The sky was a clear, deep blue. Sunlight spilled through gaps in the clouds, dappling the rocks with motes of gold.
Several figures inched their way up a nearly vertical cliff. Neji, Tenten, and Lee followed Guy, struggling on the sheer precipice.
Mamoru brought up the rear, his posture completely different from the rest. He held on with one hand, body hanging casually in mid-air, eyes half-lidded as he lazily took in the sweeping view of Konoha below, its bustling streets laid out like a living map.
The cliff rose behind Konoha Hospital. Today, Guy had suddenly decided they would climb it, calling it "tempering the will amid peril while admiring the village's grandeur."
Right now, the three students of Team Guy were anything but relaxed.
Sweat formed on Neji's brow and Lee's breathing had turned ragged. They still had strength left, but the drain of stamina and the height were eroding their resolve.
The only girl in the group, Tenten, had it worst. Every upward shift looked forced, her slender fingers whitening with the strain. Still, for a girl to keep pace with this level of training was no small feat.
During a pause to catch her breath, Tenten glanced down without thinking. That single look made her heart skip. Blood drained from her face and she slammed her eyes shut as if not seeing could make the terror disappear. Her legs locked and trembled uncontrollably.
"Tenten, why've you stopped?" Guy, above her, noticed first and called down in concern.
The others halted at his voice.
"I… I can't go on, Guy-sensei…" Tenten's voice quavered, eyes still squeezed shut.
"Hang in there, Tenten! The top's right ahead!" Guy cheered with his usual gusto.
"No, no… I really can't…" Tenten shook her head, sweaty strands clinging to her cheeks.
"You can! I believe in you!" He boomed.
"Ignite the flame of youth, let your young blood boil, gather your burning Chakra!"
"Well said, Guy-sensei!" Lee, fired up by the familiar pep talk, shouted, "Ooh! Burning youth! Burning youth…"
Neji, beside him, turned away in weary disgust.
"What's wrong?" Mamoru climbed up easily and stopped near Tenten.
Tenten kept her eyes closed, lips pressed tight.
"Can't move?" He asked again.
She gave a small, pale nod.
Mamoru gauged the distance to the summit and mused that in his previous life, the "child abuse" charge would've landed Guy straight in prison.
"Guy, this drill's too early for her." He called upward.
"Ah! My oversight! I'll carry her up!" Guy began descending.
"I've got it." Mamoru cut in, then turned to Tenten. "Help from me?"
"Eh?" Tenten blinked at him. "C-can you?"
"Leave it to me." Mamoru flashed a reassuring grin, gave a thumbs-up, and extended a hand.
Without thinking, Tenten took it. In the next instant, Mamoru yanked her off the wall. Before she could react, he flooded Chakra through his arm and pitched her upward.
"Off you go!"
"Aaaah—"
Tenten's scream split the air as she arched over the stupefied Neji and Lee and landed with a flat thud on the wide summit.
"…"
Lee's mouth hung open, speechless.
"…"
Neji's eye twitched at the crude method.
Ignoring the equally stunned Guy, Mamoru resumed climbing.
"Alright! First one!" Lee whooped, reaching the top moments later.
One by one, the rest followed.
Mamoru had barely stepped onto the rim when a furious blur rushed him.
Tenten grabbed his collar, cheeks flushed with rage and fright. "Mamoru, you jerk! Trying to kill me?!"
Mamoru said innocently, hands spread, "You've got it wrong. I was helping."
Tenten tightened her grip. "Help? Who helps like that?! Couldn't you be… gentler?"
"Troublesome." Mamoru muttered, looking away.
"What'd you say?!" Tenten's voice rose.
"Hey, look over there!" Lee suddenly shouted, pointing excitedly into the distance.
Everyone followed his pointing finger. Bathed in the setting sun, Konoha looked like a living scroll: tiled roofs in neat rows, streets crisscrossing, the distant Hokage faces carved in stone sharp against the sky.
For a moment, even the fuming Tenten forgot to bicker with Mamoru, swept away by the grandeur.
After the sunset had been properly admired, Guy clapped his hands to call everyone back.
"Alright, now that we've drunk in this soul-stirring view, it's time to head down."
"Guy-sensei, don't tell me… we're climbing down again?" Tenten caught the familiar, over-energized gleam in his eye and felt a premonition.
"And why head-first? That's not normal." She stared as Guy began lowering himself upside-down.
"This is part of the training!" Guy boomed, still inverted. "Ignite your youth!"
"I forfeit. I can't do that." Mamoru raised his hands after one look.
"Guy-sensei, I can do it! Let's go!" Lee copied the pose at once, thrilled.
"…"
Neji's lips twitched at the ridiculous sight, but in the end he surrendered, there was no other way home.
"Good luck, guys." Mamoru watched Guy, Lee and Neji begin their writhing, caterpillar-like descent.
"About time I headed down too." Mamoru stepped to the edge and felt his jacket seized from behind.
He turned.
Tenten clutched the fabric, worried. "H-how are you getting down?"
"Jump." Mamoru answered, as if stating the obvious.
"Idiot! You'll die from this height!"
"Oh, right. No worries. I'll be fine. Want a lift?"
"Really… no injuries?" Tenten glanced fearfully at the drop.
"I'm not joking with my life."
She hesitated, looked at her three comrades inching down like worms, then at the relaxed Mamoru, and gritted her teeth. "O-okay. Take me."
Mamoru stepped close and reached out. Tenten's cheeks reddened as he neared, heart thudding with girlish fantasies.
Instead of a princess carry, Mamoru's palm glowed faintly with Chakra, stuck to her back like a magnet, and hoisted her up like a kitten.
"Eh?!"
Tenten dangled, limbs flailing—nothing like she'd imagined.
"Yahoo!"
With a yell, Mamoru sprinted and leapt, shooting downward like a meteor.
"Kyaaa—"
Weightlessness hit and tears were ripped from Tenten's eyes by the wind, the roar deafening.
"Ahahaha—" Mamoru laughed in exhilaration, savoring the free-fall.
Moments before impact, his eyes flashed icy blue and Infinity activated, erasing their momentum. He landed softly, as if stepping off a curb.
Tenten's eyes stayed shut, arms locked around his waist, trembling.
"Let go. We're down." He tapped her cheek.
Tenten peeked, confirmed solid ground, exhaled, released him and wiped her tears. "I... I thought I was dead..."
Furious, she punched his arm. "Jerk! You always do this!"
He grinned. "It was your choice. Still complaining?"
She huffed, looked away, then up at the cliff. Guy, Neji and Lee were still inching down head-first.
Tenten cupped her hands and shouted, "Guy-sensei! Neji! Lee! We're here!"
High above, Guy, upside-down, glanced down, saw them safe, and breathed in relief. After watching them jump, he'd feared the worst. Now he could resume his 'youth training' with peace of mind.