The Cloud Over The Leaf

Hii had on a look of despair as he walked through the Leaf village.

"Haa. I have to ask him, don't I?"

Hii was trying his best to think of another option, but no one else came to mind. 

{Didn't you say he was the best? You need his help, right?}

Hii sighed and nodded his head.

"I do, but honestly, I just don't want him to make me put that thing on."

{What thing?}

"You haven't meet him yet."

{Why does that matter?}

"Haaa. You"ll see."

Hii slowly made his way over to the dreaded training field. He was dragging his feet slowly, hoping he might somehow miss meeting him.

{Why are you dragging your feet?}

"...I don't really want to go."

{Do you want to maybe bring someone along with you? For support?}

"No!! No one else should be subjected to his craziness!"

Hii instantly rejected the idea and headed over to the training field.

"I just have to refuse to wear the thing again!"

{What thing?!}

Hii ignored her this time as he hurriedly went to the training ground.

As he approached the grounds, he saw a familiar scene.

"Hahahaha! Youth!!"

"......"

{......}

There he was again, on his hands "running" around the grounds. He stopped after a few more passes around the area and hopped to his feet.

"Whew! That takes care of the 500 laps! I'll beat Kakashi next time for sure!"

"....Haaa."

{...That. Is that the guy you wanted to get help from?}

Hii sadly nodded his head as he prepared himself.

"Oh! Hii-chan! Wait, It should be Hii-kun now! Long time no see!"

The Beautiful Beast, however, didn't give him a chance.

Guy came over to him in a flash, glistening in sweat.

"Haaa!! I feel refreshed!"

"I'm glad for you, Guy-san."

{Oh my God! It's even worse up close! What is he even wearing?! You had to wear that once?!!}

Hii decisively ignored Fuyuki and bowed his head.

"Guy-san! I need your help polishing my fighting techniques!"

Hii asked Guy for his help with sincerity.

Guy only looked at him for a moment before tears streamed down his face.

"Ugh! I'm so happy you want to learn the ways of Taijutsu once more. Of course I'll do my best to assist you!"

Hii breathed in deeply. He should get used to him by now.

"Now let us sweat and show off our Youth to the world! We should start with a light workout. 20 laps around the training grounds! Let's go!"

Guy quickly went into a handstand and started to run!

'Oh no! I'm not gonna lose to you again!'

{Wait! You raced him before like this?!}

Hii ignored Fuyuki and chased after Guy!

*********

"Haa, Haaa, Haaa."

"I'm so proud! I can't believe you kept up with me so well! I see you're still keeping up with your training."

Hii squatted down to catch his breath while Guy looked at the blue sky in admiration.

"Now! Let's truly burn with the power of Youth!"

Hii stood up, took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Great. Are you ready, Guy-san?"

"Of course! Come at me at anytime!"

Guy readied his stance, putting one hand behind his back and the other extended out front.

"Okay! Here I come!"

Hii got into his stance and flew towards Guy!

*Pak Pak Pak*

The two struck against each other rapidly as they exchanged blows!

Hii flipped backwards and dashed towards Guy again with an elbow.

"Haa!"

*Bam*

Guy counter the elbow with his own!

"Tch! Haaa!"

Hii was sent back from the force, but didn't give up as he kept attacking!

Hii continued to try and strike Guy, but his blows were constantly blocked!

All of his punches, elbows, and knee strikes couldn't make it past Guy's instinctual blocks!

"Ha! Your youthful energy is appreciated, but you can't use it so wildly!"

Guy dodged Hii's elbow and palmed his stomach with force!

"Ugh!"

Hii's feet dragged against the ground, trying to stop himself as he clutched his stomach.

"Haa. Just as strong as ever."

"Haha! Now come again!"

Guy held his ground and beckoned Hii to come forward.

"Ok! I'll try a new move now!"

"Haha! Show me your youth!"

Hii nodded his head and weaved a few hand signs!

Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!

Hii spewed water on the ground into a wall while he continued to weave more hand signs!

Water Style: Water Wolf Armor!

The water quickly assimilated to Hii, forming a large wolf!

Guy's eyes flashed with surprise as the smile on his face thickened!

"What an interesting technique!"

Hii didn't stop there as he made Fuyuki's chakra flow through his body.

Golden lines appeared all around the wolf's body as steam slowly rose up.

"Get ready, Guy!"

"Hahaha!"

Guy only laughed as he readied himself.

*Tsu*

The wolf quickly dashed towards Guy and swiped his claws at him!

*Swoosh*

Guy quickly dodged and kicked the wolf back!

"Grrrr!"

The wolf didn't fly back very far and quickly returned to bite Guy!

"Haaa!"

The two traded blows with each other as Hii's strikes became bites and claw strikes! 

Hii's attacks became more powerful, but Guy still countered his blows with a smile on his face!

"Haha! Look at us, two beasts sparring beautifully! I can feel the Youth!!"

Guy punched towards the wolf, but Hii cleverly dodged to the side and bit into Guy's arm!

The wolf's teeth were not sharp, however, so no harm was done to Guy. His arm was locked in Hii's jaws as Wolf Hii tried to flip him onto the ground.

"Nice move! However, that won't work on me!"

Guy landed on the ground with one hand and twisted his body!

Leaf Hurricane!

*Bam*

The wolf was sent flying towards a tree and crashed right into it!

"Urgh!"

The wolf's body slumped down and slowly started to evaporate into steam, revealing a battered and burnt Hii.

"Oh no! Are you okay, Hii?!"

Guy quickly ran over to Hii and checked over his body.

"What happened to your body! Did I attack you too hard?!"

"D-Don't worry, Guy-san. This is just the side effect of the technique. J-Just give me a moment."

Hii weakly weaved a few hand signs, making a green glow flow around his hands. He started to quickly mend the damaged parts of his body as Guy watched with a stern gaze.

"Hii-kun. I think you may want to forget that technique for now."

"Huh?! Why, Guy-san?!"

Guy folded his arms and nodded his head.

"It feels like you are actually burning your body with your Youth! You're too young to practice such a technique like that. You were doing fine earlier without that technique."

Guy gave Hii a thumbs up.

"You must take care of your body and only use such power for the sake of protecting what's important when there is no other option. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I don't really get it. Protecting what's most important, but what is most important?"

Guy shook his head and raised a finger.

"You probably wouldn't get it right now. Well, here is an example. You and your squad run into a very strong ninja. One of you would have to stay behind to ensure everyone else can get away. Who would you choose?"

Hii was deep in thought as he tried to figure out what he would do.

"It is a tough decision to choose who-"

"Myself."

Hii responded immediately, shocking Guy into silence.

"I would stay, so the others would have a chance. I have a few tricks as well that my family taught me, so I should be okay. If anything, I'll make sure I take them down with me if I go."

".....Hahahahaha!!! The grit to protect your comrades! That is the very core of Youth!"

Guy gave Hii a dazzling smile, approving his decision.

"You seem to have caught on to the Will of Fire much quicker than others, but I still want you to not use that skill just yet. Wait until you have something you want to protect no matter what before you use it. Understood?"

Hii nodded his head slowly. He had to agree keeping that technique for last would be wise.

{I think you should listen to Guy-san. I don't want you to sacrifice yourself, but we should definitely go all out when it counts.}

Hii kept silent as he healed himself. After a few minutes, he was back up and ready to fight.

"I'll keep your words in mind, Guy-san. I'll just ask you to spar with me normally then."

"Hahahaha! I love to see the power of youth form in the next generation! I respect your determination!"

Guy gave Hii a thumbs up with a sparkling smile!

{Uwah! He looks and dresses so weird, but he's so cool! It's so odd!}

Hii couldn't agree more with Fuyuki.

"Now then! Let's continue!"

"Okay! I'll give it my all!"

"That's the spirit!"

Hii jumped up and got into position, preparing his stance with his marching rhythm.

Guy also readied himself and looked at Hii.

The two nodded and started to channel their chakra.

""Haaaaa!""

The two instantly dashed towards each other and clashed again!

**********

"Haaa, Haaa, Haaa."

Hii laid with his back on the ground, exhausted.

{Good job today.}

'Thanks. But...'

Hii shook his head in disbelief.

"Guy is a Monster."

{That he is.}

Hii still remembered how energetic he was after their last clash today.

'Hahaha! I worked up a great sweat! Thank you, Hii-kun! Come by tomorrow to spar again if you like!'

Guy continued to laugh as he dashed away on his palms as usual.

"I didn't hit him even once."

Hii did everything he could, but he couldn't get past Guy's guard. Not one clean hit went through.

"Not to mention that ominous thing he said before he left."

Hii had shivers when he remembered Guy's parting words.

'Soon, I might even have a direct disciple to my style! I'll introduce you if it all works out! Hahaha!!'

"...Another Guy...."

{That's..... really scary.}

Hii sighed as he looked up at the orange clouds.

"Haaa. Just when I think I've progressed, the goal gets farther away."

Hii looked over at the setting sun and started to get up.

It was time to go home.

'...Wait a minute?'

Hii turned back towards the setting sun and frowned.

{Hmm? What's the matter?}

Hii just looked at the setting sun and fell deep in thought.

After a short while, he suddenly looked up and nodded his head.

"I have an experiment I need to do right now. Can you come out please, Fuyuki?"

{Uh, Okay! I guess.}

Fuyuki came out of Hii's stomach area and landed on the ground in front of him.

Hii looked at Fuyuki and noticed she had changed quite a bit since the first time he saw her. Her body was no longer of a puppy, but a nearly teenage wolf. Her white fur now also had tinges of gold in it.

'She still has a ways to go before she reaches Akumu's size. She does look prettier compared to him though.'

Hii held on to his thoughts as he looked at a nearby set of trees.

"I want you to strike the tree over there. Try to put some strength into it."

{Oh? Alright then! I can get some training in too!}

Fuyuki instantly charged towards the tree and swiped it with one of her paws!

{Graaaugh!!}

*Crack Boom*

"!!!"

Hii stood shocked as he saw the tree topple over! Dust and leaves covered the area as the tree slammed hard into the ground.

*Cough Cough*

{Ueeeeh! I got dust in my mouth!}

Hii felt cold sweat fall down his back as he looked at Fuyuki come back,trying to get rid of the dust on her face and fur.

Hii quickly weaved a few hand signs and came close to Fuyuki.

Water Style: Water Ball Jutsu!

A ball of water formed from the moisture in the air in front of Fuyuki.

"Here. Put your face through the ball. I'll help wash it."

{Oh, Thanks!}

Hii spread the water ball a bit wide, helping Fuyuki wash her face thoroughly.

{Phew! That feels much better! So did that help you with your experiment?}

"Y-Yeah. I have a guess on something now. We still have a few things I want to test before we go home."

{Okay then! What's next?}

"First, I need to check the damage."

Hii headed over to the damaged tree and started to check the scene.

Hii saw that the stump left behind had shattered bark all over it.

He also noted the upper half of the tree wasn't cut down, but was rather snapped off.

He couldn't help, but look back at Fuyuki patiently waiting by the side.

'She basically swiped this tree down in one go. This is significantly different from Akumu. He definitely isn't this strong.'

Hii nodded his head and realized the sun had gone down.

"Let's wait for a few more minutes and try to break another tree again."

{Ok!}

The two waited for a while before Hii decided it was time.

"Okay! Try to break the tree you struck down in half."

{Alright! Here I go~!}

Fuyuki dashed over to the tree and struck the middle of it with her claw!

*Bang*

Bark flew from the tree, but it didn't break in half like before.

{Huh?! Let me try again!}

*Bang Bang Bang Crack*

Fuyuki struck the tree a few more times before it finally snapped!

{Ha! I did it!}

"Y-Yeah! Okay! Come back in now for the next test."

{Haha! That was fun! Let me know if you want me to hit any other stuff too!}

Fuyuki trotted towards Hii and disappeared into him.

Hii wiped the sweat from his brow as he made his way to the broken tree.

'Note to self. Never make her mad. Ever.'

After making his mental note, he checked the damage of the trunk and nodded his head with excitement.

'I see. She couldn't break it in one go like before. She shouldn't be tired or anything, so the only factor that changed would've been...'

"Time of day."

{Huh? Time?}

Hii nodded his head and looked into the night sky.

He could see a few stars starting to pop out and decided to take the risk.

He weaved a hand signs and took in a deep breath.

Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!

*pwoosh*

Water gushed out of his mouth into a circular wall while he continued to weave more hand signs!

{Huh?! What are you doing?}

'You'll see.'

Water Style: Water Wolf Armor Jutsu!

The water flowed around Hii and transformed into the blue wolf.

''I'm going to use your power now."

{Huh?! Wait, that's not a good idea!}

Fuyuki protested, but Hii ignored her as the wolf armor began to be covered by golden lines.

{Don't hurt yourself after Guy already talked about this! Turn it off!}

Hii ignored her and made her chakra flow throughout his body like usual.

Hii felt the increase in his strength, but he didn't feel the burning sensation anymore. There was only a slight tingle in his body here and there.

"I knew it!"

{Huh?! Hey! You're okay?! How?!}

Fuyuki was still confused as Hii was now certain of the reason he was always in pain.

"It's the time of day."

Hii looked out into the black night.

"You're always active during the day and Akumu always moves more at night. Your Chakra will most likely move the same way. It's more oppressive when you two are most active."

{Eh?! Wait! Yeah! Today and the time before with Shisui, the sun was out when you used my power!}

"And the last time I used Akumu's power was at night. This is the first time I used your power at night and I'm fine. I can assume Akumu's chakra can be used in the day with no risk as well."

{Great! Now you can use our power and not get hurt!}

"Yeah, but I still should keep the technique as a last resort for now. We  just understand it better than before. At least I won't have to heal myself all the time if I use it. "

{Right. Well, at least we've made improvements.}

Hii nodded his head and began to retract the wolf armor.

He slowly stood up and checked his body. The golden marks spread all across his body, making him glow in the night.

"I don't feel the burning sensation at all anymore. I don't even feel cold. It must be your energy keeping me warm."

{I see! I haven't really felt cold since I came here either. I even woke up in a snowy mountain area and never noticed. Probably because Takeshi was right there with me.}

Hii was a bit surprised to hear Akumu found her right when she came into the world.

"Well, I guess we'll have to continue our experiments when Akumu comes back."

Fuyuki's chakra slowly receded from Hii's body as the golden lines disappeared.

Hii had a bright smile on his face as he didn't have any new burn marks on his body.

"Let's get strong together so we can help Akumu!"

{Yeah! We can finally help Takeshi out!}

{"Ooooh!"}

The two strengthened their resolve to grow stronger!

{Hey, it's gotten pretty dark now, hasn't it?}

"Yeah. It has gotten pretty.... wait a minute?!"

Hii suddenly realized he had forgotten something scary!

"Oh no!"

Lightning Armor!

*Tchi chi chi*

Hii quickly dashed away from the training grounds with lightning all around him!

{W-What happened?!}

Hii didn't respond as he only accelerated!

************

He quickly zipped through the village to his house as fast as he could. 

He finally got to his house in only a few minutes, covered in sweat.

"Haaa! Haaa! I, made it."

"Well, almost."

A cold shiver ran down his spine hearing that voice.

Hii slowly looked up to see Kaya standing at the door. Moya and Yozora sat silently inside, saying nothing from fear.

'Oh boy. I messed up.'

"I'm pretty sure I tell you kids to come back before the sun goes down nearly every day. Did you somehow forget?"

"I-I can explain, Mom."

"Yeah? I don't want to hear it though?"

Kaya tilted her head as her eyes flatly looked at her son.

{Wait! It was my fault! I really wanted to train today and I made Hii help me!}

Fuyuki jumped out of Hii and pleaded with Kaya.

"....."

{I'm really sorry!}

".....Haaa."

Kaya sighed as she bent down and rubbed Fuyuki's head.

"I forgive you, but it's still Hii's fault. He knows that I want him back before the sun goes down. He still has to be punished."

{But!}

Kaya shook her head.

"No buts. He breaks the rules, he gets the punishment. You don't control his body after all. You just reside in it."

Kaya stood up and pointed to the kitchen.

"Squat against the wall for 30 minutes. Understood?"

"....Yes."

Hii went over to the wall and held the squatting position.

"Awww. You got caught, huh? Your Mom seems pretty mad."

Henda was sitting at the kitchen table with Riku and Di. He looked at Hii with a wry smile.

Kaya came into the kitchen with a scroll and placed it on Hii's head.

"Don't drop it, or you start over."

"....."

"Woah! She's really mad!"

Kaya looked at Henda with narrowed eyes.

"Don't help him, Henda! I'm going to help the kids with their homework for a bit. Give him dinner only after he finishes."

Kaya headed over to the living room and grabbed the twins.

"Come with me, you two."

""Okay.""

The twins obediently walked behind Kaya, looking at Hii with pity in their eyes as they passed.

"......"

Hii just squatted silently and held his stance as still as he could. 

Fuyuki sat down next to him in support.

{.....Maybe we should use my chakra?}

"No. I messed up. I'll deal with it."

Henda looked over at Di and Riku before he got closer to Hii's ear.

"....You want me to feed you a snack?"

"....."

Hii didn't say anything, but he looked at Henda with the biggest "Yes!" his eyes could make.

Henda slowly got up and went to to the cabinet.

He quietly got out a cookie and slowly treaded over to Hii. He looked back at Di and Riku with a smile.

"You guys didn't see anything."

The two looked at him with a smile as they kept silent.

He put the cookie to Hii's mouth and shoved it in.

"The rest is up to you, son."

Henda quickly went over to the shop and disappeared.

Hii watched him go with his mouth full of cookie.

{...What just happened?}

'Nothing. Just my family being awesome.'

Hii slowly ate the cookie as he waited for the time to finally pass.

"Just a few more minutes, dear."

Riku and Di watched the time for Hii as his legs started to hurt waiting for time to end.

As the time winded down, Kaya came back into the kitchen.

"How much time is left?"

"About 7 minutes."

Di answered her while he looked at his daughter with a smile.

Kaya noticed this and slowly walked over to Hii. She looked over his face slowly with a indifferent face.

Her hand extended to his face and removed a few crumbs on his lip.

"...."

"You tend to be a messy sometimes."

Hii's body shivered slightly from both his legs tightening up and his Mom's gaze.

"...Who did you train with today?"

"Guy-san."

".....Haaa. You can stop now."

Hii slowly straightened himself out and took the scroll of his head. Kaya had a disgusted face as she shook her head.

"I'm only letting you go early because it was Guy. Training with that man is punishment by itself."

Riku chuckled at the table looking at Kaya's face.

"He's just a bit hot-blooded."

Kaya's head swiveled to Riku.

"A bit?!"

Kaya sighed and looked at Hii.

"Don't be late again."

"Yes, Mom."

Kaya stared at Hii for a moment and then hugged his head tenderly.

"Welcome back."

"....I'm back."

Kaya rubbed his head gently with a smile and started to head towards the shop.

"HEEENNDAAA!!"

*Bang Boom Bang*

"Ahhhh! Wait! Kaya, put that down! I'm sorry!"

Kaya disappeared into the shop as a game of life and death began.

"I'll warm up your plate, dear. You must be hungry."

".....Thanks, Grandma."

Di silently rubbed Hii's head as everyone ignored the horrible sounds coming from the shop.

{Uwah! Kaya-san can be really scary!}

This fact was further enforced once Henda was brought back into the kitchen and had to squat as Hii ate his dinner.

This time, Kaya sat right in front of him as he did it. 

Even the twins came out to check what happened.

"Uh, Dear? How long do I have to do this?"

"Hmm~. Until I say so."

"P-please, honey! At least give me a time!"

Henda pleaded, but Kaya didn't answer him.

'Sorry, Dad. I can't help you at all.'

Hii could only keep his face in his plate as he slowly at his dinner while Riku and Di watched the young couple bicker with smiles on their faces.