Beep, beep, beep.
A shrill, heart-stopping noise drilled into his brain.
Yukawa reached out from under the covers, breaking the seal of the blanket, and shut off the alarm clock.
Technology in the ninja world was oddly advanced—there were computers, refrigerators, air conditioning—so of course there were alarm clocks too.
He glanced at the time. Exactly six o'clock.
Though he had been curious to see what Konoha looked like at 4 a.m., he was still just a child—adequate sleep was a must.
After changing clothes, he stepped out the door. His plan was to jog for thirty minutes to an hour, depending on how much his body could take. Overexerting yourself after a long break from exercise was like doing the death dance at the gates of the afterlife.
With such a promising start to life here, Yukawa wasn't about to burn out in just three days.
He began running along the quiet streets. Since he'd gotten up early, there weren't many people around, which meant no obstacles.
As time passed, his breathing grew heavier, sweat pouring like rain, even blurring his vision.
That's when a green light flashed across his face.
Instinctively, Yukawa glanced toward it—
Too fast!
His legs flailed in the air as he was suddenly flipped off balance.
It turned out to be Might Guy—running on his hands.
"You're out running too?" Guy asked excitedly, his eyes shining as if he'd found a kindred spirit.
In today's shinobi world, taijutsu users were at the bottom of the hierarchy—underappreciated and often mocked. His eccentric training methods usually drew sneers. You only had to look at his father, Might Duy, to get the picture. A man who took down all Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—yet remained a Genin.
Yukawa nodded silently, too winded to respond.
"You look kind of familiar," Guy said, squinting. "Weren't you the transfer student from yesterday? Yuu-something?"
"Yu... Yukawa…" he gasped.
"Yuka-what?"
"YUKAWA!"
At last, Yukawa understood how Kisame must've felt.
"Nice to meet you, Yukawa!" Guy flashed a sparkling grin. "Call me Guy!"
"…Okay," Yukawa managed, then added, "You go on ahead. I need a break."
Aside from hitting his physical limit, he had also received a system prompt.
"Alright!" Guy said cheerfully, waving as he continued onward.
Of course, the real reason was that Yukawa wasn't his eternal rival. If it had been Kakashi Hatake, Guy would've squeezed every ounce of strength from him.
"What kind of alien physiology is that..." Yukawa muttered as he watched Guy continue running—on one hand.
Sitting down on the steps nearby, he opened his status panel.
[E-Rank Trait: Robust Constitution (Locked)]
[Unlock Condition: Reach minimum physical standards of a Genin]
[Current Progress: 1%]
Since it only required the minimum Genin level, it clearly didn't refer to the likes of Naruto Uzumaki. Yukawa didn't think this trait would be hard to obtain—but it would take persistence.
He wiped the sweat from his brow and closed his eyes for a moment.
"I'm back, Yukawa!" came Guy's energetic voice again.
Opening his eyes, Yukawa saw him doing frog jumps now. He waved at him with a smile.
Once Guy left, Yukawa got up and jogged toward Yūhi Kurenai's house.
By seven, the village streets were coming alive.
He passed the bookstore that served as the contact point for the Kumo ninja—but didn't go in, just in case. When he passed a dango shop, he thought of Kurenai and bought a box of takoyaki.
Arriving home, he bumped into Yūhi Shinku just as the man was opening the door.
"Out for a run?" Shinku asked, surprised to see Yukawa soaked and gasping for air, as if he'd just crawled out of a lake.
So young and already so disciplined? With his Yin Release potential too… this boy is destined for greatness.
"Good morning, Uncle Shinku," Yukawa said. "My body's a bit weak, so I've started jogging to build it up."
Just then, a door opened down the hall.
Kurenai appeared, barefoot on the carpet and hair in a mess. She yawned and asked, "Why are you two up so early?"
"You should learn from Yukawa," Shinku said sternly. "Stop sleeping in every day."
"Eh?" Kurenai looked around, still a bit dazed. What's going on?
She looked just like a sleepy kitten that had just woken up.
"I bought you takoyaki," Yukawa said, smiling as he handed her the box.
Never thought I'd be the "model child" in someone else's home.
"Not bad—you're already a thoughtful little brother," Kurenai said as her eyes sparkled at the sight of the food.
"…?"
Shinku's expression turned subtly complex.
It felt like a certain blond brat was sneaking off with the cabbage he'd painstakingly grown.
Nah, must be my imagination.
He shook his head. They were just kids. No need for strange thoughts.
"This is just a thank-you for lending me your notes," Yukawa said sincerely.
"Abba-babba," Kurenai mumbled incoherently while munching on the takoyaki.
Anyone else might've sounded foul-mouthed like that, but with her, it was just... cute.
After breakfast, Yukawa and Kurenai headed off to the academy.
"Yukawa, did you finish the homework from yesterday?" she asked on the way.
"You want to copy it?"
"Of course not!" she said, hands on her hips. "I meant if there's anything you didn't understand, I could help you."
"Well, there actually is."
By now Yukawa had figured out her personality, so he played along.
"If you're sincerely asking, then I suppose I'll tell you," Kurenai said, her lips curling into a sly smile, eyes narrowing with delight.
As they walked, Yukawa asked her questions. Since he'd enrolled two months late, there were parts of the material he could only guess on. As the saying goes: if three answers are long and one is short, pick the short one. And vice versa.
Luckily, Eiichiro understood his situation and wouldn't fault him for it.
"Got it?" Kurenai asked, licking her lips.
"Mostly," Yukawa replied with a smile. "Not entirely."
"That's how it goes in the beginning," she said wisely, striking a seasoned-teacher pose. "Come to my room after school. I'll give you a proper lesson."
Please no, Kurenai…
Back in the classroom, Yukawa greeted Shizune, then opened his trait panel again.
[E-Rank Trait: Honor Student (Locked)]
[Unlock Condition: Rank first in theoretical classes for the first semester]
[Current Progress: 1%]
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
That trait probably triggered because of his study session with Kurenai. But what exactly would being an honor student do in the shinobi world?
In the original series, Sakura Haruno was an academic ace, but before training under Tsunade, she was mostly just a burden in actual combat.