SS012

As it was too cold and snowy outside for most of the Academy students to train without getting seriously ill, their usual running and sparring were substituted for group stretching and calisthenics indoors.

"So, mind explaining to us what happened between you and Seikun over the break...?" asked Ino, cornering Hinata as they were changing into their exercise clothes.

Swallowing nervously, Hinata half-turned away, placing her hand over the pendant she wore around her neck as she asked, "Did Seikun not tell you anything? I know you and Sakura usually meet and speak with him before class..."

"You know what kind of guy Seikun is," said Ino, crossing her arms as she added, "There's no way he would talk if he thought it would make us hate or bully you..."

Furrowing her brows, Hinata hesitated before asking, "Is that what you're planning? Because I won't just endure it..."

"Listen..." said Ino, adopting a frown of her own. "I don't want to fight with you, Hinata. I want to know what happened so I can help. Not just Seikun, but you. We're friends, aren't we?"

Feeling uncertain, Hinata lowered her head and gazed silently at the floor. She had spent the past six days thinking about it, but she just didn't know how to explain things in a way that Ino or the other girls would accept. All she knew for certain was that she didn't want Seikun, her very first friend, to be reduced to the Hyuga Clan's tool...

"I'm sorry, Ino...I don't know how to explain things..." muttered Hinata, causing Ino's right eye to twitch until she raised her head to reveal wet, remorse-filled eyes. "But I do consider you a friend...that's why...please continue being kind to Seikun..."

Finding it difficult to be angry when Hinata was on the verge of tears and practically pleading with her, Ino grimaced and scratched the right side of her head. Sakura and the other girls had also been listening in and closely monitoring the situation, so while they were even more curious to hear the specifics of what had transpired over the break, they individually decided not to press Hinata for the answer...

...

..

.

Around the same time that Hinata was being questioned, Kiba, rather than focusing on the reason Seikun was behaving strangely, asked, "Hey, man, are you good? Because you look like shit. No offense."

"Maybe..." conceded Seikun. But then he quickly retorted, "But I still look and smell better than you, kennel breath."

"Oh, come on! I don't smell that bad...!" exclaimed Kiba, raising his hands and stamping his foot. He was clearly trying to raise the mood, but Seikun smiled and assured him, "Relax. It's true that I'm feeling down, but it's not like my world has come crashing down around me. It might take me a few weeks, maybe even a few months, but I'll bounce back stronger and more determined than ever."

"If you say so..." muttered Kiba, scratching his head and causing a bit of dandruff to fly out of his hair. He took baths at least every other day, but since he hated the smell of ordinary soap and shampoo, he typically used the products his clan used to rid their ninken of fleas.

"Hey, check it out, everyone...!" exclaimed Naruto, pointing to the flakes produced from Kiba's hair as he shouted, "Kiba can use the make it snow jutsu! Hahahahahaha~!"

"You trying to pick a fight, blondie...!?" barked Kiba, getting riled up as he viewed Naruto as weaker than him. In his clan, the weak never spoke out of turn without suffering severe consequences, so even if it got him in trouble, he was prepared to give Naruto a beatdown for laughing at him.

"Kiss my ass...!" responded Naruto, turning around, slapping, and wagging his bottom in nothing but his boxers.

"How about I shove my fist up it instead...!?" countered Kiba, leaping at Naruto and tackling him to the ground. Iruka and another Chunin arrived quickly to break them up, but during the brief moment when the two fools were attempting to get each other in a headlock, a faint but sincere smile adorned Seikun's face as he mused, 'At least some things never change...'

...

..

.

With the incident at the Hyuga Clan and Hiruzen subsequently asking if he would like to graduate early, Seikun felt he had a sufficient pretense to overhaul and drastically increase the intensity of his training. 

Instead of simply running to and from the gate each morning, Seikun used the money he set aside from his allowance to purchase a set of lead ankle weights infused with Earth Chakra. Their combined weight was only 40kg, but as his had only recently exceeded thirty, it could easily be considered excessive for a nine-year-old.

Fortunately for Seikun, he didn't have anyone to watch over him or care if he was pushing himself too hard. As long as he didn't injure himself to the point of being unable to attend classes, he could push himself to the very edge of his breaking point, and no one would stop him. If anything, those who were aware of his situation might encourage or give him suggestions to train more efficiently...

...

..

.

Representing another substantial change in his life, Seikun slowed down midway through his run, not because he was tired but because a slightly taller girl with platinum blonde hair was waiting for him, wearing a baggy, bright red sweater over spat-like shorts. Seikun wondered why she didn't just wear pants, as she also had on pale-purple leg warmers, but he knew better than to question it.

"It's about time you showed up...!" exclaimed Ino, hugging her body and shivering due to the cold.

"It was your idea to join me for my morning runs..." reminded Seikun, his expression and tone flat. He also had to run out of his way to even arrive at Ino's house, but he left that out as he appreciated the company.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." responded Ino, rolling her eyes before taking off at a slow jog. Her arms and legs were stiff after standing in the cold for nearly half an hour, but once she got her blood flowing, she set their pace at a little over 20kmp/h. Seikun could run faster than this, even with ankle weights, but as Ino would gripe if he passed or didn't run right behind her, he did as she wanted but perenially kept his gaze focused on the back of her head...

...

..

.

After reaching their destination, a park that was completely abandoned early in the morning, Ino sat off to the side doing leg and back stretches while Seikun made good use of a pull-up bar. She was waiting for him to drop down, and once he did, she seized on the opportunity to say, "Come and hold my legs for me. I'm going to do crunches."

"Uh-huh..." responded Seikun, his voice a lazy drone as he made his way over and sat atop Ino's toes with his legs crossed, tucked under hers for maximum support. This was how they were taught to do crunches at the Academy, but in that setting, boys were restricted to helping boys while girls were expected to help other girls.

"You know..." said Ino, conversing while doing crunches. "I talked to...my mom and dad...they said that if you bring...a spare change of clothes...you can shower...and eat breakfast...at my place..."

"I appreciate the invitation, but I would prefer not to inconvenience your family or worry your parents more than I already do..." countered Seikun, monitoring Ino's form with distant, unfocused eyes while keeping count in his head. She could easily knock out more than a hundred crunches in two minutes at the Academy, but when she trained with him, she purposefully took her time and produced a lot of noise...

"Oh, come on..." said Ino, sitting up and folding her arms over Seikun's so that their faces were only a few centimeters apart as she said, "I've seen how much food you pile on your plate at the Academy. I also know those little weights of yours aren't cheap, so be honest with me, you're skipping breakfast and dinner, right?"

"I eat enough during lunch to cover my caloric requirements for the day..." contended Seikun, but Ino immediately shot him down, remarking, "If that were true, you wouldn't be skinnier than most of the girls in our class and lagging behind me in height. You work and train hard, Seikun. You need to spread out your meals and eat more..."

"..."

As he didn't have a valid argument to counter what Ino had said, Seikun remained silent and stared back at her with a conflicted frown. He could tell she was genuinely concerned for his health and well-being, but as it had only been a few weeks since the incident with Hinata, he felt he was doing something wrong just by meeting her each morning.

Catching Seikun off guard, Ino slapped and held the sides of his face, her expression and tone threatening and a scary, twitching smile adorning her face as she asserted, "You're going to eat breakfast at my place from now on...have I made myself clear?"

"Khwstul..." responded Seikun, his words lispy due to Ino squeezing and kneading his cheeks with her palms. He noticed her gaze lower and linger on his lips, but as he had made it clear he wasn't interested in kissing any time soon, she eventually released him, leaned back, and asked, "What's my count...?"

"Thirty-seven..." responded Seikun, rubbing his tenderized right cheek. He was resistant to the cold but not impervious to it. Thus, after Ino released his cheeks, they became bright red and slightly swollen, causing her to do a spit take and burst out laughing when she eventually noticed it...

...

..

.

Since he didn't have a change of clothes that day, Seikun politely refused Ino's invitation to enter her home and warm himself with a piping hot cup of cocoa but waited patiently when she told him she would return within a few minutes. When she did, she brought a three-layer bento box with her, shoving it into his chest as she explained, "I figured you'd be stubborn, so I helped my mom make this for you last night. But tomorrow, you're eating inside. No refusing and no excuses."

"Right..." muttered Seikun, unable to prevent a faint, gratitude-filled smile adorning his lips. He could do without Ino's constant touching, but he was gradually learning to appreciate her bossy nature. Not because he had a submissive personality but because it felt good to have people worry and fret over him...

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Ino gave Seikun's right shoulder a light punch that was more of a push as she said, "Get going, you peanut. I'll see you back at the Academy."

Without waiting for Seikun's response, Ino turned around and made a beeline for the opened door of her family's flower shop and home. She turned back at the very last moment, but when she saw that Seikun had already turned away rather than watching her go, her right eye twitched, and she instinctively grabbed a flower vase on display in the store's front window...

...

..

.

"What the hell happened to you...?" asked Kiba, arriving at the desk he and Seikun shared with a bowl-headed boy named Takechi. The reason for his question was a rather conspicuous bump on the back of Seikun's head, making it seem like a small ball lodged into his skull.

Channeling himself from a few weeks prior, Seikun's expression and tone were flatter than the future Sakura's chest as he responded, "Absolutely nothing..." with crossed arms. Meanwhile, Ino, seated three seats over at the desk to their right, winced slightly, a faint, embarrassed blush tinting her cheeks red...

...

..

.