Naruto's nose twitched. "Then why did you even bring it up?" he asked in exasperation.
"Because that's what Guy-sensei always yells whenever Lee feels like giving up," Tenten answered cheerfully.
Naruto gave a dry smile. "Whatever…"
Tenten laughed in satisfaction, but Naruto ignored her.
"Naruto!"
Guy called out to him.
"Yes, what is it, Guy-san?"
"Have you rested enough?" Guy asked.
"Hmm… I guess I can move freely now," Naruto replied, sounding a bit unsure.
"Good. Then we can begin again…"
Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "Do we have to start now?"
Lee patted Naruto on the shoulder. "Of course we do! The youthful energy of the morning must not go to waste!"
"Haha… you're right. Youthful energy…" Naruto muttered in despair.
"Tenten, put the weight away and bring out the regular backpack and the new one I prepared for Naruto."
Tenten nodded, then unrolled a scroll, revealing three backpacks arranged like steps.
"Thank goodness… looks like I got the smallest one," Naruto thought. But he still felt uneasy—he might just collapse from exhaustion.
"Alright, everyone, put your backpacks on."
Naruto tried to put his on but struggled with the straps.
Tenten helped him. "There, it's done."
"Okay," Naruto said.
But Tenten didn't move from her spot, which made Naruto a bit suspicious.
"What is it?" he asked.
Tenten only looked at him. "Did you forget something?"
Naruto thought for a moment. Something? What is it? Thankfully, even though he was exhausted, his brain still worked.
"Ahh, hey Tenten… thanks."
Tenten smiled and walked away. "My pleasure."
"Alright, Naruto. This might be your first time, so I'll explain."
"First, we put on our backpacks. Second, we run ten laps around Konoha. And if you stop even once, you'll have to do it five more times."
"So, do you understand?" Guy asked.
Naruto said nothing, but he nodded.
"I really hope… I don't die this time."
"Alright, let's start right away!" The two of them dashed off.
"Come on, Lee! Let your youthful spirit burn!"
"Yes, sensei!"
They yelled as they ran, and Naruto followed close behind.
"Naruto! You can do it!" Tenten called out from behind. Well, at the very least, he had to keep it together in front of a girl.
So Naruto pushed himself. He even managed to match the duo's running pace—though, of course, their backpacks carried different weights.
Guy glanced at Naruto. "Good job, Naruto! Keep it up—"
Naruto cut him off. "Haa… I know. Let the spirit of youth burn!" he shouted, reigniting their energy.
"Yaaah! Let's go!"
"The fire of youth!!"
The three of them kept shouting their usual lines. Naruto hated it, but he had to admit—those shouts really did fire him up.
They kept running around Konoha. Some villagers began to take notice, but Naruto didn't care.
The only thing that mattered to him now was finishing the run. That was all.
The sky, once dim, began to brighten, and warm sunlight started to shine down. The clock struck seven, and they finally completed their run.
"Warm-up complete. Take a ten-minute break. After that, we'll continue with the next training."
"Hahh…" Naruto panted heavily, trying to catch as much fresh air as possible.
He dropped to the ground, stretching his sore legs.
Tap… tap… tap…
Footsteps approached. Naruto turned his head.
"Tired~?" Tenten sat down in front of him.
"Youuu!! Huhh… whatever. Don't bother me," Naruto groaned.
"Hey, that's mean… I haven't even said anything yet," Tenten pouted in protest.
Naruto glanced at her. Her face looked annoyed, and her light pink lips were pursed. But he knew she was probably laughing inside.
So Naruto decided to ignore her.
"Here, want some water?" Tenten offered a bottle of water.
"Sure." Naruto nodded.
But just as he reached for it, Tenten pulled the bottle away.
Naruto frowned. He really felt like giving her a lesson.
"Just kidding. Here you go." This time, she handed it over for real.
"Thanks," said Naruto.
"You're welcome. And this time you didn't forget. That's great," Tenten nodded, pleased with Naruto's manners.
"Hey, Tenten…"
"What is it?" she asked.
"Nothing. I was just curious—have you always helped them like this?"
He'd been wondering about that for a while.
"Sometimes yes, sometimes no," she replied shortly.
"I see…" Naruto nodded.
"Well, I help out when I feel like it. If not, I just wait at the store in the village to pass time. Of course, that's when I don't have any missions."
"Store?" Naruto asked, but then something clicked in his mind.
"Yeah, my family owns a ninja tool shop. If you ever want to buy something, come to our place. I might even be nice enough to give you a discount…" Tenten said with a laugh at the end.
Naruto sighed. "You even managed to throw in a sales pitch…"
They both went silent, then burst out laughing together.
"Naruto!! It's time!" Lee called out.
"Hey, you should go. They're calling you," Tenten nudged him.
"Yeah, yeah… I can go on my own," Naruto grumbled. He stood up and walked toward Guy.
"So what's next?" Naruto asked flatly.
"Hahahaha! Now it's time for the real training—pure physical training!" Guy declared.
"This is just regular training. Nothing to worry about," Guy assured him.
Naruto trembled. Sweat rolled down his temple. Guy's words sounded completely different in his ears.
A death alarm rang inside his mind.
"We'll be doing push-ups, sit-ups, and squats…" Guy paused.
"Phew, just basic stuff…" Naruto thought.
"One thousand times each."
…
Naruto's face went completely blank. He had lost all will to react.
But like it or not, Naruto did it—because he had made up his mind to grow stronger… stronger than anyone else.