Four in the morning.
Moonlight Ruyun gazed at the empty street and drew a deep breath of the faintly chilly air, dispelling the last traces of sleepiness.
He ran along the street to the village entrance, then began running around Konoha.
"Now I can say I've seen Konoha at four in the morning."
Granted, an upside-down sleep schedule was nothing unusual for a ninja.
But in Konoha right now, there might be only one person who got up at this hour specifically to train.
After running for a little over ten minutes, he spotted someone ahead.
The man wore a somewhat shabby green bodysuit, his hair a tousled mess.
Finally found you, Might Duy!
His eyes lit up. Picking up his pace, he gradually caught up with the green figure.
Might Duy heard the footsteps behind him and glanced back, flashing teeth so bright they almost glowed.
"What a spirited young man! Do you like training at this hour too?"
"That's right. I'm Moonlight Ruyun. And you, sir?"
"Might Duy. A pleasure to meet you."
The two of them, one tall and one short, ran side by side.
A gentle breeze drifted past, carrying the scent of earth and greenery.
As he soaked in the peaceful atmosphere, his anxious heart settled as well.
Compared to the other resource-starved hidden villages, Konoha truly enjoyed exceptional natural advantages.
At least he had no desire to run through an endless desert.
After a brief moment of tranquility-
He lightly brushed against Might Duy's arm.
[New equipment material detected] [Might Duy's green bodysuit] [Estimated quality: green] [Refining cost: 30,000 ryō per attempt] [Special conditions: personally gifted by Might Duy; he acknowledges your youth] [Conditions unmet. Unable to refine]
The corners of Moonlight Ruyun's mouth lifted slightly. Just as he had expected, there really was an equipment material.
He eagerly examined the notification.
Huh?
Acknowledges my youth?
That condition was a little abstract.
He pondered for a moment, then suddenly had an idea.
Without slowing down, he spoke into the wind. "Duy, how about a contest of youth?"
Might Duy froze for a moment, his thick eyebrows twitching, before breaking into an even more enthusiastic grin.
"Wonderful!"
With that, Might Duy thrust up a thumb. "What kind of contest?"
"How about... seeing who can reach Training Ground 7 first?"
He estimated the distance at about four or five kilometers.
The smile never left Might Duy's face.
"Sure! Give it your all, young man!"
At his shout of "Go!" they both took off.
But a moment later, Ruyun heard a rush of air beside his ear and glanced sideways.
The green figure suddenly accelerated, shooting forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Moonlight Ruyun was speechless.
Over those mere four or five kilometers, he saw Might Duy before setting off, saw him doubling back midway, and then, just before the finish, had him run up beside him to say hello...
Is this guy even human?!
How could he be that fast?
He admitted he had underestimated the world's greats a little.
"Can you keep going?"
Might Duy struck a very "youthful" pose and winked at him.
"Of course, Duy. Let's go together."
Four or five kilometers was nothing more than a warm-up.
In the original story, Rock Lee could run hundreds of laps around Konoha in a single night. Really, everyone in Naruto was practically a miniature superhuman.
He caught up with Might Duy.
"Duy, do you run this route every day?"
"Not always. Sometimes I run around Konoha, sometimes around a training ground."
"All right." His tone was firm. "We'll race again someday. I stake my youth on it-I'm going to win!"
Might Duy stared at him blankly. A second later, two streams of hot tears gushed down his face like miniature waterfalls.
"Is that so? What passionate, blood-stirring youth!"
Moonlight Ruyun was speechless.
Did I overdo the act?
Why did he suddenly start crying out of nowhere?
Does this count as acknowledging my youth?
A tangle of thoughts flashed through his mind.
The two ran until it was broad daylight.
They stopped at Konoha's entrance.
After a short rest, he asked, "Duy, where did you buy your bodysuit?"
"I had it custom-made. What do you think? Looks good, doesn't it?"
"...It does."
Might Duy broke into a huge smile, thrilled that someone appreciated his taste.
He enthusiastically explained the significance of the green bodysuit.
Ruyun wasn't particularly taken with the claim that "green is the symbol of Konoha."
But it certainly sounded like the Will of Fire.
"Which shop made it?"
"The Ninja Clothing Shop."
He made a note of the name.
"Duy, want to grab some breakfast?"
At that, Might Duy hesitated for a second, then shook his head. "No, thanks. I still have more training to do."
"All right."
He didn't insist.
After they parted ways, Moonlight Ruyun went to Ichiraku Ramen.
He walked in and picked a seat at random.
Before he had the equipment slots system, he had considered getting a job at Ichiraku Ramen.
At least that would let him lie low and survive for several decades.
"Oh, it's little Ruyun. What would you like?"
The young Teuchi asked with a cheerful smile.
"Tonkotsu ramen."
"Sure. Coming right up."
There weren't many customers at Ichiraku Ramen this early. Soon, the familiar aroma of noodles whetted his appetite.
Just then, a somewhat soft, feminine voice sounded behind him.
"One bowl of tonkotsu ramen."
Moonlight Ruyun turned to look.
A man with long black hair, golden eyes, and features so handsome they bordered on feminine stepped over and sat beside him.
The purple eye shadow stretching from his eyelids to the sides of his nose lent him an inhuman air of danger.
Teuchi lifted the curtain and looked out.
"Oh, Lord Orochimaru. It'll be just a moment."
"No rush."
Then Orochimaru turned to him and asked with interest, "You're Moonlight Ruyun?"
Huh?
He was taken aback. He was still just a Ninja Academy student, wasn't he?
Why did it feel as though everyone in Konoha knew him?
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru chuckled softly. "Don't be nervous. I was merely curious about the boy that idiot Jiraiya wants as his student."
That brief sentence shocked him several times over.
Orochimaru could smile that gently?
And what did he mean, Jiraiya wanted him as his student?
Unless he was mistaken, his name was Moonlight Ruyun, not Minato Namikaze...
Still, he couldn't really say he was all that nervous.
If this were Orochimaru after Nawaki's death and the drastic change in his personality, Ruyun would run as far away as possible.
Everyone knew Konoha had two shadowy masterminds.
One was Danzo. The other was Orochimaru, sitting right beside him.
More precisely, the Orochimaru of the future.
Once Teuchi finished preparing the ramen, Orochimaru ate at a leisurely pace without saying anything more.
It was as though they had simply met by chance, and he had offered a casual greeting.
A girl with dark brown hair emerged from the back room, carrying a clean, neatly folded apron, which she carefully placed beneath the counter.
She turned back and said, "Boss, I'm off to school."
"Go on, Nonō. There aren't many customers in the morning. Remember to come early this afternoon."
"Got it, boss. I'll come as soon as school lets out."
The girl shouldered her schoolbag and waved toward the back.
Moonlight Ruyun, who had just finished his ramen and was about to leave, stopped short.
Nonō?
Yakushi Nonō?!
Orochimaru looked up. He had detected a subtle change in Moonlight Ruyun's breathing.
He cast a thoughtful glance at the girl's retreating figure.
"Nonō, hmm?"
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