Might Duy

Night fell, and a knock sounded at the door.

Watanabe, drenched in sweat from his Taijutsu training, grabbed a towel and wiped his face before going to open the door.

"Little brother, I've come to return your Ninja Headband!"

Might Duy stood outside, his face grimy, but with a brilliant smile that revealed a row of dazzling white teeth.

Seeing his appearance, Watanabe knew he must have just finished a mission and smiled back, "Did you make any money?"

"I earned three thousand Ryo!" Might Duy said happily.

"Thanks to your Ninja Headband, I got a moving job soon after putting it on. They thought I was a ninja, completely unaware I had borrowed it..."

As he spoke, Might Duy seemed to remember something, his smile suddenly freezing. He stammered, "Um, there's a share of the mission reward for you, but I'm really short on cash right now. Can I give it to you later when I have money?"

Might Duy's heart pounded. If Watanabe refused, he'd have no choice but to give him half the reward now.

"No need, you completed the mission yourself, it has nothing to do with me," Watanabe refused without hesitation.

He had helped Might Duy purely out of kindness and hadn't expected anything in return.

Might Duy breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the other party didn't demand it now, he insisted, "It does have something to do with you. Without you, I wouldn't have gotten the mission. I'll definitely give you the reward in a few days."

He's surprisingly principled, Watanabe thought.

After a moment's thought, Watanabe didn't object further. Perhaps he should respect Might Duy's integrity.

"Do you want to come in and sit for a while?" Watanabe invited him.

"Yes, please."

Might Duy readily agreed. Watanabe was one of the few ninjas who looked up to him. Ever since Watanabe had taken off the Ninja Headband for him that afternoon, he had already considered Watanabe a confidant and friend.

The living room was a mess, the floor slick with Watanabe's sweat.

Watanabe invited Might Duy to sit in the living room and went to the kitchen to pour some tea.

"I've heard about you from others," Might Duy initiated the conversation. "They say you graduated top of the class, a true genius. You're the strongest in the Ninja Academy!"

"They exaggerate," Watanabe said as he brought him tea, speaking the truth. "The strongest in the Ninja Academy isn't me, but my girlfriend. She just didn't participate in the graduation exam."

Might Duy's eyes widened instantly. "Then, then... that's even more amazing!"

At that moment, he truly felt Watanabe was remarkable. Of course, people who were amazing found amazing partners.

"If only I had a tenth of your skill when I was in the Ninja Academy," Might Duy sighed sincerely.

"You went to the Ninja Academy too?"

Watanabe was surprised. If he had attended the Ninja Academy, why wasn't he a ninja?

Might Duy gave a wry smile. "I'm older than you. I started at the Ninja Academy eight years ago, but my aptitude was terrible. I could barely refine any Chakra, and I couldn't learn Ninjutsu. Plus, the tuition was expensive back then, so I only attended for half a semester before dropping out."

Watanabe suddenly understood. "So you're my senior."

Might Duy quickly shook his head. "I'm not even a ninja, how can I be a senior?"

He paused, then hesitated. "Although I dropped out of the Ninja Academy, I never gave up on the path of a ninja. Since I didn't have aptitude for Ninjutsu, I focused all my efforts on practicing Taijutsu, wanting to prove to others that one could become a ninja even without Ninjutsu. Every year since, I've participated in Konoha's Genin exams, but I've never passed."

Watanabe found the situation quite dramatic.

He and Might Duy were the opposite. Watanabe had previously focused solely on Ninjutsu because he lacked Taijutsu aptitude, while Might Duy lacked Ninjutsu aptitude and turned to Taijutsu.

However, from Might Duy's failure to pass the Genin exams, Watanabe could tell that his Taijutsu aptitude probably wasn't great either.

"Keep at it. As long as you don't give up, I believe you'll become a ninja one day," Watanabe encouraged him.

Might Duy nodded. "I think so too. I haven't slacked off on my Taijutsu training for years. I was planning to go all out for this year's Genin exam, but my father suddenly fell ill. I need to find a way to earn money to buy him medicine."

Watanabe immediately understood.

No wonder Might Duy had seemed so eager to take on missions during the day; it was all for his sick father.

Not only did he have integrity and good character, but he was also a filial son.

It's a shame such a person is poor, Watanabe thought.

"Is your father very ill?" Watanabe asked.

Might Duy replied, "Not critically ill. The doctor said he'll gradually recover if he takes his medicine consistently. I'm going to use all the mission reward from today to buy medicine. Once my father gets better, I'll give you your share!"

Watanabe: "..."

He was momentarily speechless. Might Duy was so down on his luck yet still remembered to share the reward with him; he was truly too honest.

"You can keep using this Ninja Headband."

Watanabe handed it back to him.

"This..."

"The Ninja Headband isn't useful to me right now," Watanabe said. "But it's very useful to you. It'll make it easier for you to get missions and earn money."

Might Duy's eyes turned red with emotion. After today's experience, he knew how desperately he needed the Ninja Headband.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony and will accept the Ninja Headband," he said, rubbing his eyes.

"From now on, I'll report to you every day about the missions I take. I'll definitely give you your full share of the rewards, not one Ryo less!"

Watanabe smiled, "Okay, I'll be waiting."

"Actually, I've also been focusing on training Taijutsu recently. Once your father's condition improves, we can train and spar together."

Watanabe didn't have many friends, so he didn't mind adding someone like Might Duy.

"Mhm, it's a deal!"

As for Might Duy, he had even fewer friends.

A desolate wilderness.

A golden-haired girl sat on the edge of a cliff, the cool moonlight bathing her and accentuating the curves of her figure beneath her training uniform, making her as beautiful as a fairy under the moon.

"I've only been away from that guy for nine days, but it feels like nine months..."

Tsunade muttered to herself, her tone displeased.

Just then, footsteps sounded from behind her. She turned her head and saw three dark figures approaching her, one after another.

As they got closer and she could see the faces of the three figures, Tsunade immediately frowned, "Jiraiya, Orochimaru, what are you two doing here?"

Jiraiya chuckled slyly, "Surprised? Shocked? Too bad it's not Watanabe, tsk tsk tsk..."

"Do you want to die!" Tsunade glared at him, veins bulging on her beautiful forehead.

"Whoa, just kidding." Jiraiya quickly backed down.

"Jiraiya and Orochimaru have become my disciples," Hiruzen Sarutobi explained with a smile. "Starting tomorrow, they will train with you."

Tsunade froze, then her gaze swept past the three of them, not seeing a fourth figure.

"Only those two?"

"Yes, only those two."