Content Warning: Excessive Hugging Ahead
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"I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of youth that determines who you are."
— Mewtwo, Pokémon: The First Movie
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Guy leaned against a tree, still grinning
"So!" he said, voice as loud as ever. "How's your progress in the Eight Gates, my youthful comrade?"
Otis tilted his head slightly, thinking for a second. "At the moment… I can open up to three gates safely."
Guy's smile somehow got even wider. "THREE! That's excellent! Truly the flames of youth burn brightly within you!"
Then—
"THREE?!?" Lee's voice cut through the calm like a kunai through paper.
The green-clad boy burst into the clearing like a hurricane of enthusiasm, eyes wide and sparkling. "Three gates?! My rival of youth, you have already surpassed me!"
Otis blinked slowly. "I didn't know we were rivals."
Lee gasped dramatically. "We are now!"
"Lee!"
"Sensei!"
And then it happened. The two of them locked eyes for a single, horrifying second before charging at each other like lovers reunited after war. They embraced so violently that a small shockwave went off, sending leaves flying everywhere — sparkling tears, sunset auras, and way too much hugging for a training ground.
Everyone just froze.
"…Are they seriously doing this again?" Sayuri muttered
Tenten sighed. "Every single time."
Neji quietly turned around. "If I ignore it, it ceases to exist."
Sayuri snorted. "I've been trying that method for months. It doesn't work."
Hinata, ever polite, tried not to laugh. "T-they're… really close, aren't they?"
"Yeah," Tenten muttered. "Close enough to make me question their orientation."
Otis looked at the two of them with dead eyes. "You know, I think I actually preferred when we were punching each other...Should we stop them before it gets weird?"
Sayuri smirked. "Before?"
Tenten plopped down on a log, facepalming. "I used to dream of being a legendary kunoichi. Now I'm watching two grown men cry in slow motion."
Guy sniffled proudly. "Otis! You mustn't be ashamed of tears! They are the sweat of the heart!"
Otis just deadpanned at it. "No, those are just tears."
Lee gasped. "Such wisdom!"
Tenten quietly muttered, "And such stupidity."
"Lee," Guy said dramatically, "you must continue to chase Otis's example! He is your senior, and he burns with the flames of hard work!"
Lee nodded furiously. "Yes, Sensei! I will become even stronger than Otis-senpai!"
Otis raised an eyebrow. "You said that last week. You ended up in the river."
Lee froze. "That was… part of training."
"Sure," Neji said dryly. "And drowning builds your character."
Before the banter could continue, the sound of clashing metal echoed nearby. Hinata turned her head and smiled faintly.
"Look," she said softly.
Across the field, Naruto and Sasuke were sparring — again.
Naruto was yelling something about "believe it," Sasuke was ignoring him completely, and both were moving fast enough to kick up dust.
For some reason, both were shirtless — a fact neither had explained.
Okay, they were copying Otis, since he always practiced shirtless.
"Those two never stop," Sayuri said, watching with mild amusement.
"They'll end up killing each other one day," Neji muttered.
Tenten smirked. "Or get married. Honestly, could go either way."
Sayuri actually laughed at that one. "Fair point."
The chaos turned suddenly domestic when Naruto stopped mid-swing, his eyes widening as they locked onto Hinata's hands — his eyes turning into sparkling stars.
The bento boxes.
"FOOOOOD!" he cried, instantly abandoning the spar.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, lowering his guard. "Focus on the fight, dobe."
He began walking toward her slowly, reverently, and his hands outstretched.
"Hinataaa… is that… chicken katsu I smell?"
Before he could finish his sentence
BOOM!
Something huge dropped from the trees and landed right on top of him, burying him face-first in the dirt.
"WHAT THE—?!" Tenten shouted, jumping back.
A massive white paw slammed into the ground beside Naruto's head. The earth trembled. Then, a giant shadow loomed over everyone.
"Ah," Otis said calmly. "Yuki's here."
"Yuki!" Hinata gasped, clapping her hands together in delight. "You came!"
The enormous polar bear — easily taller than a small house — had apparently gone through another growth spurt. It was nearly twenty-three feet tall now.
Otis couldn't help but think it might actually be some kind of summoning beast, otherwise, how else could it use chakra just by copying them? And become so much stronger and bigger?
Yuki chan sniffed the air, then turned its nose toward Hinata.
Hinata smiled sweetly, walking right up to the hulking beast like it was a puppy. "I know, Yuki. I also made something special for you!"
The bear immediately sat down with a heavy thud, wagging its stubby tail and waiting politely. She pulled out a chunk of grilled salmon and held it out. Yuki's eyes sparkled as he gently took it and began eating, his tail swishing contentedly.
Sayuri stared, mouth slightly open. "You trained it?"
Otis shrugged. "Technically, it trained itself. It just likes food."
As Hinata turned away to get plates for everyone, Yuki suddenly looked up — and locked eyes with Sayuri.
For a few seconds, they just stared at each other. Then Yuki's expression slowly twisted into one of pure disgust. Like someone who had seen something offensive to nature itself.
(Pic)
Sayuri blinked. "...Did that bear just make a face at me?"
Yuki snorted.
"YOU!" she pointed at him, outraged. "You big hairy—!"
Hinata turned around, smiling innocently. "Hmm?"
Sayuri froze, smiling nervously. "I, uh, said—uh—he's very… hairy. In a… good way?"
Otis coughed, pretending not to laugh.
Yuki, as if understanding her perfectly, snorted again and rolled over lazily, showing his massive belly.
"Alright, everyone!" Hinata called out suddenly, her soft voice somehow cutting through the chatter. "Lunch is ready!"
Naruto, still half-buried in the dirt nearby, lifted a trembling hand. "…I think your bear broke my spine…"
Hinata gasped. "Oh no! Naruto!"
Sasuke sighed. "Pathetic. You got taken down by a bear."
They all gathered under the shade again, the scent of food quickly filling the air — grilled fish, rice balls, dumplings, and Hinata's signature chicken katsu. The clearing filled with laughter and the soft clinking of chopsticks.
Naruto, now freed from the dirt, inhaled food like he hadn't eaten in weeks.
Sasuke ate quietly, occasionally giving Naruto death glares every time he burped too loudly.
Guy raised his chopsticks dramatically. "Ah! Such food! Such youthful energy! Hinata, your cooking fuels our youthful spirits!"
Hinata blinked. "T-thank you!"
Tenten leaned over to Sayuri. "If Guy compliments my food like that, I'm stabbing him with a skewer."
Sayuri smirked. "Same."
Otis sat cross-legged beside them, chewing slowly, lost in thought until Guy suddenly turned to him.
"By the way, Otis, I must thank you once more!" he said in a more serious tone.
Otis glanced up mid-bite. "For what?"
"For telling me about Lee," Guy said, smiling fondly at his student. "It was you who pointed me toward him. You said there was a boy who didn't have talent in ninjutsu but had a very high potential in taijutsu and the heart of fire. You were right."
Otis thought about how his advice had led Guy to take Lee as a disciple a year earlier than in canon. It seemed to be working out — and now Otis wondered how much stronger Lee would become.
Everyone turned to Otis. Even Lee paused mid-chew, wide-eyed.
Tears sparkled in his eyes again. "You mean—Otis was the one who—?"
Otis raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you didn't tell him that?"
Guy placed a dramatic hand on his chest. "I wished to reveal it only when the flames of your youth burned brightest!"
"What the… does that even mean?"
Lee immediately broke down crying again, hugging Otis's leg — which, considering the size difference, looked like a child clinging to a tree trunk.
"THANK YOU, OTIS-SENPAI!" Lee wailed.
"Yeah, yeah," Otis said, waving him off. "Just don't hug me like your sensei."
Lee gasped. "But what about the bond of manly—"
"Finish that sentence," Otis said flatly, "and I'm feeding you to Yuki."
"...Understood."
The table erupted in laughter again. Even Neji cracked a smile.
The sun dipped lower, the light painting the clearing in warm gold. The group, loud and mismatched, slowly quieted down, Naruto still munching happily, Hinata smiling softly, Sayuri stealing bites from Otis's plate when he wasn't looking.
Sayuri plopped down beside Otis, her shoulder brushing his arm. "So, big guy? Did you master your earth release?"
Hinata blinked.
Otis nodded. "Yes… I'm there. But it won't be long before I fully master my Earth Release…thanks to my mother. Her diary said giants like us can reach a level where we become one with the earth itself."
Sayuri raised an eyebrow. "Become one with the earth? What, like… a tree? Are you finally going to take the form of stone?"
Otis deadpanned. "Heh, You'd be surprised how accurate that sounds."
Hinata twiddled her fingers. "Otis-kun… your mother was really amazing, wasn't she?"
His expression softened. "Yeah. She was." He looked down at his reflection in the water. "And I've got a long way to go before I reach her level."
Sayuri studied his face quietly, then nudged his arm lightly. "You'll get there. You're too stubborn not to."
"Damn right, I will," he said, smiling faintly.
Guy suddenly stood up and shouted, "OTIS! NEVER FORGET! TRUE STRENGTH COMES NOT FROM MUSCLE… BUT FROM BURNING PASSION!"
Otis shouted back, "TELL THAT TO MY BICEPS!"
Guy pointed dramatically at the sky. "I JUST DID!"
Sayuri sighed. "You two have the same brain cell."
Hinata giggled again, covering her mouth. "He-he…"
Sayuri leaned back, stretching. "You know, if you ignore the fact that a bear's sitting next to us, this almost feels like a picnic."
"Almost?" Tenten asked.
Sayuri nodded before making a disgusted expression. "Yeah. I can still smell Guy's sweat."
Guy dramatically clutched his chest. "Cruel words from a cruel youth!"
Otis didn't even look up. "She's right."
"ET TU, OTIS?!"
Everyone burst out laughing again.
As the laughter faded into the afternoon air, Otis leaned back, his gaze drifting toward the clear sky. the river glistening beside them, Yuki snoring softly, and his friends arguing over the last rice ball.
A simple day.
A peaceful one.
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(A/N)
For the uncultured readers (you know, those poor souls who didn't take Latin 101):
"ET TU, OTIS?!"
It literally means:
"And you, Otis?!" or "You too, Otis?!"
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