Might Guy

In the morning light, one large and one small figure left crisscrossing footprints on Konoha's streets. Might Guy ran ahead, listening to the unusually determined footsteps behind him.

The corners of his mouth rose unconsciously. Though Guy had long grown used to the strange looks from passersby, the little follower behind him still filled his chest with warmth. Those footsteps behind him were a pure affirmation of his path of youth, even if they came from a child only three years old.

What surprised Guy even more was that the blond little fellow had kept pace with him all along, showing no signs of falling behind. Judging by his breathing rhythm and the steadiness of his steps, the child truly possessed physical foundations far beyond his age and had clearly undergone long-term, grueling training.

But Might Guy still did not believe Naruto could follow him through one hundred laps around Konoha. That amount of exercise was simply too much for a child.

Indeed, no matter how much one trained, a child that age ultimately could not accomplish what was beyond their ability. Excessive training could even damage the body.

However, Uzumaki Naruto was no ordinary child. Though he looked like nothing more than a three-year-old toddler, that seemingly immature body contained strength far beyond that of his peers.

First came the system's taijutsu enhancements—those stat boosts had increased the density of his muscle fibers and the strength of his bones by a percentage. Every morning, while children his age were still sound asleep beneath warm blankets, Naruto had already begun training while wearing specially made weighted taijutsu gear.

"Huff—huff—"

Naruto adjusted his breathing rhythm, his steps remaining perfectly steady. Sweat dripped from the tips of his golden hair. Every day, his training regimen was practically Spartan: five hundred push-ups, five hundred squats, followed by a ten-kilometer weighted run. Even adult ninja would struggle to endure such intensity, yet Naruto gritted his teeth and completed it day after day.

Ordinary children would surely suffer physical damage from such near-self-abusive training, but Naruto would not. That was all thanks to what lay within Naruto's body.

The bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan.

Chakra as vast as the ocean and life force as tenacious as a cockroach supported him as he broke through one physical limit after another. Whenever his muscles cried out in agony, Chakra would automatically circulate and repair those tiny injuries. When his lungs burned with pain, his powerful vitality would grant him new strength.

The Naruto of now.

Without exaggeration, with his talent fully developed and without wasting his days figuring out how to put makeup on his dad like in the original work, he was confident that he could defeat an ordinary Genin through taijutsu alone.

Those day-after-day hardships, those beads of sweat shed in corners where no one knew, had all become the strength that kept him running at this moment.

Might Guy's heart was in turmoil. He had lost count of how many times he had thought the footsteps behind him would stop—at every turn and every uphill stretch, he had secretly prepared to offer comfort. In his mind, he had rehearsed those encouraging words countless times.

"Don't be discouraged! At your age, you've already far surpassed what I was back then!"

"When you grow a little older, we'll spill the hot blood of youth together!"

"Keep going! Konoha's future!"

He had even imagined giving the child his treasured green skintight training suit. That gleaming fabric would surely suit this spirited little fellow perfectly.

Yet reality shattered his expectations again and again. That small figure remained right behind him, and Guy could clearly hear Naruto regulating his breathing. It was a technique that could only be mastered through long-term training.

This... this was simply...

Guy's heart pounded violently, not from the exhaustion of running, but from uncontrollable excitement. A genius! And one even more precious than a genius—a hardworking genius! The realization made his blood boil.

Konoha's streets gradually grew livelier. The morning mist dispersed, and the sunlight became scorching. Residents pushed open their windows, vendors began setting up their stalls, and everyone watched in amazement as the large and small figures raced wildly around the village. One lap, two laps... Sweat left winding trails along the road, only to be evaporated by the blazing noon sun.

When they reached the ninety-ninth lap, Guy subtly slowed down. On the final lap, he controlled his speed so that Naruto could run beside him. In the end, they crossed the starting line at the same time—by then, their footprints had stamped a clear mark into the ground.

"Ha... ha..."

Naruto immediately bent over, bracing his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath. His golden bangs were soaked with sweat and clung to his flushed little face. From dawn until noon, a full hundred laps around Konoha—an achievement enough to leave many Genin in the dust.

"Looks like..." Guy's voice trembled slightly with excitement. "This time, it's a tie." He crouched down until they were eye level, undisguised admiration beneath his thick brows. "That was incredible! Such perseverance... You are absolutely a hardworking genius!"

His signature thumbs-up stood perfectly straight. Sunlight reflected dazzlingly from his white teeth, revealing a fine set of Konoha White Fangs.

Naruto straightened up and used his sleeve to wipe away the sweat continually sliding down his forehead.

"Yeah," he said between breaths. "No matter how great one's talent is, hard work is indispensable. Because... hard work will never betray you."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Tears of excitement welled from Guy's eyes again. "Well said! This is true, shining youth!"

The air was filled with the heat left by their morning run, their breathing rising and falling amid the brief silence. Suddenly, Naruto raised his head and looked straight into Guy's eyes.

"...Mr. Guy, you were holding back the whole time and deliberately slowing down to match me, weren't you?"

The words struck Guy like a heavy punch, instantly making his body stiffen. His thick eyebrows shot upward, and visible panic flashed across his face.

"H-holding back? Hahaha!" Guy's laughter became extraordinarily loud, yet it carried an obvious awkwardness, as if he were reading it aloud.

"How could that be? This match was absolutely a genuine tie! You can't doubt the results of your own hard work! Hahaha!"

That forced laughter echoed around them. Naruto could not help smiling at Guy's flustered appearance—this straightforward man truly was not good at lying.

"You don't need to hide it," Naruto said, shaking his head. "Although I was the one who proposed the match, I still have a clear understanding of my own strength. Competing against a Konoha Jonin? Even if I had started training from the day I was born, there's no way I could have truly tied."

Guy scratched his head awkwardly. "Haha," he admitted with a bitter smile. "Just as expected of a genius. Even this maturity shines so brightly... This is the charm of youth!"

But in the next moment, Naruto's words made Guy's entire body tremble.

"But! It is precisely because I may fail that hard work shines so brightly! That is the true meaning of youth."

The words were like a bolt of lightning striking deep into Guy's heart. His pupils widened slightly. For so many years, he had preached the hot-blooded spirit of youth to others, yet at this moment, from the mouth of a three-year-old child, he heard words that touched his heart more deeply than anything else.

Naruto took a deep breath, his little chest rising and falling sharply as sweat continuously slid down his cheeks. He raised an arm and pointed a slightly childish yet exceptionally resolute finger straight at Might Guy.

"Mr. Guy, I lost this match. But I will never give up because of it!" His voice was especially clear in the morning light. "One day in the future, I will definitely become a ninja stronger than you! Because..."

Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, casting brilliant points of light into Naruto's azure pupils.

"A person's value does not lie in what they become, but in what they surpass. Today, I surpassed my own limits... Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, someday! I, Uzumaki Naruto, will definitely surpass you!"

Guy's body shook sharply, his thick eyebrows rising high. He repeatedly pondered the deeper meaning of those words. His eyes, always filled with passion, now gleamed with contemplation. Suddenly, he erupted with an earthshaking shout.

"That's right!!!" Guy's voice boomed like thunder. "Never feel ashamed of your own efforts! Challenge peaks that seem impossible! Force yourself into desperate straits and create rules that belong to you! This is..."

His voice suddenly lowered, yet it contained even greater strength:

"This is the true meaning of self-restraint!"

In the next instant, before Naruto could react, Guy suddenly burst into tears, crouched down once more, spread his arms, and gave him a firm hug. His powerful arms completely enveloped Naruto's small body.

"But even though you lost the match! You still perfectly displayed the brilliance of youth! I am incomparably proud of your hard work!"

Naruto was somewhat at a loss in the face of this sudden enthusiasm, but just then—

Ding!

A crisp system notification sounded in his mind.

Congratulations, Host: You have formed a level 3 bond with original character "Might Guy"!

Points obtained: 750!

(The author saw the requests for updates. Please leave good ratings for the new book.)