Behind the ninja tool shop was a courtyard used for practice.
Several wooden posts and targets were set up there, and the stone tiles on the ground were covered in dense marks left by countless ninja tools over the years.
Wen Lan and Might Duy stood facing each other.
Might Duy placed his left hand behind his waist, stretched out his right hand, and grinned brightly.
"Kid, come on—attack me!"
Wen Lan didn't hesitate.
He took a deep breath, and a faint flame visibly flickered at the corner of his mouth.
Seeing this, Might Duy's brows knitted slightly, his guard rising a notch.
In the next instant, Wen Lan shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, his right leg whipping out violently!
Might Duy casually lifted his right hand and blocked the kick.
Bang!
[What?!]
Wen Lan looked at Might Duy in surprise.
That kick had been thrown with full power, yet Might Duy's arm hadn't budged in the slightest!
Might Duy immediately twisted his wrist, grabbed Wen Lan's ankle, and yanked him forward. At the same time, he leapt up and swept his leg toward Wen Lan!
Wen Lan instantly crossed his arms in front of his chest!
Bang!
Wen Lan was sent flying like a cannonball, slamming heavily into a wooden post behind him. The post snapped in half on the spot!
[How is this possible?!]
Wen Lan's pupils shrank sharply. His arms throbbed with pain—
That strike had at least chūnin-level power!
And Might Duy clearly hadn't even gone all out.
At that moment, Wen Lan finally realized something:
"Genin" was just a title—it didn't represent actual strength.
Even Seventh Hokage Uzumaki Naruto was technically a genin!
There was an old saying from his previous life:
Chūnin can be slaughtered at will. Jōnin—maybe test the waters. But if you run into a Konoha genin—run for your life!
This era favored ninjutsu exchanges, and because Might Duy couldn't use ninjutsu, he had never been promoted to chūnin.
That didn't mean he only had genin-level strength.
"Kid! Don't space out in a fight!" Might Duy shouted as he rushed in again.
He suddenly lowered his body, sweeping his leg toward Wen Lan's legs.
Wen Lan immediately activated his Sharingan and leapt upward, dodging the low sweep. But Might Duy planted his hands on the ground, sprang upward like a coiled spring, spun midair, and kicked Wen Lan square in the chest.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Wen Lan was kicked away, but he quickly adjusted his body in midair. His internal breathing shifted instantly!
The moment his feet touched the ground, his toes tapped lightly—
Golden lightning erupted around his body as he burst forward at extreme speed!
Spinning through the air, he kicked toward Might Duy in return!
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Might Duy raised his arm and blocked the kick with ease, then once again grabbed Wen Lan's ankle with a backhand grip.
"Again?!" Wen Lan instantly saw through his intent.
His hands flew together, seals forming reflexively—but he suddenly stopped.
This was a taijutsu match.
Using ninjutsu here would cross the line.
Might Duy smiled as well and didn't press the attack. He released Wen Lan and stepped back.
"Not bad. If you'd used ninjutsu, it would only be a matter of time before I lost."
Wen Lan gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"Your experience far surpasses mine. I'm not your match."
"Being weak isn't a sin," Might Duy said, giving a thumbs-up.
"Accepting weakness is.
"The lightning you just used resembles Kumogakure's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, but it's still too rough.
"Still, I've got a good grasp of your strength now. For a beginner, your starting load should be around three hundred jin."
"Yes!" Wen Lan replied immediately.
Might Guy watched Wen Lan with curiosity. Though the exchange had been brief, it was obvious—
For someone this young to have such strength was already impressive.
Inuzuka Hana hurried over, concern written on her face.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Senior didn't go hard on me," Wen Lan said with a slight smile, reaching out to rub her head.
Next, Tenten's father brought over four weights—two for the wrists and two for the legs—a total of three hundred jin.
Might Duy had also come to buy weights for Guy… and ended up picking eight hundred jin!
Wen Lan's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Eight hundred jin—what kind of concept was that?!
After putting them on, Might Guy looked completely unaffected.
When Wen Lan put his on, he immediately felt his body sink downward.
It was heavy—but it didn't hinder normal movement.
Seeing Wen Lan adjusting, Might Duy said,
"Starting tomorrow, train with us. This is my son—Guy."
"Yes, Senior. My name is Uchiha Wen Lan."
"Tomorrow morning at four o'clock. I'll be waiting for you at the southeast corner of the village."
With that, the two of them left.
For the rest of the day, Wen Lan didn't train anymore.
On one hand, his ninja blade was damaged and he had no replacement.
On the other, he needed time to adapt to the weights.
So he chose to go shopping with Inuzuka Hana instead.
Konoha Village was massive, covering 327,400 square meters.
It was built against the mountains, with the Hokage Rock carved into the mountainside and the Hokage Tower below.
Two rivers ran through the village, while towering walls surrounded its perimeter.
Between the two rivers lay the commercial district, filled with food stalls, toy shops, clothing stores, and more.
Once they reached the district, Inuzuka Hana was thrilled—snacks were everywhere.
She dragged Wen Lan from stall to stall, eating as they walked, occasionally buying food for Akamaru as well.
Watching Hana walk Akamaru down the street made Wen Lan think of a saying:
Walking a dog without a leash isn't walking the dog—it's the dog walking you.
Coupled with the Inuzuka clan's Beast Mimicry Techniques, the thought made Wen Lan burst out laughing.
Hana, cheeks puffed out as she chewed on dango, looked at him in confusion.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Just thought of something funny," Wen Lan said, poking her cheek.
Hana blushed and slapped his hand away.
"Woof! Woof!"
Suddenly, Akamaru barked loudly.
From the crowd in the distance, two dogs that looked very similar to Akamaru dashed over—it was his brothers, Ximaru and Asamaru.
Ximaru, Asamaru, and Akamaru were littermates, born of the same mother, with Akamaru being the eldest.
The moment the two saw the half-eaten chicken leg in Akamaru's mouth, they pounced, pinning him to the ground while barking furiously.
Asamaru stared at Hana like a resentful housewife, letting out a pitiful whine.
Wen Lan looked at Hana in confusion.
"What did it say?"
With a helpless expression, Hana tore the remaining roast chicken in half and tossed it to Asamaru and Ximaru.
"It said I'm playing favorites—bringing Akamaru out for good food and not them."
The moment Ximaru saw the chicken, it jumped off Akamaru and lunged for it—
Before leaving, it even kicked Akamaru once with its hind leg.
Akamaru looked utterly aggrieved.
You're the ones who didn't come. How is this my fault?!
Like a wronged puppy, Akamaru crawled into Wen Lan's arms, wriggling around and seeking comfort.
Akamaru was clever—he knew better than to jump on Hana. Otherwise, Asamaru and Ximaru would think he was competing for affection and beat him up later.
Wen Lan couldn't help laughing as he rubbed Akamaru's head.
After all, he had saved Akamaru's life—
He hadn't saved the other two.
So Ximaru and Asamaru didn't have much of a reaction toward him.
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