The house was quiet, but the atmosphere felt far from peaceful. While Debbie worked in the kitchen and Sasuke and Naruto ate with surprising enthusiasm, Nolan couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Mark had stormed out, and though he knew his son needed time to process everything, a part of Nolan was anxious. He hadn't expected Mark to take the news well. Still, Nolan couldn't help but wonder how long he'd be able to keep up the facade before Mark truly realized the extent of the truth.
As the kids finished eating, Debbie walked into the living room, offering a small, forced smile. "Everything's going fine in the kitchen. I'm just worried about Mark."
Nolan exhaled, glancing at her before nodding. "I know. But we have to stay focused. He'll come around eventually."
"You really think so?" Debbie's voice was tinged with worry, her gaze soft as she observed Naruto, who was happily scarfing down his meal, and Sasuke, who sat quietly, almost stoically, eating his food.
"We'll make sure of it," Nolan said. He turned his attention back to the boys, deciding it was time to start putting his plan into motion. They were here for a reason, and it was time to begin their training.
"Naruto, Sasuke," Nolan said, his voice firm but calm. "We need to get started with your training. It's important that you both become strong, and you'll need all the skills you can get if you're going to help protect Earth."
Naruto perked up immediately. "Training? I'm ready! I'm gonna get super strong, just wait and see!"
Sasuke simply nodded, his expression unreadable.
But Nolan had a feeling there was a lot more to Sasuke than what was on the surface. He'd trained many warriors in his life, but the quiet ones always took time to open up. Naruto, on the other hand, was an open book—full of energy, eager to learn, but also prone to causing chaos if left unchecked.
"Naruto, Sasuke," Nolan continued, his tone shifting to something more practical, "Sasuke, you need to keep an eye on Naruto. He tends to get a bit... enthusiastic. Don't let him break anything, okay?"
Naruto flashed a grin. "I can handle it! You'll see—I'm gonna be the best!"
Sasuke, without looking up, gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. "I'll make sure he doesn't break anything."
"Good," Nolan said, nodding in approval before continuing, "I want to teach you both something simple but important. It's a basic skill that will help you in ways you can't even imagine right now. We'll start with tree climbing."
Naruto's eyes lit up, full of excitement. "Tree climbing? That sounds awesome! I've done that before... kind of." He scratched the back of his head, grinning sheepishly.
Sasuke's face remained neutral. "I've never done it."
Nolan gave a small smirk. "Well, you're in for a treat then. It's a simple exercise, but it teaches you a lot about control and focus. It's going to help you both get stronger. Here's how it works: You need to use your chakra, or in your case, your inner energy, to stick to the trunk of the tree. It's all about balance and concentration."
Naruto immediately stood up, his usual enthusiasm kicking in. "Alright! I'm gonna climb to the top in no time!"
Nolan shook his head, a small chuckle escaping him. "Not so fast, Naruto. You need to focus. You'll need to get your chakra under control first."
Naruto stopped, eyes widening in determination. "Okay, okay. Focus! I got this!"
Sasuke, who had been silently listening, finally stood and walked toward the backyard. "I'll give it a try," he said quietly, looking at the large tree in the yard.
"Good. You two can start now," Nolan said, his voice calm but authoritative. "I'll be back shortly. We'll talk more about your training later. I need to get some rest. Don't mess around while I'm gone."
Naruto immediately dashed to the tree, attempting to jump onto the trunk. As expected, he missed and fell face-first into the grass. "Ouch! Okay, okay, that didn't work."
Sasuke, however, had already started carefully walking up to the tree, his focus sharp. He attempted to stick to the trunk, his body leaning slightly forward as he focused.
Nolan watched from the door, a mix of pride and amusement stirring inside him. Sasuke's quiet determination was obvious, and Naruto's willingness to try again made him proud as well—he just needed to rein in that energy and teach him patience.
Debbie appeared in the doorway behind Nolan, concern still written across her face. "Are you sure this is the right way? They're just kids..."
Nolan turned to her, his eyes softening for a moment. "They're strong. They just don't know it yet. They'll get there."
Debbie hesitated before speaking again. "But Mark... what do we do about him?"
Nolan looked at her, his gaze intense. "We give him time. And when he's ready to come back, he will. But for now, we need to keep moving forward. The world won't wait for us to sort out our feelings."
As Nolan turned to leave for the stairs, he glanced one last time at Naruto and Sasuke, who were now working together on the tree-climbing technique. Sasuke was silent, focused, and determined—Naruto, of course, was struggling a bit, but his energy was infectious.
Naruto's energy will be useful, Nolan thought as he made his way upstairs. We just need to teach them the right way to channel it.
And with that, Nolan closed the door behind him, leaving the kids to their training. But in the quiet of the house, one thing was certain: no matter what happened with Mark or the Viltrumites, Nolan would see this through. He had a mission to accomplish.