"Father!"
Might Guy dashed over from the ninja school, his face unflushed and his breath steady. His stamina and endurance had been rigorously honed by Might Duy!
"Oh? Fūka, you're here too!"
Guy was both happy and puzzled to see Fūka.
Might Duy's gaze swept between the two of them. "Haha, you two are in the same class, right? Perfect! From today on, Fūka will be training with us!"
"Really?" Guy was surprised. Fūka was from the Uchiha clan, renowned for their powerful Sharingan, yet he was going to train in physical techniques with Guy's perennial Genin father. It was hard to believe.
"Guy, I look forward to working with you." Fūka extended his hand.
Guy's thick eyebrows perked up as he grasped Fūka's hand and exclaimed, "Fūka, please take good care of me! Let's burn with passion and youth together!!!"
"Uh…" That was a tough one to follow up on. Fūka gave a forced smile.
"Alright, you two start with warm-up exercises—run ten laps around the small grove!" Might Duy point?
Guy immediately shouted, "Understood!" and began sprinting.
Fūka quickly followed suit.
"Run ten laps around the grove, and if you can't finish, jump rope ten thousand times. If you can't finish the rope, run three laps around Konoha. If you can't finish that, then…" Guy muttered something ahead, causing Fūka to shudder in horror.
This father-son duo's physical training was truly extreme. Even adults would struggle, let alone a six-year-old like Fūka.
Fortunately, with the soul of an adult within him, Fūka was able to manage the grueling regimen.
Ten laps, ten thousand meters, was no small feat, but with intense training over the past holiday and his Chunin-level chakra, Fūka barely managed to complete it. However, Guy was exhausted by the final two laps and couldn't finish.
Might Duy have appeared before them at some point, his face stern. "Guy, you didn't complete the run. You know what that means, right?"
"Yes, Father!" Guy panted and replied, "If I don't finish, I have to jump rope ten thousand times!"
"Start!" Might Duy throw two ropes their way, one for Guy, and the other…
Uh, awkwardly enough.
"Um, Uncle Duy, heh heh, I finished?" Fūka feigned innocence.
"Hmm? Finished? But Guy hasn't finished!" Might Duy chided, "As team members, you should advance and retreat together. How can you leave your teammate behind? Therefore, as punishment, you will jump rope twenty thousand times!"
"..." Fūka's hands began to tremble. He nearly lost his temper and wanted to throw a Fireball Jutsu at him.
This was pure bullying!
"Fūka, this is what burning youth is all about!" Guy yelled, swiftly picking up the rope and starting to jump.
Despite being drained, Guy seemed to recover significantly after a short rest, and the rope whirled around him like a blur.
Fūka sighed. What could he do? He was equally helpless.
Picking up the rope, Fūka began to jump, albeit wearily.
Might Duy, with his furrowed brows, glared at him. "Fūka, don't slack off. This is training! Put in all your effort!"
Fūka was taken aback and then looked thoughtfully at Guy.
In the original story, Guy seemed to be an insignificant character initially, with no flashy ninjutsu or mysterious genjutsu—just a few basic techniques. However, later on, Guy showed overwhelming strength against powerful members of the Akatsuki and the terrifying Six Paths Madara. How did he achieve that?
Fūka tightened his grip and accelerated his jumping speed.
Might Duy nodded approvingly and then said, "If you make a mistake, start over!"
"Ah!" Fūka tripped over the rope.
"Start over!" Might Duy commanded.
"...No problem!" Fūka could only respond.
...
Around 9 PM, Fūka, exhausted, dragged himself back to the Uchiha clan's residence. The streets were nearly deserted, with only the dim streetlights casting a melancholic glow.
As he walked, Fūka began to notice something strange.
'This streetlight, didn't I just pass it? How is it here again?'
'Why have I been walking for so long and still haven't reached home?'
Despite being physically exhausted by Might Duy's training, Fūka's mind was still sharp.
He stopped, looked around. The streetlights cast a dim light from the poles, and ahead was an intersection. The surrounding houses were all dark, like a ghost town.
Fūka moved forward, soon reaching the intersection, and continued. His eyes widened as he saw another identical intersection ahead, with the same familiar streetlights.
A maze?
No, this was a genjutsu!
Fox's Heart Jutsu?
Fox's Heart Jutsu was a technique that trapped the target in a maze-like illusion, making them unconsciously loop in place. It was a simple genjutsu.
Fūka's chakra began to flow rapidly and then slow down repeatedly, but everything before him seemed unchanged!
He frowned and advanced. After the intersection, another identical intersection appeared!
Fūka realized something.
This wasn't a normal genjutsu!
Because ordinary genjutsu could be dispelled by altering one's chakra flow.
'This genjutsu… it's likely cast using the Sharingan!'
Fūka squinted, his mind racing with possibilities.
Could it be Fugaku Uchiha?
But he had no reason to attack him; he even praised Fūka at their previous meeting in the Konoha Hospital.
Could it be the Root of Danzo?
It wouldn't be surprising if there were a few rogue Uchiha in the Root. No matter how excellent a clan was, it would have its share of outcasts.
The crucial question was whether the person behind this was testing him or preparing to… kill him?
Fūka's hair stood on end. Despite having Chunin-level chakra, it didn't mean he had the combat experience or skills of a Chunin.
At this moment, Fūka even felt an urge to activate his Sharingan. He was confident that under the Sharingan's gaze, he could see through this genjutsu. But the risk of doing so was too great!
At that moment, a gentle breeze blew through.
Fūka froze, almost activating his Sharingan.
Wind? Where did the wind come from?
Then Fūka noticed that the streetlights' light was flickering and then returning to normal.
Nearby, shadows flashed by, and people glanced back at him, seemingly curious about why the child kept spinning in place.
Fūka broke into a cold sweat. Not daring to linger, he hurriedly ran home.