Yūnagi Asagi

The afternoon sun beat down mercilessly on the Ninja Academy's training ground.

"Okay, everyone, line up." Teacher Ibuki stood with her hands on her hips, facing the row of little sprouts. "This afternoon is physical training. Everyone, run laps around the field."

"Teacher, how many laps?" Obito raised his hand and asked.

"Start with five to warm up."

"Five laps?" A chorus of groans rose from the line.

Teacher Ibuki ignored their complaints and pointed to the track. "Ready, go!"

At her command, a dozen children took off running.

Obito charged ahead, shouting, "The Path to Hokage starts today!"

Might Guy followed close behind, tears in his eyes. "Youth! This is youth!"

Kakashi ran with light steps and quickly made his way to the front.

Shin-chan ran in the middle of the group, muttering, "Xiao Che, why do you think we have to run so fast?"

"Focus, Shin-chan," Uchiha Toru said quietly beside him. "When you run, control your breathing and keep your pace steady."

"Yeah, yeah. It's just running the whole time anyway."

After one lap, Shin-chan was staggering as if he might collapse at any moment.

After two laps, he was still staggering.

When he reached the third lap, Shin-chan's eyes suddenly widened.

"Xiao Che."

"What is it now?" Uchiha Toru panted.

"Look over there." Shin-chan pointed.

Uchiha Toru followed his finger. "That's the Next Class."

"That teacher."

"What about her?"

Shin-chan's expression turned utterly serious. "She's beautiful."

Uchiha Toru: "..."

"And she's a Great Beauty," Shin-chan added.

Uchiha Toru fell silent for two seconds, then kept running. "So?"

"I think..." Shin-chan suddenly picked up speed. "This is a fateful meeting."

"What?"

Before Uchiha Toru could react, he saw the figure beside him—the one who'd been staggering just moments ago—shoot forward.

He was as fast as the wind.

Uchiha Toru stood frozen. "Wasn't he... wasn't he too tired to run?"

Teacher Ibuki was standing by the track recording times when she suddenly felt a gust of wind rush past. She looked up and caught only a blur: a red shirt, Yellow shorts, and two little legs spinning like Wind Fire Wheels.

"What's going on?"

The blur raced around the field at an astonishing speed, catching up with Kakashi in no time.

Kakashi felt the wind sweep past him, and a familiar voice floated by. "Coming through, coming through."

He stood there, stunned for a moment. By the time he reacted, Shin-chan had already crossed the finish line and was heading straight for the Next Class.

Might Guy, running in the middle of the group, saw the red figure sprint past with the speed of burning youth. Tears welled up in his eyes.

"That's the gale of youth!" Guy shouted, suddenly accelerating. His Green Spandex gleamed in the sunlight.

Obito had been running so hard he was gasping for breath. When he suddenly saw Guy overtake him, his mind went blank. "What? Someone's faster than me? No way!"

He let out a yell and sped up too.

The children raced each other around the track, leaving the rest of the group behind. The others stared at one another, unsure what had happened.

The Next Class had just lined up and was about to start running when they suddenly saw a Little Boy in red dash toward them at astonishing speed.

Then he skidded to a stop.

Shin-chan came to a steady halt in front of the female teacher, put his hands behind his back, and flashed his signature smile.

"Hello, pretty big sister."

The teacher paused and looked down at the little boy, momentarily at a loss for words.

Shin-chan carried on without waiting. "My name is Shin Nohara. I'm five years old, and I study in Class A. What's your name, big sister? Where do you live? Do you have a Boyfriend?"

The corners of the teacher's mouth twitched, but her professionalism kept her smiling. "I'm the teacher of the Next Class, little one. My name is Yūnagi Asagi."

Shin-chan clutched his chest with both hands. "Your name is already written in my heart, big sister. Would you wait for me to grow up? I'll become an excellent Ninja one day and protect you for the rest of your life."

The teacher's smile froze on her face.

Just then, Guy and Obito arrived one after the other.

Guy skidded to a stop beside Shin-chan and panted heavily, but still managed to give a thumbs-up, his teeth sparkling. "That's the sprint of youth!"

Obito ran right past them, then doubled back, gasping for breath. "I... I can't go on."

The three of them stood side by side in front of the Next Class. The sight was bizarre.

The teacher took a deep breath and tried to stay composed. "You're students from Class A, aren't you? Why did you come over here?"

Shin-chan immediately answered, "When I saw how pretty you were, my legs started moving on their own. It must've been fate guiding me. Big sister, do you believe in fate?"

"I..."

"I do." Shin-chan clenched his little fist. "Fate brought us together here. By the way, big sister, do you eat green peppers? If you don't, we're sure to get along."

In the distance, Teacher Ibuki strode over with a dark expression.

"Shin Nohara! Might Guy! Obito Uchiha!" Teacher Ibuki's voice seemed to come through clenched teeth.

Shin-chan glanced back, then turned around and spoke quickly. "Big sister, we've made a promise. When I grow up, I'll marry you."

Then he turned and ran, slipping back onto the track like a gust of wind.

Teacher Ibuki stood in front of the Next Class, her face dark as the bottom of a pot.

Yūnagi Asagi tried hard to hold back her laughter, but her shoulders still shook.

"Teacher Ibuki, your students are quite amusing."

Teacher Ibuki took a deep breath. "Sorry for the trouble. I'll make sure to teach them a lesson when we get back."

Then she turned and strode toward her class.

Behind her, Yūnagi Asagi finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

That kid was really something.

Back on the track, Shin-chan had returned to his lazy pace, running as he savored the moment.

"Yūnagi Asagi. What a lovely name."

Uchiha Toru had somehow caught up with him. He looked at Shin-chan expressionlessly. "You ran that fast just to hit on a teacher?"

"I wasn't hitting on her," Shin-chan corrected him solemnly. "It was a fateful meeting."

"..."

"Xiao Che, do you think big sister might like me?"

Uchiha Toru was silent for two seconds. "I think she'd like you to run properly."

"Then she does like me." Shin-chan's eyes lit up. "She's paying attention to how I run. Xiao Che, you're so smart."

Uchiha Toru decided to keep quiet.

The sun still beat down mercilessly on the training ground.

Teacher Ibuki's angry shouts rang out from time to time:

"Shin Nohara, stop looking back at the Next Class!"

"Might Guy, stop shouting and watch your pace!"

"Obito Uchiha, you're running in the wrong direction!"

Afternoons at the Konoha Ninja Academy were as lively as ever.