The afternoon sun shone fiercely down on the Ninja Academy's playground.
"Alright, everyone line up." Teacher Ibuki stood with hands on his hips, looking at the row of little ones before him. "This afternoon is physical education. Everyone, run laps around the playground."
"Teacher, how many laps?" Obito asked, raising his hand.
"Run five laps first to warm up."
"Five laps?" A chorus of groans rose from the group.
Teacher Ibuki ignored the complaints and pointed at the track. "Ready, go!"
At the command, over a dozen children began to charge forward.
Obito took the lead, shouting, "The path to becoming Hokage starts today!"
Guy followed closely behind, tears welling up in his eyes. "Youth! This is Youth!"
Kakashi's steps were light, and he quickly surged to the front.
Shin-chan ran in the middle of the pack, still muttering, "Tetsu, why do you think we have to run so fast?"
"Be serious, Shin-chan," Uchiha Che whispered beside him. "Adjust your breathing while running, and keep your pace steady."
"I know, I know. It's just running forever anyway."
After finishing one lap, Shin-chan was wobbling as if he might collapse at any moment.
After two laps, he was still wobbling.
By the third lap, Shin-chan's eyes suddenly widened.
"Tetsu."
"What is it now?" Uchiha Che panted.
"Look over there." Shin-chan raised a finger and pointed.
Uchiha Che looked in the direction he was pointing. "That's the class next door."
"That teacher."
"What about the teacher?"
Shin-chan's expression became incredibly serious. "She's a beauty."
Uchiha Che: "..."
"And a total beauty," Shin-chan added.
Uchiha Che was silent for two seconds before continuing to run. "So?"
"I believe," Shin-chan suddenly quickened his pace, "that this is a fated encounter."
"What?"
Before Uchiha Che could react, he saw the previously wobbling figure beside him dash straight ahead.
His speed was as fast as a gust of wind.
Uchiha Che froze in place. "He... I thought he couldn't run anymore?"
Teacher Ibuki was standing by the track recording times when he suddenly felt a gust of wind blow past. Looking up, he only saw a blur—a red top, yellow shorts, and two short legs spinning like fire wheels.
"What's going on?"
That blur sprinted around the playground at an incredible speed, catching up to Kakashi at the front in no time.
Kakashi only felt the wind rush past as a familiar voice drifted over: "Excuse me, coming through."
After a brief moment of confusion, by the time Kakashi realized what happened, Shin-chan had already crossed the finish line and was heading straight for the neighboring class.
Meanwhile, Guy, running in the middle of the pack, saw that red figure sprinting with the speed of burning Youth, and tears immediately welled up in his eyes.
"That is the gale of Youth!" Guy roared, his legs suddenly accelerating as his green jumpsuit shimmered in the sunlight.
Obito, already panting heavily, saw Guy overtake him. In a momentary lapse of reason, he thought, "What? Someone is running faster than yours truly? No way!"
With a howl, he also accelerated and dashed forward.
The few of them chased each other on the track, completely breaking away from the rest of the group. The remaining children looked at each other in confusion, unsure of what was happening.
Meanwhile, the neighboring class had just lined up and was preparing to start their run when they suddenly saw a little boy in red dash in front of them at an incredible speed.
Then, he came to a screeching halt.
Shin-chan stood firmly before the female teacher, hands behind his back, wearing his signature grin.
"Older Sister, you are so beautiful."
The female teacher was stunned. She looked down at the little tyke, unable to react for a moment.
Shin-chan continued on his own, "My name is Nohara Shinnosuke, I'm five years old, and I'm in class a. What's your name, Older Sister? Where do you live? Do you have a boyfriend?"
The female teacher's mouth twitched slightly, but her professional training kept her smiling. "Little one, I'm the teacher for the class next door, Yuginagi Asagi."
Shin-chan clutched his chest with both hands. "Your name is already written on my heart. Older Sister, would you be willing to wait for me to grow up? I'll definitely become an excellent Ninja and protect you for a lifetime."
The teacher's smile froze on her face.
Just then, Guy and Obito also arrived one after the other.
Guy screeched to a halt next to Shin-chan, panting heavily, yet he still gave a thumbs-up with his teeth glinting. "This is the sprint of Youth!"
Obito ran right past them and then panted his way back. "I... I'm dying."
The three of them stood side-by-side in front of the neighboring class, creating a bizarre scene.
The female teacher took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "You're students from class a, right? Why did you run over here?"
Shin-chan immediately replied, "Because I saw that Older Sister was so beautiful, my legs started moving on their own. This must be the guidance of destiny. Older Sister, do you believe in destiny?"
"I..."
"I do," Shin-chan said, clenching his small fist. "Destiny brought us together here. By the way, Older Sister, do you eat green peppers? If you don't, we'll definitely get along great."
In the distance, Teacher Ibuki, with a dark expression, came walking over with long strides.
"Nohara Shinnosuke! Might Guy! Uchiha Obito!" Teacher Ibuki's voice sounded like it was being squeezed through his teeth.
Shin-chan glanced back, then turned back and said quickly, "Older Sister, it's a promise then. I'll come to marry you when I grow up."
Having said that, he turned and ran, slipping back to the track like a gust of wind.
Teacher Ibuki stood in front of the neighboring class, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.
Yuginagi Asagi tried hard to stifle her laughter, but her shoulders were still shaking.
"Teacher Ibuki, the children in your class are quite interesting."
Teacher Ibuki took a deep breath. "My apologies. I'll definitely give them a proper scolding when I get back."
With that, he turned and strode back toward his own class.
Behind him, Yuginagi Asagi finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
That child is truly interesting.
On the track, Shin-chan had returned to his lazy gait, reminiscing as he ran.
"Yuginagi Asagi, what a lovely name."
Uchiha Che had caught up at some point and looked at him expressionlessly. "You ran that fast just to go flirt with a teacher?"
"It wasn't flirting," Shin-chan corrected him seriously. "It was a fated encounter."
"..."
"Tetsu, do you think Older Sister will like me?"
Uchiha Che was silent for two seconds. "I think she'd like it more if you could just run properly."
"Then she does like me," Shin-chan's eyes lit up. "She's paying attention to my running. Tetsu, you're so smart."
Uchiha Che decided to shut up.
On the playground, the sun was still fierce.
Teacher Ibuki's roars rang out from time to time:
"Nohara Shinnosuke, stop looking back at the class next door!"
"Might Guy, stop shouting and watch your rhythm!"
"Uchiha Obito, you're running in the wrong direction!"
The afternoon at the Konoha Ninja Academy was as lively as ever.
book àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn (Gk31)