Chapter 65: man should be tough

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His face was a little pale, and his hair slightly messy. Yuki Yuichi appeared disheveled and listless, as if still recovering from trauma. In reality, however, he had fully recovered.

Upon entering the classroom, Umino Ikaku immediately noticed him. Seeing his appearance, Umino smiled with concern and asked, "Yuichi-kun, is there something you need?"

Yuki Yuichi, with a dry and hoarse voice, responded, "Teacher, Uncle Shinku asked me to find Kurenai. Something has come up."

Umino Ikaku frowned upon hearing this, not doubting the message but feeling that Yuhi shinku was being too harsh. He was aware of Yuki Yuichi's incident earlier in the day, involving the shadow clone trauma, and felt that he needed rest. Yet, Yuhi shinku still sent him on an errand. To Umino, it seemed unjust, and he made a mental note to mention it to the Hokage later.

With a soft smile, Umino Ikaku gazed at Yuki Yuichi, full of pity. Life must have been tough for this child, growing up in such a family. Turning to Kurenai, he said, "Kurenai, you should go home with Yuichi."

Kurenai, who had already packed her things, walked over to Yuichi. As they were about to leave, Umino Ikaku called out again, "Kurenai!"

She looked back, puzzled. Umino, with a serious face, said, "Be kind to Yuichi, and don't let anyone bully him."

Kurenai blinked in confusion but nodded earnestly, forming a fist in front of her chest. "I will definitely protect Yuichi!"

Satisfied with her response, Umino Ikaku nodded. He trusted Kurenai, knowing her to be a well-behaved and sensible student. She and Yuichi seemed to share a close bond, so he felt reassured.

As Kurenai and Yuichi left, Umino resumed his lesson. However, Hatake Kakashi, still seated, couldn't help but wonder. Hadn't Yuki Yuichi looked different earlier? His face had not seemed that pale.

Kakashi suddenly realized Yuichi's tactic—this kid was sly! Yuichi had faked his weakened state to avoid scrutiny from Umino.

Meanwhile, outside, Kurenai was looking at Yuichi with concern. "Dad is being too much! You were injured, and he still sent you out!" she said, pouting in frustration, her face puffed up adorably.

Yuichi chuckled but said nothing. He knew it was best to keep up appearances while still at school. However, as soon as they had walked a bit farther, he quickly rubbed his face. To Kurenai's astonishment, his face returned to its normal, healthy color in seconds.

Her mouth dropped open, confused. Yuichi grinned. "I made myself look miserable so the teacher wouldn't give me any trouble."

Kurenai blinked at him, speechless. After a moment, she asked, "So... your injury this morning is all healed?"

"Yep!" Yuichi patted his chest proudly. "You know my body's resilience. No matter how serious the injury, a good sleep fixes it."

Hearing this, Kurenai sighed in relief. "In that case, let's hurry home," she said, grabbing his hand and running off.

As they ran, Kurenai muttered, "I wonder why Dad wanted to see me."

Yuichi cleared his throat awkwardly and admitted, "Actually, Uncle shinku isn't the one looking for you."

"Huh?" Kurenai stopped in confusion.

Leaning closer, Yuichi whispered, "Let's go to the training ground. I'll explain everything there."

When they arrived at the training ground, both of them were surprised to see Might Guy training vigorously.

"Guy? What are you doing here?!" Yuichi exclaimed, watching Guy do one-handed push-ups.

"Oh, Yuichi and Kurenai!" Guy shouted, not stopping his exercise. "Youth waits for no one! I must train every minute of every day!"

His tearful face beamed with pride. "Have you come to train as well?!" Guy's passion was overwhelming. "Welcome to the embrace of youth!"

Yuichi twitched in response, slightly overwhelmed by Guy's energy. He didn't want to be as exuberant as Guy, but physical training and chakra control were next on his agenda. A serious expression crossed Yuichi's face. "Guy!"

"I will start training taijutsu with you tomorrow!"

Guy's tears flowed even more uncontrollably as he stopped his push-ups. "Well said, Yuichi!" He grinned, giving Yuichi a thumbs-up with sparkling teeth.

Kurenai, however, was confused and asked, "Yuichi, why did you bring me here?"

In response, Yuichi pulled out a scroll from his robes. "I want you to sign this summoning contract."

Unrolling the scroll, the words "Fire Crow" were revealed.

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