When Samu Kokaze finished cleaning up the shop and stepped outside, the sky was already bright.
Squinting at the sun hanging high in the sky, a smile appeared on his handsome little face.
"Xiaofeng, why did you get up so late today? Are you sick?" Uncle Okamoto from the breakfast shop across the street looked over when he heard the door open.
"I'm fine. I got too absorbed in carving something this morning. As soon as I finished, I came to eat at your place, Uncle Okamoto!" Samu Kokaze said with a grin as he walked over.
"You little brat!" Okamoto laughed and scolded, setting the food he had prepared long ago onto the table. "I had it ready for you already. A child living on his own needs to be more careful. Yesterday, I saw that child the village hates standing outside your shop for a long time. You should watch out."
"He's my friend! He's not a monster, Uncle Okamoto!" Samu Kokaze looked up from his meal and said earnestly.
"Keep your voice down!" Okamoto shouted. He glanced toward the now-empty room and sighed in relief before continuing.
"Sigh! I know that child can't possibly be a monster. Even Lord Hokage issued a gag order. But the families of those who died in that incident won't care whether he really is that monster. They've transferred their hatred for that monster onto that child. You'd better..."
"Sigh! Forget it. You're a stubborn kid. Even if I said more, you probably wouldn't listen!" Okamoto muttered, then sighed and looked at Samu Kokaze with a headache.
Listening to Okamoto, Samu Kokaze lowered his head as he ate, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, he swept the food clean and looked up with a smile. "Thank you, Uncle. I know you mean well, but he's a friend I acknowledge. No matter what, I won't give up this friendship for any other reason!"
"Thanks for the meal, Uncle! I'll be going now!" At the door, Samu Kokaze waved behind him, pushed it open, and stepped onto the streets of Konoha.
Inside, Okamoto watched Samu Kokaze's departing back and sighed before walking toward the table to clean up.
It was winter. Even though the sun hung in the sky and shone with endless light, the weather remained cold.
Samu Kokaze took a deep breath of chilly air as he stepped onto the street. Looking at the snow-covered ground, he felt a chill rush straight to his head, instantly refreshing him.
After loosening up, he began jogging along the roads of Konoha.
The bustling sounds of the street never ceased. As Samu Kokaze jogged through Konoha, he looked at the busy and leisurely pedestrians on both sides and smiled happily.
Normally, he got up early for his morning run, so there were not many pedestrians on Konoha's roads, only a sparse few passing by.
But he had come out late today, and the scenery before him was quite different from usual.
Just as Samu Kokaze enjoyed this time when he did not have to think about anything, when he could simply run off every frustration and all his pent-up gloom, he saw a green figure appear ahead of him and instantly felt terrible.
He hurriedly looked to both sides, only to discover, tragically, that there was nowhere to hide.
Watching the oversized kappa running toward him with a delighted expression, Samu Kokaze's handsome little face turned miserable.
"Xiaofeng! Have you been avoiding me lately?" Might Guy demanded as he ran up, looking at Samu Kokaze's bitter expression.
Samu Kokaze looked up at Guy and grumbled inwardly, If you already knew, why did you come looking for me? Outwardly, however, he replied seriously, "Mr. Guy, I absolutely, absolutely will not wear that outfit of yours and train with you!"
"My outfit?" Guy froze for a moment, then laughed. "It's fine if you don't wear my outfit, though it's very convenient for taijutsu training. Do you want to learn taijutsu from me?"
Guy had been paying attention to Samu Kokaze for a long time. Ever since he had encountered Samu Kokaze during a morning run and found the boy running as well, he had taken some interest in him. As time passed, he saw that the child never skipped a day of training, rain or shine, and only then did Guy begin considering taking him as a disciple.
After investigating Samu Kokaze's family circumstances, he became even more satisfied.
But after Guy had told him a few days ago to wear his outfit and train with him, the little fellow had vanished. He had only managed to catch him today.
From what Samu Kokaze had just said, he apparently thought the outfit was ugly. But Guy felt that clothes were trivial matters. Taking in a student with a resolute mind and good character was what mattered most. Besides, this little fellow should be quite wealthy, so Guy would not have to pay out of pocket for the medicinal herbs consumed during taijutsu training. It was simply perfect!
At the thought of his future student defeating that Kakashi fellow's student, Guy's desire to take Samu Kokaze as his disciple grew even stronger.
"Taijutsu?" Samu Kokaze raised his head in slight surprise at Guy's words.
Looking at Guy's smiling face, Samu Kokaze pondered for a moment before ultimately refusing.
Samu Kokaze did not believe that Guy's primitive method of training the body could surpass his Nano Training Method. Of course, Guy's combat experience and the taijutsu he used in battle were highly tempting to Samu Kokaze.
But Samu Kokaze had no desire to become a ninja. He had already obtained the Chakra Refinement Technique, the source of a ninja's extraordinary power, and his woodcarving shop could earn profits far beyond those of a ninja. If he needed anything, he could simply obtain it by issuing missions.
As for strength, for the host of the Nano Core, ninjutsu posed no difficulty at all. Whether forbidden techniques or any other ninjutsu, as long as an ordinary person could use chakra to perform it, Samu Kokaze could do so without any pressure.
Just like Naruto Uzumaki's future signature ninjutsu, the Rasengan, Samu Kokaze had already mastered it after learning its rough principles from an anime in his previous life. He could even spin a miniature Rasengan at the tip of each of his five fingers. From that moment on, Samu Kokaze had known that ninjutsu came as naturally to him as eating and drinking.
Only things unrelated to chakra and instead connected to some intangible sense of perception gave Samu Kokaze some difficulty, such as the Fourth Hokage's signature technique, the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Of course, some secret techniques of ninja clans might also prove difficult. It could not be helped; the Naruto World was a world that depended on bloodlines. Take Choji's clan's Multi-Size Jutsu, for example. With the same amount of chakra, Samu Kokaze would be impressive if he could achieve even half of Choji's results.
As for how to obtain a large number of ninjutsu, anyone who had watched the anime in their previous life knew the best time to gain a vast number of ninjutsu and forbidden techniques in Konoha.
"Why?!" Guy asked mournfully after hearing Samu Kokaze's refusal, despite having been so confident just moments ago.
"I'm truly sorry!" Samu Kokaze said seriously as he looked at Guy's utterly devastated expression. "My dream isn't to become a ninja. Getting up early every day to exercise is only a hobby of mine. Living like you do, Mr. Guy, with training completely integrated into daily life, isn't the life I want."
"Is that so?" Guy instantly put away his devastated expression, resting his chin on his hand as he muttered to himself.
Just when Samu Kokaze thought Guy had given up, Guy suddenly shouted, "That's youth! Xiaofeng, I won't give up! One day, I'll make you understand how wonderful it feels to train your body and shed the sweat of youth."
Watching Guy shout and flash those dazzlingly white teeth, Samu Kokaze turned and walked toward his shop with dark lines across his face. Refusing to look at the oversized kappa behind him, he gritted his teeth and growled, "I knew it. These single-minded hot-blooded idiots are the hardest to deal with!!!"
PS: Writing this chapter today made me want to punch someone. Every time I got a little inspiration, I was interrupted. I got interrupted seven or eight times while writing a little over two thousand words, but thankfully I finally finished it! Please keep supporting with favorites and recommendations!
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