Konoha at four in the morning.
“Your progress is so fast.
I’ve seen it—this is the power of youth!”
Might Dai flashed a row of gleaming teeth and gave a thumbs-up.
Gekko Ryun: “…”
The power of youth?
No, this is the power of equipment.
But it has to be said, after spending so much time with Might Dai, he was starting to trend a bit youthful himself.
Now, hearing the words “the power of youth,” he could easily keep a straight face.
“Yes, Dai-senpai, this is precisely my fiercely burning youth!”
He said it without blushing or his heart racing, simply swapping “Will of Fire” for “youth.”
He was familiar with this rhetoric.
This was the confidence of someone who consistently scored full marks on Will of Fire exams.
“Ryun-kun!” Might Dai stood frozen in place, tears welling up in his eyes.
A few seconds later.
He spread his arms wide and charged straight forward like a bear.
Ryun’s mouth twitched.
He thought he had it under control, but there was a second stage?
If he had to hug and cry like Rock Lee and Might Guy did in the original story, he genuinely couldn’t do it…
Without any hesitation, he dodged the exaggerated embrace.
“…Ahem, Dai-senpai, let’s just continue training.”
Even though he had already obtained equipment from Might Dai, he hadn’t given up the habit of training with him.
Judging by the strength displayed by Might Dai, Might Guy, and later Rock Lee, this training method truly had substance.
Thinking of this, he tentatively asked, “By the way, there’s something I’d like to ask for your help with, Dai-senpai.
Is that okay?”
Might Dai pointed at himself and scratched his head.
“Me?”
“That’s right.”
Gekko Ryun nodded.
“I’d like to ask Dai-senpai to instruct me in Konoha-style Taijutsu.
Is that possible?”
This was something he had been planning for a while.
One of the traits of [Might Dai’s Green Tights] was only triggered when performing Konoha-style Taijutsu.
Because there was a veteran swordsman ninja in his family, he had focused on practicing swordsmanship since childhood.
As for taijutsu, he had only learned a few moves that complemented his sword techniques.
How could that be acceptable?
Konoha-style Taijutsu included quite a few techniques, such as Konoha Whirlwind, Great Whirlwind, Powerful Whirlwind, Gale Wind, and others.
After much thought, there weren’t many people who could teach him, and Might Dai was one of them.
Better to stick with one teacher for consistency—like using the original broth for the original meal.
A rare look of awkwardness appeared on Might Dai’s face.
“But I’m just a Genin.”
“Senpai, I believe in you!”
Gekko Ryun’s gaze was sincere.
What’s wrong with being a Genin?
This was the Genin who opened the Eight Inner Gates, kicked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen down to just three.
Might Dai thought for a moment, then nodded firmly.
“Since you’re willing to believe in me, then…
okay!”
“Then it’s settled.
For the monthly payment, let’s tentatively set it at…
30,000 ryo.
How does that sound?”
Might Dai was taken aback and quickly waved his hands.
“No payment is necessary.”
Looking at Might Dai’s flustered refusal, Ryun felt somewhat moved.
Due to his peculiar appearance and habits, along with the title “Eternal Genin,” few in the village held this man in high regard.
Perhaps for Might Dai, a rare and precious acknowledgment was already invaluable.
But Might Dai’s living conditions were far from ideal.
A Genin, engaging in self-torturing training every day, taking on missions with meager rewards.
That little money was far from enough to treat the hidden injuries in his body.
Thirty thousand ryo wasn’t much, but at least it could improve his standard of living a bit.
“Senior, please don’t refuse.”
Compared to Might Guy’s combat power, which nearly kicked open the path to the grand finale, Might Dai’s performance was considerably less impressive.
There were many reasons for this.
No master to inherit from, no accumulation from the previous generation, no friend like Kakashi to spar with and improve together.
As for now…
He really wanted to see if, with his own involvement, Might Dai might achieve a different outcome.
….
Ninja Academy, Will of Fire class.
Gekko Ryun propped his elbow on the desk and yawned.
Just who was capable of scheduling a Will of Fire class every single day?
The content taught was always the same old stuff, repeated over and over.
Why not even ask him to help compile the textbook?
Every Will of Fire class was a test of his own Will of Fire!
He looked at Minato sitting bolt upright in the front row, constantly taking notes, and felt nothing but admiration.
Truly a promising seedling for the Will of Fire.
“Kushina, why aren’t you sleeping today?”
Kushina sighed, rubbed her dry eyes, and said weakly, “I haven’t finished writing my mission report yet.”
After saying that, she lowered her head and continued writing furiously.
He glanced at the densely written report.
Catching a few key words, his eyes froze, and he began reading it seriously.
Why were the mission report filled with words praising him?
That couldn’t be right, could it?
Reading it made him feel a bit embarrassed.
Please, keep it up!
The description of Minato was relatively objective, though the length wasn’t much.
And Nawaki… did he bribe someone?
He only took down one bandit before retreating from the battlefield and running off to vomit violently.
How did the report describe him as “fearless in the face of danger”?
Although it could barely be considered fearless—after all, the first lookout bandit was taken down by Nawaki— there was still a bit of embellishment here, right?
“Who taught you to write the report like this?”
Kushina covered the report and smiled sheepishly.
“Tsunade-nee, and some of my own additions.”
Understanding dawned in his eyes.
Got it.
The words praising him were thought up by Kushina, and the embellishments for Nawaki were taught by Tsunade.
He cleared his throat lightly.
The style of this mission report felt somewhat familiar…
Kushina smiled mysteriously.
“Do you know the rank of this mission?”
“B-rank?”
Konoha’s mission system ranged from D-rank to S-rank.
D-rank missions were daily tasks like catching cats or finding dogs.
C-rank missions usually involved things like escort duties, without combat against ninja.
In the original story, Team 7 once carried out a “C-rank” mission escorting Tazuna.
Clearing out bandits was typically also a C-rank mission.
However, they had encountered a Rogue Ninja, making the situation different.
No matter how weak a ninja was, their strength surpassed that of an ordinary person.
“That’s right, it’s B-rank.” Kushina said with some regret, “I’m so envious.
Getting to carry out a B-rank mission on your first try… I didn’t get to participate…”
“There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.”
He said casually.
Given Nawaki’s performance this time, unless something unexpected happened, Tsunade would definitely find ways to arrange more missions for training.
No need to worry about a lack of missions.
But having to obediently attend classes right after completing a mission… that was probably a first in Konoha.
Even the teacher who was giving a long-winded lecture on the podium looked at them with admiration.
The teacher didn’t have much information, only knowing that their leave was for carrying out a mission.
That alone was enough to fill him with immense joy.
Executing a mission before graduation held even greater value than graduating early.
As the teacher who had taught two…
no, three geniuses, he had recently been speaking with more confidence.
In the back row.
Gekko Ryun suddenly thought of a question.
“Do we get paid for carrying out the mission?”
“Yes, Sister Tsunade already collected it.
She said she’d keep it safe for us first.”
“…Keep it safe?”
“That’s what Sister Tsunade said.”
He smiled, feeling relieved.
Seriously, you’re even swindling your own students’ money?