(Unedited)
Mornings in the Fushiguro household were a battle in and of themselves, with Kato typically rushing about before having to leave for work. As a merchant, he's always busy. Yue bossing everyone around to make sure they've washed, dressed and eaten. Lastly there's Toji the overly energic kid, that wakes before everyone and eats more than any three-year-old reasonable should.
Early mornings were also one of two times in the day Toji could train in secret. Not physical training as he's long decided to wait on the front as to not cause any potential damage.
Toji does two exercises, The first is breathing techniques from both this life and his last one. He got the idea from Demon Slayer, hoping that with (Original Toji's) talent he could recreate some breathing forms. So far, he's had minimum success, but success, nonetheless.
The second exercise is Chakra control, Toji unlocked his Chakra at just two years old as he had nothing else to do as a baby. Now with leaf sticking and mediation, he's got a decent grasp on his chakra.
*Haaa* In
*Fhwaaa* Out
*Haaa* In
*Fhwaa* Out
Toji kept the rhythm steady, letting the cold morning air fill his lungs, then flow back out in a controlled stream. His tiny chest rose and fell with disciplined consistency, something no normal child his age would ever manage.
He opened one eye, checking the small leaf stuck to his forehead.
Still there.
Good.
He slowly uncurled from his seated position and moved into a squat, hands resting on his knees. The sky outside their small home was still dark blue, the village only beginning to stir. He liked this hour. Quiet. Peaceful. His.
Then--
CRACK.
The floorboard behind him betrayed him.
"Toooji!" Yue's voice rang through the house like a kunai thrown at supersonic speed. The boy flinched.
Busted.
He hurried to brush off the leaf and straighten his clothes, but Yue was already storming into the room, hair tied messily, apron on, eyes narrowed with deadly-mother precision.
"What did I tell you about jumping around before breakfast?" she demanded.
"I wasn't jumping," Toji muttered.
"You were doing something." She crossed her arms. "And three-year-olds don't get up before the sun unless they're planning trouble."
Toji paused.
…She had him there.
But he only flashed a small innocent smile one he'd perfected over three years of survival in the Fushiguro household. "I'm just… breathing."
Yue blinked. "Breathing?"
"Yeah."
A long silence followed as mother and son stared at each other.
Finally, Yue rubbed her forehead. "Just… come eat, alright? Your father already left early, and I need you to behave today."
Toji followed her to the table, climbing into his usual seat. Yue set a bowl of rice, eggs, and grilled fish in front of him.
He finished all of it in under two minutes.
Yue didn't even look surprised anymore. "You eat like a growing bear," she sighed.
"I'm small," Toji said, dead serious. "I need fuel."
"Yes. Fuel." Yue muttered something under her breath about her son growing up to be a menace.
After breakfast, Yue stepped out to hang laundry. Toji slipped away again, navigating through the house with the instinctual stealth of someone born for it. No floorboard creaked this time. He slipped to the backyard, where the morning mist still clung to the grass.
He crouched, pressed his hands together, and drew chakra to his palms.
A small leaf floated upward, suspended by the chakra flow, until suddenly it burst into a tiny flurry of green confetti.
Too much output.
"Damn it," he whispered.
Still, it was progress. His chakra was potent, denser than it should've been for a child. He could feel it circulating through his body with growing precision each day.
He sat again, resting his arms on his knees. Three years. Three years in this world. In this body.
And only now was the reality truly settling in. I'm Toji Fushiguro.
Not the Toji, but a version. A branch in a different tree. A chance at something new. He clenched his fists. And he wasn't going to waste it.
"Toooji!" Yue called again. "Come help your mother carry the water jug!"
Toji sighed. "Coming!"
~~~~
The day passed quietly, with Toji helping Yue run small errands around the house, carrying buckets, sweeping floors, and occasionally sneaking off to test his chakra again whenever her back turned. By late afternoon, the sky grew orange and warm, and the distant sound of cart wheels creaked down the road.
Toji's ears perked instantly.
His heart leapt. "Dad's home!"
Before Yue could say a word, Toji shot out the door at full sprint, kicking up dust behind him. Kato had barely stepped off into the front step when a small missile of black-haired energy slammed into his legs.
"Dad" Toji cheered, hugging him tightly. "You're late today!"
Kato staggered but laughed, ruffling his son's hair. "Bandits on the main road slowed the caravan. Had to take the long route. Missed you too, kiddo."
Toji beamed.
Kato always smelled faintly of travel, dust, ink, parchment and spices but to Toji, it smelled of home.
"Did you listen to your mother today?" Kato asked, hoisting Toji onto his shoulder.
"Yes!" Toji answered instantly.
"…Mostly!" Yue corrected from the doorway, eyebrow raised.
Kato chuckled. "Sounds about right."
They went inside, and Yue set a pot of stew onto the table. Warm broth, vegetables, tender slices of meat, simple merchant food, but hearty and filling. Kato groaned happily as he sat down.
"Yue… this looks incredible."
"It'd look better if Toji didn't try stealing pieces while it was cooking."
Toji froze, spoon halfway to his mouth.
Kato laughed. "He's growing. Let the boy eat."
"He eats like you," Yue shot back.
Kato took that as a compliment.
Dinner was warm and loud, Toji talking with a strange mix of childlike excitement and oddly mature observations, which both parents chalked up to him being "gifted" or "weird like Kato's side of the family." Yue caught him quietly balancing his spoon on his fingertip with unusual precision, and nudged him to stop before Kato noticed.
After the meal, Kato leaned back, rubbing his stomach. "Good food, good company… home beats the road any day."
Toji leaned against his father's arm, eyes drooping with comfortable sleepiness despite his efforts to stay awake.
"You're exhausted," Yue said softly. "He woke up before dawn again."
"Did he?" Kato glanced down, amused. "This kid…"
But there was pride in his voice.
Toji didn't fight it anymore. He entered Morpheus domain leaning safely on his father.
~~~~
The house was quiet now.
Toji slept soundly in his small futon, clutching his blanket. Yue paused in the doorway, watching him. His breathing was deep and steady. Too steady, like it was following a steady rhythem only it knows.
A Strange boy. A Brilliant boy.
She slipped away and joined Kato at the low table, where he was unlacing his boots and stretching his sore back.
"Long trip?" she asked, sitting beside him.
"Longer than usual." He sighed heavily. "But I heard something in the village. Important."
Yue stiffened. "What kind of important?"
Kato met her eyes with a solemn expression.
"The Hokage has approved a change. The Ninja Academy is lowering its entry age."
Her breath halted. "Lowering…?"
"To four years old."
Yue's hands clenched against her lap. Children that young… barely out of toddlerhood.
"And," Kato continued, "attendance will be required for all children. Not full shinobi training, just a test. Chakra potential, basic aptitude… that sort of thing."
Yue looked toward Toji's room again, heart pulling tight.
"He's so young," she whispered. "He still needs help tying his sash some days."
Kato nodded. "I know."
"What if he has a large chakra pool?" she asked, voice barely steady. "What if they see potential in him? Kato, he's just a child. Our child."
Kato reached out, taking her hands gently. "Yue… every child in the village is being evaluated. Even merchant families. Even civilians. It's just how things are now."
"It wasn't like this before," she murmured. "The wars have everyone nervous."
"We can't stop the change," Kato said softly. "But we can prepare him. And we can be there for him, no matter what path he goes down."
Yue swallowed, emotions swirling.
Toji… their sweet, strange, too-smart boy. What would the world try to make of him?
"…Do you think he will have talent?" she asked finally.
Kato didn't answer right away.
Yue followed his gaze -- back toward their son's room.
She remembered his balance, his coordination, the strength in his tiny hands. The discipline in his breathing. The focus in his eyes. Toji wasn't normal.
She'd known it since the moment he first opened those sharp, alert green eyes as a newborn.
Kato exhaled quietly.
"I think," he said at last, "that Toji will shine. Whether we want him to or not."
Yue's heart tightened.
Then she forced a small smile. "Then we'll support him, the only way we can"
Kato kissed her forehead. "Always."
~End