Beep beep beep.The heart-stopping sound of the alarm clock filled the room.
Yukawa stretched out one hand to break the seal of his blanket and turned off the alarm clock.
The technology in the Shinobi World was a little skewed—computers, refrigerators, air conditioners were common, and alarms were no exception.
He glanced at the time—it was exactly six o'clock.
Although he wanted to see Konoha Village at four in the morning, he was still a child and needed to ensure he got enough sleep.
Yukawa changed his clothes and stepped outside.
His plan was to run for half an hour to an hour, taking it easy.
After not exercising for a long time, suddenly pushing himself too hard was almost like repeatedly jumping in front of the King of Hell.
It was such a wonderful start, and he didn't want to end it in just three days.
Yukawa began his jog along the street.
He woke up early, so the streets were mostly empty, and there were no obstacles in his way.
As time passed, Yukawa's breathing grew louder, his sweat pouring down, and even his vision became blurry.
Just then, a green light shone on his face.
Yukawa instinctively glanced up.
"Whoa!"
He saw a pair of legs flailing in the air.
After calming himself, he realized it was Might Guy, running while doing handstands.
"Are you running too?"
Might Guy asked, full of excitement.
He seemed thrilled to encounter someone like him.
In the current shinobi world, taijutsu practitioners were considered to be at the bottom of the hierarchy and were often not respected.
His eccentric training always led to ridicule from others.
This could be seen from his father, Might Dai.
Might Dai had single-handedly defeated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, yet he was still a Genin.
Yukawa nodded, too out of breath to speak.
"You look a bit familiar."
Might Guy blinked his eyes and suddenly recognized him. "You're the new student from yesterday, your name is... Yukawa?"
"Yu... Yukawa..."
Yukawa said between breaths.
"What was that?"
Might Guy didn't catch it clearly and asked again.
"Yukawa!"
Yukawa raised his voice, finally understanding what it was like for Kisame to struggle with speaking in such conditions.
"Yukawa-san, hello, I'm Might Guy."
Might Guy flashed his dazzling teeth. "You can just call me Guy."
"Mm."
Yukawa was a little stunned and said, "You go ahead. I need to rest for a bit."
Besides being physically exhausted, there was another reason—his system had given him a prompt.
"Okay."
Might Guy didn't insist and waved at him as he continued running.
Of course, the main reason was that Yukawa was not his lifelong rival.
If it had been Kakashi, Guy would have made sure to exhaust every last ounce of his energy.
"Alien physique..."
Yukawa watched him run with one hand and couldn't help but mutter to himself.
He plopped down on a nearby set of stairs, focused his mind, and opened the system's entry panel.
[E-Rank Talent Entry: Robust Physique (Not Acquired).][Trigger Condition: Body must reach the minimum level of a Genin.][Current Progress: 1%.]
Since it was the minimum level, it was unlikely to compare to someone like Naruto Uzumaki.
Yukawa felt the entry's trigger condition wasn't particularly difficult—it just required persistence.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and closed his eyes.
"Yukawa-san, I'm back!"
Might Guy's voice was as loud as ever.
Yukawa opened his eyes to see Guy jumping like a frog.
He smiled and waved back at him.
After Guy left, Yukawa got up and ran toward the Yūhi family's house.
By seven o'clock, the streets began to get busier.
Yukawa spotted the meeting place for the Kumo-nin near the Konoha Bookstore, but he didn't enter, fearing it would cause issues.
As he passed a takoyaki shop, he thought of Yūhi Kurenai and bought a box of takoyaki.
When Yukawa returned home, he ran into Yūhi Shinrō just as he was opening the door.
"Did you go for a run?"
Yūhi Shinrō looked at Yukawa, who appeared to have just climbed out of the water, and was surprised.
"Such effort, even at this age?"Plus, with his Yin Release talent, this kid is bound to become something special.
"Good morning, Shinrō-san."
Yukawa explained, "My body's a bit weak, so I decided to run for exercise."
Just then, the door to the room nearby opened.
Yūhi Kurenai came out with messy hair, bare feet on the carpet, yawning.
"Why are you two up so early?"
"Kurenai, you should learn from Yukawa."
Yūhi Shinrō frowned and said, "Stop sleeping in every day."
"Eh?"
Yūhi Kurenai looked around, still a little dazed.
What happened?
Her expression resembled that of a kitten just waking up.
"I bought you some takoyaki."
Yukawa smiled as he handed her the paper box.
He didn't expect to become the well-behaved kid that others praised.
"Not bad. You're becoming quite a thoughtful little brother."
Yūhi Kurenai's eyes sparkled as she looked at the takoyaki.
"…?"
Yūhi Shinrō made a subtle expression.
It felt like there was a yellow-haired kid poking at the cabbage he'd carefully planted.
It must be his imagination.
Yūhi Shinrō shook his head. They were just kids; he was overthinking things.
"This is just a thank you for lending me your study notes."
Yukawa explained seriously.
"Ah, ah."
Yūhi Kurenai chewed on the takoyaki while muttering incomprehensibly.
If it were anyone else, it would probably sound like a curse, but with her, it just sounded cute.
After breakfast, Yukawa and Yūhi Kurenai went to the Ninja Academy.
"Yukawa, did you finish your homework from yesterday?"
Yūhi Kurenai turned to him and asked.
"Are you going to copy it?"
Yukawa raised an eyebrow.
"How could I?"
Yūhi Kurenai crossed her arms and said, "I meant if you don't understand any of the problems, I can help you."
"I do have some."
Yukawa had already figured out her personality and went along with her words.
"Since you're asking so sincerely, I'll tell you."
Yūhi Kurenai smiled with a slight twist of her lips, her eyes narrowing into a line. She looked quite happy.
As they walked, Yukawa asked her questions.
Since he had entered school two months late, he had to rely on guessing for some of the answers.
For the "three longs and one short, pick the shortest" and "three shorts and one long, pick the longest" types of questions, he knew he could get away with it.
In the end, Eijirō would understand his situation and wouldn't blame him.
"Got it?"
Yūhi Kurenai licked her lips and asked.
"Got it, but not fully."
Yukawa smiled.
"That's how it is at the beginning."
Yūhi Kurenai said, her voice carrying a sense of experience, "After school, come to my room, I'll teach you properly."
Yukawa returned to his seat.
He greeted Kinjirō and then opened the system's entry panel.
[E-Rank Talent Entry: Study Ace (Not Acquired).][Trigger Condition: Be first in theoretical classes during the first semester.][Current Progress: 1%.]
Yukawa scratched his chin.
This entry was likely triggered by his recent study session with Yūhi Kurenai.
He wasn't sure what being a "study ace" would mean in the world of ninjas.
In the original series, Haruno Sakura was a top student, but before training under Tsunade, she could only be a hindrance.