shinobi himself and to that he nodded. "That's a good way to look at it, but before you seek to broaden your horizons, you need to become better at your innate strengths, otherwise you will be bad at everything, barely touching the surface of your potential." his words may have sounded harsh, but his tone was calm and serene; he was there to help the boy, not to just massacre him and his ideas, for his mind was on the right track, it just needed a little more guidance, which was to be expected of someone his age and rank. Toshizou chuckled lightly when he asked if he was part of the Hatake clan due to the colour of his hair. Well, he was right, but not for that reason, for he had been born with black hair, but that detail of his life's story was not important, so instead he just nodded. "I'm the head of the clan, yes. My name is Hatake Toshizou, but some will know me as the Demon of the Fleeting Blossoms." the revelation of his alias was something that even the likes of Yoru would've heard about some time. The Demon of the Fleeting Blossoms was an exceptionally skilled shinobi, known for showing no mercy to his foes, and being a specialist in Kenjutsu, using a style based on the name of flowers, aimed at killing opponents with incredible speed. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" Training Training Field 4 [Nara Yoru] [334 words]

[Nara Yoru]

Yoru felt a certain relief after his first question was answered and even more because he was right, the boy replied in a relaxed tone:

-Hahaha! Well I always had trouble communicating when I was younger so I think my observation made up for that.

It was strange for Yoru to hear the man's words, they sounded hard as stone, but had a certain built-in calm, the boy soon realized that this was not to diminish him, on the contrary it was a sign of learning, Yoru felt inspired by that man, since he also seemed to have strength in his words, in a way Yoru wanted to be like that.

Yoru is surprised by the man's realization, he didn't expect the Hatake clan head to be there in the flesh, Hatake Toshizou, for the boy the name sounded as good as the man's appearance, but he had an alter ego, the demon of the fleeting blossoms and then Yoru says:

-Wait a minute... ARE YOU HIM? I-I HAVE HEARD IT, IS THAT SUPER FAST NINJA THAT HAS A SWORD STYLE BASED ON FLOWER NAMES? OH MY GOD, please train me...

Yoru couldn't contain his enthusiasm, for sure he was facing a very strong man, his request may seem unexpected and the man's very likely to refuse, but he still wanted to try.

[Hatake Toshizō]

"a chance meeting". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." NOT FOR YOU The revelation of his alias was enough to send the boy into a frenzy of surprise and excitement, and Toshizou sighed at that; to be completely honest, he liked it more when the Demon f the Fleeting Blossoms incited fear and terror in the hearts of others, but it was still okay, this was a kid from his village, so it made sense that his fame could be perceived as something positive and inspiring. Toshizou sighed and shook his head. "I won't train you. My style wouldn't fit someone like you, kid." he paused, running his hand through his white hair. "But I can at least help you train something that would be useful to you." he started, walking around a bit and analysing the tree stump Yoru was training with. His eyes were carefully analyzing everything. "Can you demonstrate me some ninjutsu? I want to see how you are handling you chakra control." he announced, turning to face the young man. In his opinion, for someone like Yoru, having a good chakra control was paramount for his Shinobi career, and only once he had mastered that level of control, then he should think about covering the flaws of his style. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" Training Training Field 4 [Nara Yoru] [206 words]

[Nara Yoru]

Toshizou's answer was sincere, Yoru knew deep down what the answer was, even so the boy wasn't sad, despite still wanting a guide in his training, a sensei, Yoru takes a deep breath and answers:

-Well, I think a jutsu that I can show Chakra control well is Suimen, I learned it quite recently.

As he says this, the boy starts to observe a tree, he starts to focus the chakra on the soles of his feet and starts walking in the tree as if it were nothing, something common for the boy.

Yoru climbs up to a branch, where he stands upside down there, it wasn't very difficult, as it wasn't such an unstable surface and then he says:

-Well, I wanted a more offensive jutsu, that gives me more confidence during combat or something more sensory too, that I can somehow feel things and keep my stealth, I have to be stealthy like my shadows haha !

And then the boy stands there, waiting somehow for an answer from Toshizou and then he climbs down from the branch, ready to show the Suimen in practice and then the boy asks a question:

-Toshizou-san, if you want we can go to the river that's near here, well don't be generous with the waves you create there.

Yoru's tone was gentle, but it had a hidden seriousness, maybe a little too much determination.

[Hatake Toshizō]

"a chance meeting". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." CONTROL He was surprised. He half-expected the fact that he refused the train the boy under the Tennen Rishin-ryu would break some of his spirit, but he took it in stride and seemed okay with that. That showed a level of maturity he did not expect from such a young boy, thus sparking some interest on the Hatake. He decided the boy was worth some of his time, and that was saying quite something, for he was an extremely busy man as a member of the village council. "Tree Climbing and Water Walking? Colour me impressed, boy. I didn't think Yuuta would have taught that already, most fresh Genin take longer to learn those techniques." he commented as he watched the boy use the Tree Climbing technique. He had a good mastery over it, but Toshizou noticed that there was still some chakra leaking out unnecessarily, a sign of a lack of a more refined chakra control. It was to be expected, but something that definitely needed correction eventually, and since the boy seemed adamant on getting some sort of training, going as far as to reveal he was looking for more offensive techniques, or even sensory ones. "You should learn both, but not now. You chakra control is still sloppy, and today we will focus on fixing that. Look at your feet." he paused, pointing to Yoru's feet with his right index. "Too much chakra is being used when you don't really need it. Here, see mine and compare." and as he said that, Toshizou walked atop the river surface using the Water Walking Technique, and the chakra on his feet was almost invisible. There was just a thin layer on the soles and nothing more, showing he was only using the strictly necessary amount. "This may sound unnecessary and all, but believe me kid, in a war, every bit of chakra you save counts. You do not want to run out in the middle of a battlefield." he warned him. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" Training Training Field 4 [Nara Yoru] [334 words]

[Nara Yoru]

Upon hearing Toshizou, Yoru felt a little embarrassed, how could he say that he learned from a friend and not from his sensei? Just thinking about it was like an invitation to the boy's shyness, Yoru takes a deep breath and replies:

-Well... Toshizou-san, as you noticed, Yuuta-Sensei wasn't the person who taught me, not because he didn't want to, but because I didn't go looking for him, I learned to walk in the trees in one day, it was in that same training field, it was the first time I met my colleagues and Suimen I also learned in one day, my friend Hyūga Shigure who taught me, it was the most recent technique I learned.

It was easier than the boy expected, his words came out easily, unlike when the boy was speaking more timidly, his words felt like razors coming out of his throat, for the boy it was even harder to breathe.

Toshizou gives the boy some advice, referring to his Chakra control, in fact it was still a problem for the boy, who just entered this world, Hatake says that the boy still had a habit of using a little more chakra, of a certain way this made the boy remember Shigure and then Toshizou demonstrated a way for the boy to improve his Chakra control, using only what is necessary, when seeing the shinobi demonstrating the technique, Yoru could only feel animation, it was almost impossible to see the chakra on the soles of Toshizou's feet, the boy wondered if he could reach that level, but the answer was obvious, he just needed to train more and more.

Yoru decides to ask Toshizou something, nothing to do with training, but the boy still wanted to know, as if he wanted to get an answer from Hatake:

-Toshizou-san, I want to ask you something, do you feel anything when you wield the sword? Did you feel more powerful or even more inspired? Well if not, I feel good like that when I acquire more knowledge, it's like I walk down a dark alley and every time I acquire more knowledge it's like the way out is appearing.

[Hatake Toshizō]

"a chance meeting". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." HYUUGA BOY Colour Toshizou surprised: it was the second time he was hearing from a Genin that the Hyuuga boy had helped them train, the other person being his own daughter, Iruhi. Toshizou folded his arms, unable to hide the fact that the information was not something he was expecting. "Is this the same boy I met years ago? He seemed like a completely lost cause, I was sure Urashi was going to announce his daughter as the heir and disown him. Maybe Hanako's influence finally put the boy on the right track? I need to visit Sanae soon." he thought to himself for a moment, and then nodded to Yoru. "Well, it's definitely valuable to have comrades you can rely on. I'm somewhat familiar with that boy, I was in the same team as his mother when I was a Genin." he explained briefly, not delving too much on that subject. Moving on to the actual training, the boy seemed to have paid attention to his words and observed his feet, but before he tried to replicate the technique with a better sense of control, he decided to ask Toshizou a somewhat deep question. "I feel complete. The sword is a natural extension of my body, we are one and the same. That being said, a complete being is a powerful and inspired one, so yes." he responded, and it was interesting how he associated that feeling with how he felt when he learned and acquired more knowledge. "Knowledge is power, kid. It is one of the most valuable things. Hold on to that feeling and you may go far." and his words were honest, for he did believe everyone had the potential to grow, as long as they had the drive to push them forward. Then, Toshizou walked closer to the boy. "Now, let's work on this control of yours. Sit atop of the water, and meditate on it. For as long as it take, even if we have to be here for hours. I want you to try and minimize the amount of chakra needed to stay on the water. Got it?" he asked the young Nara boy. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" Training Training Field 4 [Nara Yoru] [363 words]

[Nara Yoru]

Yoru was surprised to find that Toshizou was part of the same team as Shigure's mother, despite not knowing her having someone like Toshizou on the team would be an honor according to the boy, not that Shigure's mother was weak for being a woman, Yoru did not share this view, which was something common for men, especially those of his clan.

Yoru felt touched by Toshizou's words, one day he wanted to feel complete like this, being a shinobi not out of obligation, but out of pleasure and then the boy says:

-Well, it might not matter in my training, but I never wanted to become a shinobi, it was more under pressure from my father and me also being a "genius", as some shinobi would say, one day I want to feel so complete, complete as shinobi.

At the end of his speech, the boy looks away and starts to blush slightly, even more so when Hatake says that Yoru can reach greater levels if he continues to seek knowledge, but it was time to focus on his training, a flame of determination grew in Yoru's eyes, the will of fire was more present than ever.

Yoru seemed to absorb the information given by Toshizou very well, he paid attention to every detail, sitting and meditating, a practice much admired by the boy, a way of concentrating independently of external factors, with the acquired concentration he could finally improve his chakra control.

The boy starts slowly closing his eyes and starting the meditation process, at first sight Yoru seemed to be getting it, but his chakra was getting heavier and heavier and once again the boy seemed to use more than necessary.

[Hatake Toshizō]

"a chance meeting". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." MEDITATION AND REST Toshizou nodded to the boy. "As long as it's a dream you've come to embrace with all your heart, you will be able to, one day, develop the will of fire that made our village the best in the shinobi world." it was as clear as daylight that Toshizou was a proud and loyal member of the Hidden Leaf Village, The man firmly believed that Konoha should stand above all other shinobi villages, and with that, the Land of Fire would stand above all other nations, for they were the righteous ones, the ones chosen to lead this world. Once words were exchanged, the boy focused on meditating on top of the water, trying to gain a better control over his chakra. Of course this was but the first step in a long journey he would have ahead of him, but no matter where you want to go, you always have to take one step at the time. Toshizou would stay there and observe the boy for a couple hours, while he tried to stabilise his chakra and stop wasting so much of it. The kid was not joking when he said he was a genius, and he was indeed getting the hang of it fairly quickly, and although he didn't master his chakra control, after the couple hours they were there he did actually improve to a substantial level. "Good, you are progressing more than I expected. No, take a little break before you run out of chakra. Here, eat this." he said, throwing a military ration pill to the boy and pointing to a tree stump where he could sit to relax. This step of the training was basically done. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" Training Training Field 4 [Nara Yoru] [287 words]

[Nara Yoru]

Yoru felt strange, Toshizou's words directly impacted the Nara, his gaze, his words, the will of fire was present in all aspects of Toshizou, in a way the boy thought it was good, as long as he didn't exaggerate, this determination was the key to a good hokage, maybe one day he will succeed, only the future will tell.

Hearing Toshizou saying that the leaf village was the best disconcerted Yoru, for the boy there was no better village than the other, Yoru saw them as a team, where each one had a specific skill and that when combined they would reach union, but due to human selfishness and the constant desire for revenge this might not be possible, in the boy's opinion.

Yoru felt weak, he spent a lot of the little chakra he had, but even so he felt the evolution, he evolved in a short period of time and that already made the boy feel proud of himself, he gets out of the water and takes the pill that Toshizou offered him and seeing the tree stump where he could rest a little, despite the training being tiring, Yoru wanted something more, he wanted to train more, reach his limit, but for now he sits, leaning against the tree stump, the boy eats the pill and closes his eyes a little, breathing slowly.