Qifeng slept until noon.
His life had become leisurely again, and no one was bored enough to come disturb him at the Morgue.
Even Asuma was in class at this hour.
For some reason, Qifeng had not really wanted to see him these past few days. It was not guilt; he simply wanted to give him and Yūhi Kurenai more time to mend their relationship, this father-in-law and son-in-law pair.
Qifeng remembered that in the original story, Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi had not even gotten married before she became pregnant, and then Asuma died.
Tsk, tsk.
Lying sprawled in a standard Ge You Lie on the recliner, with the gentle afternoon breeze and a lit cigarette—now this was living.
The life of a slacker was just too comfortable.
Not long after.
Asuma did not come to bother him, but someone both expected and unexpected did.
Hatake Kakashi.
With his arm wrapped in thick bandages, Kakashi still wore that dead-fish-eyed expression. He walked up to Qifeng without saying anything, silently pulled over a chair, and sat beside him.
They basked in the sun together.
Qifeng glanced at him in surprise.
Had the sun risen in the west today?
Task-crazed Kakashi had neither gone training nor taken a mission, yet he had come to sunbathe with him?
Still, if Kakashi was not going to speak, neither would he.
Talking was too tiring, especially with this brat whose mental development was already a little abnormal.
But Qifeng could hold out. Kakashi could not.
After all, with a massive smokestack beside him constantly puffing away, who could stand it?
"Don't you know smoking is extremely unfriendly to the injured?" Kakashi raised his bandaged arm and waved it in front of him.
After working together on one mission, Kakashi's prejudice against him had lessened considerably.
Especially after returning to Konoha and hearing that Qifeng had stood his ground to protect the heavily injured and unconscious Imai Kuriyama, facing the attack of a Mist Jonin and ending up severely injured himself.
For some reason, when Kakashi heard that Qifeng had protected his companion like that, something in his heart stirred.
"Is that so? I think I'm doing pretty well right now. Thanks for the concern." Ignoring the injury Kakashi had displayed, Qifeng took a drag and blew the smoke right into Kakashi's face.
"..."
Kakashi felt that if he had ever held even a sliver of goodwill toward Qifeng, he must have been out of his mind.
"Want one?" Qifeng opened the cigarette pack, pulled out one, and held it before Kakashi.
Kakashi's eyes widened as he turned his head away.
How could someone be like this?
He was still underage!
Qifeng did not think much of it. Could people in the Ninja World really be measured by age?
Before they were ten, they were already looking for partners. Before they were ten, their hands were already stained with blood. Was that something normal children should have?
Qifeng curled his lip at Kakashi's lack of fun.
Asuma was still more interesting.
Even after being treated like this, Kakashi had not left. He had merely moved a little farther away.
Something was up. There was definitely something up!
Qifeng's instincts told him that Kakashi was acting a little strange today.
Before he could think further, though, a nimble man in a ridiculous green jumpsuit came sprinting over, kicking up dust everywhere as he rushed toward them at incredible speed.
This time, Qifeng and Kakashi wore remarkably similar expressions.
The corners of their eyes twitched.
The newcomer was none other than Konoha's future "Azure Beast," the man who had nearly kicked the story straight into its ending—Might Guy!
He stopped, but momentum carried him sliding right in front of them. He raised a thumb, flashing gleaming white teeth beneath thick black brows.
"Yo! So you were here, Kakashi! Come have a youthful duel between men with me!"
So Kakashi had hidden here to avoid this man.
Perhaps in all of Konoha, this was the only man capable of dealing with Kakashi, Qifeng grumbled inwardly.
Kakashi looked toward Qifeng with a faint plea in his eyes.
Qifeng merely turned to the side and presented him with his backside.
"..."
With no help forthcoming, Kakashi looked at Might Guy as though life held no meaning and raised his arm. "Next time, Guy. I'm injured."
Only then did the thick-headed Guy notice the bandages on his arm. "Huh? How did you get hurt, Kakashi?"
In Guy's eyes, Kakashi was an unparalleled genius, the person he would spend his entire life chasing. How could anyone have injured him?
Kakashi glanced at the utterly indifferent Qifeng.
"Senior Qifeng!"
Kakashi was glad to have successfully shifted the target.
"It really is Senior Qifeng! You're my idol!"
Idol?
Qifeng was somewhat surprised.
A nobody like him, who had barely graduated from the Ninja Academy and could only end up as a corpse collector in an obscure department like the Morgue, could actually become the idol of the future renowned "King Kai"?
"Senior Qifeng, we're both seen as dead last, useless trash who can never become ninja. But you succeeded! You're a successful ninja now! I'll definitely follow in your footsteps and become an outstanding ninja! Definitely!"
"..."
If not for the sincere look on Might Guy's face, Qifeng would have wanted to go over and give him two solid punches.
Those sounded like compliments, yet they brought not a shred of joy.
Only you could do this, King Kai.
"He took out two Chunin from Kirigakure on the last mission," Kakashi said lazily from the side.
At those words, Guy's eyes burst with brilliance, complementing the gleam from his teeth. He looked like a hundred-watt lightbulb.
His worship was written all over his face.
"Senior Qifeng, how did you do it?"
That was some skillful hatred redirection.
Qifeng waved a hand. "It wasn't that exaggerated. One of them went to eat barbecue, and the other turned into barbecue himself. It wasn't as dramatic as Kakashi made it sound."
As he spoke, he slowly sat up. "Guy, I'll tell you the fastest shortcut to becoming a ninja."
"What?" Guy perked up his ears and listened with complete focus.
"Challenge him. Once a day, or several times a day. Even if you fail, don't lose heart. You're a hardworking genius who can defeat a natural genius!" He pointed at the stunned Kakashi.
Hmph, trying that on me? You're still too green, Kakashi. Qifeng felt rather pleased with himself.
"A hardworking genius..." Guy murmured under his breath.
Then he suddenly sprang to his feet. "Kakashi!!"
"..."
Kakashi was suffering, but he had no one to tell.
His thoughts raced, and he suddenly asked, "Guy, don't you have class today?"
"Oh, the afternoon is outdoor class."
Usually, during outdoor classes, he trained by himself. The academy teachers tacitly allowed it too. With Guy's physical condition, the training volume of outdoor class was barely more than play to him.
But after Kakashi forcibly changed the subject, Guy did not keep hounding him.
Kakashi secretly let out a breath of relief.
That was close.
"Guy, training isn't something achieved overnight. Persistence is certainly good, but you also need to learn to balance work and rest. Otherwise, your body won't be able to take it."
As someone used to slacking off, Qifeng felt somewhat unaccustomed to seeing someone as diligent as Guy.
You work so hard—what are slackers like us supposed to do?
"Mm-hm." Guy thought that made perfect sense, because his father, Might Duy, told him the same thing. That was why Guy got sufficient rest every day, and Might Duy also prepared all kinds of medicine to help him recover.
Otherwise, no one could keep up with the way they trained.
"Besides the usual large-scale training routines, you need to pay even more attention to the finer details. After all, details determine success or failure."
"Mm-hm." Guy was like a student humbly seeking instruction.
"Cleaning is a good choice. It teaches you to notice the dust-like details in every corner, just as you would seize an enemy's fleeting weakness."
"Mm-hm."
"I can give you an opportunity to train yourself that way."
"Can I?"
"Guy, have confidence. Drop the 'can'—you absolutely deserve this treatment."
"Yes!"
"Help me clean the morgue. The place where corpses are kept is the temporary residence of the departed. The departed deserve respect, and I hope you can respect them as I do."
"Respect the departed! Train myself!"
Watching Guy excitedly grab a broom and enter the morgue, carefully sweeping every corner.
"..."
Kakashi did not know how many times he had widened his eyes today.
That worked too?
So, just opening his mouth and making up an explanation on the spot?
The key was that someone actually believed it.
One dared to say it, and the other dared to believe it. As expected of the two of you.
Before you continue