After circling the Third Training Ground, Tatsuma and Minato both instinctively slowed their pace, switching from a sprint to a light jog to catch their breath. The watermelon-headed youth lagged slightly behind at first, but soon adjusted and began jogging as well.
After another full lap, the three of them came to a stop. Tatsuma and Minato both turned toward the older man beside them, who hadn't even broken a sweat. Minato couldn't help but marvel:
"Sir Ninja, your taijutsu must be incredibly strong, right?"
Hearing someone call him "Sir Ninja" for the first time, Might Dae paused in surprise, then awkwardly scratched his watermelon-shaped head.
"Ahaha~ I'm just a low-ranking ninja," he said. "My talent's poor. I can't learn ninjutsu, so I've just been training my body. Don't call me 'sir,' just call me Might Dae!"
Tatsuma sized up this representative of Konoha's genin—a man who would later teach Might Kai the Eight Gates Technique and the discipline of self-restraint, nearly changing history with one powerful kick.
A true ninja is someone who can endure what ordinary people cannot. And Might Dae, dedicating his entire life to self-discipline, was undoubtedly one of the finest examples of a ninja.
But Dae wasn't as overwhelmingly powerful as some bragged, nor like the future Might Kai. He just hadn't faced opponents who could truly challenge him. From Tatsuma's perspective, the feat of reducing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen to only three was probably Dae's personal limit.
This was apparent even in Might Kai's childhood. Father and son had trained together, but when Dae reached his 1,500th lap, he collapsed from exhaustion. Young Kai, however, completed an astounding 5,000 laps. Dae had focused solely on taijutsu because it was all he could practice, while Kai deliberately specialized in it.
Kai possessed wind and lightning chakra natures and an abundance of chakra. To honor his father's principles and inherit his ninja way and dreams, he had deliberately avoided other paths.
Regardless, compared to someone like Tatsuma—even if he were a "genin"—both Dae and Kai were extremely formidable ninja.
Facing this eccentric older man, Tatsuma smiled brightly. "Uncle Dae, you're the most diligent ninja I've ever seen. I often watch you training at the Hokage building…"
He trailed off when he saw Might Dae frozen stiff, almost like a statue. After a pause, Dae said slowly:
"Uncle? But I'm only eighteen…"
Eighteen???
Tatsuma and Minato exchanged huge question marks above their heads. This man, with thick eyebrows, weathered eyes, and a full beard, looked decades older.
After a moment, Tatsuma realized that Dae died at thirty-five during the Third Ninja World War, so him being eighteen now made sense.
"So… training taijutsu makes you mature faster? Minato, we should probably train more ourselves!"
Unable to bear the awkward silence any longer, Tatsuma broke the ice. Minato quickly nodded, agreeing:
"Yeah, only by becoming more mature can we be trusted!"
"You… you mean that?"
Dae suddenly burst into tears, then laughed guiltily. "I thought you meant I looked old! Turns out… I just haven't fully devoted myself to youth! How could I doubt youth?!"
He immediately declared: "Tonight, I'll run a hundred laps around the training ground before sleep. If I don't finish, I'll do five thousand fingertip push-ups!"
Without waiting for Minato or Tatsuma, Might Dae dashed off into the night, pouring his sweat and spirit into the dark sky.
Watching Dae disappear, Tatsuma checked his speed aptitude, now over 1,000, and turned to Minato:
"You go home first, Minato. I want to train a little more tonight."
"Trying to catch up with Dae, huh? No wonder it's you, Tatsuma! Count me in—I'll last longer than you!"
Hearing Minato twist his own words back at him, Tatsuma grinned, full of infectious energy, and sprinted after Dae's retreating figure.
Under the night sky, two boys raced in reckless camaraderie.
The next day, for the final exam, Tatsuma and Minato arrived at the Ninja Academy with dark circles under their eyes, bloodshot from exhaustion, their steps unsteady, supporting each other.
Minato looked relatively okay, but Tatsuma was a mess. His naturally curly hair, unwashed, puffed out like a stylish explosion in the eyes of elderly women—truly the curse of curls!
"You two…"
Seeing their appearance, Sarutobi Hapoku opened his mouth, then asked, "Can you even take the exam? Want to rest first? I can schedule you in another class for the afternoon."
"I'm fine! But since Minato has good aptitude, let him take it in the afternoon," Tatsuma said, refusing politely.
Hearing this, Minato, who had lost two laps last night, gritted his teeth, his competitive drive ignited. "It's fine, teacher! I can do it too! And my results will surpass Tatsuma's!"
Normally, a motivated Minato might have boasted about topping the class, but with their current states, he only dared to claim he could beat Tatsuma.
Hapoku, knowing Tatsuma's competitive nature, expected him to refuse, but he hadn't anticipated Minato being drawn in as well. Respecting their choice, he let them wait for the exam.
In the waiting area, they found someone in a similar state—Nara Shikaku.
"Yo~ Shikaku, did you train all night too?"
Tatsuma flopped down next to Shikaku. He looked exhausted, barely recovered from illness. "Found a shogi endgame last night… stayed up playing all night," Shikaku replied weakly.
"Did you solve it?"
Shikaku's face turned pale as death at the question. After a moment, he murmured, "Give me one more day… just one more day, I can solve it… why the exam? Waste of time…"
Tatsuma glanced at Minato, who probably didn't realize the psychological blow, then back at Shikaku: "Why didn't you request an afternoon exam?"
"Waste another afternoon?" Shikaku rolled his eyes. Tatsuma smirked and muttered his usual phrase: "That's more like you."
The first round of the final exam was ninja tool projection, but the distance increased to ten meters. Students could choose their own tools, but kunai and shuriken were mandatory. Senbon were optional for bonus points.
When it was Shikaku's turn, he launched a "throw everything" technique, just like Jiraiya. Not a single projectile hit the target. Under Sarutobi Hapoku's murderous glare, he returned to sit beside Tatsuma.
"Tatsuma! Minato! You two better perform well," Hapoku gritted his teeth.
Tatsuma smirked arrogantly: "A mere ninja tool projection? As long as you've got hands, you're fine!"
The moment he gripped a kunai tightly, his right hand cramped violently. He collapsed, clutching it with his left hand, screaming hoarsely:
"Ah! It hurts! It hurts~!"