Running through the corridors of the academy, I exited onto the inner training field. It didn't take long to find Gai — he was doing handstands around the field. Yes, his physical condition always amazed me, I thought.
"Where have you been for so long?" Gai asked, pushing himself off the ground and standing up on his feet.
"I had to take care of a few things," I replied, deciding not to tell him everything. "A ninja must have his trump cards," the thought flashed through my mind.
"Gai, don't you want to train ninjutsu today instead of taijutsu?" I asked, showing him the scroll.
Suddenly, he seemed to realize something!
"Right, I forgot to go to the library!" he said sharply, and without wasting any time, he rushed toward the academy.
"Wait!" I wanted to shout, but I realized it was pointless. So, without wasting time, I ran after him.
Trying to catch up, I started focusing my chakra, enhancing my movements. But he was still faster.
When he disappeared around a corner, I sped up, but I only caught up with him right in front of the library. Gai was standing in front of the librarian, trying to check out ten books while explaining something quickly to her.
"Why do you need so many books?" I couldn't help but ask.
He turned around sharply, but when he saw me, his face became more serious, and he spoke quietly so the librarian wouldn't hear.
"I need to study a few techniques to improve my physical training and... something else," Gai said, almost forcing the words out. His eyes sparkled, but it was clear he didn't want to reveal all the details.
I squinted. This didn't sound like a regular taijutsu training session, especially since he didn't seem like the type to burden himself with things like long studies. Maybe I was wrong…
"Did you come up with something?" I asked, not hiding my curiosity.
Gai fell silent for a moment, then quietly said:
"I want to do push-ups with them," he said.
"I take back my thoughts, he's exactly who he is!"
"With these words, he returned to the librarian, quickly signed, took the books, and headed for the exit."
"Then should we take all this to your house? Because if the teacher sees what you're doing with the books, she'll take them," I said as we left.
Gai looked at me, thought for a moment, then quickly nodded.
"Yeah, you're right," he replied, already heading toward the exit doors of the academy. "I was planning to go home anyway," Gai answered. "So if you want, you can come over."
"No, no, it's fine," he replied, smiling and carefully adjusting the books. "These books aren't heavy, it's all good. You've already helped me enough."
"We continued walking until the houses started to thin out, and the river appeared ahead. It was quieter here than in the center of the village. In the distance, only the rustling of leaves and the gentle murmuring of the water could be heard."
I looked around.
"Do you live by the river?" I asked, noticing that the place really looked perfect for training.
Gai nodded energetically.
"Yeah! It's the perfect place! In the morning, I run along the shore, in the afternoon I do push-ups on the rocks, and sometimes I even train strikes in the water to increase resistance!" He was about to continue listing his activities but suddenly stopped, his gaze caught by something on the other side of the bridge.
"Kakashi Hatake…" he muttered, not taking his eyes off.
I looked in that direction too. A boy about my age with ash-colored hair stood, leaning against the rail, staring at the river. He didn't move, didn't fidget — he just stood there, looking at the water.
I turned to Gai. His fists clenched, and there was a familiar fire in his eyes.
"But that's not important!" he suddenly declared loudly, breaking the silence. "I won't let such things distract me!"
I raised an eyebrow in astonishment, but Gai seemed not to notice. He stepped forward, slammed his fist into his palm, straightened his shoulders, and confidently continued:
"I will become the strongest ninja I can be! This is my way!"
I blinked, stunned by this outburst of emotion, but then smirked.
"Strongest, huh? Well, you certainly don't lack perseverance."
Gai quickly turned to me, his face spreading into a wide grin, and his thumb shot up.
"Of course! I made a promise to myself, and I won't break it!"
I snorted. Yeah, this guy was a hopeless enthusiast… but looking at him, I somehow believed he wouldn't back down.
However, now my attention was drawn to something else. Only a few dozen meters away, leaning against the bridge's railing, stood Kakashi Hatake — the legendary ninja, the son of the White Fang of Konoha. A versatile warrior, a genius who reached the highest level at such a young age… and he was right there.
I felt excitement rising within me, as though a surge of energy had swept over me. I had already met a few significant figures in such a short time, but Kakashi… This was a whole other level!
I decided to ask, although I was almost sure of the answer.
"Is that… Kakashi Hatake?" I asked, trying to stay calm, though my voice trembled slightly. "The son of the White Fang?"
Gai nodded without even looking at him.
"Yeah, that's him."
My guess was confirmed. I couldn't hold back a small smile — you don't often see hair like that, and the mask on his face left little room for doubt.
Kakashi didn't move. He just stood there, looking at the river, as if lost in thought.
"Do you know him?" I asked, glancing at Gai.
He darkened slightly but quickly regained his usual fiery attitude.
"Of course!" he replied sharply. "We're rivals!"
I raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Rivals?"
Gai clenched his fists, clearly unwilling to back down from his words.
(But then we had to gather the books that had fallen due to Gai's movements...)
"Yes! He's my eternal rival! One day, I'll definitely beat him!"
I threw another glance at Kakashi, who looked like he didn't even suspect he had an "eternal rival."
"Well… good luck with that," I smirked, thinking this guy definitely has a chance of winning.
"Gai, have you ever fought him?"
"No, he's already a genin, and he said he'll only fight me once I reach that rank," Gai said, not hiding his disappointment, but then quickly shook it off and regained his usual enthusiasm.
"But that's not important! We've arrived!" he added, pointing to a small house by the river.
I took a good look at his house. It was a wooden building, quite modest, with a slanted roof and a small porch in front of the entrance. Unlike many other houses in Konoha, this one looked a little older, but it was clearly well-maintained. In the yard, I noticed a simple training dummy made of bound bamboo, and nearby, round stones, probably for strength exercises.
"Do you live here alone?" I asked, intrigued.
"No, with my father!" Gai replied, running up to the door and swinging it open.
I stepped inside, and the first thing that surprised me was the incredible neatness. The house was small but cozy: wooden walls, a low table in the center of the room, and on the sides, two cabinets filled with books and scrolls. In the corner, there were dumbbells, a kettlebell, and... something that looked like a pile of weights.
"You even train at home?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Of course! Great ninjas never relax!" Gai declared cheerfully, placing the books on the table.
I smirked. Well, what did I expect?
He put the books in the cabinet, then turned to me. "Do you want to train now?"
I was about to speak when my stomach growled loudly, betraying me.
"Actually, I'd like to grab a bite first," I said, feeling Gai hold back a laugh.
"Ha-ha! Yeah, good idea! Great ninjas need to keep their strength up!" he said, then turned quickly toward another room.
"Father?"
But the house was empty.
"Looks like he's on another mission," Gai muttered, scratching the back of his head. "Well, then, let's eat by ourselves!"
He confidently headed to the kitchen, and I, slightly surprised, followed him.
"Do you often stay home alone?" I asked as he took out some ingredients.
"Yeah, my dad's often on missions, but it's fine!" Gai answered with a smile.
I nodded thoughtfully. Being a kid in the world of ninjas was definitely something else.
"Alright, how can I help?" I asked, deciding not to dive deeper into the topic.
"Cut the vegetables!" Gai said enthusiastically, grabbing a knife.
We quickly divided up the tasks: he handled the rice and fish, while I chopped the vegetables. Despite Gai being a whirlwind of energy, he worked surprisingly skillfully in the kitchen. In just 15 minutes, bowls of rice, fried fish, and a small plate of vegetables were ready on the table.
"Simple, but nutritious food!" Gai proudly declared, sitting down across from me.
"It looks delicious," I said, clasping my hands. "Itadakimasu."
We started eating, and despite the simplicity of the dishes, the taste was excellent. I didn't expect Gai to be such a good cook.
"So, are you ready to train after the meal?" he asked, swallowing a huge mouthful of rice.
"Let me finish eating first," I smirked.
As soon as we finished eating, Gai jumped to his feet, full of energy.
"Well, are you ready now?!" he asked with a broad smile, clenching his fists.
"Yeah, yeah, let's go," I said, getting up.
Gai didn't wait and, throwing open the door, ran outside. I hurried after him.
As we ran, an idea flashed in my head about how to effectively train the Henge technique and physical abilities.
"If I use transformation not to change my appearance, but just to impose the image of myself… It will help me maintain the technique longer and improve control while also training my body!" – it hit me.
If I can maintain the transformation without distortions, it means I'll learn to control my chakra better, avoiding unnecessary strain. This will also be useful for other techniques in the future!
Gai was running ahead of me when I started forming the hand seals.
"Henge no Jutsu!"
A light smoke rose around me, and I saw how my body slightly changed… though it seemed like nothing had changed at all.
"Great. Now the key is to maintain the technique while running."
I accelerated again, feeling how the chakra kept the transformation stable. The first few seconds went smoothly, but soon I noticed slight disturbances — my skin seemed to tremble slightly, and the edge of my sleeve became blurry for a moment.
Soon, I saw Gai's figure ahead, already at the clearing, watching in my direction.
"What's taking you so long?" he shouted, crossing his arms.
I smirked, continuing to run.
"Just trying out an idea!"
Gai squinted, clearly suspecting something, but didn't say anything.
"If I can move freely while maintaining the technique, it will greatly improve my control over it…"