The green blur racing down the track could only belong to Might Guy.
The color of youth—Guy's favorite.
Seeing that he hadn't been spotted, Kakashi quietly let out a sigh of relief. Concealing his presence, he crouched behind a group of people, watching Might Guy sprinting lap after lap on the track below.
But...
Weren't racers supposed to be chasing behind their cars?
How many laps has this guy done already? Kakashi frowned as he stared at the scene unfolding below.
One lap. Two. Three... At this point, Guy had lapped his own car more times than Kakashi could count—and with every lap, he shouted:
"THIS IS YOUTH!"
No wonder he hadn't been seen doing handstands around the village lately. Turns out, he'd been training here.
Kakashi scanned the nearby racers. Most of them—civilians and shinobi alike, especially the kids—kept their distance from Guy, clearly uncomfortable.
So that's why Naruto likes this so much, Kakashi thought.
He probably just wants to play with the others...
Staring at the sweaty, smiling faces of the children, Kakashi thought of the ostracized Naruto and couldn't help but sigh softly.
But then—he sensed something.
Instantly shrinking back, he ducked farther behind the crowd.
At that moment...
"Huh?" Might Guy suddenly stopped mid-run, turning his head to glance in Kakashi's direction. "I could've sworn I felt Kakashi nearby..."
He squinted but couldn't find him.
Frowning slightly, he paused for a moment, then raised a thumb with his signature radiant grin.
"As expected of my eternal rival! His flames of youth must be burning so brightly that I sensed them even without seeing him!"
Tears of excitement welled up in his eyes.
Then—
"THIS IS YOUTH!"
With that war cry, he resumed sprinting.
Nope. Nope nope nope, Kakashi thought, deadpan.
That kind of youth? No thanks.
Watching Guy power up again, Kakashi breathed a silent sigh of relief and glanced once more at the racetrack.
Alright, time to go buy my—
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing back here?"
Crap!
The voice behind him made Kakashi's expression freeze. Just as he turned, ready to bolt—
FWIP!
"Hahaha! I knew it! I could feel your youth from across the building!"
The absolute last person he wanted to see—glowing grin, green jumpsuit and all—stood before him.
"So you really were here, Kakashi!"
"..."
Kakashi didn't want to talk right now.
Rolling his eyes, he turned to Naruto—who was looking equally excited now.
This kid...
"You didn't even tell me you were coming!"
Naruto looked at the strange green man, then turned his attention to the crowded racetrack below, eyes lighting up.
"So many people! Awesome! I even put in a new battery just now—today, I'll show them what Uzumaki Naruto can do!"
"Oh? You've got a car too?" Guy was clearly intrigued, leaning down to look Naruto in the eye.
"You've got a fiery spirit. I can feel the blood of youth burning in you!"
"..."
He's still just a kid. What youth?
Kakashi rolled his eyes again but said nothing.
Then...
"Mister... you're a racer too?" Naruto asked earnestly. Holding up his four-wheel-drive car with both hands, he declared, "This is my custom build—The Dash Charger!"
Completely forgetting Kakashi's earlier warning about keeping racer identities secret, he proudly presented his car.
"What about yours, mister?"
"Hahaha!" Guy didn't mind the "mister" one bit. Pointing down to the green blur still circling the track, he beamed:
"See that? That's my car—Youth Express!"
Naruto's eyes widened.
"So fast!" he gasped. "It's way ahead of everyone else!"
That streak of green really did look like a flash of light.
This weird guy… he might actually be more dependable than Kakashi-sensei!
"How did you mod it like that? It's amazing!"
"This... is youth," Guy said solemnly. "Just changing your battery or paint job isn't enough. You need youth—only with youth can you push forward without fear!"
"What's youth? Can you teach me?"
Excellent! Guy's expression lit up with approval.
He nodded seriously. Then—moving too fast for the eye to follow—he pulled out a slightly smaller green jumpsuit and held it out to Naruto.
"To understand youth, you must first wear this!"
"Y-Yes sir!"
Naruto didn't quite understand why he had to wear something so bizarre, but he nodded anyway.
After all, he was going to become a 4WD champion, then Hokage—and earn the whole village's recognition!
How could he ignore the advice of such an awesome racer?
He grabbed the outfit and began changing on the spot without hesitation.
Kakashi, meanwhile...
Watched with deadpan eyes as he rolled them skyward.
Maybe I should just go buy my car now...
Both of them had completely forgotten about him.
...
Meanwhile, in Konoha…
Inside the Hokage Tower—
Hiruzen Sarutobi held his pipe in one hand and unfolded the application submitted by Uchiha Shisui with the other. He glanced down at the kneeling youth and said after a moment of silence:
"The Uchiha wish to send participants as well?"
"Not just shinobi, but civilians too," Shisui replied without raising his head. "We hope the Hokage will permit the Uchiha Clan to leave the village and participate in the Shinobi World Mini 4WD Grand Prix. We guarantee all participating Uchiha will obey the village's orders."
This had been the plan he and Fugaku had worked out: gradually integrating the Uchiha into communal village events. Since this wasn't a combat operation, it was the perfect opportunity for a clan currently under suspicion.
"If any Uchiha dares disobey a direct order," Shisui added, "I will personally eliminate them."
"Is that so...?"
Sarutobi set down his pipe, brows slightly furrowed.
Things were developing faster than he had anticipated.
Letting Naruto go had been one thing. He could just assign more ninja to monitor him.
But if the Uchiha Clan were involved too...
The Nine-Tails incident hadn't been that long ago.
The higher-ups didn't trust them. Even he, the Hokage, felt uneasy—especially after seeing that terrifying pair of eyes that night...
Still, if he refused to let the Uchiha join such a harmless public event, it would only make them feel further ostracized. Even someone like Shisui—so full of the Will of Fire—might start to feel resentment.
With a long sigh, Sarutobi stood up and walked to the window, hands clasped behind his back.
"The tension between the Uchiha and the village… is something I care deeply about. No matter what's happened, the Uchiha are part of Konoha. They're shinobi of this village."
"I understand your concerns, Shisui. You're an excellent ninja. I'm sure if Kagami could see what you've become, he'd be proud. But... these things take time."
He glanced over and saw that Shisui remained quiet, showing no objection.
Drawing a long puff from his pipe, Sarutobi's expression grew more solemn. After a moment of heavy thought, he finally said:
"This matter... let me discuss it with the others first."
Seeing Shisui's shoulders stiffen with tension, he quickly smiled and softened his tone.
"Don't worry. If I bring it up myself, there shouldn't be too much opposition. We'll just need to pay attention to a few things."
He had barely finished speaking—
"Thank you, Lord Hokage!"
Shisui's face lit up with a flash of joy. He quickly bowed his head again, his voice respectful and firm:
"The Uchiha Clan will absolutely obey the village's arrangements!"