Mawari Yasu groggily opened his eyes, only to see a wisp of silver-white hair fluttering above him.
The scenery shifted and swayed as he realized he was moving and he feels the air in his face.
"Kid… finally awake."
In an instant, he understood—he was on Kakashi Hatake's back.
Looking around, the towering walls of Konoha came into view, though Kakashi's direction wasn't toward the village interior.
"Where are we going?"
"I need to handle some business in Konoha. I can't take you along, so first I'm bringing you to meet someone first."
Yasu thought for a moment.
Since graduation, Kakashi had been assigned to a three-person squad. One teammate died, the other fell into darkness and will later became the mastermind behind multiple wars, and Kakashi who joined the ANBU.
He had crossed paths with many, but only a handful could be called friends—and those he could completely trust was even rarer.
The first person that came to Yasu's mind was the Konoha's Sublime Green (Blue) Beast of Prey: Might Guy.
Sure enough, and sure enough, a flash of green appeared among the trees.
"Kakashi! Let's race! Whoever runs ten kilometers first wins!" Might Guy's face lit up with excitement at the sight of his rival, and he rushed forward, leaving his three disciples behind.
Kakashi sighed. "I have important business today. No races."
Might Guy's grin faded. His eyes then fell on Mawari Yasu.
"So this kid is what? You want me to look after him?"
"What's wrong with that? Mawari Yasu is a genius—a close-combat prodigy!"
Might Guy paused, then carefully studied Yasu.
Most ninjas focus on ninjutsu, only dabbling in close-combat (like Taijutsu, Kenjutsu, and Bukijutsu).
Ninjutsu offers limitless possibilities, unpredictable in battle.
Close-combat took a long time to master, and the payoff often wasn't worth the effort. In battles, it was mostly just used as a support tool—used to create openings, disrupt opponents, and transition into high-level ninjutsu. As a main fighting style, fewer and fewer shinobi were willing to pursue it seriously.
"Alright, I'll take him." Might Guy didn't overthink it. If Kakashi thought this kid was worth keeping an eye on, then he'd make sure Yasu stayed safe… at least while he was around.
[Ding! Might Guy's affection +3! Current: 53 points! Can check in!]
Mawari Yasu's eyes brightened.
Might Guy was a man who nearly ended the Fourth Shinobi World War with a single Night Guy kick—so powerful it could practically tear space itself.
Even if Yasu couldn't use the Eight Gates, just unlocking them through sign-ins would provide a major survival advantage.
"Check Might Guy!"
[Ding! Might Guy – Affection 53! Can sign in!]
[Affection 50 unlocks: Green Full-Body Tracksuit!]
....
[Affection 100 unlocks: Night Guy! Run with Might Guy at sunset! Activate infinite check-in (7-day interval)]
Yasu chuckled bitterly. Night Guy would only unlock at 100 affection. Even Eight Gates required 80 points.
And even then, affection didn't guarantee a draw.
"Sign in!"
[Ding! Sign-in successful! You've obtained Green Full-Body Tracksuit! Might Guy affection +8!]
Yasu nearly spat blood.
So many taijutsu techniques, and he got… a green tracksuit.
It was hardly a stylish or useful item, aside from Might Guy and Rock Lee.
Fortunately, the sign-in also increased his affection, allowing another sign-in immediately.
"Sign in again!"
[Ding! Sign-in succcesful! You've obtained Body Flicker Technique! Might Guy affection +4!]
Yasu grinned. Body Flicker was nothing special in itself—but when learned from a Jonin-level master like Might Guy, even a simple move could be deadly. A Genin trying the same technique wouldn't stand a chance.
"Hey, kid! What are you daydreaming for?! You're young—burn the flames of your youth, don't just stand there!" Might Guy laughed.
Might Guy led Yasu to Team 3."Attention, Team 3! Our newest teammate—Mawari Yasu!" he beamed. "Don't be fooled… beneath that calm face burns the heart of a genius!" He said it simply because he trusted Kakashi's judgment—if Kakashi believed that this kid has potential, then he must be extraordinary.
[Ding! Rock Lee affection +2! Can sign-in!]
[Ding! Tenten affection +2! Can sign-in!]
[Ding! Neji Hyuga affection -1!]
Yasu blinked. System alerts usually increased affection—this was the first time he had ever seen it decrease.
Seeing it came from Neji, Konoha's self-proclaimed top genius, Yasu understood immediately. First impressions could be harsh.
"Check Rock Lee!"
[Ding! Rock Lee – Affection 52! Can check in!]
[Affection 50 unlocks: Green Full-Body Tracksuit!]
...
[Affection 100 unlocks: Drunken Fist Taijutsu! Activate infinite check-in (7-day interval)!]
As expected, Rock Lee was a lesser version of Might Guy, weaker in every way.
Would duplicates of the same technique override each other? Or vanish if one was already acquired? Yasu didn't test this yet.
"Check Neji Hyuga!"
[Ding! Neji Hyuga – Affection 49! Alert!]
[Affection 50 unlocks: Gentle Fist]
...
[Affection 100 unlocks: Byakugan Bloodline Limit! Activate infinite check-in (7-day interval)!]
Yasu had grown immune to 100-affection rewards—since nothing normal came of it.
Gentle Fist relied heavily on the Byakugan; without it, its effectiveness dropped drastically. It was definitely frustrating.
"Check Tenten!"
[Ding! Tenten – Affection 52! Can check in!]
[Affection 50 unlocks: Shuriken Technique]
...
[Affection 100 unlocks: Weapon Storage Technique! Receive Tenten's personalized human-shaped kunai! Activate infinite check-in (7-day interval)!]
Yasu shook his head. Tenten's techniques were useful—but he wasn't as wealthy as her.
Yearly earnings might not even cover one battle.
Still, the 100-affection Weapon Storage Technique was extremely handy—allowing him to store everything at once.
Very practical.
"Let's start boosting Tenten's affection first."