Karin Uzumaki let out a heavy sigh. "What a crying shame!"
"What's a shame?" Aoi Uchiha leaned in, her big eyes full of curiosity.
Karin glanced at her and said, "It's a shame about Big Brother. He's so handsome, but he insists on wearing that green spandex bodysuit."
"Don't you think it's a waste?"
Aoi glanced at Musashi Ryomiya, then shook her head. "Not at all."
"Big Brother looks handsome in that outfit too! He looks sunny and powerful!"
The scene from the past flashed through her mind again—Big Brother wearing that same outfit, standing in front of her and her sister, blocking that terrifying man.
That powerful, reliable figure had been branded into her heart forever.
"Nonsense!" Karin disagreed.
"Big Brother should wear something flowy. You know, like a long robe or a trench coat. Something dashing and cool."
"You're the one talking nonsense!" Aoi stuck to her guns. "Big Brother doesn't need to try to look cool! The green training suit is already cool enough!"
"Trench coats are cooler!"
"Training suits are cooler!"
"Trench coat!"
"Training suit..."
The two bickered back and forth for a while like chirping birds.
Eventually, it ended because Karin got tired and decided to rest.
Aoi tossed her head triumphantly, her hair buns bouncing.
Her opinion was the correct one.
Big Brother Musashi, wearing his green spandex and training hard—that was the image of the most reliable, secure, and perfect man in her heart.
Karin looked at the victorious Aoi and snickered inwardly.
So what if you won the argument?
Tonight, you still have to go home with Izumi.
I, on the other hand, live with Big Brother.
At night, I can just pretend to be scared and ask Big Brother to cuddle me to sleep.
You go ahead and be smug, you little brat!
---
In the days that followed, Musashi's life remained incredibly fulfilling.
For some reason, Captain Yamato gradually stopped assigning him extra missions.
Many low-risk missions were completed by other team members. Musashi was only called in when they were short-handed.
Naturally, he didn't realize this was a silent operation permitted by the Hokage to improve the "Anbu work ethic" and curb the culture of slacking off and partying.
It worked out perfectly for him, allowing him to focus all his mind and time on training.
Recently, his appetite had exploded.
His height was shooting up just as fast.
He quickly grew taller than Ayame.
Musashi knew this was his growth spurt—both physically and in terms of power.
He cherished this phase, pouring all his energy into cultivation.
The release of the new book with Daiki Nojiri was postponed.
Contact with his teammates decreased.
He even unintentionally gave the cold shoulder to Might Guy and Ayame.
If there were any errands, he tried to solve them with Shadow Clones.
His main body seized every second: train, eat, rest, train...
Talent is something you can't control.
The road ahead is hard to predict.
Without a special bloodline limit or genius-level aptitude, he didn't know how far he could go.
If the day came when he gave it his all but still couldn't change his destiny, he hoped that when he looked back on these days, he would have no regrets.
Because his youth was defined by the countless days and nights of sweat dripping onto the ground, starting from the age of four.
---
Two Years Later.
Konoha Training Grounds.
On ground packed as hard as steel, Musashi was doing a handstand.
He dipped up and down rhythmically.
"Nine hundred ninety-one, nine hundred ninety-two..."
A puddle of sweat had gathered beneath his head.
Yet, Musashi's form was incredibly stable. Even though his stamina was running on fumes, every dip of his body moved as if it were on invisible rails.
Invisible Yang energy—life force—wrapped around every part of his body, silently nourishing him.
In addition to that, a layer of bright lightning wrapped around his skin.
The lightning flowed layer by layer, loop by loop, equally stable.
Unlike the crackling, erratic sparks of the past, his Lightning Chakra now exhibited properties similar to flowing water, constantly refining and enhancing his physique.
"Nine hundred ninety-eight, nine hundred ninety-nine, one thousand!"
He flipped backward, landing steadily on his feet.
Inside his chest, his heart beat with powerful rhythm.
Accompanied by deep, long breaths, his blood rapidly transported nutrients to every corner of his body.
Sharp, short hair. Handsome, defined features.
Matched with a tall, chiseled physique that looked like a Greek sculpture.
He radiated brilliance under the setting sun.
Even the green spandex suit could no longer hide the charisma of his body.
Feeling the majestic vitality within him, Musashi couldn't help but show a satisfied expression.
Just as he was immersing himself in the feeling of his increased power, sounds of fighting drifted from nearby.
Musashi sensed the energy signatures. The chakra fluctuations were weak.
But one of them felt very familiar.
After a thought, he flickered, vanishing from his spot. A few seconds later, he arrived at the source of the noise.
"You guys move! Watch this!"
"Get out of the way! With your moves? You gotta watch me!"
Bam! Pow! Thud!
In a flat clearing, three teenagers were ganging up on a masked Kakashi Hatake.
Kakashi looked at them with indifferent eyes, casually blocking and striking.
His moves were ruthless.
One punch, one kid knocked out!
In no time, everyone except him was lying on the ground.
The teenagers were still arguing about something amongst themselves when Kakashi coldly announced the result.
"You guys... fail."
"Go back to the Academy and retake the year."
The teenagers were clearly unconvinced and seemed to want to argue.
But seeing the cold look in Kakashi's eyes, fear took over, and they didn't dare say another word.
The teenagers walked away, dejected.
Kakashi remained, his expression gloomy.
Suddenly, a whistling sound approached rapidly.
"Who's there!"
Kakashi's pupil constricted. A kunai appeared in his hand as he stabbed backward instantly!
CLANG!~
A palm wrapped in lightning easily blocked the kunai.
Then, an arm draped over his shoulder.
A familiar voice rang in his ear.
"Relax, Senior Kakashi. Don't be so tense."
"I haven't seen you in a while. Why do you still look so dead inside?"
Kakashi's pupil trembled.
He's fast!
Both his approach speed and his reaction speed... he was incredibly fast!
As a Lightning Style ninja and a Sharingan user, Kakashi's speed was among the best in Konoha.
Yet, he had been approached, breached, and put in a headlock so easily.
Looking at the green spandex in front of him and the sparkling white teeth revealed by the smile, he felt a momentary daze.
Has Musashi... already reached this level of strength?