Early on Saturday morning,
the Nohara father and son carried gift boxes through several streets and arrived at a residential area on the edge of Konoha.
The Might family's house wasn't big—if anything, it looked a little shabby. The yard was piled with all kinds of training equipment.
Standing at the door, Hiroshi took a deep breath and knocked.
"Coming!" a full, energetic voice called from inside. Even through the door, you could feel the enthusiasm behind it.
The door slid open, and Might Duy, wearing that eternally unchanged green bodysuit, leaned halfway out. He clearly froze for a second when he saw Hiroshi.
"Hi, mister." Shin-chan poked his head out from behind Hiroshi and waved at him.
Hiroshi bowed slightly. "Hello, I'm Shin-chan's father, Nohara Hiroshi. Thank you for taking care of Shin-chan during this time. I came specially to thank you."
Might Duy's eyes lit up instantly. Grabbing Hiroshi's hand, he shook it hard. "You're too polite. Shin-chan is a good child—a good child of youth!"
Hiroshi was a little overwhelmed by the man's enthusiasm. "Uh... thank you..."
"Come in, come in." Duy pulled Hiroshi inside as he called deeper into the house, "Guy, we have guests!"
A series of thumping footsteps came from inside, and then a small green figure came charging out.
"Shin-chan, you came."
"Yeah, I brought you a gift." Shin-chan handed him the present he had prepared.
Inside the house, Hiroshi and Duy sat facing each other.
Might Duy looked at Hiroshi seriously. "Nohara-san, Shin-chan is a very talented child. But my training method doesn't suit him."
Hiroshi blinked. "Doesn't suit him?"
"Mhm." Duy nodded. "My method is about breaking through your limits and then pushing even further. But I tried getting Shin-chan to break through his limits, and this child... doesn't seem to have any."
He paused, then continued, "So I think him going to study swordsmanship is the right choice. That child should have a path that suits him better."
Hiroshi was silent for two seconds, then bowed deeply.
"Thank you."
Duy was startled. "Wh-What are you doing?"
"Thank you for thinking about what's best for Shin-chan." Hiroshi straightened up and looked at him seriously. "You didn't get upset just because he stopped training with you. Instead, you thought about what would be better for him. I'll remember that."
Duy froze, then suddenly pulled Hiroshi into a tight hug. "Nohara-san, you are also a fine father of youth!"
Hiroshi was getting squeezed so hard he could barely breathe, but he still smiled and patted Duy on the back.
At the doorway, Shin-chan and Guy watched the scene, then looked at each other.
After leaving the Might house, Hiroshi rubbed his sore shoulder where he'd been squeezed.
"That man... is really enthusiastic."
Shin-chan nodded. "Thick-Eyebrow Mister is always like that."
"Come on, next stop." Hiroshi picked up the other gift box. "The Hatake house."
The Hatake residence was closer to the center of Konoha and much bigger than the Mights' house. A few bamboo plants stood by the entrance, rustling softly in the wind.
Hiroshi stood at the door, took a deep breath, and knocked.
The door opened quickly.
Kakashi answered it. He was wearing casual clothes, and his silver hair was slightly messy, like he had just woken up. When he saw Shin-chan, he paused for a second, then looked at Hiroshi and nodded.
"Please come in."
The father and son followed Kakashi inside.
The living room wasn't large, but it was very tidy. A sword hung on the wall, its sheath glinting faintly with a cold sheen. It was obvious at a glance that it was no ordinary weapon.
Sakumo Hatake stepped out from an inner room. When he saw Hiroshi, he gave a slight nod.
"Nohara-san?"
Hiroshi immediately bowed. "Yes, I'm Shin-chan's father, Nohara Hiroshi. Thank you for taking care of Shin-chan during this time. I came specially to thank you."
Sakumo waved a hand. "No need to be so formal. Shin-chan is a good child. Teaching him has been my pleasure as well."
Hiroshi handed him the gift box. "It's just a small token of appreciation. Please accept it."
Sakumo looked at it, didn't refuse, and set it aside.
"Sit." He gestured for Hiroshi to sit and took a seat across from him.
Shin-chan and Kakashi stood nearby, exchanging a glance, unsure whether they should sit too.
"You two sit as well."
Only then did the two children sit down.
The adults started talking.
They talked about Shin-chan's progress, about swordsmanship, about chakra, about ninja matters.
At first, Hiroshi was a little stiff, but as the conversation went on, he relaxed. Sakumo Hatake might have been famous, but in person he was easygoing and spoke without putting on airs.
"Shin-chan is very talented," Sakumo said. "He learns quickly, and he has astonishing intuition. Sometimes he doesn't need to think—his body already knows what to do."
As he said that, his eyes rested on Shin-chan, full of appreciation.
After chatting a little longer, Hiroshi stood to leave.
"Shin-chan," Sakumo called out.
Shin-chan turned back. "Hm?"
"Are you coming again tomorrow?"
"Yep."
Sakumo smiled, and the smile was very gentle. "Good."
On the way home, Shin-chan held Hiroshi's hand, skipping along.
"Dad, thank you."
Hiroshi looked down at him. "For what?"
"For bringing me to thank them." Shin-chan looked up at him. "Mister and the others were really happy."
Hiroshi smiled and ruffled his hair.
"Shin-chan, remember this: when people are good to you, you have to remember it. When you get the chance, you should return that kindness. That's how you should live."
Shin-chan thought about it, nodded, then tilted his head and asked, "Then if I'm good to Guy, and Guy is good to me, does that mean we don't have to say thank you?"
Hiroshi paused, then burst out laughing.
"Right. You two are friends. Friends don't have to be that formal with each other."
A gentle breeze blew by, carrying the warmth of early summer.
...
A few days later, one morning—
Teacher Ibuki walked into the classroom looking even more serious than usual. "Everyone, sit down. I have an announcement."
The children hurried back to their seats and looked at him curiously.
Standing at the front of the room, Teacher Ibuki pushed up his glasses.
"This afternoon, we will be holding the grade-level exam."
The classroom went silent for one second—then exploded.
"An exam?"
"This afternoon?!"
"Why didn't you tell us earlier?"
Teacher Ibuki tapped the blackboard. "Quiet. I already told you there would be an exam and warned you not to slack off. I didn't tell you the exact time on purpose. I wanted to see whether you had been preparing seriously all along."
Wails immediately erupted everywhere.
Obito collapsed onto his desk in despair. "I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I'm doomed. I didn't review anything."
Guy forced himself to say, "Youth does not fear exams!"
Kakashi remained expressionless, as if none of this had anything to do with him.
At the front of the room, Teacher Ibuki continued, "The exam will take the form of a one-on-one elimination tournament. The entire grade will participate. Opponents will be decided by drawing lots. Win, and you advance. Lose, and you're out."
"Elimination tournament?"
"At least it's not a written test."
Some students screamed. Others sighed in relief.
Teacher Ibuki nodded. "The final three winners will not only receive guidance from Lord Third, but will also get an extra reward."
The classroom stirred again.
Shin-chan yawned.
An elimination tournament?
One-on-one?
Lately, hadn't he already been doing quite a lot of one-on-one training with Kakashi?
~~~
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