The Me of Tomorrow Will Be Nothing Like the Me of Today

The fierce, hard-hitting clash between the two was as swift as a sudden storm, instantly drawing the attention of everyone nearby.

Those who had already made plans to head home were caught by the unexpected duel. Before long, they were drawn toward the spot where the two were sparring.

People seemed to have a natural curiosity about anything exciting, especially when they were young, full of energy, and in the bloom of youth.

Even as the crowd around them grew, Hayato and Guy seemed oblivious to the spectators, completely absorbed in their back-and-forth exchange.

Hayato secretly rejoiced. He knew that having a sparring partner would make his Taijutsu training progress much faster.

With a thought, he sped up his movements, launching a relentless assault on Guy like a howling gale and driving him back again and again under unprecedented pressure.

Yet even as he seemed to be pushed to the brink, Guy was filled with joy and excitement.

Just as I thought—you're the rival fate chose for me!

He cried out inwardly, brimming with anticipation and enthusiasm for the duel.

Hayato's fists cut through the air with sharp, whistling force, keeping Guy firmly on the defensive. At last, he finished with a powerful Two-Forms Peak, defeating Guy cleanly and decisively.

Despite losing, Guy wasn't discouraged. He brushed the dust off himself and looked at Hayato with a bright smile. "My youth won't end here, Hayato! Next time, I'll definitely beat you!"

At that, Hayato simply smiled and replied calmly, "Anytime."

Sensing Hayato's sincerity and goodwill, Guy stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder with a grin. "The me of tomorrow will be nothing like the me of today. You'd better watch out."

With that, he jogged away, secretly resolving to train harder so he could redeem himself in their next spar.

Hayato watched Guy leave, then turned to Kurenai, who had been watching from the sidelines. He took her hand and led her through the crowd, and they walked away side by side.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the ground. The way their hands were clasped seemed to draw them closer together.

After they had run some distance, Hayato let go of Kurenai's hand and looked back at her, noticing that she seemed distracted. Smiling, he asked, "What's wrong? You seem a little out of it."

"Huh? N-no, it's nothing." Kurenai came back to her senses, her eyes darting about as her heart pounded like a startled fawn. Behind her back, her hands fidgeted helplessly.

Hayato stepped closer and gently patted her on the head with a smile. "See you tomorrow, then!"

"Mm... See you tomorrow." Kurenai's voice was barely a whisper, but a bashful blush spread across her cheeks.

After saying goodbye to Kurenai, Hayato went over to Misaki, and the two of them left the school together. Misaki eyed Hayato's knowing smile and teased him mischievously. "Well, well, look at you holding hands with a girl today."

Embarrassed by his mother's teasing, Hayato scratched his head. "It was a special circumstance... a special circumstance."

Misaki seemed to have discovered a whole new world. She had never seen her son so flustered before, and couldn't help giggling behind her hand. Then she turned to Kurenai, nodded, and gave her an approving, encouraging look.

Kurenai hadn't left yet. When she met Misaki's gaze, she quickly nodded and smiled back.

"What's going on? Did that boy bully you?" Shinku's voice suddenly came from beside Kurenai, making her jump.

Shinku had also been waiting by the gate, and had seen Hayato holding his daughter's hand.

Kurenai hurriedly turned around and waved both hands as she explained, "Dad, it's not what you think!"

Shinku sighed helplessly and shook his head. "Never mind. Let's go home." Still, he couldn't help feeling that his once-sweet little girl was growing up and slipping away from him.

After some time, Hayato had already returned home.

He had escaped Misaki's prying questions and was now sitting upright at the dining table, enjoying dinner.

Beside him, Misaki shared the day's amusing events with her husband. "Honey, you won't believe it—our son really stood out today."

Hayato kept his eyes lowered, saying nothing. Silence was his only refuge that evening.

After a hearty meal, Hayato stood up to leave the table. The Shota couple said nothing more, still caught up in their gossip.

"That's my boy! Too bad I was busy today. Otherwise, I'd have had a front-row seat," Shota said, sounding regretful.

At that, Hayato stumbled. Good grief, I'm only three. Still, I have to admit my family is pretty open-minded.

They didn't interfere with his choice of friends, which made him feel respected.

He knew that children in the world of Naruto grew up fast. Their maturity must have a lot to do with how they were raised.

Thinking back to the early relationships he had considered poison in his previous life, he couldn't help feeling fortunate to live in such an open-minded environment.

After gathering his thoughts, Hayato returned to his room.

He began reviewing his spar with Guy, as he always did.

He carefully recalled where he had fallen short and the flaws in his use of Baji Quan. He knew he couldn't rely too heavily on formulaic moves in battle; he had to adapt to the situation.

He also thought about how he had distributed and used his strength.

After writing down each of his shortcomings, he noted possible remedies beside them.

Then he took out the scroll the Grand Elder had given him and immersed himself in studying it once more.

In a world where strength ruled above all, he knew that he had to keep improving if he wanted to survive.

Time always flew by when he was studying. Before long, Misaki came to tell him it was time for bed.

Once he was lying in bed, Hayato opened the system interface again to check it.

Unfortunately, the main screen was still showing what it had after he claimed his previous reward.

No new quest interface had appeared.

He shook his head helplessly, closed the system interface, and soon fell fast asleep.

The days that followed flowed by like water. He went back and forth between school and home, and after four days, the first weekend finally arrived.

"Hayato, what are you doing this weekend?" As the dismissal bell rang, Kurenai packed her schoolbag and turned to ask him.

"The weekend? Training, of course," Hayato answered without hesitation.

At that, Kurenai's little head drooped.

"Aw, training again? We're still young. Do we really need to push ourselves so hard?"

Seeing that, Hayato tapped her lightly on the head.

"Don't tap my head. It'll make me stupid."

Hayato only smiled faintly. "I seem to remember someone once saying that her dream was to become a kunoichi like Lady Tsunade. Was that just talk?"

Kurenai lowered her head awkwardly and protested, "It wasn't!" But inside, she was secretly pleased that Hayato still remembered her dream.

Hayato could tell from Kurenai's hesitant expression that she wanted to say more.

After thinking it over, he said, "I probably won't have time tomorrow morning. But I can take the afternoon off. You need a balance between work and rest."

Hearing that Hayato was free, Kurenai brightened and quickly said, "Perfect! A few classmates and I are going on an outing just outside the village tomorrow. They asked me to invite you."

Actually, I'm the one who wants to invite you, Kurenai added inwardly.

Hayato considered it for a moment, then agreed.

"Sure, I'll come too."

Since he had enrolled in the Ninja Academy, there was no avoiding socializing. After all, they were classmates.

They saw each other every day, anyway.

"Don't you want to ask who else is coming?" Kurenai asked curiously, tilting her head.

"Doesn't matter. As long as you're there," Hayato replied with a casual wave and a smile.

At that, Kurenai's face immediately turned red. But she was secretly delighted.

The two of them agreed on a meeting place, then went home separately.