Chapter 120 - 20

Chapter 20: Konoha's Weirdos!"Not bad! Really not bad!"He straightened up and clenched his fists tightly, feeling the slight soreness and the surge of strength in his body after the high-intensity training.Although the Shadow Clone's physical strength couldn't compare to the original body—being only about sixty or seventy percent—using it for Chakracultivation and technique practice practically doubled his efficiency!Plus, it could bring back experience... The feeling when it dissipated was just like having suddenly trained for an extra period of time!He thought of the old Third Hokage, who was always smiling and occasionally secretly observed him using the Telescopic Technique."Tsk, that old man... this time he actually gave me something good."Naruto curled his lip, but his tone lacked some of the usual resistance.This jutsu truly solved his biggest predicament: lacking guidance and having to figure everything out on his own.Just as he was preparing to tidy up and go to the river to wash off the sweat and dust, a faint, rhythmic thumping sound and passionate shouting drifted on the wind from deeper within the forest."Bang, bang, bang!""Ahhh! Youth! Burn!""Come on! Rock Lee! Don't give up! Let your hot blood boil! This is the power of youth!""Yes! Might Guy-sensei! I can feel it! Awoo!"This piercing sound, this familiar, goosebump-inducing, passionate shouting...Naruto was somewhat curious. Holding the thought of "seeing how other hardworking people train," he suppressed his presence and quietly approached the direction the sound was coming from.Pushing aside a patch of dense bushes, the scene before him made Naruto instantly freeze in place, his mouth twitching uncontrollably once again—In a small clearing in the woods, two figures wearing green spandex suits and bowl-cut hairstyles were sweating profusely.The younger one, Rock Lee, had white bandages wrapped around his hands that were now soaked with blood, turning a dark red.He was punching and kicking a thick wooden post frantically, putting his full strength into every strike, emitting dull, loud thuds as wood chips flew everywhere.His face was flushed red, sweat pouring like rain. He let out beast-like howls until, finally exhausted, he collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for air.Beside him, the tall figure, Might Guy, was doing a one-handed handstand, supporting himself on the ground with only one finger, his other hand behind his back, while wearing clearly oversized heavy training gear!He was also drenched in sweat, but his eyes were incredibly bright as he loudly encouraged the fallen Rock Lee:"Don't give up! Rock Lee! This is the trial of youth! Pain is the medal of growth! Burn!""Yes! Might Guy-sensei! I feel... youth burning!" Rock Lee struggled to get up."Ohhh! Well said! Rock Lee! I, your teacher, cannot fall behind either! To respond to my student's youth, I will add another thousand one-fingered handstand push-ups!"Might Guy howled excitedly, and then truly began doing the jaw-dropping "push-ups" using only one finger for support!Naruto: "..."He silently and cautiously took a step back, planning to slip away quietly while this pair of "youthful master and student" was immersed in their own world of hot-blooded passion.Isn't the concentration of weirdos in Konoha a bit too high?From that bunch of paranoid, red-eyed Uchiha, to the unfathomable Uchiha Itachi, and now to this pair of green-spandex-clad "rare beasts" before him...He started to wonder if there was anyone in this Village with completely normal thinking and behavior patterns.However, the moment his heel touched the branch behind him—"Who's there?!"A low, vigilant shout rang out!The green figure that had originally been doing the high-difficulty one-fingered handstand push-ups left a blurred afterimage on Naruto's retina. The next second, carrying a gust of wind, he appeared without warning less than a meter from his side!So fast!Every hair on Naruto's body stood on end in a thousandth of a second! That was a speed and pressure far exceeding the level of the Ninja Academy, even more dangerous than those UchihaGenin from before!Almost entirely as a physical instinct, his nerves and muscles, strengthened by Heavenly Restriction, activated before his consciousness could even make a judgment.He twisted his waist, and his right fist, like a cannonball fired from its chamber, carried a sharp whistling wind as it smashed fiercely toward the spot where the green figure was about to land!"Hmm?"Might Guy was clearly a bit surprised as well.His original intention was just to approach quickly and check out this "suspicious person" who had approached while hiding their presence, but he hadn't expected the other party to react so swiftly and counterattack so decisively!In the blink of an eye, he didn't have time to change his move, so he simply turned his grab into a block, fingers of his left hand pressed together, and met Naruto's heavy, powerful punch precisely with the side of his palm."Bang!"Fist and palm collided, emitting a short, solid thud.Naruto felt as if he had hit an incredibly tough, tempered steel plate; his fist went slightly numb.And the arm with which Might Guy had blocked the punch had actually moved back by half an inch, almost imperceptibly!Oh?Might Guy's gaze instantly became serious, as if he had discovered some rare treasure. He released his hand but did not immediately retreat; instead, from this extremely close distance, he looked the boy up and down.He was covered in grass and dust, his face still boyish, but his upper body muscles were well-defined, firm, and tense, filled with explosive power.Most eye-catching was the Chakra aura around the boy, which hadn't completely settled yet and was overly active, and... the color of his eyes and that blonde hair...A long-buried name and a gentle, smiling face instantly flashed across Might Guy's mind."Young man, are you..." Might Guy's voice slowed, carrying a trace of imperceptible probing."What's wrong? Huff— Might Guy-sensei? Are there enemies?!"Just then, the panting Rock Lee scrambled over, his face still covered in sweat and blood. But when his gaze landed on Naruto's iconic blonde hair, he paused for a moment before breaking into an unguarded, honest smile, "Eh? It's Naruto!"He turned to Might Guy and explained in a relaxed tone: "Might Guy-sensei, he's not a bad guy. He's our classmate from the Ninja Academy, Uzumaki Naruto."Then he looked back at Naruto, wiped the sweat from his face, and asked enthusiastically: "Naruto, are you here to train too?"Upon hearing the name "Uzumaki Naruto," the last trace of doubt in the depths of Might Guy's eyes dissipated, replaced by a gaze mixed with realization, regret, and... even deeper interest.He swallowed the words that might have carried a questioning tone, dropped his defensive stance, and gave Naruto his signature, blindingly bright smile, holding up a thumb in a gesture of affirmation."So that's it! It's Mr. Naruto!"His voice became cheerful again, "I am Might Guy, Rock Lee's teacher. I'm sorry about just now; I felt someone approaching and instinctively... Your reaction and strength are great! You have a lot of potential!"