Beep. Beep. Beep.
The soul-piercing screech of the alarm drilled straight into Hanekawa's brain.
One arm emerged from beneath the blankets, smashing the alarm clock into silence.
Technology in the ninja world was a little weird. There were computers, fridges, and air conditioning—so of course there were alarm clocks.
He glanced at the time. Six o'clock sharp.
Although he was curious about what the Hidden Leaf Village looked like at four in the morning, he was still a child and needed his sleep.
Hanekawa got dressed and stepped outside.
His plan was to run for thirty minutes to an hour—depending on how his body handled it.
After all, suddenly going from zero to max intensity training was like dancing back and forth in front of the Grim Reaper.
He'd just begun this new life. No way was he only going to enjoy it for three days.
Hanekawa jogged along the empty street.
It was still early, so there weren't many people around—no obstacles in his way.
As time passed, his breathing grew heavier. Sweat poured down like rain, his vision blurring with each step.
Just then, a green light flashed across his face.
Hanekawa instinctively looked up.
Too fast!
He saw legs flailing in midair.
It was Might Guy—doing a handstand run.
"Are you out jogging too?" Guy asked, his face glowing with excitement.
He looked thrilled to find a kindred spirit.
In today's ninja world, taijutsu specialists were considered the bottom of the barrel. Hardly anyone respected them.
His strange training methods usually drew ridicule.
Just look at his father, Might Duy—a man who had single-handedly defeated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, yet was still ranked a genin.
Hanekawa nodded weakly. He didn't have the energy to speak.
"You look familiar."
Guy blinked a few times, then recognition lit up his face. "You're the transfer student from yesterday, right? Your name's Hane… something."
"Han… Hanekawa…" Hanekawa wheezed between gasps.
"Hane-what?"
Guy hadn't caught it and asked again.
"Hanekawa!" he shouted louder.
Finally, he understood how Kisame must've felt.
"Nice to meet you, Hanekawa! I'm Might Guy," he said with a toothy grin. "Just call me Guy."
"Okay."
Hanekawa nodded, catching his breath. "You go on ahead. I need a break."
Aside from hitting his physical limit, he had also just received a system notification.
"Alright then!" Guy gave him a wave and ran off.
Of course, the main reason he didn't insist was that Hanekawa wasn't his eternal rival.
If it had been Kakashi Hatake, he'd squeeze every ounce of energy from him.
"What kind of alien physique is that?"
Hanekawa muttered, watching him run with one hand.
He slumped onto the nearest set of steps, took a breath, and opened his skill tag panel with a thought.
[E-Rank Talent Tag: Strong Physique (Not Acquired)]
[Trigger Condition: Reach minimum physical standard of a genin]
[Current Progress: 1%]
If it just meant a standard genin—not someone like Naruto Uzumaki—then this goal wasn't too crazy.
It just required consistent effort.
Hanekawa wiped the sweat from his forehead and closed his eyes.
"Hanekawa! I'm back!" Guy's energetic voice boomed again.
Hanekawa opened his eyes and saw him doing frog jumps down the road.
He waved back with a weak smile.
Once Guy bounced away, Hanekawa got up and jogged toward Kurenai Yuhi's house.
By seven, the streets were starting to bustle with people.
Hanekawa passed by the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore—the meeting point with the Cloud ninja—but he didn't go in, just in case he blew his cover.
Passing a dango shop, he thought of Kurenai and bought a box of takoyaki.
When he arrived home, he ran into Kurenai's father, Yuhi Makoto, opening the door.
"You went for a run?"
Yuhi Makoto looked surprised to see Hanekawa sweaty and panting like he'd climbed out of a river.
So young, and already so driven?
Combined with his Yin Release talent, this kid was destined for greatness.
"Good morning, Uncle Makoto."
Hanekawa explained, "I'm not very fit, so I started jogging to improve."
Just then, a door opened nearby.
Kurenai stepped out barefoot onto the carpet, her hair a complete mess.
She yawned and asked, "Why are you guys up so early?"
"Kurenai, you should learn from Hanekawa."
Makoto frowned. "Stop sleeping in all the time."
"Huh?"
Kurenai looked around, still groggy and confused.
What's going on?
She looked exactly like a sleepy kitten who'd just crawled out of bed.
"I got you some takoyaki," Hanekawa said with a grin, handing her the paper box.
He never thought he'd live long enough to become the "neighbor's perfect kid."
"Not bad. You're already a thoughtful little bro."
Kurenai's eyes sparkled as she stared at the takoyaki.
"...?"
Makoto had a strange look on his face.
Why did he feel like some blond kid was about to steal his cabbage?
Must be his imagination.
He shook his head. They were just kids. He was overthinking.
"It's just a thank you for the notebook you lent me," Hanekawa said seriously.
"Aba-aba."
Kurenai mumbled incoherently through a mouthful of takoyaki.
If it were anyone else, those sounds might've been offensive.
But from her, they were nothing but cute.
After breakfast, Hanekawa and Kurenai headed to the Ninja Academy.
"Hanekawa, did you finish yesterday's homework?" she asked, glancing at him.
"You want to copy it?"
He raised a brow.
"Of course not!" Kurenai crossed her arms. "I meant, if you got stuck on anything, I could help."
"I actually did."
By now, Hanekawa had figured out how she worked, so he played along.
"Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll teach you!" she declared, eyes narrowing with pride and satisfaction.
As they walked, Hanekawa asked her a few questions.
He had started school two months late, so some of the assignments were pure guesswork.
Standard protocol: If three choices were short and one was long, pick the long one. If three were long and one short, pick the short one.
Anyway, Eijiro knew his situation and wouldn't blame him.
"Got it?" Kurenai asked, licking her lips.
"I understand… mostly."
Hanekawa smiled.
"That's normal in the beginning," Kurenai said, puffing out her chest. "Come to my room after school. I'll teach you properly."
No, please, not like this, Kurenai.
Hanekawa returned to his seat.
After greeting Shizune, he opened his tag panel.
[E-Rank Talent Tag: Top Student (Not Acquired)]
[Trigger Condition: Rank first in theory class during first term]
[Current Progress: 1%]
Hanekawa rubbed his chin.
This tag probably triggered because of that study session with Kurenai just now.
But he wasn't sure what being a "top student" meant in a world like this.
In the original story, Sakura Haruno was a top student, but until she became Tsunade's disciple, she mostly held her team back.