Naruto went to the western forest. It was a safe place, but few people visited it due to the distance.
He waited by the entrance, but no one showed up.
"Don't tell me I came too early…" Naruto had a bad feeling. He was worried he might have come at the wrong time.
And honestly, he really didn't feel like waiting around.
"Or maybe they're already inside? That sounds more likely," Naruto decided to head into the forest.
Sure enough, after five minutes he found the others—Guy, Lee, and Tenten. Neji, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Naruto walked closer, and Tenten noticed him. "Naruto!" she shouted.
"Oh, hey Tenten!" Naruto greeted her with a smile.
"Thank goodness you came here…" Tenten sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, well, I told them we should wait for you at the entrance, but Guy-sensei said you would understand…" Tenten explained, which confirmed Naruto's suspicion.
Naruto shook his head. "Luckily I didn't wait at the gate. Otherwise, I might have stayed there the whole day." He gave a wry smile.
Tenten giggled. "Well, you'd better head over there. They won't stop or even notice what's happening while they're training…" She gently pushed Naruto toward Guy.
"What about you?" Naruto asked.
"Me? What do you mean?" Tenten looked confused.
"I mean, aren't you going to join the training too?" Naruto asked directly.
Tenten's expression changed as she pretended not to understand. "Haha, I don't know what you mean…"
Naruto was about to press further, but Tenten didn't give him a chance.
"Alright, alright! Hey, Guy-sensei, Lee! Naruto's here!" she called out.
"Naruto!!" they both shouted.
"Narutooo!" Lee yelled, then ran toward him.
Guy-sensei followed eagerly.
"Hahaha! The flames of youth will always burn bright! Great, Naruto, now that you're here, it's time for warm-ups!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Warm-ups?"
"Yes, warm-ups," Lee answered.
"You're really lucky, Naruto. We haven't started yet, and this is our favorite warm-up," Lee added.
"Oh, really? What is it?" Naruto grew curious about the duo's favorite routine.
Lee was about to explain, but Guy cut in. "Today's training will begin with the Ultimate Hellish Warm-Up!" Guy shouted.
"Wait, sensei… wasn't it called the Eternal Hell Warm-Up last week?"
"Eh? Was it?" Guy paused, thinking, then patted both of Lee's shoulders. "But Lee, what matters isn't the name…"
"Then what is it?" Lee asked eagerly.
"What matters is… the spirit of youth!!"
"Woaaahhh! The spirit of youth!!" Lee shouted.
The two of them hugged and cried for no reason… no, they cried for the sake of youth.
Naruto stood in silence. He looked at Tenten, but she quickly turned her face away.
As if saying: This is your fault. There's no way out now…
Naruto sighed, and within seconds, he shouted as well, "Spirit of youuuth!!"
Hearing Naruto's shout, Guy and Lee fell silent for a moment, but then cheered again.
A little while later…
"Alright! Today begins with the Super Extreme Hell Warm-Up!!"
Naruto laughed to himself. He changed the name again…
"First, we'll meditate." Guy demonstrated the pose—it was a one-legged standing meditation.
"Everyone, get into position…"
Naruto followed along. At first, it felt awkward, but he managed to hold the stance.
Phew… if it's just this, it might not be too bad…
"Tenten, go ahead."
"Yeah, sensei…" Tenten, who had been sitting on a rock, pulled out three ninja scrolls.
Naruto glanced at her. Something feels off… he thought.
"Wait, what's that?" Naruto asked her.
Tenten showed the scroll. "This? Good question."
"Sensei, how many kilos do you want today~?"
"I think 80 is good—no, make it 100 today!" Guy answered.
"Alright." Tenten unrolled the scroll, revealing a heavy iron weight sealed within.
Guy caught the massive weight and lifted it over his head.
Lee followed, asking for 35 kilos.
"Arghhh! Spirit of youth!!" Lee nearly collapsed but pushed himself back up.
"Wait, my body's not in shape for this. There's no way I can handle that weight…" Naruto tried to object.
Guy agreed. "But Naruto, I believe you can handle at least 20 kg. Tenten, give it to him…"
"Sure, sensei." Tenten happily handed it to Naruto. "Sorry, Naruto, not trying to be mean, but this is my job…"
Naruto looked annoyed, but he clenched his teeth and accepted it. There was no turning back—he now held 20 kilos over his head.
If he lost strength, that iron could fall and turn him into an idiot…
Tenten simply laughed at Naruto's reaction. "Oops, what have I done… how cruel of me…" she whispered playfully.
She returned to her rock and waited…
2 minutes passed…
5 minutes…
8, 16, 25 minutes…
Finally, after 30 minutes…
Guy and Lee dropped their weights at the same time. Naruto followed suit.
They're insane… this is torture, not training, Naruto groaned inwardly.
"Here," a voice said beside him.
It was Tenten. She looked at him and handed over a handkerchief.
"Want it? If not… never mind." Tenten started to pull it back, but Naruto quickly took it.
"At first it might be hard, but you'll get used to it eventually," Tenten encouraged him.
Naruto looked into her eyes, raising an eyebrow. "Have you ever done this yourself?"
A bright smile spread across Tenten's face as she replied, "Of course not…"
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There are still 2 more chapters, I'm still editing them, just wait.
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