"Youth!!!"
From far away, Shinmoku heard the master and student shouting.
The moment they met and he explained why he'd come, Guy somehow produced a green jumpsuit and held it out to him.
"Excellent!"
With his other hand, Lee gave a thumbs-up and smiled, practically glowing.
I knew it...
"I'll pass. I think our tastes are a little different."
"All right." Guy wouldn't force anyone to wear it.
"We're about to start our next training session. Come join us," Guy said.
"What are we doing?"
"Running five hundred laps."
"Sure."
Shinmoku was about to stretch when he saw them heading out of the training ground.
He followed them all the way to the edge of the village.
"Wait, you mean...?"
"Our next training session is to run five hundred laps around Konoha! If you can't do it, you'll walk another five hundred laps on your hands!"
"Yes, Guy-sensei!" Lee saluted.
"?"
One lap had to be at least ten kilometers. Five hundred laps—that was over a hundred marathons. Could he finish all that in a day?
While Shinmoku was thinking it over, the two green-clad figures had already taken their places at the starting line.
All right!
Let's do this!
Shinmoku steeled himself and took his place beside them.
"Ready!" Guy shouted when he saw Shinmoku in position. "Go!"
Their feet stamped a row of prints into the starting line as all three of them sprinted off.
"Oh! How come there's an extra person today?"
Someone who often watched their training called out from the roadside. Guy answered with his signature smile. Shinmoku could only smile back, and even then, they were moving so fast he could barely make out the man's face.
It was midsummer, and they were exercising intensely. After just two laps, Shinmoku was already sweltering.
He took off his vest and hung it on a tree branch. He'd be passing by again anyway. After another lap, he tossed his T-shirt up there too.
There were people who loved watching a spectacle everywhere. Guy's training sessions were practically a Konoha attraction, and today there was even an Uchiha joining in. Before long, people were calling their friends over, and a crowd had gathered alongside the track in the busier parts of the village.
"Not bad-looking!"
Shinmoku stumbled. Anko's voice was easy to recognize.
But he didn't have the energy to respond.
From afternoon till dusk, they ran without a break.
Then they ran from dusk until night. By then, most of the spectators had left.
For the first couple hundred laps, Shinmoku had managed with physical strength alone. But as the laps wore on, he couldn't keep going, so he covered his body in chakra. He used it only to keep his body functioning and didn't resort to the easier Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
By midnight, the training was finally drawing to a close.
The final lap.
"Ah!!!!"
Shinmoku shouted without a care for appearances as he crossed the finish line. After a few deep breaths, he flopped onto his back.
The stars blanketing the sky were breathtaking.
Then a pretty face, smiling brightly, came into view.
"Are you okay?"
Anko threw his own words back at him, then began looking him up and down.
"Move." Shinmoku reached out and pushed her face aside.
Her chubby cheek felt nice, but it was blocking his view of the stars.
Just then, Guy and Lee, who'd finished their training earlier, walked over.
"Coming back tomorrow?" Guy asked.
"I am!"
"Good. We'll head off, then. I was going to wait and walk you home, but it looks like you won't need that."
Other people had trained with them before, but none had ever completed the whole session. Without exception, they'd all collapsed.
Shinmoku had collapsed too, but he was still conscious. More importantly, someone was already there to take him home.
"Okay. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
His clothes were hanging nearby. After resting for a while, Shinmoku sprang to his feet.
"Hm? You're still here?"
"I was worried you'd fall asleep here. Getting sick would be a pain."
"Thanks. I'll treat you to a meal."
Mostly because he was hungry.
Ichiraku Ramen was still open, though Ayame had taken over from Teuchi behind the counter.
After three large bowls of ramen, he finally felt like he had his strength back.
Anko hadn't eaten much. Maybe his earlier words had affected her, or maybe she simply preferred sweets.
When he got home, Shinmoku hesitated, then stood two meters away from the Flying Thunder God mark.
"Thump!"
He slept soundly.
"Lord Hokage, based on my observations over the past few days, I haven't noticed anything unusual. Not only that, he's also been actively trying to fit into life in Konoha, including..."
Early in the morning, Mitaraishi Anko reported to the Third Hokage.
"Good. I understand."
The Third Hokage was relieved too. The Uchiha Clan had caused too many problems. As Hokage, he had to consider the whole village.
Fortunately, things had turned out well.
This time, Shinmoku was sure Shinna had turned off the light for him.
That's a relief. He let out a breath. She doesn't seem too extreme.
Maybe beating her up will cure her.
His training routine for the month was nearly complete.
In the morning, he learned to weave.
In the afternoon, he refined his ninjutsu.
At dusk, he trained in Taijutsu with Guy.
When he got home, he practiced the Flying Thunder God again.
It was an incredibly full schedule.
The weaving grew gradually more difficult. The afternoon training could get boring when Hinata wasn't around, Taijutsu was torture, and the Flying Thunder God was painful.
Before long, half a month had passed, and Shinmoku's outfit had changed a little.
He'd switched to athletic shoes. He'd worn canvas shoes before because their thin soles made it easier to channel chakra through the ground. The open-toed sandals shinobi wore would've worked too, but Shinmoku didn't like the style.
He'd changed to sneakers for the evening training. The hard soles of his old shoes had been unbearable.
He'd also switched to a breathable synthetic-fiber T-shirt... in white. Otherwise, he'd look no different from Guy and Lee.
"Meow, meow, meow!"
Today's test subject was another cat. It was actually the fifteenth one. At least all the ideas in his head had taken shape... but he was really running out of cats.
It was time to go meet Guy.
With a string of curses ringing in his ears, Shinmoku ended the Summoning Technique and headed down the mountain.
As he passed through a valley, he heard rustling from the bushes. A tuft of white fur and a huge backside were sticking out. Across from the bushes was a waterfall, and women often bathed beneath it.
"..."
This really was the best spot to enjoy the view.
"Enjoying the view?"
Shinmoku asked in a low voice.
"Sure am! It's a great view!"
"?" Realizing the voice wasn't who he'd expected, Jiraiya hurriedly turned around. "You don't know who I am, do you?"
"I won't tell anyone."
"...All right." Jiraiya had no choice but to trust him. "Want to join me?"
"Maybe tomorrow. Today's... only so-so."
"Oh?"
Jiraiya immediately broke into a lecherous grin.
"A kindred spirit!"
"It's all for the sake of art."
"Exactly!" Jiraiya nodded repeatedly. "I never expected to find a kindred spirit in Konoha. What's your name?"
"Uchiha Shinmoku."