That day, Shin-chan was once again following Kakashi to train.
The two of them walked along the road to the training ground, the evening sun spilling across Konoha's rooftops like overturned honey, washing the whole street in a warm orange glow.
Kakashi walked in front. Shin-chan followed behind, holding the wooden sword he'd grown used to using.
"Kakashi."
"Yeah?"
"Silver-Haired Mister seems really busy lately."
"Yeah." Kakashi's steps paused for a moment, then he kept walking.
"He doesn't come teach us anymore."
"Dad..." Kakashi went silent for two seconds. "He's taken on a lot of missions."
Shin-chan nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
But Kakashi suddenly spoke again.
"That new kid in our class."
"Bo-chan?" Shin-chan blinked.
"Yeah." Kakashi paused. "Keep an eye on him a little."
Shin-chan tilted his head. "Why?"
Kakashi didn't answer. He just glanced behind them, then looked away and quietly sped up.
Shin-chan froze for a second and hurried to keep up.
"Kakashi?"
"It's nothing." Kakashi kept walking quickly. "Come on."
Shin-chan followed behind, completely confused.
After a while, he suddenly turned around and looked back.
The street was almost empty, with only a few ordinary pedestrians.
No, wait—
Shin-chan narrowed his eyes.
Something seemed to be moving behind that utility pole over there.
Something green.
And shaking.
Shin-chan stopped and stared at it, head tilted.
The green thing shrank back farther behind the pole, but the pole was so skinny it couldn't hide anything.
Shin-chan waved. "Guy."
No response from behind the pole.
"I can see you."
Still no response.
Shin-chan cupped his hands around his mouth.
"Guy, come out!"
At last, a head slowly peeked out from behind the pole.
"Shin-chan, how did you find me?" Guy jumped out from behind it, looking shocked. "I hid so well! I didn't make a sound, I held my breath, I even tried to control my heartbeat."
Shin-chan looked at him and fell silent for two seconds.
"That green bodysuit of yours is way too obvious."
Guy looked down at himself. "But this is the green of youth!"
"Yeah." Shin-chan nodded. "That's why I could see it from a whole street away."
Guy scratched his head, unsure what to say.
"And besides," Shin-chan continued, "that utility pole you were hiding behind isn't even as wide as you are."
Guy turned around and looked at the skinny pole, then at his own build. "I see. My calculations were insufficient."
Walking over, Shin-chan asked in confusion, "Why were you following us?"
Guy immediately clenched his fists, his expression turning dead serious.
"I came to find Kakashi."
"What for?"
"To challenge him!" Guy's voice shot up an octave. "After my last defeat, I underwent hellish special training. One thousand push-ups every day, one thousand sit-ups, one thousand squats, and ten kilometers of running."
Shin-chan's mouth slowly fell open in shock. "Every day?"
"Every day!" Flames practically rose behind Guy. "My youth is burning, my sweat is boiling, my muscles are roaring. The me of today is no longer the same me as before."
Guy took a deep breath and looked in the direction Kakashi had just gone.
"Kakashi, I challenge you to a duel of youth!"
The next second, Guy froze.
Kakashi was already far away. Only a shrinking figure remained, that silver-white head swaying once at the far end of the street before disappearing around a corner, as if he hadn't heard a word.
Guy stood there with his mouth open, still stuck in his shouting pose.
Shin-chan walked up beside him and looked the same way.
"He left."
"I can see that."
"Are you going after him?"
Guy snapped out of it and immediately took off running. "Kakashi, wait!"
The green figure shot out like a gust of wind.
Shin-chan stood there, watching the two backs grow more and more distant, then shook his head.
"Kids are such a hassle."
Then he started following after them at his own slow pace.
At the training ground, Kakashi was already there, doing his warm-up.
Guy came charging in, panting hard.
"Kakashi... you... why... didn't you... wait for me?"
Kakashi glanced at him. "Why would I?"
Guy got choked up into silence.
Shin-chan wandered in a moment later, found a spot off to the side, and sat down with his chin in his hands to watch them.
"Guy says he wants to challenge you."
Kakashi's movements paused for a second.
"No."
"Why?" Guy blurted out.
"Too much trouble."
"But I went through hellish special training! Every day, a thousand—"
"I know." Kakashi cut him off. "Still too much trouble."
Guy refused to give up.
He chased Kakashi around the field three whole times, shouting things like, "Let's have a duel of youth!" and "I really worked hard!" and "Just once, okay?"
Eventually, Kakashi stopped.
"You're annoying."
Guy's eyes lit up.
"You agreed?"
"No."
"You stopped just now, so that means you agreed."
"No."
"Yes you did, yes you did."
Kakashi looked at him, frowning.
Guy stood right in front of him, still holding up a thumbs-up.
The two of them stared at each other for five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Fifteen seconds.
Kakashi sighed.
"One last time."
Guy froze for a second, then leaped into the middle of the field and dropped into a stance.
"Yes!"
Kakashi walked over and took his position too.
"Let's begin."
Guy took a deep breath, then rushed in.
A punch.
Kakashi turned his body and dodged.
A kick.
Kakashi stepped back.
A flurry of attacks.
Kakashi slipped left and right, evading every single one without once striking back.
Guy launched more than a dozen attacks and didn't even touch the edge of Kakashi's clothes.
"Huff... huff..." Guy panted heavily, but the fire in his eyes still burned. "Again!"
With that, he charged in once more.
This time, Kakashi moved.
Just one simple sidestep.
One simple throw.
Guy hit the ground.
"It's over." Kakashi drew back his hand.
Guy lay there gasping for a while, then slowly got back up and dusted himself off.
"Today's defeat will become nourishment for my youth. As punishment, I shall run around Konoha five hundred times!"
Sitting at the side, Shin-chan's mouth slowly dropped open.
"F-Five hundred times? Wouldn't that mean running until tomorrow morning?"
He looked at Guy's back, then at Kakashi.
"You made him do that?"
"No."
"Then why is he running?"
Kakashi was silent for two seconds.
"No idea."
From far away, Guy's voice drifted back.
"Youth! This is youth! Five hundred laps! Burn!"
"I seriously don't get him." Kakashi looked toward the little figure in red sitting off to the side. "Come on, Shin-chan. Our turn."
Shin-chan nodded.
The two of them took their stances.
Beneath the setting sun, the two small figures began sparring.
Far away, the green figure was still running.
One lap, two laps, three laps...
All while shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Youth!"
The voice floated over in broken fragments.
~~~
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