Another Youthful Challenge

Shin-chan went to training with Kakashi again today.

The two of them walked toward the training ground. The setting sun spilled down from Konoha's rooftops like honey, bathing the whole street in warm orange.

Kakashi walked ahead, with Shin-chan following behind, carrying the wooden sword he'd gotten used to.

"Kakashi."

"Hmm?"

"Silver Haired Uncle seems really busy lately."

"Yeah." Kakashi's steps faltered for a moment, then he continued walking.

"He doesn't come teach us anymore."

"Dad..." Kakashi fell silent for two seconds. "He's taken on a lot of missions."

Shin-chan nodded and didn't ask anything else.

But Kakashi suddenly spoke up.

"That new kid in our class."

Shin-chan blinked. "Adai?"

"Yeah." Kakashi paused. "Keep an eye on him."

Shin-chan tilted his head. "Why?"

Kakashi didn't answer. He just glanced behind him, then looked away and silently quickened his pace.

Shin-chan was taken aback, then hurried after him.

"Kakashi?"

"It's nothing." Kakashi walked quickly. "Come on."

Shin-chan followed behind, feeling a little confused.

After a while, he suddenly looked back.

There weren't many people on the street, just a few ordinary passersby.

Wait!

Shin-chan narrowed his eyes.

Something seemed to be moving behind that telephone pole over there.

Green.

And it was trembling.

Shin-chan stopped and tilted his head, watching it.

The green thing shrank farther behind the pole, but it was so thin that it couldn't hide him at all.

Shin-chan waved. "Might Guy."

There was no movement behind the pole.

"I can see you."

Still no movement.

Shin-chan cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Might Guy, come on out!"

At last, a head poked out from behind the telephone pole.

"Shin-chan, how did you spot me?" Might Guy jumped out from behind it, looking shocked. "I hid so well! I didn't make a sound, I held my breath, and I even tried to control my heartbeat!"

Shin-chan looked at him and fell silent for two seconds.

"That green jumpsuit of yours is too conspicuous."

Might Guy looked down at himself. "But this is the green of youth!"

"Yeah." Shin-chan nodded. "That's why you can see it from a whole street away."

Might Guy scratched his head, unsure what to say.

"Besides," Shin-chan continued, "the telephone pole you're hiding behind is narrower than you are."

Might Guy looked back at the thin telephone pole, then at his own build. "I see. I didn't think it through."

Shin-chan walked over and asked curiously, "Why are you following us?"

Might Guy immediately clenched his fists, his expression turning unusually serious.

"I'm here to find Kakashi."

"What for?"

"To challenge him!" Might Guy's voice rose an octave. "After my defeat last time, I went through Hell-like Special Training. Every day, I did a thousand push-ups, a thousand sit-ups, a thousand squats, and then ran ten kilometers."

Shin-chan's mouth fell slightly open in surprise. "Every day?"

"Every day!" It was as if flames were rising behind Might Guy. "My Youth Is Burning, My Sweat Is Boiling, My Muscles Are Shouting. I'm not the same person I was last time!"

Might Guy took a deep breath and looked in the direction Kakashi had gone.

"Kakashi, I challenge you to a Youthful Duel!"

The next second, Might Guy froze.

Kakashi had already gone far away. All that remained was a tiny, receding figure. His silver-white head bobbed at the end of the street, then disappeared around a corner, as if he hadn't heard a word.

Might Guy stood with his mouth open, still in the middle of shouting.

Shin-chan walked over beside him and looked in the same direction.

"He's gone."

"I can see that."

"Are you going after him?"

Might Guy snapped out of it and took off running. "Kakashi, wait for me!"

The green figure charged away, fast as the wind.

Shin-chan stood where he was, watching the two figures grow smaller in the distance, and shook his head. "Kids are such a pain."

After saying that, he slowly followed them too.

At the training ground, Kakashi had already stopped and started warming up.

Might Guy came charging in, panting.

"Kakashi... you... why... didn't you wait for me?"

Kakashi glanced at him. "Why should I?"

Might Guy was at a loss for words.

Shin-chan ambled in and found a spot nearby to sit. He propped his chin in his hands and watched them.

"Might Guy says he wants to challenge you."

Kakashi paused.

"No."

"Why not?" Might Guy cried.

"It's a hassle."

"But I went through Hell-like Special Training. Every day, I do a thousand—"

"I know," Kakashi interrupted. "It's still a hassle."

Might Guy didn't give up.

He chased Kakashi around three times, shouting the whole way, "Let's have a Youthful Duel!" "I really worked hard!" "Just once, please?"

Kakashi finally stopped.

"You're annoying."

Might Guy's eyes lit up.

"You accept?"

"No."

"You stopped just now, so that means you accept."

"No, it doesn't."

"Yes, it does."

Kakashi looked at him, frowning.

Might Guy stood right in front of him, his thumb still raised.

They stared at each other for five seconds.

Ten seconds.

Fifteen seconds.

Kakashi sighed.

"Just this once."

Might Guy froze for a moment, then leaped up and charged into the middle of the training ground, taking a stance.

"Great!"

Kakashi walked over too and stood ready.

"Let's begin."

Might Guy took a deep breath, then charged up.

A punch.

Kakashi dodged to the side.

A kick.

Kakashi took a step back.

A flurry of attacks.

Kakashi dodged left and right without striking back even once.

Might Guy attacked more than a dozen times without so much as touching the hem of Kakashi's clothes.

"Huff... huff..." Might Guy panted, but his eyes still burned with intensity. "Again!"

He charged forward once more.

This time, Kakashi moved.

Just a simple side step, followed by a side throw.

Might Guy hit the ground.

"It's over." Kakashi lowered his hand.

Might Guy lay on the ground, panting for a long while. Then he slowly got up and brushed the dirt off himself.

"Today's defeat will nourish my youth. As punishment, I'm going to run five hundred laps around Konoha!"

Shin-chan sat nearby, his mouth slowly falling open.

"F-five hundred laps? Wouldn't that take until tomorrow morning?"

He looked at Might Guy's retreating figure, then at Kakashi.

"Did you punish him?"

"No."

"Then why is he running?"

Kakashi fell silent for two seconds.

"I don't know."

From far away, Might Guy's voice drifted over.

"Youth! This is youth! Five hundred laps—burn!"

"I don't get him." Kakashi looked at the red figure sitting nearby. "Come on, Shin-chan. It's our turn."

Shin-chan nodded.

The two of them took their stances.

In the setting sun, two small figures began sparring.

Far away, a green figure was still running.

One lap, two laps, three laps...

He shouted as he ran.

"Youth!"

His voice drifted over, broken and faint.