The pain was a constant symphony in his body. Every step from Guy's clearing into the busier areas of Konoha was a reminder of the beating he'd received. Kenji kept his breathing controlled, his face as neutral as possible, but inwardly he cursed every shadow that moved.
An ANBU. They evaluated me like a lab rat. And the worst part is, I couldn't do anything.
His mind, however, was already in damage control mode. He assessed bones (fractures, not breaks), bruises (deep, but superficial), and the damage to his pride (considerable, but a luxury he couldn't afford). The physical would heal. The lesson was what mattered: he was no longer invisible. Someone with power had set their sights on him.
It was at that moment, as he limped out of the grove surrounding the cabin, that a presence materialized before him with the subtlety of an elephant dressed in green.
"YOUNG MAN! What intense evening energy, albeit a bit bruised! What brings you to this sacred place of training and youth?"
Might Guy appeared, standing in his path, smiling with dazzling whiteness, his bushy eyebrows arching in enthusiasm. A flash of light gleamed on his teeth. Kenji suppressed the instinct to go on guard. This man could reduce an ANBU to a smudge on the ground without breaking a sweat.
Act it out. Overact it. Be the scared student.
He made a move of genuine pain as he bowed slightly in a gesture meant to be respectful.
"Guy-sensei, please excuse the intrusion," he said, using a higher, more tremulous voice than usual. "Well... I overheard some older students talking. They said that if anyone wanted to learn how to be truly strong, how to withstand any blow, they should seek out Might Guy. That you were the best at... at making people resilient."
Guy crossed his arms, his smile softening into a thoughtful expression. His dark eyes, sharp as a hawk's despite his eccentric appearance, scanned Kenji's bruised body.
"Hmm! Your body tells a story of recent exertion, but not of disciplined training. I see bruises from grappling, not taijutsu training," Guy observed, his voice momentarily losing its megaphone-like quality. "And your steps, though bruised, have a basic balance that isn't bad at all. Tell me, kid, why do you need Guy to train you if you already have a certain foundation?"
Damn it, he's more perceptive than he seems. Kenji bit his tongue inwardly. He had to resort to plan B: strategic humiliation.
He lowered his head, clenching his fists in mock frustration. "Fundamentals! No, sensei. I'm terrible. I'm the worst in my class. Anyone can knock me down with one punch. Today… today some older thugs found me practicing alone and…" He gestured vaguely toward his bruises, letting Guy connect the dots. "I want to be strong. Really strong. So I don't fall like that again. So one punch doesn't knock me down."
There was a silence. Then Guy placed a large but gentle hand on his unbruised shoulder. The warmth and strength of that simple touch were overwhelming.
"THE DESIRE TO RISE AFTER A FALL IS THE ESSENCE OF THE SPRING OF YOUTH!" he roared suddenly, making Kenji blink at the volume. "The flame in your eyes, though timid, burns brightly! But the path of True Youth is not easy. It requires sweat, tears of effort, and a heart that burns with the fire of commitment."
Guy studied him again, the calculating machine behind those eyebrows working at full speed. "I have missions with my precious young team for the next two days. But… if your spirit is truly ready to burn, report here at dawn on the third day. I'll put you to the test! We'll see if you have what it takes to endure the INFERNO OF MY YOUTH TRAINING."
It was an opportunity. An unexpected, ridiculous, and potentially dangerous opportunity to get a Jōnin-level tutor. And perfect camouflage. Who would suspect a clumsy but hardworking student trained by the eccentric Guy?
"Thank you, sensei! I won't let you down!" Kenji said, bowing so deeply his ribs felt like they were screaming.
He retreated, feeling Guy's gaze on his back until he disappeared among the trees. This time, his vigilance was extreme. He moved like fluid through the shadows, twisting and turning, using reflections in windows and puddles to make sure the white mask wasn't there. He arrived at his main hideout, a small room rented with stolen money in a dilapidated building near the market, just as the sun was high and the streets were crowded. The crowd was his best cover.
He locked himself in, applied stolen medicinal ointment, and began to plan. Guy is a taijutsu monster. If I can absorb even a fraction of his knowledge without revealing my true abilities… The potential was enormous. But so was the risk. Guy was an ally of Kakashi. Any outside information could leak out.
His thoughts were interrupted by hunger. He went outside, blending into the crowd, heading to a fruit stand to "acquire" his lunch. That's when he saw him.
A flash of garish orange, rummaging desperately through some bushes by a fence.
"Get over here, you damn hairy bowling pin! Tora, or whatever you are! Mrs. Shijimi is going to kill me if I don't find you!"
Uzumaki Naruto. Sweaty, frustrated, with scratches on his arms from struggling with the branches.
Kenji watched him for a moment. The future Jinchūriki, the boy despised by the village, reduced to a mission to find a cat. Part of him, the pragmatic yakuza part, told him to keep going. But another part, the one that had seen the fight with Sasuke and had calculated the immense untapped potential of that boy, stopped.
A favor. Debts are the most valuable currency, he thought. He approached silently.
"Are you losing more than your dignity?" Kenji asked, his voice neutral.
Naruto jumped as if he'd been stabbed, turning around. "Huh? Oh, it's you! Kaito, right? The quiet guy from the classroom downstairs." His face lit up for a second before returning to frustration. "It's this stupid cat of that stupid stupid lady. His name is Tora, and he's faster than lightning."
Kenji glanced toward the bushes. He heard a faint snort. His senses, still heightened by the night's adrenaline, tracked the sound, the scent of a frightened animal.
"It's not fast. It's skittish and hides," he said, pointing with his chin at a gap under the veranda of a nearby house. "It went in there. It won't come out if you go screaming at it."
Naruto looked at him, surprised. "So what do I do? Throw a ramen sandwich at it?"
"For crying out loud..." "You have food in your bag. Something with a strong smell. Put it halfway down. Stay still on the other side. Be patient."
Naruto blinked, hesitant, but desperate. He took out a stick of dried fish (why was he carrying that?) and placed it as instructed. Then he crouched down, trying in vain to stay still.
Kenji, from his position, watched. In minutes, a black and white snout emerged. Tora, the demon cat, sniffed the air and crept toward the bait. The moment he started nibbling, Kenji made a swift movement with his hand, not to catch him, but to block his escape route to the veranda. Naruto, catching the signal (much to Kenji's surprise), pounced with a speed he never possessed in class and caught the feline in his arms, receiving a furious barrage of scratches for his effort.
"YOU DID IT!" Naruto shouted, holding the hissing Tora. Then he looked at Kenji, his grimy face lit by a wide, genuine grin. "You're a genius, Kaito! Thanks!"
Kenji shrugged, dismissing it. "Just common sense."
"Not at all! That was super ninja!" Naruto insisted, settling the cat, who was beginning to accept his fate. "Hey, I owe you one. Wanna go get ramen? My treat! Well… I'll buy one and we'll share the broth, okay?"
The offer was meager, even pathetic. But it was sincere. It was the first genuine offer of camaraderie Kenji had ever received. Not out of pity, not out of self-interest, but out of simple gratitude.
A connection with Naruto Uzumaki. Unpredictable. Chaotic. Potentially invaluable
Kenji allowed a small, very small smile to touch his lips. "Another day. Today I have… things to do. But keep that debt in mind. I might collect when you least expect it."
Naruto laughed, a loud, unrestrained laugh. "Deal, teme-teme! See you, Kaito!" And he walked away, carrying the cat and singing about his victory.
Kenji watched him go. The pain in his bruises throbbed, the memory of the ANBU was a cold shadow in his mind, and the engagement with Guy was an approaching precipice.
But for the first time, he had more than just survival and a secret. He had a point of contact. A piece, small and orange, on the Konoha chessboard.
A cat for a future favor. Not a bad deal, he thought, retreating back into the shadows, where a ghost could plot how to use his strange new network of connections: a taijutsu prodigy and the vessel of the Kyūbi. The future, suddenly, seemed a little less bleak and a little more interesting.