Burning "Youth"

Late November, 43rd year of the Konoha era. Stimulated by the 6-year-old Chunin Hatake Kakashi, the training craze at the Ninja Academy continued unabated.

During the weekend break, more youths chose to head to the training grounds; even as the weather turned cold, it could not dampen their enthusiasm for exercise.

Obito Uchiha, who ranked at the bottom of his theory classes, gradually began to reveal his talent in practical combat, while the substitute student Might Guy became an honor student, excelling in both theory and practice!

"...496..."

"...497..."

"...498..."

"..."

Watching Might Guy, who had broken past 500 laps and was still running, the few people slumped on the sidelines were completely numb; no one was laughing at Guy anymore.

"This guy is a genius too!"

Sarutobi Asuma wore an expression of admiration, staring at the green figure as he praised him in a low voice. Beside him, Ebisu was still clutching his knees and panting heavily, but after straightening up, he agreed:

"Yeah, Ryosuke-sensei was right. Guy will become an excellent ninja in the future."

In one year, Might Guy had overturned the prejudices his classmates held against him, his visible progress earning him frequent praise from the teachers.

Completely admitting defeat, Genma Shiranui took off his headband and slumped to the ground. Thinking that Might Guy would likely graduate early next April, he said sourly:

"A genius through hard work? Although I don't quite agree, Ryosuke-sensei was right."

"Not everyone can constantly break through their own limits; after all, we are still just children."

Talented youths could always stand out in the academy and receive special attention from the teachers.

Regarding this situation, no one had any objections.

Just like how Shu Furukawa was highly regarded by Tsunade, one of the Sannin; when this was mentioned, his peers only felt honored and proud.

With his hands behind his head, Asuma looked at the sky dyed orange-red. As the son of the Hokage, it was not easy to be compared to geniuses.

"What are you thinking about? Asuma, you are already outstanding; there's nothing wrong with graduating a few years later."

Kurenai Yuhi suddenly poked her head out above Asuma. Seeing the girl's concerned eyes, the boy subconsciously dodged to the side, saying somewhat embarrassedly:

"It's just that I'm a bit unwilling to accept it. Kurenai, thank you..."

He didn't fully voice what was in his heart; Asuma actually craved his father's affection more, but the Third Hokage was too busy and mostly only concerned himself with his eldest son.

The two began their usual intimate conversation. Seeing this, Obito felt a sourness in his heart for some reason; although Rin cared about him, she rarely acted this close...

"What is this! It's just graduating early! Even if it's a few years later, I will catch up to these guys by the Chunin stage!"

Feeling uncomfortable from being "shown off" to, Obito began to complain loudly again. Before anyone else could respond, the running Might Guy immediately gave everyone a thumbs up:

"That's right! This is the burning of youth!"

"Geniuses are working hard, and I don't want to lose to them in effort."

"If I can't finish 800 laps, I'll do another 500 laps of handstand walking!"

For a moment, everyone on the scene fell silent. The youth-burning Might Guy had struck them down again; the substitute student had successfully completed his comeback.

In the evening, at Training Ground 3, Hatake Sakumo watched the two small figures colliding back and forth, a satisfied smile appearing on his face once again.

"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"

The moment he retreated to dodge, Shu Furukawa, still in mid-air, spat out a powerful stream of water, submerging his opponent in the blink of an eye.

Under the impact, Kakashi stumbled, his entire body soaked by the water. Before he could counterattack, a sudden arc of electricity left his body numb.

Kneeling on the ground, Kakashi couldn't believe his opponent still had the stamina to continuously release ninjutsu at this moment. By the time he wanted to organize a counterattack, Shu Furukawa had already arrived behind him.

"Truly excellent ninjutsu talent, and your chakra reserves are also quite outstanding!"

"Don't be discouraged, Kakashi. Shu just utilized his advantages; you should have noticed these things sooner."

Seeing his son looking unwilling after the Seal of Reconciliation, Hatake Sakumo couldn't help but smile and comfort him.

During the previous swordplay contest, Kakashi had rarely held the upper hand, and the constant pressure had caused the boy to overlook the issue of chakra.

Sheathing his short blade back on his back, Shu Furukawa did not show a smug expression. He was still more adept at using kunai; after all, the experience he [Collected] did not include swordplay.

"That was amazing, Kakashi. The short blade was completely suppressed by you."

Hearing the praise, Kakashi felt a little happy after seeing Shu Furukawa's sincere smile, but he still turned his head and pretended to be indifferent as he replied:

"I just practiced for longer."

"Father, is there any way to increase chakra reserves?"

"There's no need for a child to pursue such things. You don't need to push yourself at this age."

Ruffling his son's hair, Hatake Sakumo smiled gently. The village currently didn't need children under 10 to go to the battlefield, so there was no need to pursue power so early.

As the group left the training ground, Shu Furukawa, who was constantly chatting with Kakashi, recalled the changes in his chakra reserves during this period.

The amount of chakra he could extract instantly had increased, and his body's recovery ability had also improved along with it. Currently, he possessed "1.5 Kakashis" worth of chakra.

It was impossible to determine whether it was the efficacy of the "Essence" he had gathered or the effect of the "Essence" on cultivating medicinal herbs.

In any case, the "Secret Medicine" he crafted had indeed altered his body, though the Sage Chakra differed significantly from what he remembered...

At night, business at Ichiraku Ramen was becoming increasingly booming.

The endless stream of customers brought a look of deep satisfaction to young Teuchi's face, his eyes perpetually squinted into thin slits.

"Master Sakumo, it seems all the Jonin have been out on missions lately?"

Shu Furukawa, who had ordered a bowl of tonkotsu ramen, turned his head to ask. Hatake Sakumo nodded, responding with his usual gentle smile:

"The number of requests has simply increased. Don't worry, the village will take good care of all of you."

Having spent nearly three months on missions away from home, Kakashi let out a rare complaint upon hearing the word "requests":

"Many clients specifically request Father, without any consideration for his need to rest."

"This is the life of a ninja. As long as it can bolster the village's prestige, every ninja will give their all."

After saying this, Hatake Sakumo laughed heartily, clearly very proud of being able to contribute to the village. Even the diners nearby joined in with praise:

"It is thanks to Lord Sakumo that we can live like this!"

"The White Fang of the Leaf is synonymous with a successful mission!"

"Ninjas from other countries don't have a reputation like Lord Sakumo's..."

"..."

Amidst the chorus of praise, Shu Furukawa wore a look of reverence on his face, though he was secretly pondering in his heart.

Due to his young age, he had been unable to access information on Jonin-level missions. All he knew was that Hatake Sakumo was highly trusted by both the village and the clients, and that his mission schedule had been relentless lately.

Seeing this, Kakashi immediately forgot his earlier displeasure, feeling a surge of pride in his father's achievements.

--

A happy and peaceful life made time fly by.

On January 1st, Konoha Year 44, Shu Furukawa arrived at Tsunade's apartment once again to celebrate the holiday together.

Perhaps because they had spent so much time together, Tsunade no longer bothered to hide her habits. She pulled a deck of cards from her chest and started a game on the very first day of the New Year...

After drawing a string of terrible hands and feeling her pride take a hit, she caught Shizune's concerned gaze. Tsunade laughed heartily, looked at Shu Furukawa, and said earnestly:

"Your card skills are quite good too! Shu, after you graduate, I will officially take you on as my student. You've passed my test over these past two years!"

As the top student in the Medical Corps by a wide margin, Shu Furukawa wore a look of timely excitement and reverence upon hearing Tsunade's words, then composed himself and quickly replied:

"I will continue to work hard, Master!"

"..."