Chapter 29: Konoha's White Fang

The next day, before dawn…

Might Duy's training was nothing short of extreme—no, it was beyond extreme, verging on self-destruction!

Fūka had lost count of how many times he'd cramped up. His arms and legs were so sore they'd gone numb, and his heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. He genuinely felt like he might die any second.

Nearby, under a tree, a few weighted sandbags lay discarded. In this kind of extreme training, the extra weight felt like an anchor, dragging him down.

"Fūka, is this all you've got?" Might Duy yells at him, holding a bowl of what seemed like a toxic concoction. "Look up! The sun is rising, the earth is coming back to life—that's the power of youth! Let's burn with it together!!!"

Burn, my foot. I'm seriously done for!

As a medical ninja, Fūka knew his body well. If he kept pushing, he was going to be in serious trouble.

Guy wasn't faring much better, lying motionless nearby. The morning's training had pushed them both to their limits several times, leading to significant progress but also severe exhaustion. The physical strain was intense, and if they didn't manage it carefully, they could end up with lingering injuries—permanent damage that could haunt them later on.

Might Duy tried to pep up his son, but even Guy wasn't responding this time.

"Alright, that's enough for this morning. Looks like it's time for you two to head to school!" Might Duy grinned, flashing his brilliant white teeth. "After class, get here as fast as you can—we've got some real devil training lined up!!!"

Fūka closed his eyes in despair.

Fūka and Guy, both utterly spent, dragged themselves to the Ninja Academy, completely drained. They spent the entire morning slumped over their desks, barely listening to the lessons.

Fūka half-closed his eyes, focusing on circulating his chakra to heal the swelling in his pathways and to soothe the pulled muscles in his arms and legs.

Looking back on his past training during the break, Fūka had thought he'd been working hard. But compared to Might Duy's regimen, it was like child's play.

'No wonder Guy becomes so strong in the future, strong enough to make even Madara Uchiha scream. His hard work truly pays off.'

At lunchtime, Obito, Guy, Kurenai, Rin, and Asuma all instinctively gathered around to share the lunch Fūka had prepared.

"Hey, Fūka, you've been out of it all morning. You're training way too hard!" Obito said, his mouth full of food, bits of rice flying everywhere as he spoke.

"Training? What training?" Rin dodged the stray grains, curious.

Obito, ever the chatterbox, explained, "Fūka's been training his taijutsu. He was up early this morning for it."

Asuma glanced at Fūka and then at Guy, noticing how similar their exhausted expressions were. He quickly deduced that Fūka had been training under Guy's father, Might Duy.

But Might Duy was just a forever Genin, right? Why would Fūka train with him?

Asuma looked at Fūka, confusion clear in his eyes.

Fūka shrugged it off, saying, "Training in taijutsu is tough. Nothing to make a big deal about."

"Fūka, my dad says that taijutsu training can be really hard on your body. You should make sure to rest enough," Kurenai said, her voice soft and concerned.

"Thanks, I appreciate that," Fūka replied warmly.

Guy, who was eating as quickly as Obito, chimed in, "Don't worry, my dad's got it under control. Fūka will be fine with him!"

"Wait, your dad?" Everyone except Asuma stared wide-eyed at Guy and then at Fūka.

"Hey, wait a minute… You're not serious…" Obito looked incredulous.

Fūka training with the eternal Genin, Might Duy? That seemed impossible.

Seeing their reactions, Guy immediately protested, "My dad might be a Genin, but he's incredibly strong—an amazing taijutsu specialist!"

In a child's eyes, their father is always the strongest. Despite all the beatings he'd taken from the likes of Hyūga Shinzo, Guy still firmly believed this.

"I think Might Duy's a pretty strong shinobi too," Fūka agreed wholeheartedly.

Guy's eyes lit up with gratitude.

Obito opened his mouth to say more but was interrupted.

Outside the classroom, the sound of hurried footsteps and angry voices grew louder. Soon, a group of familiar figures appeared at the door.

"Uchiha Fūka! Get out here!"

A bunch of troublemaking kids were shouting, clearly targeting Fūka.

"It's you!" Obito's face darkened when he recognized the leader. "Uchiha Rakuna!"

This was the same kid who had harassed Obito during the break, and Fūka had been the one to bail him out. Now, just a few days into the new term, Rakuna was already back looking for trouble.

Rakuna swaggered into the classroom, his arrogant gaze sweeping over everyone, but then he froze.

'Damn it, why is Asuma Sarutobi sitting with Uchiha Fūka?'

As the son of a vice-captain in the Konoha Police Force, Rakuna knew all too well who Asuma was. The difference in their status was like night and day.

"Ahem! We just came to say hi!" Rakuna stammered, suddenly unsure of himself. Unable to just walk away with his tail between his legs, he pointed at Fūka and shouted, "Uchiha Fūka, this isn't over! You better watch yourself!"

With that, he slunk out of the classroom, his face red with embarrassment.

His gang of followers exchanged confused glances before slinking away after him.

Fūka glanced at Asuma, then shrugged. "No big deal, let's finish lunch."

…

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Hokage Tower, where missions were assigned, the place was bustling with activity. It was rare to see so many shinobi gathered in one place, with even a few Jonin passing through now and then.

"Ueda, please, just let me take on this B-Rank mission!" Might Duy was pleading with a young ninja behind the mission desk, Matsushima Ueda? "I know I can complete it perfectly!"

Matsushima Ueda frowned. "No way! You're a Genin—you're only allowed to take on C-Rank missions at most!"

"But… but…" Duy tried to argue, "This mission would be a breeze for me!"

"Might Duy, those are the rules set by the Hokage. Do you want to defy them?" Matsushima Ueda banged the table in frustration. "Stop bothering me and just stick to your D-Rank missions, you eternal Genin!"

Duy's face twisted with anger, but the Will of Fire burning in his heart kept him in check, leaving him deeply frustrated.

"Ha! A Genin trying to take on a B-Rank mission? How laughable!" A ninja from the Hyūga clan walked over, sneering at Duy with obvious disdain.

"What did you say?!" Duy's fists clenched in fury, his body trembling with suppressed rage.

"I said your taijutsu is weak. You should give up on your dreams of becoming a Chunin and save yourself the trouble!" The Hyūga ninja laughed as he turned to Matsushima Ueda. "I'll take that B-Rank mission!"

"Damn it!" Duy struggled to contain his anger, his body trembling.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind and rested on Duy's shoulder.

Duy's heart skipped a beat. Even in his anger, his body had remained on high alert, and this hand had landed on his shoulder without him noticing—a hand that could have just as easily slit his throat.

Duy spun around, only to find himself face-to-face with a man whose very presence could make the entire shinobi world tremble.

It was Konoha's White Fang!