Naruto felt helpless. Maybe he should just ask a passerby for directions?
"Excuse me, sir?"
In front of the bookstore, Naruto spotted a man dressed like a ninja. A Konoha ninja ought to know plenty of people.
The man Naruto had called "sir" had gray-white hair. His Forehead Protector and mask covered most of his face, leaving only his right eye visible. His skin was fair.
The man bent slightly at the waist, squinting at the manga in the bookstore window.
"Are you a ninja, sir? Do you know someone named Might Guy?" Naruto called loudly. "If you tell me, I can introduce you to the Fourth Hokage. I'll make sure you rise through the ranks and become an influential figure in Konoha."
The man turned around. When he saw Naruto, he recognized him at once. "The Might Guy you're looking for may show up very soon."
As soon as he finished speaking,
a man with a watermelon-shaped haircut and a Green Spandex Suit appeared with a spin. "Kakashi! Let's have a match!"
"There! That's Might Guy." Kakashi had once been assigned to guard Kushina Uzumaki during her labor. He was one of the people who had seen Naruto's birth, and he was also a disciple of Minato Namikaze. He knew exactly what Naruto looked like.
Kakashi couldn't figure out why Naruto was looking for Might Guy.
They didn't know each other, did they?
Naruto felt an instant kinship with Might Guy. "Teacher Guy, I want to learn from you. Please take me on as your student!"
Kakashi was stunned. Naruto's behavior was so out of the ordinary that it left him dumbfounded.
Might Guy raised his right hand and gave a thumbs-up. "That's youth! I'm so moved. What's your name, little guy?"
"Naruto Uzumaki."
"Good! Naruto Uzumaki, from today onward, you're my student. Hard work and training—that's what youth is all about!" Might Guy was straightforward. He would never turn away a child eager to learn.
Naruto hadn't expected it to be so easy. He ran over to Might Guy. "Teacher Guy, I want to learn the strongest techniques."
He couldn't ask to learn the Eight Inner Gates right away. That would cause unnecessary trouble.
"Naruto, training takes things one step at a time. Today, let's start by running around the village on our hands." Might Guy set off first, thrilled to have Naruto as his student.
Even a child had chosen him as a teacher instead of Kakashi. Might Guy felt he had won their contest by a landslide.
Naruto stood there, stunned.
Strange people did strange things. It made sense.
He'd follow and see what happened. Naruto started running.
Kakashi watched Naruto's figure grow smaller in the distance and wished him well. But when he thought about Minato-sensei's own son becoming Might Guy's student, a smile naturally appeared on his face.
By the time Naruto caught up to the Konoha gates, Might Guy had already run a full lap around the village on his hands.
"Teacher Guy, wait a moment!" Naruto called. "I have a few questions for you."
Might Guy abruptly stopped.
"Teacher Guy, can you tell me why this place is called Konoha? What kind of world is this? And how can you run so fast?"
Might Guy flipped upright. "Naruto, since you're so eager to learn, your teacher will certainly answer your questions."
Might Guy began explaining the world and the life of a ninja as he understood them.
After that fascinating lesson, Naruto finally gained his first basic understanding of the Naruto world.
"Teacher Guy, how do I draw out and sense the chakra inside me?"
Might Guy flipped onto his hands again. "Come on. Let's start by standing on our hands."
Naruto awkwardly tried to copy him.
"Close your eyes and focus. Can you feel a force moving through your body?" Might Guy said slowly. "That's chakra."
"Everyone has a limited amount of chakra. A ninja trains to control it and achieve Chakra Nature Transformation. But besides that, we also train in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Sealing Jutsu, and Summoning Jutsu."
"Once we've learned it all, with perseverance and hard work, we can become the most youthful ninjas around."
Naruto closed his eyes. His head felt a little heavy, but when he focused, he seemed to sense a ball of fire flickering inside him, its shimmering light circulating through his body.
Notice.
Host: Naruto Uzumaki.
Ninjutsu: None.
Taijutsu: Eight Gates (Harmless Version)
Sealing Jutsu: None.
Summoning Jutsu: None.
Chakra Natures: Wind, Fire, Lightning, Earth, Water, Yang.
Remaining Chakra: 100%.
Chakra Control: 0%
Chakra Nature Transformation: None.
A pleasant surprise.
Naruto felt he'd made the right choice. Might Guy really was a good teacher.
"Teacher Guy, I can sense chakra now. How do I use it?"
Naruto didn't think standing on his hands was difficult.
Not far from the gate, Kakashi watched Might Guy teach Naruto about being a ninja while secretly reading Icha Icha Paradise.
Might Guy demonstrated. "Using chakra for Taijutsu is very simple. Concentrate it, let it flow, then release it."
"Concentrate it in your palm, and you can shatter stone with a single blow. Let it flow through the soles of your feet, and you can walk on water. Release it beyond your body, and you can attack or defend."
"Teacher Guy, I understand." Naruto pictured Goku training his ki in Dragon Ball. The principle was the same. Once the idea clicked, everything came easily to Naruto, who had been through countless trials.
Ten minutes later,
Naruto could already use chakra to sprint at high speed, strike with thunderous force, and run up trees and across water.
Notice.
Host: Naruto Uzumaki.
Ninjutsu: None.
Taijutsu: Eight Gates (Harmless Version)
Sealing Jutsu: None.
Summoning Jutsu: None.
Chakra Natures: Wind, Fire, Lightning, Earth, Water, Yang.
Remaining Chakra: 50%.
Chakra Control: 0%
Chakra Nature Transformation: None.
"Teacher Guy, what happens when I run out of chakra?" Naruto asked.
Might Guy was starting to regret taking Naruto on as a student. He had some accomplishments in Taijutsu, but if Naruto wanted to learn Ninjutsu, he didn't have many good techniques to teach him.
"Naruto, when our chakra is nearly gone, our bodies become exhausted and instinctively stop us from using any more. That's because when our chakra runs out, we die," Might Guy explained. "Chakra is constantly replenished, and you can improve how quickly it recovers through hard training."
Naruto said excitedly, "Teacher Guy, please make me a daily training schedule. I know you can't teach me every day, so I need to learn how to train by myself—and then amaze everyone."
Might Guy scooped Naruto up. "That's what youth is all about!"
Naruto spent a delightful afternoon with Might Guy.
When Might Guy brought Naruto home, he learned that Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son. When he left, he was even more excited, with an even greater sense of responsibility.
Naruto, your teacher Guy will make you a ninja who surpasses the Hokage.
Inside the house,
Kushina Uzumaki made Naruto stand obediently on the floor. "How did you meet Guy?"
Naruto's clothes were soaked with sweat. "Mom, I'm already Teacher Guy's student. I'll be training with him from now on."
The day had finally come.
When Kushina Uzumaki heard that Naruto wanted to become a ninja and start training, she felt happy, but she was also worried.
"Naruto, what kind of ninja do you want to become?" Kushina Uzumaki took his hand. "Can you tell Mom?"
Naruto's eyes were clear and sincere. "I'll become a ninja who can always protect you from harm, Mom."
Before you continue