Chương 3: Chapter 3: Rivalry Sparks

Currently, the previously quiet village began to buzz with activity.

On the streets, people bustled about, moving back and forth.

Various-sized stalls lined both sides of the road, echoing with the sounds of vendors calling out.

Time is the most unforgiving force, and eight years had passed since that fateful night of the Nine-Tails attack.

Some villagers had finally started to recover from the nightmare of that event.

Just then, they spotted a certain child with yellow hair and six whisker-like marks on his face.

The kid rushed out, darting around mischievously, even hopping over some vendors' stalls like a gust of wind.

"Hey-you!"

"Naruto, it's you again!"

"Stop right there!"

"That brat, stop running around!"

"Haha, catch me if you can!"

Kiyoshi happened to witness this scene.

Passing by, he smiled faintly.

With a quick push from his feet, he sprang up, bounding across the rooftops of buildings.

Moving at a decent speed…

He headed toward the Ninja Academy.

He naturally recognized the boy's identity.

The so-called Child of Prophecy, also the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the reincarnation of Asura, second son of the Sage of Six Paths, and one of the future legends of the shinobi world.

Uzumaki Naruto!

But he had no intention of greeting him.

After all, Naruto's identity was too sensitive.

Just as Kiyoshi arrived at the academy's gate…

A gray figure sped over, moving like a whirlwind on his hands in a handstand.

"Yo, morning, Kiyoshi!"

The sweaty figure jumped up with a grin.

Ignoring the disdainful glances from others nearby, he enthusiastically greeted Kiyoshi.

He wore a gray training outfit, with a bowl haircut and thick eyebrows.

He looked… rather amusing.

"Lee!"

Kiyoshi nodded with a smile.

Among the students at the Ninja Academy…

Rock Lee was the one he respected the most, without a doubt.

His relentless dedication was beyond the reach of ordinary people.

It was hard to fathom just what kind of unusual body allowed him to train so relentlessly.

Anyone else training like that would have broken down long ago.

"Whew… whew… What a wonderful day! I ran ten laps around Konoha already!" Wiping off his sweat, Lee gave Kiyoshi a thumbs-up, his teeth shining brightly.

Because he lacked the talent to control chakra for ninjutsu, he couldn't learn any ninjutsu or genjutsu.

In the Academy, he naturally faced discrimination and ridicule, often isolated by classmates.

But Kiyoshi was the exception.

Not only did he never laugh at Lee, but he even encouraged him again and again.

This made Lee more determined than ever to believe that even without ninjutsu, he could still become a real ninja through hard work and taijutsu alone.

He was one of Lee's few good friends in the Academy.

Although Kiyoshi often trained with him, building physical strength and practicing taijutsu…

And had even treated Lee's injuries from training multiple times…

Unfortunately, Kiyoshi didn't share Lee's morning enthusiasm for greeting the day by running around Konoha.

This disappointed Lee a little.

"Ten laps…"

Hearing this, Kiyoshi couldn't help but twitch his mouth slightly.

Konoha wasn't small; even a single lap took considerable time.

Not to mention, after hearing Kiyoshi's casual suggestion, Lee began adding handstand laps around the village, using only his hands in place of his feet.

Who knows what time this guy woke up; he kept up this intensity day after day, and now he was even running so many laps.

And Lee was only nine.

His unwavering willpower was truly impressive.

"Hmph, without talent no matter how hard you work, it's useless…"

A cold snort came from nearby.

A figure dressed in traditional attire approached the academy entrance.

With long black hair, a gray band tied around his forehead, and a calm expression.

What stood out were his pure white eyes.

"Neji, morning!"

Kiyoshi greeted him with a smile.

Though Neji looked well-groomed…

His energy seemed slightly lacking.

The bandaged hands, wrapped much like Lee's, seemed a bit stiff.

He, too, must have undergone intense training.

"Neji, next time we spar, I'll definitely defeat you!" Lee declared with burning eyes as he faced Neji.

"I'll prove that even a talentless person like me can surpass a genius through hard work!"

"I'll be waiting."

Neji's tone remained steady.

But his gaze shifted to Kiyoshi, filled with a competitive spirit.

"I'm looking forward to the day you finally go all out against me, Kiyoshi!"

He always felt that whenever they sparred, though Kiyoshi seemed to put in full effort, he still held back.

This realization had pushed Neji to train even harder than usual.

"I always give it my best…"

Feigning innocence, Kiyoshi looked at Neji seriously.

"What can I say? The Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist isn't like ordinary taijutsu. Facing you in close combat is quite restricting; I can't afford to be careless!"

"Besides, I'm a medical ninja, remember? I just need to stay behind and let my teammates protect me!"

"Fighting isn't really my place!"

After all, he couldn't exactly say:

If I went all out…

You wouldn't even be able to block a single attack, right?

If he said that, Neji, with his pride, would probably explode on the spot.

"Hmph…"

This was the answer he gave every time.

By now, Neji was used to it. He shrugged and walked straight toward the classroom.

He had to admit, Kiyoshi's chakra control skills surpassed even his own as a member of the Hyuga clan, famed for their chakra precision.

It made sense that he would excel at medical ninjutsu.

In fact, Kiyoshi had long aspired to follow in his late father's footsteps. His father, a former medical ninja in the upper ranks, had died years ago protecting him.

Neji had no argument against Kiyoshi's choice to pursue the path of a medical ninja.

"I'll be waiting for that day to come, Kiyoshi!"

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Chương 4: Chapter 4: Youthful Rivalry

"Kiyoshi~!"

"Wow, he's so handsome..."

"Kiyoshi, do you have time after school? Let's train together!"

"Kiyoshi, this is a special gift I prepared just for you!"

"This is a bento I made myself. Please, you have to try it!"

"Kiyoshi-san, I have one too..."

"Hey, you! Move aside!"

"Yeah, you're blocking the way..."

At the entrance of the Ninja Academy, in less than half a minute, Kiyoshi's presence was noticed.

Not only his classmates, but even girls from other classes, both lower and upper grades, gathered around him.

One by one, they approached him eagerly, their eyes sparkling as if they'd just found something irresistible.

In small groups, they surrounded him, faces flushed with excitement, hearts in their eyes.

In just a moment, poor Lee was pushed aside, ending up bruised and battered.

Not far away, Neji turned back.

Looking at the swarm of girls, he couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

"That guy is really popular, huh!"

Although Neji wasn't interested in those girls, he couldn't help but feel a little envious of Kiyoshi's popularity.

"As expected from my eternal rival, Kiyoshi!"

Lee got up awkwardly, rubbing his bruises.

Looking at Kiyoshi, who was surrounded by a crowd of girls, he felt a surge of admiration rather than jealousy, something he'd long since grown used to.

Clenching his fists, his spirit burned brightly. "But youth never gives up... I've decided! I'll run an extra ten laps around the village after school!"

"Neji, want to join me?"

"Idiot..."

Neji walked away, expressionless, heading toward the classroom. "Not interested!"

"Thank you, everyone. I appreciate your kindness... but there's no need for bentos or gifts!"

Kiyoshi finally managed to escape the crowd of girls.

Turning down their overly direct confessions, he quickly slipped back into the classroom.

"Kiyoshi, over here, over here!"

Wiping away cold sweat as he stepped in, Kiyoshi hadn't even greeted Lee, who was already seated.

A girl with her hair tied in double buns, sitting on the right side of the third row, waved to him energetically, completely ignoring Lee beside her.

"Good morning, Tenten."

Seeing his desk mate, Tenten, Kiyoshi gave a light smile.

Patting Lee's shoulder, he picked up his books and took his seat in the middle of the right side of the third row.

"Kiyoshi, this is a bento I prepared for you today. Please, you have to try it!"

With a sweet smile, Tenten placed a beautifully prepared bento in front of Kiyoshi.

Her large eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Her face blushed faintly, but as a girl raised in her family's weapon shop, she was cheerful and straightforward, showing no sign of shyness.

"Thank you!"

Taking the bento, Kiyoshi smiled warmly.

He noticed the envious expressions from some of the boys around, but he didn't mind much.

Unlike other girls, he held a soft spot for Tenten.

So, he rarely turned down her kindness.

"Hehe..."

Tenten rested her chin in her hands, sitting there quietly, ignoring the murderous glares from the other girls in the classroom, her smile radiant.

Watching Kiyoshi's face, she found him increasingly attractive, her gaze lingering on his peaceful demeanor.

A sweet smile naturally appeared on her lovely face.

"These puppet books..."

Then, her eyes caught sight of the books Kiyoshi had placed on his desk.

For a moment, she was at a loss.

This wasn't the first time she'd seen these.

Kiyoshi had been reading books related to puppetry for some time now.

Curiously, she asked, "Kiyoshi, didn't you say you wanted to be a medical ninja? Do you actually want to become a puppeteer?"

"What makes you say that?"

Seeing Tenten's curious expression, Kiyoshi replied earnestly, "As a competent medical ninja, learning some Puppet Jutsus for self-defense seems quite necessary and reasonable, don't you think?"

With his precise chakra control, being a medical ninja came naturally to him.

Mastering basic Puppet Jutsus wouldn't be challenging for him.

With his imagination shaped by the information and different ideas of the 21st century, plus the knowledge he'd accumulated over the years by borrowing books from the library, and his innate talent, he was confident.

Even if he didn't plan to invest all his energy in puppetry, he believed he could still make significant strides.

He might not be able surpass the S-class rogue ninja from the Sand Village, the genius puppeteer who assassinated the Third Kazekage and sparked the Third Ninja War, Sasori, in a short time.

But he was confident he wouldn't be too far behind.

Tenten: "..."

She couldn't argue with such a solid reason.

"Is there even a medical ninja like that?"

"There is—your idol, Lady Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, who's not only skilled in medical ninjutsu but also incredibly powerful in combat..."

"Fine, as long as you're happy!"

She shrugged.

...

Around noon.

The day passed quickly.

When the teacher dismissed them, announcing a break in the afternoon and a two-day holiday, the class of eager young ninjas cheered, excitedly heading home or teaming up for plans.

Bidding farewell to the reluctant Tenten and ignoring the other girls' attempts to chat, Kiyoshi didn't join Lee for training as usual.

Instead, he declined Lee's invitation and went straight home.

Compared to the prominent clans like Uchiha, Hyuga, and the Ino-Shika-Cho families, Kiyoshi's home wasn't very big.

But it was far from small compared to an orphan like Naruto.

It was a three-room apartment on the second floor that the village had provided to him and his grandmother after reconstruction.

He and his grandmother shared the home, which was cozy enough.

To his surprise, his neighbor was a highly skilled Chunin named Kurenai Yuhi.

She often looked out for Kiyoshi, as a gentle big sister figure, she had also lost her family during the Nine-Tails attack years ago, much like Kiyoshi.

She frequently visited his home, joining them for meals, though joining usually meant she brought groceries and cooked for them.

Over time, Kiyoshi grew close to Kurenai, and the two developed a sibling-like bond.

"I'm home!"

---

[PS: In the original Chunin Exams, it was mentioned that Kurenai had only recently been promoted to Jonin. Since this is set five years before that, with the Uchiha Clan still around, Kurenai is likely not yet a Jonin.]

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