Limit? Didn't feel it

"Alright, let's begin today's Youth Training!"

Might Duy brought two five-year-old Little Beans to an open space on the Konohagakure Outskirts. Several thick wooden stakes stood there, along with some Giant Rocks, and a Small Stream flowed nearby.

Shin-chan looked around, "Uncle, aren't there any swings at the training spot?"

"Swings?" Might Duy paused for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed, "Today's youth doesn't need swings, it needs to Challenge Limits."

Might Duy flipped over and stood on his hands on the ground.

"First is the foundation of foundations, the handstand. Hold it until you Can't Hold On anymore. Kai, you first."

"Yes, Father." Kai immediately got down and assumed a handstand. His small body wobbled precariously.

"Shin-chan, you too." Might Duy gave him a thumbs up.

Shin-chan tilted his head and looked at Kai, "Why do we have to do a handstand?"

"To train the Whole Body Muscles and the Sense of Balance."

"But," Shin-chan thought for a moment, "doesn't blood flow to your brain when you're doing a handstand?"

Might Duy's movements faltered slightly.

"Well, a little bit."

"Won't that make your brain go bad?"

"No, the Youthful Blood will make your brain clearer."

Shin-chan was skeptical, but he imitated Kai, placing his hands on the ground and lifting his feet.

Plop.

His bottom hit the ground.

He tried again.

Plop.

He landed on the ground again.

Kai had already stabilized himself nearby. Seeing Shin-chan fall again and again, he couldn't help but laugh, "Shin-chan, you need to use your Waist and Abdomen strength."

"Waist and Abdomen?" Shin-chan lay on the ground, "My Waist and Abdomen say they don't want to move."

"Youth doesn't allow for laziness." Might Duy grabbed Shin-chan's legs and helped him up, "Hold on!"

Shin-chan was in a handstand, his face flushed red.

"Uncle... I feel... the blood is really flowing into my brain..."

"Hold on!"

"But... I think I'm seeing a lot of stars..."

"That's the light of youth!"

Shin-chan was instantly speechless.

After a period of time.

Might Guy was the first to buckle, his hands went soft, and he fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"Father, I've reached my limit."

"Good." Might Duy's eyes welled up with tears, "Break through it, let your youth burn!"

Might Guy gritted his teeth and pushed himself up again.

Shin-chan was still doing a handstand, wobbling, but he didn't fall.

Duy looked at him, somewhat surprised.

This kid, his first handstand, and he could hold it for so long?

"Shin-chan, are you okay?"

"Uncle." Shin-chan's voice was muffled, "I think I saw the First Hokage."

"What?"

"He's waving at me, saying 'Shin-chan, come down and play'..."

Duy was startled and quickly helped him upright.

Shin-chan sat on the ground, his eyes unfocused for two seconds, then returned to normal.

"Huh? The First Hokage is gone."

Might Guy crawled over in a handstand, concerned, "Shin-chan, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Shin-chan blinked his eyes, "I just felt like I went to Heaven for a moment."

Duy wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling that this child's physique was a bit unusual.

"Alright, next exercise, Push-ups, one hundred."

"One hundred?" Shin-chan's eyes widened, "Uncle, I'm only five years old."

"Youth knows no age, come, I'll count for you."

Might Guy immediately got down and started doing them one by one.

"One, two, three, four..."

Shin-chan lay down next to him, doing the first one.

"One... huff... so tired..."

Halfway through the second one, he just flopped onto the ground.

"Uncle, I think I've reached my limit."

Might Duy walked over and looked at Shin-chan, "Really reached your limit?"

Shin-chan buried his face in the dirt and muffled, "Mm."

Might Duy was silent for two seconds.

This child, he could do a handstand for so long just now without any issues, but now two push-ups were his limit?

"Shin-chan, try again."

"No."

"Youth..."

"Youth can't make me do a hundred push-ups either." Shin-chan flipped over and looked at the sky, "Uncle, you're just like my mother, always saying 'try again,' but you adults have no idea how tired we children really are."

Might Duy froze.

Might Guy also stopped his movements and looked at Shin-chan.

Shin-chan continued, "And, I clearly don't want to do push-ups, why do I have to?"

"Don't you want to be a ninja?" Might Guy asked in surprise, as in his mind, these were all preparations for becoming a ninja.

Shin-chan thought for a moment, "Being a ninja is fine too, but I want to be Asagi-sensei's boyfriend first."

Might Duy: "..."

Might Guy: "..."

"Um, Shin-chan." Might Duy squatted down and looked at him seriously, "Do you know, the most important thing for a ninja isn't strength, but willpower. This is what drives you to become stronger."

Shin-chan blinked.

"Just like you promised you'd come for training, so you came. That's willpower."

Shin-chan thought about it and felt it made sense.

"Then if I give up now, does that mean I have no willpower?"

"Youth doesn't allow for giving up!" Might Duy gave a thumbs up.

Shin-chan sighed and slowly got up.

"Alright, then I'll do a few more, burn some youth, though I don't know what youth is..."

Next, Might Duy led them through squats, frog jumps, and tree climbing.

In each exercise, Might Guy gave his all, reached his limit, and then, with Might Duy's encouragement, broke through that limit.

As for Shin-chan, he did every exercise, but it always gave the impression that "he could do more."

Might Duy watched all this, his brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

Does this kid even have a limit?

The sun had completely set.

"Alright, training for today ends here!" Might Duy announced.

Might Guy collapsed onto the ground, drenched in sweat and gasping for air.

Shin-chan also sat on the ground, but his breathing was much steadier, his clothes just a bit dirtier.

"Father, I broke through my limit six times today." Might Guy's voice was a little weak.

"Well done, Might Guy." Might Duy gave a thumbs up.

He then turned to look at Shin-chan.

"Shin-chan, what about you? Did you break through your limit?"

Shin-chan tilted his head and thought, "What is a limit?"

"It's when you feel like you can't hold on anymore, but you grit your teeth and persevere."

Shin-chan seriously recalled.

"Uncle, I don't really understand." Shin-chan said honestly, "Every time I feel like I can move a little more, but I don't want to move because it's too tiring."

Might Duy fell silent.

This kid's limit was far deeper than Might Guy's; he might not even have touched his own limit at all.

"Shin-chan." Might Duy crouched down and looked at him seriously, "Will you come again tomorrow?"

Shin-chan hadn't answered yet, but Might Guy had already gotten up.

He looked at Shin-chan with teary eyes, full of anticipation and unease.

"Shin-chan, will... will you come again?"

Shin-chan opened his mouth, wanting to say, "No, it's too tiring."

But he saw Kai's teary eyes and that pitiful expression.

It was even more pitiful than Shiro at that time.

Shin-chan's mouth was open, and the word "no" circled in his mouth before he swallowed it back.

"Uh... that..."

Tears were already welling up in Kai's eyes.

Shin-chan sighed, "Alright, alright, I can't help it with you."

Kai's eyes lit up instantly, "Really?"

"Mhm, really." Shin-chan nodded, "But we can't do this much every day, I'll be exhausted to death."

"Okay, we'll do a little less tomorrow." Kai jumped up happily, even though his legs were trembling.

Might Duy watched this scene, tears streaming down his face.

"Youth, this is the youth of friendship!"

Duy hugged both children, crying and laughing.