White Fang of Konoha

At the crack of dawn the next day.

Might Duy's training was absolute, extreme training—no, it was the extreme of the extreme, commonly known as courting death!

Houka didn't even know how many times he had suffered cramps; his hands and feet were so sore they had gone numb, and his heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. He felt like he was going to die in the next second.

Under a nearby tree lay some weighted sandbags; under such extreme exercise, these weights were nothing but a burden.

"Houka, are you already at your limit?" Might Duy shouted at Houka while holding a bowl of toxic chicken soup. "Look up, the morning sun is rising, the earth is regaining its vitality—this is the power of youth! Let us burn together!!!"

Burn your sister, I really can't do it anymore!

As a Medical Ninja, Houka knew his own body very well; if he kept training like this, he would truly be done for.

Guy's condition was about the same as his, lying nearby and unable to move. The two of them had broken through their physical limits several times during this morning's training, making great progress, but the toll was also high. Especially regarding the damage to their bodies—if not handled carefully, it could easily leave hidden dangers and become chronic injuries!

Might Duy tried to feed the toxic chicken soup to his own son, Guy, again, but unfortunately, even his own son wasn't holding up this time.

"Alright, let's end this morning's training here. Hmm, looking at the time, it's about right. You two should hurry to school for class!" Might Duy revealed his pearly white teeth and said, "After school, gather here as fast as you can. We are going to have some devilish training!!!"

Houka painfully closed his eyes.

The brothers-in-misery arrived at the Ninja Academy having exhausted their last bit of strength. They spent the entire morning's lessons basically slumped over their desks.

Houka squinted his eyes, circulating his Chakra through his body to repair the swelling in his meridians and soothe the muscle strains in his arms and legs.

During the past vacation, Houka had thought he was working hard, but compared to Might Duy's training, he was truly at the level of a three-year-old child.

No wonder Guy is so strong in the later stages, even making Six Paths Madara scream in agony; his dedication is worthy of such a reward.

At lunch, Obito, Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, Rin, and Asuma Sarutobi very naturally came over to share the bento that Houka had prepared himself.

"Hey, Houka, you've been listless all morning. You must have been training way too hard!" Obito said, spraying rice grains everywhere as he shoveled food into his mouth.

"Training? What kind of training?" Rin asked curiously, dodging Obito's flying rice.

Uchiha Obito answered every question: "Houka has been training his Taijutsu outside; he went out early this morning."

Asuma Sarutobi looked at Houka, then at Guy. The exhaustion on both of their faces was cut from the same cloth, and he instantly guessed that Houka was following Guy's father, Might Duy, to train in Taijutsu.

But wasn't Might Duy an Eternal Genin?

Following him for Taijutsu training?

Asuma Sarutobi looked at Houka with a puzzled expression.

The reputation of the Eternal Genin was famous throughout Konoha, though, of course, it wasn't a good reputation; it carried a tone of ridicule.

Houka said nonchalantly, "Taijutsu training is naturally very hard; there's nothing to be surprised about."

"Houka, my dad says that Taijutsu training can damage the body, so you should rest more," Kurenai Yuhi said with a naive, cute expression.

"Mm, thanks for the concern." Houka felt a warmth in his heart.

Guy's eating speed was no slower than Obito's, and upon hearing this, he said, "Don't worry, with my dad around, Houka will definitely be fine!"

"Eh, your dad?" Except for Asuma, the others stared wide-eyed at Guy and Houka.

"Hey, hey, don't tell me, Houka, you..." Obito had an expression of disbelief.

How could Houka be following the Eternal Genin Might Duy for Taijutsu training? This was too unbelievable.

As soon as Guy saw their expressions, he immediately shouted, "Even though my dad is a Genin, his strength is very high! He is an excellent Taijutsu ninja!"

In a child's heart, their father is always the strongest! Even after being lectured by Masamune Hyuga countless times, he still firmly believed this to be true.

"I also think Uncle Might Duy is very strong!" Houka said with a look of agreement.

Guy looked over with instant gratitude.

Obito opened his mouth to say more, but was interrupted.

A chaotic sound of footsteps came from outside the classroom, accompanied by cursing, and several rather familiar figures appeared at the door.

"Uchiha Houka, get out here!"

A group of delinquent kids shouted loudly, their target pointed directly at Houka.

"It's you!" Obito's face changed the moment he saw the leader. "Uchiha Ronai!"

During the vacation, he had led people to beat Obito up, and it was Houka who had intervened to save him. He hadn't expected him to come looking for trouble just a few days into the new semester.

Uchiha Ronai was very arrogant, walking over with his head held high and chest puffed out. But as he swept his gaze across the room, he suddenly wilted.

Damn it, why is Asuma Sarutobi eating with Uchiha Houka!

As the son of a deputy captain of the Konoha Police Force, Uchiha Ronai knew Asuma Sarutobi's true identity. With the two of them standing together, the difference between them was like clouds and mud.

"Cough, cough! That, just came over to say hello!" Uchiha Ronai couldn't save face, and he felt awkward. Finally, unable to contain his anger, he pointed at Houka and shouted, "Uchiha Houka, the matter from the vacation isn't over yet! You'd better watch your back!"

After saying that, he ran out looking disgraced.

The group of lackeys looked at each other, and eventually, they all scurried away.

Houka looked at Asuma thoughtfully, then shrugged and said, "It's fine, let's eat."

At the same time, in a large hall within the Hokage Building in Konoha, this was the place where ninjas handed in missions. It was very lively, and ninjas who were rarely seen in daily life were everywhere here; one could see a Jonin every now and then.

"Ueda, please, just let me take this B-rank mission!" Might Duy pleaded bitterly with the young ninja in charge of issuing missions, Matsushima Ueda, "I can definitely complete this task brilliantly!"

Matsushima Ueda replied with displeasure: "No! You are a genin; you can only accept up to C-rank missions!"

"But, but..." Might Duy argued, "This mission is a piece of cake for me, it's not difficult at all!"

"Might Duy, this is a rule set by the Hokage. Do you want to defy it?" Matsushima Ueda slammed the table and shouted, "Stop getting in my way and just honestly accept a D-rank mission, you Eternal Genin!"

An expression of anger appeared on Might Duy's face, but the Will of Fire burning fiercely within his heart restrained him, leaving him feeling extremely stifled.

"Haha, a mere genin wants to take a B-rank mission? Heh, Might Duy, you underestimate the strength of a chunin!" A ninja from the Hyuga clan walked over, his tone mocking and filled with disdain for Might Duy.

"What did you say?!" Might Duy clenched his fists, furious.

"I said, your Taijutsu is too weak. You'd better give up on your dream of becoming a chunin early, hahahaha..." He laughed wildly and said to Matsushima Ueda, "I'll take this B-rank mission!"

"Bastard!" Might Duy suppressed the anger in his body, trembling slightly.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind and rested on Might Duy's shoulder.

Might Duy was startled; although he was angry, his physical alertness remained constant. If this hand could rest on his shoulder so easily, it could just as easily have slit his throat.

Might Duy turned his head abruptly and saw a face that could make ninjas across the entire shinobi world pale.

White Fang of Konoha! (To be continued)