He Should Be Thanking Me!

[Ding! Guard-Break Points from Asuma Sarutobi, +55!]

[Ding! Recognition Points from Might Guy, +300!]

Ye glanced at the "Recognition Points" notification, deep in thought.

Since this thing was counted together with Guard-Break Points, it seemed to be a new mechanic. He would keep it in mind for now.

Amid this bizarrely sentimental atmosphere, Guy's stomach suddenly let out an earth-shaking growl without warning.

"Grrr!"

The sound was so loud that it echoed endlessly between the four walls of the narrow alley.

Guy's old face turned Kurenai as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head and revealed an honest smile.

"Sorry! I skipped lunch because I was doing extra training after school! My body is crying out with the passion of youth!"

Ye's eyes instantly lit up.

That gleam was exactly the same as when he had locked onto Obito's ninja tool pouch in the classroom.

His right hand slipped naturally into his pocket.

With a thought, the pale pink, glowing sphere in the system inventory silently appeared in his palm.

Strawberry-Flavored Soldier Pill.

Within ten seconds of eating it, the sphincter would completely go on strike.

Ye held the Soldier Pill in his palm and offered it to Guy.

"My dear friend."

Ye's voice was low and sincere.

"This is a secret Soldier Pill made by the Uchiha clan. It's extremely nutritious. Give it a try."

The words "dear friend" struck Guy right in his softest spot.

Guy's eyes overflowed with tears again.

His hands trembled as he accepted the pink Soldier Pill, cradling it as though it were the most precious treasure in the world.

"Ye..." Guy choked out.

He raised his head and stuffed the Soldier Pill into his mouth without hesitation.

He chewed twice.

Guy's eyes instantly lit up, his pupils widening.

He sprang up in excitement as if he had been electrocuted.

"It's strawberry-flavored! It's delicious! Ye, do you have any more—"

His words abruptly stopped.

Guy's expression froze somewhere between excitement and ecstasy.

A deafening rumble, like mountains collapsing and the earth splitting apart, erupted from his stomach.

"Grrrrrrrr!!!"

The smile on Guy's face instantly froze.

His body suddenly stiffened, and his legs clamped together in an extremely unnatural pose.

Sweat rolled down his forehead like beads from a broken string, more than he had sweated after running halfway across Konoha.

His complexion shifted from Kurenai to pale, then from pale to bluish purple.

The entire process took less than three seconds.

"Ye... I..."

Guy's voice changed, becoming thin and shaky, filled with an extreme restraint that completely erased his earlier boldness.

Another earth-shaking growl interrupted him.

Guy's legs began trembling uncontrollably.

His hands clutched his lower abdomen tightly as he leaned slightly forward.

His entire center of gravity sank downward, his body curling like a cooked shrimp.

Ye took two steps back, folded his arms, and looked deeply concerned.

"What's wrong, dear friend? You don't look too good."

Asuma stood nearby, watching Guy's about-to-explode expression, and suddenly felt that his own suffering today had not been so terrible after all.

Ding!

[Guard-Break Points from Might Guy, +999!!!]

The corners of Ye's mouth slowly lifted in the shadows of the setting sun.

Meanwhile, Guy's brain had completely gone on strike, leaving only one utterly Zetsu-desperate thought.

The bathroom.

Where was the nearest bathroom?!

"Grrrrr!!!"

Guy's stomach erupted once again with a thunderous roar in the narrow alley.

The sound was so loud that it ricocheted endlessly between the surrounding walls.

This time, Guy no longer had the strength to speak.

He clamped his legs together, both hands tightly covering his lower abdomen, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

His lips were pressed tight as an incomparably humiliating groan squeezed out of his throat.

"I... I..."

Guy's voice had completely changed. From its earlier hearty, passionate strength, it had directly deteriorated into a mosquito-like buzz.

His face alternated between green and purple while huge beads of sweat pounded down from his forehead.

The next second, Guy clutched his stomach, bent at the waist, and charged out of the alley.

His legs were clamped tightly together, and his gait was utterly bizarre.

"The bathroom! Where's the bathroom?!"

Guy's voice was hoarse and dry, but he moved so quickly that he forcibly left behind a green afterimage in the air.

He rushed out of the alley in an unbelievably twisted posture and vanished around the corner.

Ye stood where he was, arms folded, watching Guy's Zetsu-dashing figure disappear into the distance before sighing.

He silently did some calculations.

From here to the nearest Konoha public bathroom, an ordinary person would need around forty seconds to run there.

But with Guy's current crab-walking speed, legs clamped together...

Ye shook his head, unable to bear thinking any further.

Yet he was even more curious about something else.

Ten, nine, eight...

Ye silently counted down in his heart.

He was intensely curious whether Guy could successfully undo the damned collar zipper of that one-piece bodysuit within those ten seconds.

If he failed to undo it within ten seconds...

That scene would be far too beautiful.

Ye's eyes curved with amusement. No longer dwelling on it, he turned to look at Asuma, who was still slumped against the base of the wall.

The Hokage's son was in a truly Zetsu-miserable state.

His hair was a tangled mess, tear tracks crisscrossed his face, and his school uniform was covered in dirt and gravel.

Both hands clung tightly to the rough brick wall while his legs trembled.

Most importantly, he was barefoot.

Several large blood blisters had been rubbed into the soft soles of his feet by the rough stone road, their edges covered in mud.

His shoes had flown off during the first half of the chase. By now, some stray dog had probably carried them off to use as chew toys.

Asuma tried to move his right foot.

A piercing pain instantly shot straight to the top of his head.

He sucked in a sharp breath and swayed, nearly collapsing again.

He could not even take a single step. The dignified Hokage's son was now as bedraggled as a homeless beggar on the streets.

Gritting his teeth and baring them in pain, Asuma braced himself against the wall and stood up, his bare feet planted on the rough ground.

All he wanted now was to get home quickly, take a bath, change his pants, and seal away today's memories forever in the deepest corner of his mind.

Just as he prepared to flee barefoot.

A set of unhurried footsteps sounded.

Ye slowly walked over and stopped in front of Asuma.

Asuma's entire body tensed, and he instinctively tried to shrink back.

But he quickly realized that Ye's face held no killing intent, only calmness.

Ye kept his right hand in his pocket and quickly connected his thoughts to the system space.

A flash of light appeared, and a brand-new pair of black ninja sandals materialized in his palm.

Top-tier trash from the system's ten-pull: ninja sandals that would automatically fall off when worn.

Ye held the sandals in his palm and offered them over.

His expression was exceptionally sincere, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze, even carrying a hint of consolation.

"Asuma, I see you don't have any shoes. Konoha's stone roads are too hard, so wear these for now. Don't ruin your feet."

Asuma froze.

He looked at the brand-new black ninja sandals in Ye's hand, then at Ye's harmless face, devoid of any killing intent.

His brain briefly crashed.

Then, a perfectly logical chain suddenly formed in Asuma's mind.

Why had Ye gotten so angry today?

Why had he chased him halfway across Konoha with a brick?

Because Asuma had publicly framed him on the training ground!

A genius like Ye would never stoop to using such underhanded methods against Kakashi.

His style was so wild and free. He loved fiercely, hated fiercely, and was clear about debts and grudges.

Ye had said at the time that it was a missed shot, yet Asuma had insisted on pinning the accusation on him and claiming it was deliberate.

How could someone with such a fiercely honest personality possibly disdain lying?

How could he possibly do something as sneaky as swapping out a kunai?

He had been defending the Uchiha clan's honor through physical means!

And after beating someone up, he was even giving him shoes.

What incredible magnanimity!

The more Asuma thought about it, the more he felt like a bastard.

Ye had chased him halfway across Konoha, yet not only had he not truly attacked him in the end, he was now even giving him shoes.

His nose stung, and his eyes immediately turned Kurenai.

"Ye... thank you."