This is Youth!

After forcing Danzo to disband Root, Ye Ning finally enjoyed a rare period of peace.

With Tsunade still passed out from drunkenness, Orochimaru busy with his research, and Kurama Dequn away on a mission, all three of his teachers were occupied, leaving him, the student, with a rare vacation.

Ever since arriving in the world of Hokage, Ye Ning had been pushing himself relentlessly, either developing ninjutsu or on the path to doing so. Since the weather was bright and sunny today, he decided to give himself a break.

He had been in Konoha for so long, yet he had never properly wandered around.

Unfortunately, that trashy woman Tsunade wouldn't wake up no matter how much he called her, so Ye Ning had to abandon the idea of rousing her and set off on his own.

His first stop was the Ninja Academy.

It wasn't out of curiosity, but rather because the Ninja Academy was actually located not far from the Senju Clan Grounds.

Just walk down one street and take a turn, and you're there.

Ye Ning had intended to take a quick look and leave, but he hadn't expected his casual stroll to lead him to a familiar face.

With a head of spiky hair and orange goggles perched on his forehead, the boy was smiling foolishly at the girl beside him. The girl, who had strange markings on her face, wore a gentle smile, making it obvious at a glance that she was a kind-hearted girl.

Ye Ning clicked his tongue subconsciously.

Hiss...

Just going out for a walk, and I run into the king of pure love?

Thinking about it, it wasn't that strange to encounter Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara at the Ninja Academy.

After all, they weren't geniuses like Kakashi, who could graduate from the Ninja Academy at the tender age of five.

But come to think of it, they should only be six years old right now, right...?

Ugh...

People in Hokage are truly precocious; they start thinking about romance at six.

Ye Ning took a casual glance and then turned to leave.

He needed to stay far away from Obito Uchiha.

Heaven knows when exactly he would be targeted by Madara Uchiha and Black Zetsu.

Before his Kekkei Tōta was fully developed, Ye Ning had no desire to provoke those two troublesome fellows.

Ye Ning wandered aimlessly through Konoha, but as he walked, he suddenly realized a serious problem.

He didn't know the way!

He was lost!

Looking around at the completely unfamiliar buildings and finding himself at a crossroads, Ye Ning couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

What the hell, I go out for a casual walk and I actually manage to get lost?

Now, which direction should he go?

Ye Ning shook his head helplessly, decided to close his eyes, picked a direction at random, and walked straight ahead.

But soon, Ye Ning realized he had picked the wrong path.

The further he went, the sparser the crowd became, and Ye Ning even spotted a forest ahead.

Beside the forest stood a slightly dilapidated wooden shack.

Other than the shack, there were no other buildings in the vicinity.

Approaching the edge of the forest, Ye Ning heard faint sounds emanating from within. The noise was ethereal, yet carried a hint of pain, which immediately piqued his curiosity.

Following the source of the sound, Ye Ning finally discovered where it was coming from.

A kid wrapped in a deep green training suit, sporting a bowl cut, was supporting his body with a single finger on the ground, struggling to perform push-ups.

The sound he had heard earlier was exactly the noise the kid made while exerting himself.

Is this... Might Guy?

Ye Ning tilted his head, his face showing confusion.

Shouldn't Guy have already enrolled by this period?

The Ninja Academy wasn't on break today, so why wasn't he at school, and why was he here instead?

Noticing the damp ground beside Guy, Ye Ning quickly realized that he had been training here for a long time.

"Four hundred ninety-eight... four hundred ninety-nine... five hundred!"

Might Guy squeezed out the last bit of strength in his body, finally finishing the five hundred push-ups, and collapsed limply onto the ground, yet his face was filled with satisfaction.

Hidden in the shadows of the trees, Ye Ning watched the small figure quietly.

How should one describe Might Guy?

The "Liver Emperor" of Konoha, the man who nearly kicked the series finale into existence, the Blue Beast of Konoha, the Rare Beast...

These were all labels used to evaluate him.

But if it were up to Ye Ning, he would rather call Might Guy a genius of hard work.

He lacked the ninjutsu talent of Kakashi, performing even the most basic Three Basic Techniques poorly, yet through his own efforts, he became the 'Might Guy' recognized by everyone.

The hardships required to achieve this are far beyond what an ordinary person could imagine.

At the very least, Ye Ning found it hard to imagine.

He considered his own training to be quite diligent, but when compared to Might Guy's near-masochistic training methods, his own routine was far too relaxed.

Just as Ye Ning was lost in thought, Might Guy finished a brief rest and climbed up from the ground once more, assuming a handstand position and using his hands as support to walk instead of his feet.

Because he was severely exhausted, Might Guy's form was unstable, his body swaying as if he might collapse at any moment.

Ye Ning could no longer restrain himself; he jumped down from the tree and landed in front of Might Guy.

"If you keep training like this, your body won't be able to take it."

Might Guy froze for a moment, then straightened up, his face full of confusion:

"Who are you?"

"Ye Ning. And you? What is your name?"

The corners of Might Guy's mouth curled up wildly, revealing a row of sparkling white teeth:

"Might Guy! I will become a man stronger than anyone else!"

Ye Ning nodded.

"If you keep training like this, your body won't be able to take it. Besides, you're a student at the Ninja Academy, right? It's not a holiday today, so why aren't you in class?"

"Eh? Eh? Today isn't a day off?"

Might Guy's expression instantly turned to one of horror. "I thought there were no classes today! Oh no, oh no, oh no!"

"Ye... Ye Ning, right? I'll remember you. Thanks for the reminder!"

Might Guy hurriedly prepared to run off to class, his panicked expression making Ye Ning chuckle to himself.

"Are you planning on going like that?"

Ye Ning pointed to the wounds on Might Guy's body caused by his self-abusive training and said softly, "You should treat those first."

"Eh? You can heal wounds?"

"Although I haven't learned any advanced medical ninjutsu, these minor injuries are no problem."

Unlike when facing Kakashi, Ye Ning felt no desire to tease Might Guy.

Kakashi's personality was indifferent and arrogant, so a bit of teasing wasn't a bad thing. But Might Guy was different; at this stage, he was in a sensitive period of self-doubt, and what he needed more was encouragement.

"Might Guy, do you train like this every day?"

"Yes! I believe that as long as I work hard, one day I will be able to surpass those geniuses!"

"Even if it's painful and exhausting, you have no regrets?"

"Regrets? No, I have no regrets. Because this is youth!"