Naruto: Power in Play

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

[You have slept in your bed! HP and CP fully restored!]

Ando's eyes fluttered open with the now familiar ring of the notification. He spent a few moments organizing his thoughts, then slowly got out of bed. He looked at his roommates and saw that they were still sleeping. Just like back in the orphanage, he was the first one up. It was one thing that would probably never change during his time in the academy, he thought.

Ando discreetly moved out of bed and changed his clothes. He made sure that he had his student card on him, then moved out. The corridor was deserted. But as he walked out of the dormitory, he was pleasantly surprised to see that there were already some students who were out and about. Ando made some light stretches and then started lightly jogging towards the practice field he had seen during his first time in the academy.

From today on, he decided to start practicing on the open field to augment his chance of interacting with the other students. Unlike his time in the orphanage, Ando was not going to isolate himself. He was very well aware of the value and the impact of having trained people around him. He could learn a lot just by observing them. It would be even better if he could interact and learn from them.

Ando breathed in a lungful of fresh air; the earthy fragrance of dew-kissed grass and soil was invigorating. He felt loads better than when he trained within the damp atmosphere of his room. With a smile on his face, Ando stopped jogging and walked down to the training field.

He saw a few groups of students doing various kinds of exercises. He observed for a while, but he ultimately decided against joining them right away. Instead, he found a place not too far away, next to a wooden post, and then started doing his own regular exercises. Feeling sufficiently warmed up by his previous jog, Ando immediately started with the pushups.

His activity garnered the attention of the other groups of students nearby. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could tell that they were definitely not praising him. Some were shaking their heads, while others were openly snickering in his direction. Ando frowned, he wondered if his form was bad, but then an angry voice interrupted him.

"Oy! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

Ando stopped mid-pushup and slowly stood. He turned towards the direction of the voice with a confused expression. A boy, slightly taller than him, with unkempt brown hair and two red markings drawn on each side of his face, was storming towards him. If his voice did not cue Ando on the current mood of the incoming boy, then the angry sneer on his face would.

"What the fuck is a damned orphan like you doing on my Inuzuka training ground?!" The boy all but screamed in his face. To which Ando could only respond with a confused "Huh?"

[-31 HP]

Ando's head jolted backward violently, his vision instantly clouded by a sudden blur, and an intense surge of pain abruptly radiated from his face. He fell on his backside, and instinctively clutched his bleeding nose.

[You have been afflicted with the minor bleeding status!]

[-2HP/30 seconds]

"Wh-Why?" Ando looked up at the boy who punched him straight out of nowhere with a mix of fear and shock. "Why did you do that?!"

"What do you mean why?! Are you fucking dumb?" The boy crouched down and grabbed him by his hair. "This is MY clan's training ground. Why the fuck are you even here?"

Ando spared a look at his harasser and cast observe on him. The other party's words no even registering inside his brain. He only knew that he could counterattack.