How Can a Five-Year-Old Child Rock Climb

For the next few days, Shin-chan honestly followed Might Duy and Might Guy to train every day after school.

Calling it training, in Shin-chan's opinion, was just running around the Village every day, and then occasionally being pulled by Duy to do some strange movements: handstands, push-ups, frog jumps.

Duy, however, grew increasingly confused.

This child named Shin Nohara followed them, running every day, doing those basic exercises, even though he always shouted, "So tired," "I'm going to die," "Can we rest?"

But no matter how Duy observed, he couldn't find Shin-chan's limit.

In a handstand, he could hold on until Guy couldn't.

Running, he would stop and go, go and stop, but his total distance was more than Guy's.

How could he ignite the potential hidden within this child's body?

Might Duy scratched his head in distress.

"Father, what are you thinking about?" Guy asked, somewhat confused.

"Nothing," Duy shook his head, no longer thinking about it, then revealed a shining white smile, "Today, we'll train in the back mountains of Konoha."

"The back mountains?" Guy's eyes lit up.

"There are cliffs there, good for practicing climbing."

Shin-chan yawned beside them, "Climbing? Like climbing walls?"

"More than climbing walls, it's climbing cliffs."

Shin-chan thought for a moment and asked, "Are there any pretty older sisters on the cliffs?"

Duy's smile froze, "No."

"Then I don't want to go."

"Youth cannot be picky about location!"

"But only places with pretty older sisters have youth," Shin-chan said earnestly, "Burning also needs fuel, and pretty older sisters are the fuel for my youth."

Duy opened his mouth, finding himself unable to refute.

But in the end, the three of them set off towards the back mountains.

The back mountains of Konoha were a stretch of rolling hills, densely forested.

Duy led them to a steep cliff face.

"This is it." Might Duy pointed at the nearly vertical cliff face. "Today's training goal: climb to the top."

Might Guy looked up at the high summit, flames igniting in his eyes. "So high, but youth is about challenging high places."

Shin-chan also looked up, then swallowed.

"Uncle, how high is this?"

"About thirty meters."

Shin-chan was silent for a moment. "Uncle."

"Hm?"

"I don't think this training is suitable for me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm still young, I'll die if I fall."

Might Duy patted his chest. "Don't worry, I'll be here to catch you."

Shin-chan put his hands behind his back, clearly still hesitant.

"Father, Shin-chan, look over there." Might Guy shouted, pointing towards the cliff.

Might Duy and Shin-chan followed his finger.

On the cliff face was a boy about Shin-chan's age, with silver hair and a mask.

He was only using one hand to grip the cliff, the other behind his back, his body stuck to the rock like a gecko, moving upwards inch by inch.

Shin-chan blinked. "Isn't that Kakashi?"

"Kakashi, he's training too!" Might Guy exclaimed in surprise.

Might Duy gave a thumbs up. "Amazing, that child, so young, and he can climb this cliff with one hand."

Kakashi continued to climb, his movements fluid, and slowly reached the summit.

Then, he walked down from the other side.

Might Guy clenched his fist. "I can't lose, I'm climbing too."

He then charged towards the cliff, grabbed the rocks with both hands, and began to climb.

But after only two meters, his hands slipped.

Splat.

Fell to the ground.

Might Guy climbed up, patted the dirt off himself, and charged again.

He climbed three meters, and his foot slipped.

Splat.

He fell down again.

"Youth cannot give up!"

Might Guy charged up for the third time.

Shin-chan watched from the side, his mouth forming an 'O'.

"Might Guy, doesn't it hurt?"

"It hurts." Tears welled up in Might Guy's eyes, "But youth must never admit defeat!"

Might Guy climbed up again.

This time he climbed higher, and then, splat.

He fell even more miserably.

Shin-chan swallowed, looking at the tall cliff face: "Can a five-year-old really climb this?"

He hesitantly walked to the cliff face, tilting his head up to look.

The rocks were hard, the crevices small, and there seemed to be no handholds at all.

Shin-chan tried to reach out, gripping a tiny crack in the rock, and then lifted his foot.

Plop.

He also fell to the ground.

"Ouch, it hurts." Shin-chan sat on the ground, rubbing his backside.

Kakashi's voice came from above: "You need to use Chakra."

Shin-chan looked up and saw Kakashi had come down from the other side of the slope.

"Chakra?" Shin-chan tilted his head, confused.

"Concentrate Chakra in your hands and feet, and you can stick to the cliff face." Kakashi finished speaking and began another round of training, not saying another word.

Shin-chan looked at his hands, lost in thought.

Chakra.

It's that hot thing that circles around in your belly.

Shin-chan placed his hand on the cliff, trying hard to recall the feeling of refining Chakra that day. Soon, a hot sensation surged from his belly and flowed into his palm.

Then, he pressed his hand onto the cliff.

It stuck.

Shin-chan froze for a moment, then tried placing his other hand on the cliff.

It stuck too.

Shin-chan hesitated for a few seconds and began to climb.

It was slow, clumsy. He had to think for a long time with every step, unsure where to grip with his hands or place his feet.

But he was definitely climbing upwards.

"Father!" Might Guy shouted excitedly, "Shin-chan is climbing up!"

Dai stood at the base of the cliff, looking up at the small red figure inching its way up. The expression on his face grew increasingly complex.

He climbed ten meters like this.

"So tired," Shin-chan stopped and looked down. "Uncle, can I come down now?"

Before Dai could answer, Shin-chan let go of his hands and feet and jumped straight down.

"Shin-chan!" Dai rushed forward, intending to catch him.

But Shin-chan landed steadily on the ground, then stood up, brushed the dirt off himself, completely unharmed.

"It's too high, I don't want to climb anymore."

Might Guy rushed over and hugged him, "Shin-chan, you're amazing, you really climbed up."

On the cliff, Kakashi had actually been observing them the entire time.

He saw everything, from the first time the red figure tried and fell, to the second time he successfully climbed up.

His first attempt at refining Chakra took only one class.

His first attempt at climbing a cliff using Chakra only failed once.

That guy...

"Kakashi," Shin-chan suddenly waved at him, "Thank you for teaching me."

Kakashi withdrew his gaze and continued to climb, but his voice drifted down, "No need."

Shin-chan didn't mind and turned to Dai, "Uncle, do we really have to climb to the cliff top?"

Dai was silent for a long time before placing his hand on Shin-chan's shoulder, "You are a true genius."

Shin-chan tilted his head, thinking for three seconds.

"What is a genius? Can I eat it?"

Dai: "..."

Under the Sunset, three people stood before the Cliff.

Might Guy looked at Shin-chan, his eyes full of admiration.

Dai looked at Shin-chan, his eyes full of complexity.