Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 40 Might Guy

In the morning light, two figures, one tall and one short, left intersecting footprints on the streets of Konoha. Might Guy ran ahead, listening to the unusually firm footsteps behind him.

A smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. Although Kai was already used to the strange looks from passersby, the presence of this little follower behind him still warmed his heart. The footsteps behind him were a pure affirmation of his path to youth, even if they came from a three-year-old child.

What surprised Kai even more was that the blond little guy kept up with him the whole time, showing no signs of falling behind. Judging from his breathing rhythm and the stability of his steps, the child indeed had a physical foundation beyond his age, clearly the result of long-term hard training.

However, Might Guy still didn't believe that Naruto could run a hundred laps around Konoha with him; that amount of exercise was simply too much for a child.

Indeed, no matter how much training they receive, children of this age will ultimately be unable to accomplish things they cannot do on their own, and excessive training may even harm their bodies.

However, Naruto Uzumaki is no ordinary child. Although he looks like a three-year-old, his seemingly immature body contains power far exceeding that of his peers.

First, there was the system's physical enhancement—those data boosts increased his muscle fiber density and bone strength by a percentage. Every morning, while children his age were still sound asleep in their warm beds, Naruto was already training, strapped with specially made physical training weights.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

Naruto adjusted his breathing rhythm, his steps steady and unwavering. Sweat dripped from his golden hair. Every day, his training plan was Spartan-like: five hundred push-ups, five hundred squats, followed by a ten-kilometer weighted run. Such intensity would be difficult even for an adult ninja to maintain, but Naruto gritted his teeth and completed it day after day.

Ordinary children would suffer physical damage from such almost self-torture training, but Naruto wouldn't, all thanks to something about his body.

The bloodline of the Uzumaki clan.

That vast, ocean-like chakra and the tenacious vitality of a cockroach both supported him in breaking through one physical limit after another. Whenever his muscles groaned, the chakra would automatically circulate to repair those minor injuries, and when his lungs burned with pain, the powerful vitality would provide new strength.

Naruto now.

It's no exaggeration to say that if he had fully developed his talent and hadn't wasted his time like in the original work, spending all his time figuring out how to do his father's makeup, he would have been confident of defeating an ordinary genin based solely on his taijutsu.

All those days of arduous training, all the sweat shed in unknown corners, have now transformed into the strength to keep running.

Matt Kai's heart was in turmoil. He had lost count of how many times he thought the footsteps behind him would stop—with every turn, every uphill climb, he had secretly prepared himself to offer words of comfort. In his mind, those encouraging words had been rehearsed countless times.

"Don't be discouraged! At your age, you've already far surpassed me at that age!"

"Let's wait until you're a little older, then we'll unleash the passion of our youth together!"

Go for it, future of Konoha!

He even imagined gifting the child his treasured green leotard, the shiny fabric of which would surely suit the spirited little guy perfectly.

However, reality repeatedly shattered his expectations. That small figure always followed closely behind him, and Kai could clearly hear Naruto adjusting his breathing rhythm—a skill that could only be mastered through long-term training.

This...this is simply...

Kai's heart pounded, not from exhaustion from running, but from an overwhelming sense of excitement. A genius! And even more precious than a genius—a genius of hard work! This realization made his blood boil.

The streets of Konoha gradually came alive. The morning mist dissipated, and the sun grew scorching. Residents opened their windows, vendors set up their stalls, and everyone watched in astonishment as two figures, one large and one small, raced around the village. One lap, two laps... Sweat left winding trails on the road, only to be evaporated by the midday sun.

As they reached the ninety-ninth lap, Guy subtly slowed down. On the final lap, he controlled his pace to a position just wide enough for Naruto to walk alongside him. Finally, the two crossed the starting line simultaneously—a mark clearly imprinted by their footprints.

"Ha ha..."

Naruto immediately bent over, his hands on his knees, panting heavily. His golden bangs were soaked with sweat and clung to his flushed face. From dawn to noon, a full one hundred laps around Konoha—a feat that would leave many genin in the dust.

"It seems..." Kai's voice trembled slightly with excitement, "This time it's a tie." He crouched down to be at Naruto's eye level, his thick eyebrows revealing undisguised admiration, "Incredible! That kind of perseverance...you're definitely a genius of the hard-working type!"

His signature thumbs-up was held straight up. Sunlight refracted brilliantly off his white teeth, revealing a set of fine, white teeth.

Naruto straightened up and wiped the sweat that kept sliding down his forehead with his sleeve.

"Yes," he said, slightly out of breath, "no matter how talented you are, hard work is indispensable. Because... hard work will never betray you."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Kai's eyes welled up with tears again. "That's so true! This is what truly sparkling youth is!"

The air was thick with the warmth of their morning run, and their breathing rose and fell in the brief silence. Suddenly, Naruto looked up and stared directly into Guy's eyes.

"...Mr. Kai, you've been deliberately slowing down to cooperate with me, haven't you?"

These words struck Kai like a heavy blow, instantly freezing his body. His thick eyebrows shot up, and a visible look of panic flashed across his face.

"Let, let the water out? Hahaha!" Kai's laughter became unusually loud, but it was obviously unnatural, like laughter that was read aloud.

"How is this possible? This match was absolutely a genuine tie! You can't doubt the results of your hard work! Hahaha!"

The deliberate laughter echoed around them. Naruto looked at Guy's flustered appearance and couldn't help but smile—this straightforward man was indeed not good at lying.

"You don't need to hide it anymore," Naruto shook his head. "Although I proposed the match, I'm still fully aware of my own abilities. A match against a Konoha Jonin? Even if I started training from the day I was born, it's impossible for us to actually fight to a draw."

Kai scratched his head awkwardly. "Haha," he admitted with a wry smile, "Truly a genius, even this maturity is dazzling... That's the charm of youth!"

But the next moment, Naruto's words made Guy shudder.

"But! It is precisely because there is a possibility of failure that effort shines so brightly! This is the true meaning of youth."

These words struck Kai like a bolt of lightning, hitting him deep into his soul. His pupils dilated slightly. For years, he had been proclaiming the passion of youth to others, but at this moment, he heard words from a three-year-old child that touched his heart most deeply.

Naruto took a deep breath, his small chest heaving, sweat streaming down his face. He raised his arm, his slightly immature yet unusually determined fingers pointing directly at Might Guy.

"Mr. Kai, I lost this match. But I will never give up!" His voice was exceptionally clear in the morning light. "One day in the future, I will definitely become a stronger ninja than you! Because..."

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting shimmering points of light into Naruto's azure pupils.

"Human value lies not in 'what we become,' but in 'what we surpass.' Today, I surpassed my limits... Tomorrow, the day after, and one day! I, Naruto Uzumaki, will surpass you!"

Kai's body jolted, his thick eyebrows arching. He pondered the deeper meaning of those words, his usually passionate eyes now gleaming with thoughtful contemplation. Suddenly, he burst into a deafening shout:

"That's right!!!" Kai's voice boomed like thunder, "Never be ashamed of your efforts! Challenge seemingly impossible peaks! Push yourself to the limit and create your own rules! This is..."

His voice suddenly deepened, yet contained an even greater power:

"This is the true essence of self-discipline!"

The next moment, to Naruto's surprise, Guy suddenly knelt down again, tears streaming down his face, and gave him a tight hug. His strong arms completely enveloped Naruto's small body.

"But even though you lost the game, you perfectly showcased the brilliance of youth! I am incredibly proud of your efforts!"

Naruto was somewhat taken aback by this sudden enthusiasm, but just then—

【Ding! 】

A crisp system notification sounded in my mind.

[Congratulations, host! You have established a level 3 bond with the original character "Might Guy"!]

Points earned: 750!

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(The author has seen requests for updates; please give the new book positive reviews.)