Four in the morning.
Gekko Ryun gazed at the empty street and took a deep breath of the crisp, cool air, dispelling the lingering remnants of drowsiness.
He ran along the street to the village entrance and began jogging around the perimeter of the Hidden Leaf.
I guess I’m one of those who has seen the Leaf Village at four in the morning now.
While it was completely normal for a shinobi to keep irregular hours, there was probably only one person in the entire village right now who woke up at this ungodly hour purely for the sake of physical training.
After running for about ten minutes, he spotted a figure ahead.
The man wore a somewhat ragged green spandex suit, his hair a wild, messy mop.
Finally caught up to you, Might Dai!
His eyes lit up.
Picking up his pace, he gradually drew alongside the green silhouette.
Hearing the footsteps behind him, Might Dai turned his head and flashed a grin with teeth so dazzling they practically gleamed.
“What a passionate youth!
Do you like training at this hour too?”
“That’s right.
I’m Gekko Ryun.
And you, Senior?”
“Might Dai!
Pleased to meet you!”
One tall and one short, the two figures ran side by side.
A gentle breeze drifted past, carrying the earthy scents of soil and fresh grass.
Basking in the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere, the slight anxiety in his heart settled down.
Compared to other resource-starved Hidden Villages, the Leaf truly enjoyed blessed conditions.
At the very least, he wouldn’t want to run laps in a boundless desert.
After a moment of serenity, Ryun deliberately brushed lightly against Dai’s arm.
[New equipment material detected]
[Might Dai’s Green Spandex Suit]
[Estimated Quality: Green]
[Refinement Cost: 30,000 ryō/attempt]
[Special Conditions: Gifted personally by Might Dai; he must acknowledge your youth]
[Conditions not met.
Unable to refine.]
The corners of Ryun’s mouth curled slightly.
Just as expected, it was indeed an equipment material.
He eagerly scanned the rest of the prompt.
Huh?
Acknowledge my youth?
That condition was a bit abstract.
He pondered for a moment, then an idea struck him.
Without breaking stride, he faced into the wind and called out, “Dai-senpai, how about a contest of youth?”
Dai froze for a second, his bushy eyebrows twitching, before his face broke into an even more radiant smile.
“Splendid!”
With that, Dai thrust out a firm thumbs-up.
“What kind of contest?”
“How about…
seeing who can reach Training Ground Seven first?”
Ryun estimated the distance—about four or five kilometers.
The grin on Dai’s face seemed permanently fixed.
“Alright!
Give it your all, young man!”
As soon as Ryun shouted “Start!”, both of them leaped forward at the same time.
Immediately afterward, however, the sharp sound of tearing wind whistled past Ryun’s ear, and he glanced sideways.
All he saw was a flash of green accelerating exponentially, shooting out like an arrow released from a drawn bow.
Gekko Ryun: “…”
Over a mere four or five kilometers, Ryun had seen Dai at the starting line, watched him make a return lap halfway through, and near the finish line, Dai ran up beside him just to wave hello…
Is this guy even human?!
How could anyone be this fast?
He had to admit, he had underestimated the heroes of this world.
“Can you keep going?”
Dai struck a pose oozing with “youth” and winked at him.
“Of course, Dai-senpai.
Let’s run together.”
It was just four or five kilometers—barely a warm-up.
In the original series, Rock Lee could run a hundred laps around the Leaf in a single night.
Shinobi in this world were practically mini-superhumans.
He matched Dai’s pace again.
“Dai-senpai, do you run this route every day?”
“Not necessarily!
Sometimes I run around the Leaf, sometimes at the training grounds.”
“Understood,” Ryun said with firm resolve.
“Next time, let’s race again.
I’ll bet my youth on it—I will definitely win!”
Dai stared blankly at him.
The very next second, two torrents of hot tears gushed from his eyes like miniature waterfalls.
“Is that so?!
What a burning, passionate youth!”
Gekko Ryun: “…”
Did I overact?
Why is he suddenly bawling his eyes out?
Does this count as him acknowledging my youth?
Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
…
The two ran until broad daylight broke across the sky.
They finally came to a halt at the Leaf Village gates.
After a brief rest, Ryun took the initiative to ask, “Senpai, where did you buy your suit?”
“I had it custom-made!
Well, how does it look?
Handsome, isn’t it?”
“…Very handsome.”
Dai beamed widely, utterly thrilled that someone finally appreciated his aesthetic sense.
With great enthusiasm, he began explaining the profound philosophy behind the green spandex suit.
Although Ryun wasn’t particularly keen on the idea that “green is the symbol of the Leaf,” it certainly sounded very aligned with the Will of Fire.
“Which shop made it?”
“The Shinobi Clothing Shop.”
Ryun committed the name to memory.
“Senpai, care to grab some breakfast?”
Hearing this, Dai hesitated for a second before shaking his head.
“No need, I have to keep training!”
“Alright, then.”
Ryun didn’t push it.
After parting ways, Ryun headed over to Ichiraku Ramen.
Stepping inside, he picked an empty seat.
Before obtaining the Equipment Slot System, he had actually contemplated getting a job at Ichiraku Ramen.
At the very least, that would have allowed him to lay low and survive safely for decades.
“Ah, little Ryun!
What’ll it be?” a youthful Teuchi asked with a cheerful grin.
“Tonkotsu ramen, please.”
“Got it, coming right up!”
There weren’t many customers in Ichiraku Ramen so early in the morning.
Soon, the familiar savory aroma wafted up, whetting Ryun’s appetite.
Just then, a soft, somewhat effeminate voice sounded from behind him.
“One bowl of tonkotsu ramen.”
Ryun looked back over his shoulder.
A man with long black hair, golden slit pupils, and an appearance so handsome it bordered on eerie slid into the seat beside him.
The purple eye shadow extending from his eyelids down to his nose bridge radiated an unsettling, inhuman sense of danger.
Teuchi parted the noren curtain and glanced out.
“Ah, Lord Orochimaru!
Just a moment, please.”
“Take your time.”
Turning toward Ryun, Orochimaru inquired with mild interest, “Are you Gekko Ryun?”
Huh?
Ryun was caught off guard.
He was just a Ninja Academy student, wasn’t he?
Why did everyone in the Leaf seem to know him?
“Yes, that’s me, Lord Orochimaru.”
Orochimaru gave a low chuckle.
“No need to be nervous.
I was merely curious to see what kind of disciple that idiot Jiraiya was so eager to take in.”
That single sentence stunned Ryun multiple times over.
Could Orochimaru actually smile so gently?
And what did he mean by “the disciple Jiraiya wants to take in”?
If he recalled correctly, his name was Gekko Ryun, not Minato Namikaze…
Still, Ryun wasn’t genuinely that terrified.
If this were the Orochimaru whose personality drastically warped after Nawaki’s death, Ryun would have bolted as far away as humanly possible.
It was common knowledge that the Leaf had two notorious schemers behind the scenes.
One was Danzo, and the other was the man sitting right beside him.
More accurately, the future version of the man beside him.
Once Teuchi served the ramen, Orochimaru ate at an unhurried pace, speaking no further.
It was as if they had simply bumped into each other by coincidence and exchanged a passing greeting.
…..
Presently, a girl with dark brown hair emerged from the back room.
Cradling a neatly folded, clean apron, she placed it carefully beneath the counter.
She turned around and called out, “Boss, I’m heading to school now!”
“Off you go, Nonō.
Business is slow in the morning, but make sure to come by early this afternoon.”
“Understood, Boss!
I’ll come straight over after class.”
Slinging her schoolbag over her shoulder, the girl waved toward the kitchen.
Having just finished his noodles and preparing to leave, Gekko Ryun froze.
Nonō?
Nonō Yakushi?!
Orochimaru looked up, having sensed the subtle shift in Ryun’s breathing.
His golden eyes lingered thoughtfully on the retreating figure of the young girl.
Nonō, is it?