Testing

"Father!"

Might Guy ran all the way from the Ninja Academy, without turning red or breaking a sweat. Might Duy had already built up his strength and endurance through rigorous training!

"Huh? Houka, you're here too!"

Seeing Houka, Guy looked both happy and puzzled.

Might Duy's gaze shifted between the two boys. "Haha, you two are in the same class, right? Perfect. Starting today, Houka will be training with us!"

"Really?" Guy was astonished. Houka was from the Uchiha Clan, whose Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan, was renowned throughout the Ninja World. And yet he was going to train in Taijutsu under Guy's father, an Eternal Genin? It was simply unbelievable.

"Guy, I look forward to training with you." Houka held out his hand.

Guy raised his thick, bushy eyebrows and clasped Houka's hand. "Houka, same here! From now on, let's burn with passion together! Let's burn with youth!!!"

"Uh..." Houka had no idea how to respond. He wore an awkward smile.

"Good. You two start with warm-ups: run ten laps around the Small Woods!" Might Duy pointed.

Guy immediately shouted and turned to start running.

Houka hurried after him.

"Ten laps around the Small Woods. If you can't finish, do ten thousand jumps with a jump rope. If you can't finish those, run three laps around Konoha. If you can't finish that, then..." Guy ran ahead, muttering to himself. Houka caught a bit of it from behind and shuddered.

The Taijutsu training this father and son put themselves through was truly insane. Even most adults couldn't keep up, let alone a six-year-old like Houka.

Thankfully, he had the soul of an adult inside him. Otherwise, this father and son would have worked him to death.

Ten laps made ten thousand meters—not a small distance. But Houka had trained like crazy over the break, and with Chakra at the Genin level, he managed to finish, barely. Guy, however, ran out of strength during the final two laps and couldn't make it.

Might Duy had appeared in front of them at some point. His expression was stern. "Guy, you didn't finish. You know what to do, right?"

"Yes, Father!" Guy panted a couple of times. "If I can't finish running, I have to do ten thousand jumps with a jump rope!"

"Start!" Might Duy tossed over two ropes. One was for Guy, and the other...

Uh, this was awkward.

"Um, Uncle Duy, heh, I finished, didn't I?" Houka said, putting on a childish act.

"Hmm? You finished? But Guy didn't!" Might Duy lectured him with righteous conviction. "You're teammates, so you should stand together through thick and thin. How can you abandon your comrade? So, as punishment, you have to do twenty thousand jumps!"

"..." Houka's hands began to tremble. He could barely stop himself from forming hand seals and hurling a Great Fireball at Might Duy's face.

This was bullying—too much bullying!

"Houka, this is what it means to burn with youth!" Guy shouted, swiftly grabbing his rope and starting to jump. The rope whirred so quickly it became a blur.

Although he had just been exhausted, Guy had clearly recovered after resting for a while.

Houka sighed. What could he do? He was helpless.

He picked up the rope and began jumping listlessly.

Might Duy glared at him from beneath his thick eyebrows and scolded him. "Houka, don't act like you haven't eaten! This is training. Give it everything you've got!"

Houka paused, then looked at Guy thoughtfully.

In the original story, Guy had seemed like a side character early on, utterly useless. He couldn't perform flashy ninjutsu or mysterious Genjutsu. Aside from a few moves—Leaf Whirlwind, Leaf Great Whirlwind, and Leaf Strong Whirlwind—he seemed like nothing but dead weight. But later, when he faced powerful Akatsuki members and the fearsome Six Paths Madara, Guy displayed overwhelming power. Where had it all come from?

Houka tightened his grip on the rope and started jumping faster.

Might Duy nodded in satisfaction, then said, "If you make a mistake, you start over!"

"Ah!" Houka stumbled as the rope caught his feet.

"Start counting from the beginning!" Might Duy said without hesitation.

"...No problem!" What else could Houka say?

Around nine that evening, Houka dragged his exhausted body into the Uchiha Clan's district. Most of the stalls along the road had closed, leaving only the dim yellow glow of the streetlamps to illuminate the desolate streets.

As Houka walked along, he gradually realized something was wrong.

Wasn't this the streetlamp I just passed? Why is it here again?

Why have I been walking for so long without reaching home?

Might Duy had worked Houka to the point of utter exhaustion, but his mind was still clear.

He stopped and looked around. A few utility poles lined either side of the road, their dim lights shining down. There was an intersection not far ahead, and every house around it was dark, like something out of a ghost town.

Houka walked forward step by step. Soon, he reached the intersection and continued on. His eyes widened when he saw another identical intersection ahead, with the same familiar utility poles standing along the road.

A ghostly loop?

No, this was Genjutsu!

The Fox Mind Technique?

The Fox Mind Technique was a technique that trapped its victim in a maze, making them unknowingly walk in circles. It was a very simple Genjutsu.

The Chakra inside Houka's body suddenly began to flow faster, then slowed down. He repeated this several times, but nothing around him changed!

Frowning, he continued forward. Beyond the intersection, another identical one appeared!

Houka realized something.

This was definitely no ordinary Genjutsu!

Ordinary Genjutsu could be dispelled simply by changing the flow of Chakra in one's body.

This Genjutsu... was probably being cast through the Sharingan!

Houka narrowed his eyes as thoughts flashed through his mind.

Could it be Uchiha Fugaku?

But he had no reason to target Houka. When they had met at Konoha Hospital, Fugaku had even praised him.

Could it be Danzo's Root?

The Uchiha Clan was certainly no monolith. Even the most exceptional clan had its share of scoundrels, and it wouldn't be surprising if there were a few Uchiha among Danzo's Root operatives.

Most importantly, was the person behind this testing him, or planning to... kill him?

Houka's hair stood on end. Although his Chakra was at the Genin level, that didn't mean his combat ability was.

He was nowhere near qualified, whether in terms of combat experience, the ninjutsu he knew, or anything else!

At that moment, Houka even felt an urge to open his Sharingan. He was sure he could see through the Genjutsu with it, but the risk would be far too great!

Just then, a breeze swept past.

Houka's whole body stiffened. His Sharingan nearly opened.

Wind? Where had it come from?

Then Houka noticed the streetlamps around him changing. Their light twisted, then returned to normal.

Several figures hurried past nearby, glancing back at him now and then, seemingly wondering why the child kept walking in circles.

Houka was drenched in a cold sweat. He didn't dare linger and hurried home as fast as he could. (To be continued)