Kagami collapsed onto the grass, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.

Every muscle ached like it was on fire, and he was pretty sure he'd lost half his body weight in sweat.

"It is really tough," he panted, squinting up at Hana through the glare of the midday sun. "I don't think one day is going to be enough to master taijutsu."

She chuckled and plopped down beside him, looking annoyingly fresh and unbothered.

"It's not that bad, I promise," she said, nudging him with her elbow. "The first time's always the toughest. It gets easier, I swear."

But then she paused and looked at him. "Unless... you're not having fun training with me?"

Kagami sat up, surprised by her tone. He'd only been complaining about the difficulty, but somehow she had taken it personally.

"No, no, it's not that at all!" he said quickly, waving his hands. "I'm really glad to be learning from you, Hana. Honestly, I am."

Her smile was so beautiful, it made his heart skip a beat.

"Good," she said, jumping up and offering him a hand up. "Because we've still got a lot of work to do."

And so they worked. Hana put Kagami through his paces, forcing him to run lap after lap around the Inuzuka training ground.

Each circuit was a grueling two kilometers, and he had to do ten of them - a total of twenty kilometers that seemed like an impossible feat for a six-year-old.

But he gritted his teeth and pushed through the pain.

She had explained that this was the key to unlocking his chakra's potential - pushing his body to the brink, forcing it to draw on that inner well of power when his physical strength gave out.

As he ran, he could feel the eyes of the Inuzuka clan members on him, curious and assessing.

He was an outsider here, a rare breed in their close community. But no one challenged his presence, not with Hana vouching for him.

By the seventh lap, Kagami felt it happen. One moment his legs were like lead, dragging with every step.

The next, a surge of energy flowed through him, lifting him up and making him feel light as a feather.

He laughed out loud, marveling at the sensation. Was this what it felt like to tap into his chakra? No wonder ninja could perform such incredible feats!

With this new reserve of strength, the remaining laps flew by. By noon, Kagami had completed the full twenty kilometers, much to Hana's delight.

"You did it!" she exclaimed, bouncing up and down on her toes. "You've got the basics of taijutsu down pat!"

His eyes widened in surprise. "Already? But I thought..."

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Hana grinned. "I could tell by watching you. The way you moved, the look on your face... you tapped more into your chakra, didn't you?"

She jerked her chin towards the track. "Go on, give it another lap. But this time, try the ninja run."

He knew the one she meant - the arms-back, head-down style he'd seen the way the ninjas were running.

He dropped into a crouch, feeling a goofy grin spread across his face, and took off.

The difference was incredible. He flew around the track, eating up the distance in a fraction of the time it had taken him before.

When he skidded to a stop in front of Hana, barely winded, she smiled at him.

"See? You're already channeling chakra to boost your speed and stamina. It's just a trickle right now, but that's how it starts."

Kagami nodded, happy about his progress.

But a question still bugged him. "So why the different running styles? Wouldn't the ninja run have been better for training?"

Hana shook her head. "The ninja run is all about minimizing air resistance and maximizing speed. Great for getting places fast, not so much for building strength and endurance."

"That's what the arm-pumping is for - it engages your upper body, makes your whole form work harder."

She reached out and gave his bicep a friendly squeeze. "Trust me, you'll be grateful for it the first time you have to throw a punch."

As if on cue, the adrenaline that had been keeping Kagami going chose that moment to desert him.

His knees buckled, and he plopped onto his rear, suddenly aware of just how tired he really was.

She was at his side in an instant, hauling him back to his feet.

"Oh no, you don't," she said. "No sitting down just yet. You do that now, you'll regret it when we start afternoon training."

He groaned, but let her pull him upright.

As he stood up, he couldn't help but notice the wiry musculature of her arm, the calluses on her palm that spoke of countless hours of training.

He felt a flush creep up his neck that had nothing to do with exertion. When had Hana gotten so... grown-up?

"Hana!" A shout from across the field interrupted Kagami's thoughts.

A woman with wild, untamed hair and a bamboo basket in one hand, and a squirming bundle in the other, was approaching.

"Mom!" Hana exclaimed, taking the basket with a grin. "This is my friend Kagami from the Academy. Kagami, meet my mom, Tsume."

Tsume thrust out a hand, expertly shifting the bundle - a baby, he realized - to the crook of her elbow.

"Good to meet you, Kagami," she said, her grip firm and calloused, just like Hana's. "I've heard great things about you."

Before he could respond, the baby let out a wail.

Tsume bounced it, her voice a gruff coo. "Shh, little one. Inuzuka men don't cry, remember?"

Hana rolled her eyes and gently took the baby from her mom's arms.

"You're scaring him, Mom," she teased, jiggling the baby until his sobs subsided into hiccups.

"This is my brother, Kiba," she told Kagami, angling the baby so he could see a tuft of dark hair and chubby, tear-streaked cheeks. "Isn't he cute?"

He nodded, though privately he thought all babies looked more or less the same.

Hana handed Kiba back to Tsume, shooing her mom off with a smile.

Kagami's stomach suddenly remembered it was empty, and it let out a loud rumble, sending both of them into fits of laughter.

Still chuckling, they sat down to eat, and the simple food tasted better than any fancy feast after their morning's hard work.

But all too soon, it was time to get back to training.

The afternoon was a blur of frog-jumps, with his thighs screaming in protest after ten more laps.

But he pushed through, motivated by his earlier success and Hana's constant encouragement.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Kagami finished his final circuit. Hana pointed to a branch overhead, her grin daring him.

"Jump to it," she said.

He crouched low, channeling everything Hana had taught him.

Then, he pushed off, feeling the chakra surge through his legs... and landed lightly on the branch, as easy as stepping over a puddle.

Hana whooped and applauded, her face glowing with more than the sunset light. "You did it, Kagami! A perfect landing!"

He wanted to thank her, but before he could get the words out, a loud siren pierced the air.

The wailing sound came from the direction of the village, making his teeth ache and sending a shiver down his spine.

WAAA-WAAA-WAAA!

A chunin burst into the training ground, his face pale and sweaty above his flak jacket.

"Emergency!" he yelled, his voice strained. "Orochimaru has betrayed the village!"

Kagami and Hana stared at each other, their eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

The chunin's next words fell like a bombshell into the sudden silence. "And he's stolen the Scroll of Seals."