Ino walked ahead towards Asuma, with Shikamaru and Choji beside her.
"Where's Sabuko-kun?" Ino looked left to right, "Is he not coming to train with us, sensei?"
Asuma smiled, "You're curious, Ino?"
"N-NO!" She hurriedly shook her head with a blush, "He's just sensible. About... a h-half of Sasuke-kun's level. And this group could use someone sensible!"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes while Choji just ate.
"I see," Asuma nodded, "Sabuko-kun has some complications. As he is now, I can't approve him for field missions as a Genin."
Ino blinked. Shikamaru raised his head, and Choji stopped eating.
'... As he is?' Shikamaru noted.
"What's that supposed to mean!?" Ino said.
Asuma scratched his head, "It's really not my place to say. But know that he will not be a part of this team starting next week when we start doing missions together."
'Sabuko mentioned he could do the Shadow Clone jutsu before everyone here cut him off,' Shikamaru thought, 'so I bet this 'complication' is not ninjutsu-related. Asuma-sensei said that he came to us from a different team. Sabuko said his taijutsu sucked, so...'
Asuma exhaled.
"Why won't you ask him yourselves, when you have the time?"
'What a pain,' Shikamaru sighed internally, 'Just say his taijutsu sucked that much...'
"Okay... Whatever. Not like I care about him, really." Ino straightened her head, "See if I feel like it someday."
"You felt like it a minute ago when you asked where he is," Choji commented.
"WOULD YOU CUT IT OUT!!?" Ino snapped.
---------- ELSEWHERE --------
About a dozen of white bandages were stuffed into Guy's nostrils as he stood up, his arms folded. Stained red.
"YOUNG SABUKO! I'LL BE VERY CLEAR WITH YOU!" He suddenly said as he faced Sabuko in the forest.
"Whatever you've been eating, keeping eating that!" He shouted.
"H-huh?" Sabuko tilted his head, "Why's that, Guy-Sensei?"
"YOU'VE RECOVERED EVEN FASTER THAN I EXPECTED, IS WHY! MY YOUTHFUL ESTIMATE WAS DEFEATED!"
"So," he looked at him directly, "Either your body holds some secret power..."
Sabuko gulped.
"Or you know how to recover properly! Just what are you doing between sessions!?"
Sabuko blinked as he looked to the side.
'He thinks I'm special. HOW COOL would it be if I had an actual Bijuu in my body?' Sabuko's lips stretched uncontrollably.
'What if I have a heavenly body or some shit due to reincarnation?! Blessed by the Gods..!!'
Then, a shudder.
'... Nah.' Sabuko loosened.
'I'm just a sick freak.' Sabuko shook his head.
'Maybe the Brugers gave me some chakra infused food or something like that. Like those soldier-pills Naruto ate where he learned to train with his clones.'
"I guess the family I live with make some good noodles with chicken," Sabuko replied as he scratched his chin. "That, and I usually faint right after eating, so... I sleep a lot, I guess."
"HMM! CHICKEN AND REST! What a youthful combo!" Guy nodded.
'... So it's not something he ingested, then.' Guy noted in his head, 'Something with his body?'
"That aside," Guy continued, "Seeing as you can recover before a day is over, leveling up your taijutsu in a week is doable."
Sabuko clenched his fist.
"But," Guy raised his finger, "Shadow Clones are fragile! If I go hard, they'll dissipate, and you won't have enough chakra to recreate them." He said.
"And I can't afford to hold back much since we only have a week before your deadline, starting today."
Guy looked at him.
"I clarified it with Asuma-sensei. They will start doing missions next week on the 30th."
'RIGHT!' Sabuko's eyes widened, 'I didn't actually think I'd get this far, but now that I'm here...'
He looked at the ground.
'I can create just about 3 shadow clones. But once they go poof, I am unable to create more until I rest for a few hours to recover my chakra! FUCK! Now what!?'
Guy looked at him.
Then smiled.
"THAT'S WHY!" He interrupted his line of thought, "I HAVE HATCHED A YOUTHFUL TRAINING METHOD!"
He looked to the side, "LEE, HINATA! COME HERE!"
'NO WAY!!' Sabuko's head snapped to the right.
Rock Lee approached first in his green jumpsuit, back straight, chin raised, a smile on his face.
"NICE TO MEET YA," Lee said as he pointed at himself with his thumb, "I'm Rock Lee!"
"Y-.. Yeah, I'm Sabuko Kanto,"
'ACTUALLY ROCK-FUCKIN'-LEE.'
Behind him walked the timid Hinata, looking down and slightly curling into herself.
"I'm H-... Hinata. Nice to meet you, Sabuko-kun."
"Y.H... Hi." Sabuko also looked away.
'Fuck, I don't wanna talk with a main heroine. She's Naruto's GF.'
Then his eyes narrowed.
'Also, why's she here? Tenten's the one who's supposed to show up, right!?'
"Ah. Lee," Sabuko asked, "You didn't study with us, right?"
"NOPE! Lee is your senior by a year!" Guy interrupted.
'AHHH SO THAT'S WHY I WASN'T ASSIGNED TO GUY'S GROUP. They literally graduated one year before Naruto did.'
He blinked.
'That, and... Hinata knew my name?'
"These two have agreed to help me train you for this week," Guy said, "You should youthfully thank them! Hinata especially volunteered to help you out of nowhere!"
'They wanted to help me?' Sabuko swallowed as he bowed, glancing at Hinata.
'She volunteered?!'
'GIRL, I NEVER TALKED TO YOU!'
"T-.. Thanks. You two." Sabuko muttered despite himself.
"I realized that I cannot train your clones as hard as I could train you without them dispersing," Guy continued, "That's why we'll do this."
Sabuko looked at Guy.
"You will make two clones. One will go to Lee, and he will drill into him how to kick!" He then pointed at Hinata, who then promptly looked away.
"One will go to Hinata. Being Neji's little sister, I trust her ability! She will help you cover basic punches and footwork. You can make three clones, so the last one will be a substitute in case one of them disappears or can't hold their form."
Sabuko blinked.
'It's all happening too fast, I..'
"What about me, sensei?" Sabuko pointed at himself.
Guy smiled.
"YOU WILL COME TO ME! AND I WILL BEAT YOU TO A PULP EVERY DAY! YOUTHFULLY!" He said proudly, "UNTIL YOU EVENTUALLY LEARN TAIJUTSU!"
'What?!'
"I'M SO JEALOUS, GUY-SENSEI!" Rock Lee jumped, "YOU MUST HAVE REALLY IMPRESSED GUY-SENSEI, SABUKO-KUN!"
He looked at Sabuko, huffing from his nose.
"I WON'T LOSE TO YOU!" Lee claimed, glaring at him, "AND I WILL MAKE SURE YOUR TAIJUTSU ISN'T COMICALLY LACKING AS SENSEI SAID!"
"L-... Lee-san, that's too harsh..!" Hinata muttered.
'Dude's about to learn how hard he can fold me.' Sabuko deadpanned.
--------------
A clone of Sabuko was already walking with Hinata to an open field within Konoha.
'Fuck, this is awkward.' The clone scratched his head as he looked to the side, 'It kills me. Why'd she VOLUNTEER? Because, and forget about self-pity for a sec, there is NO WAY she does that because she likes me.'
He thought as he looked at the back of Hinata's head.
'She kept her feelings for Naruto for about a decade before they eventually married.'
'If it's not that, then...'
Sabuko cleared his throat.
"Hinata, s-say. Erhm."
She turned around.
"W..." Sabuko looked down, "Why offer to help me?"
Hinata inhaled.
"I... heard about it from Neji-niisan."
------------ FLASHBACK ------------
Neji stepped through the Hyūga compound, expression already sour.
"You're late," one of the branch family members remarked.
"Did Guy-sensei keep you again?"
"No. He's wasting his time on some Genin who can barely fight." Neji scoffed.
"Apparently he's worse than Hinata at taijutsu."
Hinata flinched.
"And if he doesn't improve within a week, he'll be removed from field duty."
"Hmph." Neji looked away.
"Pointless."
"He won't change the hand he was dealt. Certainly not in a week."
------------ FLASHBACK OVER ------------
'Yup, that's early-Neji, alright.' Sabuko deadpanned.
"I asked who he was talking about," Hinata continued quietly, "and he said it was you, so..."
"I asked Guy-Sensei if there's anything I can do to help you stay a Genin." she said, her tone suddenly becoming firm.
Sabuko blinked.
"Why?" Sabuko blurted, his fist tightening.
"You don't even know me, for fuck's sake. We've literally never talked before."
Hinata shook her head.
"I... I know," She muttered as she looked down.
"It's just... Naruto-kun. S... Seems happy... when you're with him,"
'What?'
"You treat him well." She tightened her fist as well, "And I lo-... uhm. It's fun seeing him happy."
"So I'll help you, Sabuko-kun." Her eyes steadied as she looked up. "That's why,"
"... Please keep being good friends with Naruto-kun!" She bowed before him.
Sabuko's lips parted, his lower lip curling with a slight shiver.
'Damn,' He chuckled once.
"..?" Hinata looked up.
"Naruto is super lucky to have you as his wife, Hinata!" Sabuko said with a smile.
Hinata then froze.
Then reddened like a tomato as she looked down.
"W-... WIFE...!?" She let out as steam seemed to come out from the top of her head.
'WAIT.' Sabuko froze as well, 'I JUST TOLD HER—'
"M-M-M---M--M-M-M-M-M-M-M-M-E..." She stuttered like a malfunctioning robot, her eyes turning into incoherent spirals.
"AN----D- NANNANANANNANAR...NARU-...NARO-..NARUTTTTTO..-KUN'S W-...WIFE... WITH H-HIIM..... AH.. AUHM UHM... THAT IS A-... AUH..."
"I MEANT FUTURE WIFE!" Sabuko yelled, "LIKE, HYPOTHETICALLY! IF! MAYBE! FUCK, YOU GET IT—"
But Hinata then died.
"HINATA?! HINATA!!!"