Busy

Ruri left a Chunin to watch over the five children while he headed off to Sukiya for lunch.

Although Sukiya currently limited sushi purchases, the newly introduced rice balls had no such restrictions. Ono prepared them himself, and even though they were just simple rice and seaweed, they possessed a unique and distinct flavor.

After enjoying a satisfying lunch, Ruri returned to the Takikage office. Eight hundred laps was no small feat; it required not only the physical stamina to run the distance but also the persistent willpower to see it through. Ruri had confidence in Masashige, who had followed him all the way from the Land of Iron to the Land of Waterfalls, but he figured it would be nightfall by the time the laps were finished. Rather than waiting around, he decided to use the time to catch up on paperwork.

Being the shadow of a village was not just an honor; it was a responsibility. He could not be as carefree as Hashirama, who left almost everything to Tobirama, nor did he possess the Shadow Clone technique to reduce his own workload. He had no choice but to handle everything personally.

"Once the enrollment is finished, I need to put steel production and brewing on the agenda... I wonder if I can make wine using proper fermentation methods. The brewing techniques in this world are simply atrocious..." Ruri muttered. He really wanted to taste wine; the only beverages in this world were sake and poorly made tea, which didn't even taste as refreshing as stream water. Ruri had been dying for a decent drink for years.

Keep it up! Strive for the sake of unlocking cola! Strive for the sake of bringing a joyful beverage to this world! Ruri set cola as a short-term goal. Once the steel and brewing matters were settled, he would look into what achievements he could unlock. He needed to not only improve his own strength but also foster the development of the village.

"Speaking of which, the establishment of the Ninja Academy should count as a massive development for the village, right? Once the school is built, I should be able to claim a reward." Ruri wasn't entirely clear on the village development tasks, but the Ninja Academy was a project that would benefit the village for a century, so it would certainly yield a reward—though likely not as good as an achievement reward.

He stayed busy until the sky turned completely dark, only just finishing all his official duties. Estimating that Masashige was nearing the end of his eight hundred laps, he headed to the open field.

"Lord Takikage." The Chunin guarding the area ran over to report. Only three children remained in the field: two were still running, and one was sitting on the ground watching.

According to the Chunin's report, two of the children who had left gave up after reaching over five hundred laps and were picked up by their parents. Another had left immediately after finishing. As for Yuna, who was sitting on the ground, she had run one hundred laps in intervals, even fainting once during the process. In the end, she gave up, but she hadn't left.

Aside from Masashige, the only other child still persisting was the thick-browed "crane-tail" (failure). According to the Chunin, he had already completed six hundred laps.

It was admirable for a child to have such perseverance. Out of curiosity, Ruri used the system to check the boy's attribute panel and was shocked.

[Name: Takayama Akito]
[Overall Strength: Below Average]
[Talent: Jonin]
[Attribute: Wind]
[Special Ability: None]
[Evaluation: Possesses decent taijutsu talent and perseverance, yet struggles to control his own chakra. An absolute ninjutsu idiot.]

Uh, Ruri felt a sense of déjà vu looking at this panel. Doesn't this sound exactly like Might Guy and Rock Lee?!

After a moment's thought, he realized this was normal. There were many taijutsu geniuses who worked hard, but in an era where ninjutsu defined a ninja, they were often overlooked. Most people like this were labeled as having no talent. Even decades later, if Might Dai hadn't stumbled upon the Eight Inner Gates and used them to severely wound the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, neither his son Guy nor Guy's student Lee would have been taken seriously.

"Lord Takikage, please, I beg you, make him stop!" Just as Ruri was deep in thought, a man with a stubbly beard threw himself onto his knees before him.

"Is that you, Gento? He's your son, right? What's the matter?" Ruri remembered this man as an ordinary Genin with decent taijutsu skills but only one known ninjutsu. He was likely Akito's father.

"Akito... he clearly can't go on, yet he refuses to give up. He says he must enter the Ninja Academy this year, otherwise he'll be over seven years old by next year..." Gento sighed. He had tried to persuade him countless times, telling him the Ninja Academy wasn't a place for people as incompetent as them, but Akito turned a deaf ear.

"Since he is still persisting and still running, even if he is slow, why not let him continue?" Ruri actually admired Akito. He had excellent aptitude and great perseverance. With proper training, he could reach the level of an elite Jonin. If he could find a way to get the Eight Inner Gates from Konoha, he would really take off!

"But..." Gento seemed to have made up his mind. "He has no talent for being a ninja! I know I am an incompetent ninja, and I shouldn't expect Akito to fulfill my own expectations. I can't let my child live out my own failed dreams!"

Ruri understood now. It seemed that Akito's initial efforts were driven by Gento's demands. Gento, feeling like a lifelong Genin, wanted his child to surpass him and pinned his hopes on him, which led to Akito's persistent and grueling training. But things were clearly different now. A child who didn't want to be a ninja wouldn't go to such lengths just for his father's expectations, especially not when his father had already told him to stop.

Years of hard work had transformed his father's expectations into his own. What he was striving to achieve now wasn't just his father's dream; he was proving that his own abilities were no worse than anyone else's.

Ruri sat down with Gento to chat. As an outsider, he saw things more clearly than Gento did. Having seen the experiences of Guy and Lee in the original story, he knew what to do. In a sense, they were all the same kind of people; the genius of hard work should never be denied.

As they talked, Masashige finished his eight hundred laps. Even for him, reaching the end had brought him to his limit, and he was fueled entirely by the conviction in his heart.

"Teacher, I didn't let you down!" Masashige panted as he ran up to Ruri.

"Well done. Come home with me." Ruri patted Masashige on the shoulder. Because he had been wearing a mask the entire time, running eight hundred laps had been even more grueling for him than for the others.

Yuna walked over from the side, holding a cup of water from somewhere, and handed it to Masashige. Masashige couldn't easily remove his mask, so he took the water and poured it over his head.

"Thanks, Yuna!" Masashige returned the cup to Yuna and looked at Ruri. "Teacher, can we drop her off at home first?"

Ruri nodded. It was so late, and for Yuna to be out here without her family—there had to be a story there.

"Doichi, if this child finishes his eight hundred laps, count him as having passed." Ruri pointed at Akito, then turned to Gento. "Gento, if Akito can finish his eight hundred laps before the night is through, I will personally instruct him."

Personally instruct him? Even if it wasn't taking him on as a disciple, the person speaking was the Takikage! The last shred of hesitation in Gento's heart vanished, replaced by support for his son. "Akito, your talent is greater than your father's! You can definitely do it!"

For some reason, Akito's pace seemed to grow a little firmer.