The next day.
"Ren! Are you home?!"
Ren groggily opened his eyes, heard the familiar voice, and reluctantly got out of bed, walking to the door in his pyjamas and opening it.
The person wore a green jumpsuit, had a bowl cut, and a perpetually youthful and enthusiastic smile on his face—it was Might Guy.
"Might Guy, don't shout so loudly in the morning, it's not good to disturb the neighbours. Come in and sit for a bit, I'll just wash up."
Hearing Ren's invitation, Might Guy waved his hand, indicating he wouldn't come in.
"No need! I came to train with you. I saw you were busy these past two days so I didn't disturb you. How about it, want to have a youthful battle this weekend morning?!"
As Might Guy spoke, he gave a thumbs-up, and his teeth seemed to gleam with a "ding" sound.
"…I was indeed a bit busy recently, but I'll resume today. Come in and wait for me, we'll go train in a bit."
Ren rubbed his forehead helplessly; this youthfulness was a bit too enthusiastic.
"No, I'll go run a lap around Konoha Village on my hands first! Then, once you're ready, let's meet at the Ninja School entrance. I'm off now, youth brooks no delay!"
Before Ren could respond, Might Guy flipped his body in a flash, supporting himself with his hands, and quickly left, kicking up clouds of dust.
"…"
Alright, that's very Might Guy.
Ren twitched his lips, could only close the door, and walked into the bathroom to wash up.
"Phew."
After washing up and feeling a bit more awake, Ren changed out of his pyjamas, chose a black Ninja uniform, put on Ninja shoes, and tied on his weights. Ren paused, took two steps forward, and immediately understood.
"Looks like I'll have to spend money again today."
Ren jumped in place. This model of weights was no longer enough for him after three months, so he had to buy the next size up.
Stepping out the door, Ren walked towards the Ninja School, yawning as he went. It was not yet six in the morning. Yesterday's half-day of busyness had left him exhausted, and he had spent too much time researching Water Dragon Bullet and refining Chakra last night. He didn't fall asleep until almost one o'clock. Now, the half-awake Ren was hit by the cold morning breeze, and his drowsiness instantly dissipated by seventy to eighty per cent.
At this time, some of the shops on both sides of the street were already open. Ren, familiar with the route, arrived in front of a Ninja tool shop and, seeing the owner opening up, skillfully greeted him.
"Good morning, Boss."
The boss was a middle-aged man, slightly plump, with the shrewd smile of a businessman perpetually on his face. Hearing Ren's call, he turned his head, and seeing it was an old regular, he quickly went up to him with a smile and greeted him familiarly.
"Oh, here to buy weights again, customer."
Over the past few years, Ren had bought all his training weights, Kunai, Shuriken, and other Ninja tools here, and over time, the two had become quite familiar.
"Yes, the usual, the next model."
Ren walked into the shop, took off the two weights on his calves at the counter, and took off his shirt. He then took off the weighted vest underneath, threw it on the counter, and put his shirt back on.
"Alright, please wait a moment."
The boss responded with a smile, then dashed to the back warehouse, and soon came back, trembling slightly, carrying a set of weights.
Ren stepped forward and took the set of weights from the boss's arms with both hands. The moment the boss let go, Ren felt his hands sink, and he had to exert force to steady himself.
"Good."
Ren nodded with satisfaction, then immediately tore open the packaging, put on the weighted vest and leg weights. Instantly, a feeling of suppression came over him, and his speed was reduced by about half.
"As long as the customer is satisfied. I got this set of weights from a Ninja in the Artisan Village; the quality is guaranteed."
"Then I'll take this set. The money is on the counter, Boss. I'm leaving now."
Ren nodded, pulled a check from his pocket, slapped it on the counter, and then walked out.
"Customer, walk slowly, welcome back next time."
The smile on the boss's face grew even brighter. He walked to the counter, picked up the check, carefully put it into his pocket, and then, panting heavily, "huffing and puffing," he carried Ren's previously removed weights towards the storeroom.
…
Walking on the road, Ren felt the effects of the weights while also feeling pain in his wallet.
Damn it, training is really expensive. The inheritance that could have lasted him until adulthood will now only last two more years at most.
Fortunately, Ren and the boss had reached an agreement: Ren would pawn his old weights to the boss to offset part of the cost of buying new ones, and the boss would "refurbish" Ren's old weights and then sell them. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, a win-win situation.
Ren walked to the entrance of the Ninja School, and soon, dust flew in the distance. Might Guy, supporting himself with his hands, was rapidly rushing towards them.
"How about it, Ren, are you ready? What should we start with today? I'll stick with you to the end!"
As he got close, Might Guy used one arm to flip over steadily, standing in front of Ren and waiting for his next words.
"Uh, how about we race? Whoever gets to the training ground first wins."
Ren touched his nose, suggesting they race.
"No problem, let's do it! If I lose, I'll do two hundred push-ups, and if I win, you'll do two hundred sit-ups!"
The two stood firm at the gate, facing one direction, their feet secretly gathering strength.
"Ready… Go!"
As soon as Ren shouted, the two shot out like arrows from a bow, kicking up a trail of yellow dust behind them.
"Huff, huff, huff."
Having already run half the distance, Ren was gradually getting used to the new weight, but it also brought a long-unfelt pressure.
Might Guy was two meters ahead of Ren. Ren, not yet adapted earlier, had slowly been left behind by Might Guy. Now that he had adapted, Ren wanted to speed up and catch up to Might Guy, but he reluctantly found that the distance was not so easy to close.
Might Guy was different from Ren; he was a pure Taijutsu Ninja. In terms of Ninjutsu, Might Guy's talent was mediocre, and compared to children his age, Might Guy was a true "dead last."
If Kakashi was a genius in Ninjutsu, then Might Guy was a master in Taijutsu. Although Kakashi graduated from the Ninja School at five, became a Chunin at six, and became a Konoha Jonin at twelve, Might Guy seemed unremarkable in comparison. The only thing he could do was constantly strive and constantly train.
In his childhood, the "genius" Kakashi had a significant impact on Might Guy. From then on, Might Guy began even more intense, devilish training than before. White Fang had once said that if Kakashi became complacent, Might Guy would surpass Kakashi in the future.
As expected, the future Might Guy successfully proved himself through his efforts, punching Kisame and kicking the Six Paths, his name as the Azure Beast resonating throughout the Ninja World.
"Ren, I, I won."
Might Guy was the first to reach the destination, looking at Ren, who was a step behind him, and excitedly said while panting.
"Ah, I lost."
Ren panted heavily. Even for two people with such strong physiques, this long-distance weighted sprint felt a bit overwhelming.
"I won, so let's start with two hundred sit-ups."
After saying that, before Ren could react, Might Guy had already walked to the side on his own and started a new round of training.
…
Indeed, that was Might Guy's style.
Ren shook his head, then joined in, starting his push-up training.
Under the morning sun, on the open ground, two youths were shedding sweat in their prime…
............
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