In the morning light, one large and one small figure left intertwining tracks on the streets of Konoha. Might Guy ran in front, listening to the unusually determined footsteps behind him.
A smile unconsciously formed on his lips. Although Guy was used to the strange looks from passersby, the presence of this small follower behind him still filled his chest with a warmth. The footsteps behind him were a pure acknowledgment of his path of youth, even if it came from a mere three-year-old child.
What surprised Guy even more was that this little blond kid had been keeping up with him the whole time, showing no signs of falling behind. Judging from his breathing rhythm and the stability of his steps, this child indeed had a physical foundation that surpassed his age, clearly the result of long and hard training.
But Might Guy still didn't think Naruto could run a hundred laps around Konoha with him. The amount of exercise was just too much for a child.
Indeed, no matter how much you train, a child of this age ultimately cannot do what is beyond their physical capabilities. If they over-train, it can even cause damage to their body.
However, Naruto Uzumaki was no ordinary child. Although he looked like a three-year-old on the outside, his seemingly tender body contained a strength far beyond that of his peers.
First was the system's taijutsu enhancement—those stat boosts had increased his muscle fiber density and bone strength by a percentage. Every morning, while other children his age were still sound asleep in their warm beds, Naruto was already training with special weighted gear.
"Hah— hah—"
Naruto regulated his breathing, his steps not faltering in the slightest. Sweat dripped from the tips of his golden hair. Every day, his training plan was Spartan: five hundred push-ups, five hundred squats, and then a ten-kilometer run with weights. Even an adult ninja would find it hard to keep up with such intensity, but Naruto gritted his teeth and completed it day after day.
An ordinary child would have been injured by such self-torturous training, but Naruto wouldn't. This was all thanks to something inside his body.
The blood of the Uzumaki clan.
That vast, ocean-like chakra, that cockroach-like tenacious life force, all supported him in breaking one physical limit after another. Whenever his muscles screamed, his chakra would automatically circulate, repairing the minor damage. When his lungs burned with pain, his powerful life force would grant him new strength.
The current Naruto.
It was no exaggeration to say that, having fully developed his talent and not wasted his time like the original did, he was confident he could defeat an ordinary Genin with taijutsu alone.
The daily grueling training, the sweat shed in unknown corners, all turned into the strength to keep running at this moment.
A storm raged in Might Guy's heart. He had lost count of how many times he thought the footsteps behind him would stop—at every turn, every uphill slope, he had secretly prepared words of comfort. He had rehearsed them countless times in his mind.
"Don't be discouraged! At your age, you've already far surpassed the me of back then!"
"When you're a little older, we'll sweat with the passion of youth together again!"
"You can do it! The future of Konoha!"
He had even imagined gifting this child his treasured green jumpsuit training uniform; the shiny fabric would surely suit this spirited little guy.
However, reality repeatedly shattered his expectations. The small figure remained close behind him. Guy could clearly hear Naruto's regulated breathing rhythm, a technique that could only be mastered through long-term training.
This... this is just...
Guy's heart pounded, not from the fatigue of running, but from an uncontrollable excitement. A genius! And a type more precious than a genius—a hard-working genius! The realization made his blood boil.
The streets of Konoha gradually grew busier. The morning mist dissipated, and the sunlight became hotter. Residents opened their windows, and merchants began to set up their stalls. Everyone was surprised to see the large and small figures running laps around the village. One lap, two laps... sweat left winding trails on the road, which were then evaporated by the midday sun.
On the ninety-ninth lap, Guy subtly slowed his pace. On the final lap, he controlled his speed to a level where Naruto could run alongside him. In the end, they crossed the starting line at the same time—a spot that was already clearly marked by their footprints.
"Hah... hah..."
Naruto immediately bent over, his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. His golden bangs were soaked with sweat, sticking to his flushed little face. From morning to noon, a full one hundred laps around Konoha—an achievement that would leave many Genin in the dust.
"It seems..." Guy's voice trembled with excitement, "this time it's a draw." He crouched down to be at eye level with Naruto, his thick eyebrows conveying his undisguised admiration. "Amazing! Such perseverance... you are definitely a hard-working genius!"
That signature thumb was held up straight. The sunlight reflected off his pearly white teeth with a dazzling glint.
Naruto straightened up, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
"Mhm," he said, still panting slightly. "No matter how much talent you have, hard work is indispensable. Because... hard work will never betray you."
"OHHH!" Guy's emotional tears burst forth again. "Well said! This is what truly shining youth is all about!"
The air was filled with the heat of the morning run, and their breathing was the only sound in the brief silence. Suddenly, Naruto looked up, directly into Guy's eyes.
"...Mr. Guy, you were holding back the whole time, deliberately slowing down to match my pace, right?"
The words were like a punch, and Guy's body instantly went rigid. His thick eyebrows shot up, and a visible panic flashed across his face.
"H-Holding back? Hahaha!" Guy's laughter became unusually loud, but it carried a clear unnaturalness, like he was reading it from a script.
"How could that be? This race was definitely a genuine draw! You can't doubt the results of your hard work! Hahaha!"
The forced laughter echoed around them. Naruto looked at Guy's flustered state and couldn't help but smile—this straightforward man was really bad at lying.
"You don't have to hide it," Naruto shook his head. "Although I was the one who proposed the race, I have a clear understanding of my own abilities. A race against a Konoha Jonin? Even if I had started training the day I was born, there's no way it could have been a real draw."
Guy scratched his head in embarrassment. "Haha," he admitted with a wry smile. "As expected of a genius, even your maturity is so dazzling... this is the charm of youth!"
But Naruto's next words made Guy's whole body jolt.
"But! It is precisely because 'failure is possible' that hard work shines so brightly! This is the true meaning of youth."
The words were like a bolt of lightning, striking deep into Guy's heart. His pupils dilated slightly. For so many years, he had been preaching the passion of youth to others, but at this moment, from a three-year-old child, he had heard the words that touched his soul the most.
Naruto took a deep breath, his small chest heaving, sweat continuously rolling down his face. He raised his arm and pointed a slightly childish but unusually firm finger at Might Guy.
"Mr. Guy, I lost this race. But I will not give up! " his voice was exceptionally clear in the morning light. "One day in the future, I will definitely become a stronger ninja than you! Because..."
Sunlight pierced through the gaps in the leaves, casting a brilliant light in Naruto's blue pupils.
"A person's worth is not in 'what they become,' but in 'what they transcend.' Today, I transcended my own limits... tomorrow, the day after, and one day! I, Naruto Uzumaki, will definitely surpass you!"
Guy's body shook, his thick eyebrows raised high. He chewed on the deep meaning of the words, his usually passionate eyes now shining with contemplation. Suddenly, he let out a deafening shout:
"THAT'S RIGHT!!!" Guy's voice was like a clap of thunder. "Never be ashamed of your hard work! Challenge the seemingly impossible peaks! Push yourself to the brink and create your own rules! This is..."
His voice suddenly grew deep, yet it contained an even greater power:
"This is the true meaning of the self-rule!"
The next moment, to Naruto's surprise, Guy, with tears streaming down his face, once again crouched down, opened his arms, and gave him a solid hug. His strong arms completely enveloped Naruto's small body.
"But even though you lost the race! You perfectly displayed the brilliance of youth! I am incredibly proud of your hard work!"
Naruto was a bit taken aback by this sudden burst of passion, but just then—
[Ding!]
A crisp system notification sounded in his mind.
[Congratulations, Host: You have established a bond (Level 3) with the original character "Might Guy"!]
[Points Awarded: 750!]
-------
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