Naruto: We Agreed on a Simulation, But They Actually Came to Life?

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: The Green Shadow and the Silver Hair

The following morning, shortly after five, Kitahara Kaede stepped out.

The streets were nearly deserted.

He began his run along his usual training route, keeping his pace steady and controlled. By the time he reached his fifteenth lap, a rhythmic thumping sound echoed from behind him.

"One thousand seven hundred thirty-two! One thousand seven hundred thirty-three!"

Kaede glanced sideways.

He had run into Guy again.

As Guy blurred past him, his wide eyes flickered in Kaede’s direction. He didn’t stop, continuing to charge forward in a handstand, his counting rhythm never wavering.

When they had first crossed paths five months ago, Kaede had slipped away after only a few dozen laps. Clearly, Guy hadn’t remembered him.

Kaede didn’t intend to say hello either; he simply kept his own pace. One running upright, the other upside down, they moved along the route in silence, ignoring one another.

Between the system’s enhancements and five months of relentless training, Kaede’s physical endurance had long since surpassed the limit of a typical Chunin. After completing a hundred laps, his heart rate remained steady, and his breathing had barely changed.

At some point, Guy switched from his handstand to a normal sprint, his speed spiking violently. As he swept past Kaede, his green spandex looked like a gust of wind. In one burst, he lapped Kaede several times.

However, he didn’t accelerate or decelerate further; he maintained his own rhythm, lap after lap. By the time Kaede hit three hundred laps, Guy lapped him again.

But this time, the bowl-cut head visibly tilted. Guy’s gaze lingered on Kaede for an extra half-second.

Five hundred laps.

Kaede stopped at the starting point. He breathed lightly, sweat dripping from his chin to the pavement, his back completely soaked.

Suddenly, the sound of a harsh skid erupted behind him. Guy’s feet dug two deep furrows into the ground as he braked to a halt.

He spun around, his wide eyes staring like brass bells. He stared at Kaede for three seconds, then shot him a thumbs-up.

His teeth gleamed brilliantly in the morning light.

"Not bad!"

His voice was full of vigor. Despite having run hundreds of laps, his breathing was only slightly ragged.

"This is the first time I’ve met someone who comes out to train before dawn and can run for this long in one go! Your youth is burning!"

Kaede wiped the sweat from his face. "The first time?"

Guy scratched the back of his head, his thick eyebrows knitting together in deep concentration. He thought hard for a long moment.

"Have we... met?"

Kaede looked at that face full of sincere confusion. A memory flashed through his mind—the image from the original story of Kisame Hoshigaki nearly losing it because Guy simply could not recognize him.

He finally understood how Kisame felt.

Guy tilted his head and continued thinking, his eyes rolling as he searched his memory. Suddenly, he slapped his fist into his palm with an expression of sudden realization.

"Ah! I did meet someone a few months ago! He was also running this route in the early morning!"

He paused, his tone turning regretful. "But that guy couldn’t even handle a few dozen laps. The flames of his youth weren’t hot enough."

Kaede went silent for a beat.

"...That was me."

Guy’s expression froze.

In the next instant, he lunged forward and grabbed Kaede by the shoulders. His wide eyes were inches away, scanning Kaede up, down, left, and right. Then, he leaped back, his finger trembling as he pointed at him.

"What—?! That was you?!"

"Such incredible progress in just a few months?! From a few dozen laps to five hundred?! What... what kind of training is this?!"

Kaede wiped away more sweat. ’I only left early back then because I was afraid you’d cling to me.’

But saying that would probably only make the man more excited. He decided to let it go.

Guy was now completely fired up. He bounced twice on the spot, fists clenched, his eyes shimmering with emotion.

"What is your name?"

Kaede hesitated for half a second. He had a feeling that once he gave his name, he would be added to this green-spandex-wearing man’s "running buddy" list—and he would never be able to get off it.

But Guy’s gaze was too direct. That kind of searing, pure sincerity made it impossible to lie to his face.

"Kitahara Kaede."

Guy nodded solemnly, straightened his back, and slammed his right fist against his chest.

"I am Might Guy!"

He gave another thumbs-up, his smile blindingly bright.

"Kitahara Kaede! I’ll remember you! A man who can burn his youth alongside me!"

Looking at those white teeth reflecting the morning sun, Kaede had only one thought: his morning runs were never going to be peaceful again.

***

In the morning, after showering and changing into clean clothes, Kaede headed to the Hokage Tower carrying Dan Kato’s recommendation letter.

During wartime, procedures were streamlined. With a recommendation letter from a Jonin and a record of B-rank or higher missions, one could apply for a special examination without waiting for the unified exams held during peacetime.

The administrative Chunin in charge of registration took the letter and glanced at the signature. His hand paused. He looked up to re-examine Kaede.

"Dan Kato... a personal recommendation from the Western Front commander?"

Kaede nodded.

The official didn’t ask further questions, looking down to verify the mission records item by item. Seven missions, all B-rank or C+, all completed with zero casualties.

Once verified, the Chunin pushed a form across the desk.

"The paperwork is complete. Approval takes three to five days; we will notify you when it’s ready."

Kaede signed the document, took his receipt, and headed out.

***

After his afternoon training, he walked back toward his apartment along the same route. As he passed the public notice board outside the Hokage Tower, he saw a green figure standing there from a distance.

The man’s head was practically pressed against the board.

It was Guy again.

Kaede shifted his path, intending to circle around the other side.

Then, a voice roared from behind—

"KITA—HARA—KAEDE—!"

Pedestrians for half a block turned their heads in unison.

It was too late. Guy had spotted him.

He rushed forward in three large strides, pointing at the notice board with a shaking hand.

"Public notice for Chunin exam applications—Kitahara Kaede! You! You’ve already applied for the Chunin exam?!"

Before Kaede could open his mouth, Guy began to ignite on his own.

"The man who could only run a few dozen laps five months ago is already standing at the gates of the Chunin exam!"

Two streams of hot tears burst from his eyes.

"This is the proof of hard work! This is youth!"

Suddenly, Guy stopped crying. He looked straight at Kaede, his gaze becoming unusually calm for a moment.

"Kitahara Kaede."

His voice dropped, no longer shouting. "Regardless of the result of the exam—you’ve already proven one thing."

He gave a thumbs-up, though this time without the grin. "Hard work really can change a person."

Having said this, he took a deep breath and looked up.

"Therefore, I cannot stop either! Starting today, I’ll double my training volume!"

He turned and bolted. A green blur vanished around the corner, leaving two skid marks on the ground.

Kaede stood there, staring at those marks. He suddenly felt that while this man was incredibly loud, that phrase—"hard work really can change a person"—was said with more sincerity than anything most clever people said in their entire lives.

He shook his head and turned to leave.

A man walked toward him from the opposite corner.

Short silver-white hair parted to the left, with a forehead protector pulled down to cover his left eye. A black mask covered the lower half of his face, leaving only his right eye and the bridge of his nose visible.

Hatake Kakashi.

He walked at a moderate pace, hands tucked in his pockets. His right eye swept toward the direction Guy had disappeared, his expression unreadable.

As he passed the notice board, his gaze lingered on the application list for less than a second. He didn’t stop.

He walked past Kaede, the distance between them less than two meters.

As Kakashi walked past, his right eye flickered toward Kitahara Kaede for a split second. It happened so quickly that Kitahara Kaede wasn’t even sure he’d seen it.

"Tsk."

A single sound. It was unclear if it was directed at Guy or the announcement board—or perhaps, it was aimed at him.

Kakashi continued walking away, acting as if everything happening in the village had absolutely nothing to do with him.

Kitahara Kaede looked away.

At this point in time, still reeling from the recent death of his father, White Fang, and with Uchiha Obito still alive, Kakashi remained the cold-faced genius who placed rules above all else.

Graduated at five, Chunin at six, and Jonin by twelve. Even combined, none of his peers in the Hidden Leaf could ever hope to catch up to him.

However, there was no need for him to cross paths with Kakashi. At least, not right now.