The Man Who Nearly Kicked His Way to the Finale

After learning what had happened, Mikoto did not know whether to laugh or cry. She gave Koki an amused look, and he awkwardly rubbed his nose.

"Yeah, yeah," Koki chimed in, gently stroking Itachi's hair in an attempt to calm his anger.

But Itachi turned his back on him, showing a rare coldness.

He really had made Itachi angry. This was the first time Itachi had ever treated him like this.

Looking at Itachi's back, Koki could not help feeling a little sad.

He had only meant to tease his little brother, but he had never expected things to come to this.

He stood silently to one side, at a loss.

This was the first time the brothers had been like this! Seeing Koki's dejected expression, Mikoto felt a pang of sympathy.

She gently patted Itachi on the shoulder and whispered, "Itachi, if you keep this up, your brother really will be sad."

Itachi seemed to notice Koki's silence too. He slowly turned around to face Koki and Mikoto, a trace of apology on his face.

"I'm sorry, big brother. I was just scared." Would his brother abandon him? As Itachi spoke, he grew sad again. Feeling hurt, he struggled to contain his hurt and worry as tears welled in his eyes.

"Never! I swear I'll always be with you." So that was what this was about. Koki breathed a sigh of relief.

In his previous life, he had never been interested in romance and had not even had a proper girlfriend by the time he reached university. That was still years away, and he was not as precocious as the people in this world. Besides, who could know what the future held? The most important thing now was to comfort his little brother!

Sure enough, after hearing Koki's words, Itachi finally smiled through his tears and reached out to Koki from Mikoto's arms.

Koki caught Itachi securely.

Itachi wrapped his arms tightly around Koki's neck and said affectionately, "Big brother, I was wrong."

Koki patted his back. "It's okay. Kids say the darndest things. You're still little."

"What does 'kids say the darndest things' mean?" Itachi asked, puzzled.

"Uh... nothing!"

His mood changed as quickly as it had come. Watching the brothers make up and become close again, Mikoto shook her head in amusement.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, the afternoon was over.

"Shall we go home?" Mikoto asked.

"Mom, how about we eat out today?" Koki suggested. Mikoto had spent so long shopping that afternoon, and he thought it would be too much work for her to go home and cook as well.

"All right." Mikoto nodded. "What do you two want to eat?"

"Anything is fine. Why don't we look around as we walk?"

"Okay."

The three strolled along beneath the setting sun. Suddenly, Koki heard a clamor coming from a crowd ahead.

People were naturally drawn to a commotion, and Koki was no exception. Carrying Itachi, he pressed straight ahead and finally managed to squeeze his way to the front.

In the middle of the street, two people in green bodysuits were crawling along upside down, supporting themselves with their hands as their feet swept through the air, trying to keep their balance. The spectators around them were talking, and there was no shortage of mocking voices.

Koki's heart trembled.

The green bodysuit, the distinctive bowl cut, the thick eyebrows, the resolute face, the Forehead Protector at his waist-the person struggling along, heedless of the world's judgment, was none other than Might Guy! He was the man who had nearly kicked his way to the finale, the man who had earned Lord Madara's highest praise: "I acknowledge you! I, Madara, declare you the strongest!"

Amid the smoke and turmoil of the Fourth Shinobi World War, when both the big spenders and the freakishly talented had fallen one after another, Might Guy had stepped forward. The boy who had once been unable to pass even the entrance exam had nearly saved the entire Shinobi World! He was unquestionably the only person in Hokage to overcome talent through perseverance and hard work!

In the face of effort taken to its limit, even talent seemed pale and powerless.

Might Guy was not a protagonist of extraordinary strength. Yet while others relied on their clans or their cheats, he alone had no background or bloodline, and relied solely on his own efforts to climb to the peak of ordinary people, standing alongside Kabuto Yakushi.

He was the most charismatic person in Hokage, and the one Koki admired most!

It was evening, and people were arriving in droves to pick up students, buy ingredients, stroll through the streets, and enjoy good food. More and more stopped to watch, chattering among themselves as laughter rang out without end.

"Look, that Might Guy is practicing Taijutsu again. What a joke!"

"Yeah, he's terrible at Taijutsu. He falls over every time."

"At this rate, he'll never become a good ninja."

"What a joke. He doesn't even have Chakra, and he wants to be a ninja? Hahaha."

"If the Third Lord Hokage hadn't made an exception for him, he wouldn't even have gotten into the Ninja Academy."

"I don't know what the Third Hokage was thinking. He even let him graduate."

The taunts reached Might Guy and his father's ears, but they acted as though they had heard nothing and continued to devote themselves to practicing Ninjutsu. Guy's forehead was covered in sweat, but his gaze was unusually resolute.

The pair's composed response made the bystanders even more brazen. There were quite a few ninja in the crowd, and they pointed and gossiped without end.

"What can he do now that he's graduated?"

"Be a 'cat-finding expert,' just like his dad!"

"It can't be easy being a lifelong Genin. Hahahaha."

"He's that old and still shouting about youth every day?"

"A useless dad who can't do Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or Genjutsu!"

"How could he not be useless when he spends every day playing these training games with his son?"

"He'd be better off taking a few more cat-finding missions with that time, before he can't even afford to eat!"

"Hahahahaha, he begs people for missions every day."

The words grew increasingly vicious and heated. Some even began imitating Might Guy's movements, drawing bursts of laughter, while others loudly mocked him as a lifelong failure of a ninja.

The words were like sharp swords, painful even to hear. Koki hurriedly covered Itachi's ears.

How dare they mock Genin? Don't they know the most badass people in Konoha are all Genin?

But Might Duy and his son turned a deaf ear, silently enduring the verbal attacks. The gossip not only failed to affect their enthusiasm and determination, but they even took it as encouragement and support, training harder than ever.

Seeing this, the crowd lost interest and gradually dispersed.

"Dad, I'm sorry! I only ran 483 laps today!" Only after seeing the few people left around them did Might Guy speak sadly.

"Guy, it's okay. Listen to me, your youth has only just begun. Youth should never back down!!"

Only 483 laps? Judging by Guy's thoroughly soaked clothes, he must have completed some grueling training before walking on his hands!

Seeing this, Koki could not help admiring him even more!

Koki often could not understand what the people of Konoha were thinking. There were even many who were ninja themselves, yet spoke viciously of Might Duy and his son.

People who worked hard deserved respect!

Koki could no longer restrain the admiration in his heart. He stepped forward and shouted to Might Guy, who was still walking on his hands, "Keep it up! You can do it!"