The first rays of morning sunlight filtered through the leaves of Konoha Village, casting dappled shadows into the windows of the Nohara Family home.
"Shin-chan, hurry up and get out of bed! It's almost seven o'clock!"
Misae's voice drifted in from the kitchen; she had already called out five minutes ago, yet there was still no response.
That brat must have crawled back under the covers again.
Misae wiped her hands and marched toward the bedroom.
Just as she thought.
There was a bulge in the small duvet, wiggling every now and then.
"Shin! Chan!" Misae whipped the blanket off.
Five-year-old Shin-chan was curled up like a shrimp in his pajamas, eyes tightly shut, with a suspicious trail of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth.
"Mmm... five more minutes..."
"You've already said 'five more minutes' three times now." Misae stood with her hands on her hips. "Today is the first day of the Ninja Academy. Weren't you looking forward to it yesterday?"
Shin-chan rolled over and buried his face in the pillow, giving an irrelevant answer. "Misae's a liar. You clearly said yesterday that I could have chocolate bars for breakfast today."
"You were dreaming. When did I ever say that?"
"But Misae promised in my dream."
A cross-shaped vein popped on Misae's forehead as she grabbed Shin-chan by the scruff of his neck and hoisted him up. "Cut the crap and get up!"
"So violent. I'm going to tell Dad that Misae is a child abuser."
"Your father left for a mission long ago. Now put on your clothes."
Five minutes later, Shin-chan finally pulled on his iconic red short-sleeved shirt and yellow shorts. After wobbling through breakfast, he started heading toward the door.
Reaching the entryway, he suddenly stopped.
"Mom."
"What now?"
"I want to go to the bathroom."
The small backpack in Misae's hand dropped to the floor. "What were you doing just now?"
"I didn't need to then, but I do now."
"Just go!!!"
After another long while, Shin-chan finally strolled out of the bathroom.
"Mom, I..."
Misae grabbed his hand, giving him no chance to speak. "There's no time. Start running."
One large and one small figure burst out of the house, sprinting through the streets of Konoha.
"It's all your fault; we're definitely going to be late." Misae panted. "It's only the first day. How embarrassing to be late."
Shin-chan's feet barely touched the ground as he was dragged along, yet he remained calm. "It's okay. The teacher will forgive me."
"In your dreams!"
The two crossed Konoha's main street and turned into the path leading to the Ninja Academy.
Then, Misae's pace slowed down.
In a clearing not far ahead, a small crowd had gathered, and the faint sound of mocking laughter could be heard.
"It's those two 'Eternal Genin' again."
"Haha, look at those green jumpsuits they're wearing. What terrible taste!"
"Talking about Youth at their age and still doing such stupid things. No wonder they'll be Genin for life."
Misae frowned. She saw them: two men in green jumpsuits, one large and one small.
The older one had a bowl cut, Thick Eyebrows, and large eyes. Tears were streaming down his face, yet he still held his hands high with thumbs up, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.
That was Might Duy, the village's famous "Eternal Genin." Everyone mocked him for being a fool.
The younger one looked to be six or seven, with the same bowl cut, Thick Eyebrows, and green jumpsuit.
But at this moment, his head was hung low, his face was flushed bright red, and his small hands clenched and unclenched as if he wished he could sink into the ground.
"Why are you crying? Youth is meant to burn amidst ridicule!" Duy shouted while weeping, his thumbs still held firm.
"Dad... stop it..." Guy's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
The onlookers laughed even harder.
Misae sighed and tried to pull Shin-chan around them. In the world of Ninja, strength spoke loudest, and it was normal for the weak to be ridiculed. Although she didn't agree with it, there was nothing she could do to change it.
But her hand suddenly felt empty.
Shin-chan had slipped out of her grasp at some point.
"Shin-chan!" Misae cried out in alarm.
The small figure in the red shirt had already dashed to Might Duy's side with lightning speed. He puffed out his chest, gave a thumbs-up with his right hand, and bared his small white teeth in a grin.
"Youth is supposed to sparkle and shine!"
He shouted even louder than Might Duy.
The entire area went silent for a second.
Might Duy froze, tears still hanging on his face.
Guy suddenly looked up, staring in disbelief at this child who seemed to be the same age as him.
Shin-chan turned his head and met Guy's gaze, still holding his thumb up. "Hey, you have Thick Eyebrows too! Let's shout together!"
Guy opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
Someone in the crowd snickered. "Where did this kid come from?"
"Haha, another idiot!"
But Shin-chan didn't care at all. He turned to Might Duy and tilted his head. "Mister, what kind of training are you doing? How about letting me join? I have to go to the Ninja Academy today, but I can come after school."
Might Duy's tears began to flow even more profusely, but this time they were different.
He suddenly crouched down, grabbed Shin-chan's small shoulders with both hands, and asked in a trembling voice, "What is your name?"
"My name is Nohara Shinnosuke, and I'm five years old." Shin-chan still had his thumb up. "I love chocolate bars the most, and I hate green peppers!"
"A fine name." Might Duy roared toward the sky. "Oh, Youth! Do you see this? This is the legacy of Youth!"
Guy watched the scene blankly as the child, who was even shorter than him, winked at him. "Your dad is so interesting. Much more interesting than Misae."
"My... my dad..."
"Come on, come on, let's do it together." Shin-chan grabbed Guy's hand and held it high. "One, two, three!"
"Youth!!!" This time, it was three voices.
Moved to tears, Might Duy hugged Shin-chan and said, "From this day forward, let us burn with Youth!"
The onlookers gradually dispersed, finding it uninteresting; it was just two fools becoming three.
Misae stood outside the crowd, covering her face.
Who on earth does this child take after...
"Shin-chan, we're really going to be late!" Misae finally remembered the school matter.
"Coming!" Shin-chan wriggled out of Might Duy's arms, ran a few steps, then turned back to wave at the father and son. "Mister, Thick Eyebrows, see you this afternoon!"
Might Duy waved vigorously, his teeth gleaming in the sun. "See you this afternoon, youthful lad!"
Guy also finally looked up and waved hard. Watching the small red figure disappear around the corner, he whispered, "Dad, he's amazing."
Might Duy patted his son's shoulder. "Guy, remember today. This child has taught us a lesson: true Youth doesn't care about the gaze of others."
Guy nodded vigorously, a light shining in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Shin-chan was being dragged along by Misae as they sprinted, still muttering:
"Mom, that mister's eyebrows are so thick. They're like two caterpillars crawling on his face. Do you think he eats with his eyebrows?"
"Shut up and run!"
"But I really can't run anymore..."
"Don't give me that. Didn't you have plenty of energy when you were shouting about Youth?"
"That's different. Oh no, my shoe fell off."
Misae looked down; one was indeed gone.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then opened them again.
"Nohara Shinnosuke!!!"
Morning in Konoha remained noisy and warm.
book àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn (Gk31)