The mornings in Konohagakure are always peaceful and full of life. The sound of tofu vendors' clappers, the rustling of brooms across the cobblestones, the wisps of smoke rising from breakfast stalls, and the light footsteps of ninjas heading to their meeting point.
But in recent days, a brand new and striking "morning scene" has been refreshing the villagers' understanding at an astonishing speed, and has given rise to all sorts of outrageous rumors in the streets and alleys.
The story begins a few days ago with a housewife who got up exceptionally early to go to the river to wash clothes.
As dawn broke and the streets were still deserted, she carried a wooden basin, yawning sleepily, and turned the corner leading to the Naka River. Then, she saw "that."
Four figures, in a somewhat disorganized but terrifyingly fast column, were sprinting towards them from the other end of the street. That's not the point; the point is their clothing!!
Uniform, brightly colored to the point of being blinding, as if all the green of spring had been condensed into one piece—a bodysuit! Covering her from head to toe, it emitted a shimmering, indistinguishable green light in the hazy morning light!
Especially the one at the front, the one with the brightest green hair, the tallest and most imposing, who, as he ran, let out a loud, inexplicably passionate roar, "Oh--!! Youth! Burn!!"
The three following behind were a few sizes smaller, but their green attire was equally eye-catching. They charged forward head down, their steps heavy, their breathing labored, as if they were fulfilling the "burning" declaration of the one in front of them with their lives.
Four people, four green shadows, like a green whirlwind, swept past the stunned housewife in a flash, leaving only a series of heavy footsteps, a few specks of dust, and the lingering, strong smell of sweat and some indescribable aura of passion in the air.
The wooden basin in the housewife's hands clattered to the ground, scattering clothes everywhere. She stared, mouth agape, at the four green figures disappearing rapidly at the end of the street. After a long while, her lips trembled as she murmured, "Green... green-skinned monsters... four of them..."
Her experience was not an isolated case. The next day, a fruit and vegetable shop owner who went to the market early in the morning experienced a terrifying encounter with this "green whirlwind" in a small alley!
The morning mist had not yet dissipated when four lush green figures suddenly burst out of the fog with an unstoppable momentum, nearly knocking him and his car over.
The shop owner was still shaken. He only remembered seeing a short, green-skinned man with dazzling blond hair and strange markings on his face as they brushed past him... Wait, blond hair?
"It's... it's that fox demon!" The shop owner later told his colleagues, still shaken, "He's turned into a green-skinned monster too! And he's hanging out with three other guys! Good heavens, did this monster cultivate some evil magic and go mad? By the way, aren't fox demons orange?"
Rumors are like ink dropped into clear water; they spread, distort, and escalate rapidly.
One version circulating among the housewives goes like this. "It's terrible! Never go out alone in the morning! Especially avoid the riverbank and the training grounds! There are four monsters dressed in green with glowing eyes running around everywhere! They run faster than Ninja Dog! They specifically target lone pedestrians, grabbing them... grabbing them to feed their youth!"
Version two is the vegetable vendor's conspiracy theory. "What monster? I think it's that fox spirit's doing! He summoned three more green accomplices from somewhere! Look at their skin, it's an unnatural green, it must be some kind of evil ritual! They run Tenten morning, they must be measuring the terrain of Konoha with their footsteps, preparing to cause great destruction!"
Version three comes from some parents. "Go to sleep well tonight, no crying! If you cry again, we'll throw you out and let those four green-skinned monsters from the morning grab you! They love grabbing naughty kids who won't sleep, and then they'll force you to wear green clothes and run until you throw up! When you can't run anymore, they'll yell at you with their big, green mouths! Are you scared?"
For a time, "green-skinned monsters appear in the morning" became Konoha's latest village legend and a parenting tool, with remarkable effects.
Many villagers who used to exercise in the morning have been staying home obediently these past few days, peeking warily through the cracks in their doors. The children, who used to be noisy at night, immediately fall silent and shrink into their blankets at the mention of the "green monster," which is more effective than any horror story.
Of course, there are also those who are bold or very curious.
That morning, a group of carpenters on their way to work happened to "encounter" "Green Whirlwind" sprinting on a long, straight road. They hid behind a trash can on the street corner and secretly observed him.
The tall, green-clad figure at the front roared, "The last hundred meters! Sprint! Let youth explode!"
The three small green figures behind, especially one with striking blonde hair, responded with a hoarse shout, "Oh--!!!"
Then, the four of them suddenly increased their speed, truly like four green lightning bolts, whistling past. Their heavy footsteps shook the ground slightly, and their pure, crazy, seemingly tireless running posture, coupled with their eye-catching tight-fitting clothes, created a visually striking yet absurd scene.
"Did you... did you see it clearly?" A carpenter swallowed hard.
"Look, I saw it clearly... the one running ahead, it looks like... Might Guy, Jonin?" another carpenter said uncertainly.
" Might Guy? That Taijutsu fanatic who always wears green?"
"Yes, it's him! That hairstyle, that voice, it's definitely him!"
"And the next three..."
"My daughter mentioned that one of them was Rock Lee from the Ninja Academy, right? He's a training fanatic too."
"There's also a slightly sturdier kid, but I don't recognize him."
"That blond guy at the very back... it's Naruto Uzumaki! He's wearing green too! Oh my god, he's been assimilated!"
The truth seems to have come to light. It wasn't some monster, nor was it the evil magic of a fox spirit; it was Might Guy Sublime Green Beast of Konoha, leading three boys who had somehow been "bewitched" by him, engaging in some kind of crazy morning training.
But knowing the truth did not reassure the villagers; instead, it made them feel even more uneasy and terrified.
" Might Guy, the Jonin... was already a bit off, and now he's infected three people."
"A fox spirit with green skin... this combination, I don't think, is scarier than a simple fox spirit."
"What on earth are they practicing? Do they need to dress like that? Is it some new kind of Nintaijutsu, where their eyes glow green after mastering it?"
"My grandson said he heard Rock Lee boasting while running, saying things like 'the flame of youth,' 'a burning life'... Listen to that! He must be possessed!"
Thus, a strange sight appeared in Konoha's mornings: four green figures, like tireless locomotives, roared and raced through the streets, training grounds, and riverside paths.
Along the roadside, from behind the windows of houses, through the cracks in shop doors, and in the shadows of alleys, countless pairs of eyes peeked out, some with fear, some with doubt, some with disdain, and some simply to watch the spectacle.
Pointing and whispering, as if they were watching some rare and exotic animal, or a large-scale, mobile, green performance art piece.
It even alerted the patrolling ordinary Chunin. One day, a team of Chunin, while on routine patrol, saw the "green whirlwind" rushing towards them from afar. The captain at the front paused for a moment, instinctively stopping his teammates and whispering:
"Wait... what's that? Is it an enemy attack or some new type of Summoning Beast? Why is its color so flamboyant?"
Once they realized it was Might Guy and his "Green Team," the Chunin exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions complicated, and made way for them, watching them howl and run away into the distance.
"Captain," a young Chunin a low voice, "Shouldn't we... do something about it? Does this count as affecting the village's appearance, or... disturbing the peace in the early morning?"
The captain's lips twitched, and he waved his hand. "Manage? How can we manage? That's Kai-senpai! The Lord Hokage himself gave his tacit approval! Besides, try going up and stopping him! If he tries to drag you into 'burning your youth,' are you going to run or not?"
The young Chunin imagined the scene, shuddered, and fell silent.
The Anbu, Owl, continued his daily surveillance from his fixed treetop position. However, recently, his morning reports to the Hokage's office, besides the routine " Jinchūriki's emotions are stable, and physical fitness has improved," inevitably included this sentence: "... The target group of four began their 'Youth Morning Training' promptly at 5:00 AM, covering the Training Ground Three, the banks of the Naka River, and parts of the outskirts of residential areas."
"They were dressed in uniform, bright green, tight-fitting training suits. This caused some early-rising villagers to briefly stop and watch, and whisper among themselves, but no conflict occurred. Might Guy Jonin was in charge of leading the training, and the intensity remained very high."
It is said that one morning, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, was standing by the window of his Hokage office when he happened to see four green figures whistling past below the Hokage Rock.
He held his pipe, stared silently for several seconds, then slowly exhaled a smoke ring and whispered to the two advisors beside him Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, who also had subtle expressions:
"It seems Kai's 'infectiousness' is even stronger than we expected. Even the kids from other villages and Naruto... Hmm, this color is indeed quite refreshing."
As for Naruto Uzumaki himself?
He was overjoyed! This green bodysuit was a gift from the Jonin! Although it was a little tight and embarrassing at first, seeing Rock Lee and Shira put it on without hesitation, especially Guy's imposing and handsome appearance in it, made him very happy.
He immediately thought the clothes were awesome! They were a symbol of "youth" and "hard work"!
Every morning, I can run freely in the village with my idol, Senior Kai, and those who support me, like Shira and Rock Lee, all wearing our "team uniforms," with the whistling wind and Senior Kai's passionate shouts in my ears, and perhaps the terrified gazes of those annoying guys behind me...
This feeling is amazing! It's a million times better than being chased and yelled at for playing a prank, or sitting on a swing doing nothing!
He even started to think that this green outfit looked better and more energetic than his old clothes! When he ran, he felt like he had become part of the "burning youth" that Senior Kai had mentioned!
And so, the mornings in Konoha continued Tenten, amidst this increasingly familiar yet perpetually unsettling "green terror," and the villagers' ever-growing complex gazes and interpretations.
The legend of the "four green-skinned monsters" continues to be embellished and updated.
It's estimated that this will remain the undisputed number one on Konoha's morning trending topics list for a long time to come...