Naruto :I will survive

Seeing Kushina being chased by a genin, Kano's face remained impassive. He had no intention of interfering. The first time he had stood up for her was only under the influence of memories, spontaneously giving in to an impulse. After that, he had ignored the bullying of this girl by her classmates. However, since the boys who bullied her always got their comeuppance, this time they had brought along backup - a real genin.

But it had nothing to do with him… In the end, a person can only rely on himself. Casting a glance at the fleeing people, Kano continued on his way in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, hidden in the tree branches, Minato watched Kano walk away, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Over the past six months, he seemed to have begun to understand the boy, although they had only exchanged a few phrases.

"Who are you really…" Minato shifted his gaze and, pushing off from the branch, jumped onto the next tree. So, jumping from branch to branch, he followed Kushina. He arrived just in time to see Matsushita grab the girl by the hair. And she, overcoming the pain, rushed forward, not paying attention to how her bright red hair was stretched and torn in Matsushita's hands.

"I… hate this hair too, but it's a part of me!" Kushina turned around sharply and, gritting her teeth, looked at Matsushita with fury. After which he stared in a daze at the strands remaining in his hand.

Hiding in the foliage, Minato watched silently. This was the power of this girl, completely different from Kano's power...

"And... what is my strength?"

....

When Kano returned home, he was once again missing Orochimaru. It had been seven or eight months since he had settled in the village, but he had seen the Sannin less than twenty times. Every time Kano wanted to ask Orochimaru about chakra, the sight of his guardian's haggard face made him retreat.

With greater power comes greater responsibility and a heavier burden. As the Hokage's apprentice and one of the three legendary Sannin, Orochimaru has seemingly been on missions non-stop since the end of the Second Shinobi World War.

This man's gaze was fixed on the Hokage's post, and he stubbornly walked towards his goal.

The huge house seemed empty and cold due to its size, but it was the only place where Orochimaru could truly rest. Realizing that his guardian was tired, Kano did not dare disturb him. So, changing into his home clothes, he prepared himself a simple dinner and sat down to eat.

The dishes were simple, but the portions were impressive.

Soon Kano finished his meal, cleared the table, and, taking the kunai and shuriken, went out into the yard. The old tree was still standing, having turned into a target for throwing.

Shukh! - with a light movement of his hand he threw the kunai right into the center of the target.

One two Three…

He trained for over an hour, and not a single projectile missed the target. This was the result of persistent training for half a year. The accuracy was impeccable, only the throwing force inherent to an adult shinobi was lacking, which also affected the speed of the weapon. But this was a temporary problem, because with age, strength will come.

After finishing throwing, Kano began his usual physical training. Push-ups, sit-ups, lifting stone dumbbells…

He forced himself to do all the exercises that would help develop physical strength. After each workout, he would eat again to restore his tired body, although as for mental fatigue, it was not cured by food.

After finishing his training, Kano took a shower, washing off the sweat, and then went back to the kitchen to prepare food. Every day was the same as the previous one, he lived in this endless cycle, not knowing when something would change.

Half a year is both a long time and a short time… But during those six months, Kano constantly thought about the other world, while forcing himself to forget about the passage of time. He constantly reminded himself that half a year here is just a few minutes there. He knew better than anyone that if you hurry, people will laugh.

Having prepared dinner, Kano raised his numb hands and began to eat greedily. When he had eaten more than half, the pain in his muscles gradually began to recede. He did not understand the peculiarities of his body, but this did not stop him from using them. After all, it was this ability that helped him continue his training.

The food gave the body enough energy to not completely get rid of the nagging pain, but to reduce it by sixty to seventy percent, allowing him to sleep peacefully.

Poof…

While Kano was eating, a light sound was suddenly heard at the entrance.

"Hm?" Kano stopped reaching for his chopsticks, raised his head slightly and said, "Orochimaru is back?"

He put his chopsticks down, stood up and walked towards the door. As he approached, he saw Orochimaru changing his shoes.

"You're back," Kano said, looking at Orochimaru's back.

Orochimaru nodded, changed his shoes, then raised his head and, as if catching the aroma coming from the kitchen, suddenly asked: "Is there any food left?"

"There's just a little bit left. If it's not enough, I'll make some more," Kano replied.

Orochimaru looked at him and calmly said, "No need."

Having said this, he headed towards the dining room.

Kano did not follow Orochimaru, but turned into the kitchen to get him a bowl and chopsticks. When he returned to the dining room, Orochimaru, still in his clothes, was sitting quietly at the table.

Kano filled a bowl with rice and handed it to Orochimaru, who, as if nothing had happened, picked up his chopsticks and began to eat leisurely.

Since there was little food left, Kano, having finished his rice, did not touch the chopsticks anymore. Orochimaru, however, glanced at him unnoticed and continued eating silently.

Within minutes, there was not a crumb left on the table. Everything had been eaten clean, which clearly showed that Orochimaru's stomach was not as calm as he was. He had never thought about what it would be like to live in this huge empty house with someone else. However, now, it seemed that everything had returned to normal, and was going as it should.

He put his chopsticks down and looked at Kano, who in turn turned his gaze to Orochimaru as soon as he swallowed the last grain of rice, saying, "Orochimaru, teach me how to concentrate chakra."

Kano could no longer hold back and asked Orochimaru to teach him how to control chakra.

"You will be taught at the Ninja Academy," Orochimaru replied indifferently in his usual hoarse voice.

"I want to learn now," Kano said firmly.

A strange glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. He knew all too well about Kano's success in the Academy, his grueling daily training, and he sensed his strong desire to control chakra. But Kano held back every time. And the fact that he spoke about it now must have had a reason.

He wasn't interested in which one exactly.

"You have the necessary amount of chakra. You just need to feel it and then take control of it," Orochimaru said calmly, looking at Kano.