"Guy really is... pure youth incarnate,"Nara Kazuki gasped, hands on his knees,his legs trembling so much he felt like they didn't belong to him anymore.
That desperate, pitiful thought ran through his mind:"Damn it, damn it, move you stupid right foot!"but no matter how much he shouted internally, it wouldn't budge.
"Yeah... Might Guy is really hardworking,"Kakashi said, standing nearby with arms crossed.His breathing was a little heavy, but otherwise he was fine.
Kazuki shot a glance at Kakashi's ever-present mask.
Damn it, you damn cool guy facade...
Then, looking at Might Guy, who was still bursting with energy doing push-ups,Kazuki's expression turned slightly odd.
Some things really were just determined by genetics.Guy might look like a goofy, muscle-brained Taijutsu maniac,but his physical constitution was insane.
Ordinary people would struggle to even come close.
It was no wonder that those who reached the Jonin level were all monsters.And even among geniuses—there were oceans of difference.
"But your stamina..."Kakashi glanced at Kazuki's trembling legs,his gaze a mix of amusement and pity.
"Relax,"Kazuki said, waving his hand dismissively,"I'll catch up eventually."
A new progress bar appeared:
[Physical Strength: 3/3000]
Grinding through Guy's frog jumps had unlocked another skill!
Kazuki's heart soared.This constant visible feedback...It made his natural laziness shrink away.
Kakashi said nothing,but deep down, he admitted Kazuki was among the hardest-working people he'd ever seen.
Even during their brutal training just now,Kazuki never stopped sneaking in Great Fireball Jutsu practice between exercises,and his shadow clone was tirelessly practicing Shadow Possession Jutsu at the same time.
Kakashi, being familiar with the Shadow Clone Technique, knew the drawbacks too well.When a shadow clone dispelled,all its accumulated fatigue returned to the caster.
No wonder Kazuki looked half-dead by now.
"For lunch..."Kazuki glanced over at Kakashi slyly.
Kakashi's face darkened instantly.
"How about a card game? Loser pays?"Kazuki offered innocently.
Kakashi hesitated but eventually nodded.Better gambling for it than paying outright.
Since Dou Raikage (the game) needed three players,Might Guy was dragged in too.
Naturally, Guy was thrilled to accept,even insisting on playing while doing one-handed handstands.
Watching him, Kazuki genuinely feared that Guy might pop a blood vessel in his forehead and die dramatically mid-match.
Unsurprisingly...Guy lost.Miserably.
Out of ten rounds, he only managed to win once,and that too was because Kakashi got absurdly lucky.
In the end, Guy paid for ramen at Ichiraku.Kazuki had no complaints.
He knew Guy's family situation wasn't great.Even worse than his own.
At least Kazuki still had the Nara Clan supporting him.Guy... had no one left.
After eating, Kazuki suggested they continue their card game at Guy's house.He even bought small gifts along the way,insisting very seriously that showing up empty-handed would get him a beating from Uncle Suzaku.
Guy, blushing furiously, accepted.
Even Kakashi bought something — roughly the same as Kazuki.
On the way there, Guy proposed they frog-jump all the way to his house.
Kazuki, to nobody's surprise, immediately agreed.Kakashi, at first reluctant, sighed and resigned himself when both his friends started flipping upside-down.
Up in the Hokage's office, Minato Namikaze was watching from the window,smiling warmly.
"Kushina, look—"he said to the red-haired woman beside him,"Isn't it great? Kakashi's finally starting to open up a little."
Kushina Uzumaki, gently stroking her slightly swollen belly,smiled radiantly, her face glowing with maternal warmth.
"Yeah... It's wonderful,"she said."But I wonder... how exactly is Kazuki doing it?Minato, why don't we invite them over for dinner sometime?"
Ever since Obito and Rin's deaths,their home had felt a bit too quiet.Lonely, even.
And with Minato busy as Hokage every day,Kushina spent most of her time alone.
Minato hesitated, looking at her belly.
"You're pregnant..."he said, worried.
Only a handful of people in Konoha knew about Kushina's pregnancy.It was a high-level secret.After all, she was the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.Childbirth would temporarily weaken the seal — and her.If the wrong people found out, it could be catastrophic.
"Don't worry! It's not that obvious yet,"Kushina said playfully,hugging his arm and unleashing the full force of the Uzumaki Puppy-Eyes no Jutsu.
Minato stood no chance.He surrendered instantly.
"The Fourth Hokage invited me to dinner?!"Kazuki exclaimed the next day when Kakashi relayed the invitation.
Kakashi nodded."Sensei said it himself."
Kazuki scratched his head.He recalled that Kushina should already be pregnant at this point.
In the manga, it was hinted that somehow this secret got leaked to Obito.Some theories blamed Kakashi, who once mentioned Kushina's pregnancy aloud while visiting Rin's grave—and was overheard by Obito hiding nearby.
But things like Kushina's delivery location?Kazuki believed Obito would've scouted that out himself,probably through his own infiltration.
Still—Kazuki wasn't about to decline.
At dinnertime, he and Kakashi arrived at the Namikaze household.
Minato answered the door personally, smiling warmly.Kushina, meanwhile, was busy cooking in the kitchen.
"Good evening, Kakashi, Kazuki,"Minato said, ushering them in.
Kazuki grinned and lifted the gift bag he was carrying.
It was packed with the finest deer antlers nurtured by the Nara Clan.Specially prepared.
Deer antlers everywhere.