Naruto: The Azure Ghost of Konoha

After lunch, leaving the orphanage with the other children, Yoichi thought:

"I need to separate myself from them. Instead of wasting time playing, I can immediately start training and collect leaves for chakra control exercises. From what I see, they're going to the playground, which is about 200 meters east of the orphanage. That means I can go to the park and practice next to them, or go to that small forest next to the orphanage. Although 'forest' is too big a word... It's more like a cluster of trees that looks like a miniature forest. I heard that sometimes children who train before entering the academy go there. This way, my training won't arouse suspicion. Plus, it could potentially provide me with some privacy."

Deciding it was the right moment, Yoichi approached Hikaru and said, "I don't feel like playing ninja, so I'll go back."

Hikaru turned around with surprise in his eyes: "Really? We talked about playing together at breakfast."

Yoichi shrugged, trying to sound natural: "I know, but I don't feel like it. Maybe another time."

Hikaru nodded, although a slight disappointment still lingered on his face: "Alright, then next time."

Yoichi turned around and slowly walked towards the orphanage, but instead of returning to the building, he turned onto a side path leading to the forest. Looking around to see if anyone was nearby, he noticed no one. Yoichi thought:

"I'm lucky there's no one here. As far as I know, Konoha has many such small forests throughout the village. Many of them were used as training grounds for ninjas. This one seems more like a playground for orphanage children to prepare for the academy."

Finally, concluding his train of thought, Yoichi began stretching his body to relax his muscles. After about fifteen minutes of stretching, he started running along the forest. According to his estimates, the forest's perimeter was about one hundred meters. The first ten laps he ran without much difficulty, but then he started to get tired. Eventually, he managed to complete thirty of them, giving him a total of three kilometers.

Taking deep breaths, he thought:

"I can't believe I ran three kilometers! In my previous life, I could barely run a kilometer. It seems that people's bodies in this world are much stronger, or unlocking chakra somehow strengthened the body. I don't remember feeling particularly strong after unlocking chakra. Nor does it seem like this boy did any exercises before I took over his body. So, the first option is more realistic."

After a short five-minute break, Yoichi continued his exercises, starting with push-ups. He managed to do three sets of ten repetitions. Then he moved on to sit-ups, doing four sets of twenty repetitions. The next exercise was squats, which Yoichi performed in two sets of fifteen repetitions.

When he finished, he started looking for a suitable branch for pull-ups. After a while, he found a strong, low-hanging branch that seemed sturdy enough. He jumped up, grabbed it with both hands, and began pulling himself up.

He managed to do only ten pull-ups before his hands started trembling from exertion. Yoichi jumped down to the ground, feeling his muscles throbbing with fatigue.

He thought: "That should be enough for today. Now I should collect some leaves and return to the orphanage."

Yoichi quickly picked a few leaves that he would use for chakra control exercises. He put them in his pocket and headed back towards the orphanage.

Entering the orphanage, he informed the caretaker that he had returned because he was tired, and then went to take a shower. He returned to his room and found it empty, so he decided to rest a bit. He planned to start practicing chakra control only after his roommates went to sleep. Before he could lie down, he heard the sound of the door opening, and Hikaru and Kaito Nomura, his other roommate, entered the room.

Hikaru smiled broadly and said, "Yoichi, you won't believe our luck! The children on the playground said that a demonic fox boy was reborn in their orphanage. He has yellow hair and a mustache. We have to watch out for him in the future. It's good that he's not here with us."

Yoichi froze for a moment, trying not to show his surprise. He thought:

"Good to know Naruto isn't in our orphanage, which means there are no ANBU here. This way, I don't have to worry about someone watching me from the shadows. Plus, it seems Danzo started acting quickly. But that was to be expected. Probably Hiruzen will notice it soon, which will lead to the famous argument ending with his words: 'Danzo, I am the Hokage!'"

Yoichi put on a surprised expression and asked, "Seriously? Do you think it's true?"

Hikaru shrugged: "Probably true, since the children live with him. Besides, they didn't seem like the type to make something like that up. And what were you doing when you came back?"

Yoichi replied: "I went for some training. My parents laid out a training plan for me a few days before this disaster to make it easier for me to get into the academy. At breakfast, when we were talking, I remembered about it. I don't want to let them down, so I decided to start training to get into the academy in two years."

Kaito looked at him in surprise: "Why start training now? We still have two years, and we'll probably get in anyway."

Yoichi said: "You're right, but I'm aiming higher. I want to get into the elite class. If I make it there, I might have a jonin sensei in the future. And that means greater chances of success as a ninja."

Hikaru frowned: "Elite class? That's probably for children from clans, right? They have their own techniques and family knowledge. We're just orphans."

Yoichi replied: "That's why I want to start training now to have a chance. After all, the Fourth Hokage was also an orphan, and somehow he managed to become the most powerful ninja in the village. If he could do it, why couldn't we?"

Hikaru fell silent for a moment, then his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm:

"Really! Maybe we should start training together? That way, we'll increase our chances of getting into the same class!"

Kaito looked surprised and said: "That's not a bad idea at all. Even if we stop training after a while, at least it will be easier for us in the academy, even if we don't get into the elite. What do you think, Yoichi?"

Yoichi analyzed the situation for a moment, then thought:

"It's not bad. It might be motivating for me to compete with them in training, and additionally, if they manage to get into the elite class, there's a chance we'll end up in the same team. That will allow us to work easier because we know each other. And most importantly, training with them won't arouse suspicion when training alone."

Yoichi smiled and nodded vigorously, saying:

"Sure, let's train together! Starting tomorrow, we begin training, what do you say?"

Hikaru and Kaito enthusiastically agreed. Hikaru curiously asked:

"So, what exactly will our training look like? Do you have a plan already?"

Yoichi thought for a moment and replied:

"For now, we'll start with the basics: running, push-ups, squats, and sit-ups. My parents said that physical fitness is very important for ninjas."

Kaito looked at him with interest: "Just that?"

Before Yoichi could answer, the caretaker's voice called the children to dinner. Hikaru quickly said:

"Never mind, we'll find out tomorrow. Let's go before everything disappears!"

The three of them immediately headed towards the canteen so as not to be late for dinner.