Li Zhenwu followed closely behind Guy Sensei as they continuously ran laps around the village, one after another, without stopping.
This spectacle was indeed attention-grabbing; however, the villagers of Konoha no longer dared to look down on Li Zhenwu.
After all, he was not just the fastest graduate from the ninja academy, but also a beloved apprentice of the Third Hokage, who was well-respected in the village.
Under these circumstances, nobody dared to disparage him casually anymore.
Moreover, the whispers of calling him "monster" as they trailed behind him had vanished. Instead, many children gazed at him with a look of envy as he passed by, admiring the fact that he had become a ninja at such a young age.
After running for about a hundred laps, the day transitioned into evening, and Li Zhenwu spotted a familiar figure.
"Hey, Hana, what are you doing out here?"
Li Zhenwu was a bit surprised to see Inuzuka Hana, who had shed her ninja attire for casual home clothing, now radiating a different charm.
"I came to help my mom buy groceries," Inuzuka Hana replied, her gentle and refined demeanor making her seem completely unlike a ninja.
"Hey, sis, don't talk to that monster! Let's hurry up and get the groceries. I still need to buy some big bones for Kiba!"
As Li Zhenwu chatted with Inuzuka Hana, a small kid beside her, who looked even shorter than Li Zhenwu, shouted angrily.
This kid had red markings on his face, disheveled hair, and a small white dog perched on his head, glaring at Li Zhenwu with a disgruntled expression, clearly jealous of his sister talking to him.
"Hey, Hana, is this your little brother?"
The moment Li Zhenwu saw the boy, he couldn't help but laugh.
Wasn't this the future Inuzuka Kiba, one of the famous Konoha Nine?
"Kiba, have some manners!" Inuzuka Hana chided her brother.
"Heh, it's fine." Li Zhenwu understood Kiba's feelings – after all, who wouldn't feel possessive when a boy was being close to their sister?
However, Kiba's display of anger was a bit over the top.
Unfazed, Li Zhenwu chuckled, ruffling Kiba's already messy hair even more.
Kiba, furious, swatted at Li Zhenwu's hand and shouted, "Akamaru, bite him!"
Immediately, the puppy Akamaru, who was lying on Kiba's head, opened his tiny mouth and made a move to bite Li Zhenwu's hand.
Li Zhenwu merely smiled, completely unconcerned; Akamaru's baby teeth barely posed any threat. He only felt a slight tickle on his hand.
Inuzuka Hana could only watch with a mix of amusement and exasperation at the playful antics of her brother and Li Zhenwu.
After a moment, Li Zhenwu pulled his hand back with a chuckle, and Kiba glared at him with a pouting expression, as if to say, "If I could beat you, I would!"
"When I grow up, I'll get my revenge!"
"Heh, I'll be waiting," Li Zhenwu teased back before saying goodbye to Inuzuka Hana.
"Hana, I'm going to continue my run. See you tomorrow!"
With that, Li Zhenwu resumed his running, hastening to catch up with Guy Sensei, all while Kiba glared at him in frustration.
"Kiba, don't be rude. Zhenwu is a really good person; you should get along with him," Inuzuka Hana said.
Hearing this, Kiba's heart sank in despair – it felt like his sister no longer belonged solely to him.
Li Zhenwu continued running around the village alongside Guy Sensei. As they completed over 200 laps, they unexpectedly ran into the cute and naive Hinata, who was playing with the proud Neji Hyuga in the village.
"Hey, Hinata!"
In a good mood, Li Zhenwu called out from a distance.
Due to the previous incident involving the Hidden Cloud Ninjas, Hinata had been warned by her parents that Li Zhenwu had saved her.
Consequently, she no longer viewed him as a stranger, no longer just the "Konoha Monster" who had been taken as an apprentice by the Third Hokage.
The proud Neji stood protectively in front of Hinata, eyeing Li Zhenwu warily.
"Hey, Neji, what kind of look is that?"
Li Zhenwu exclaimed.
Thanks to him, Neji's life had become stable – his father hadn't committed suicide, and his relationship with Hinata was much better.
However, it seemed that Neji had developed a bit of a protective tendency toward Hinata, determined to watch over his fragile cousin.
Therefore, whenever Li Zhenwu approached Hinata, Neji's expression was always defensive.
Li Zhenwu didn't mind Neji's attitude at all; he simply teased Hinata for a bit before waving goodbye and jogging off.
"Neji, Zhenwu is a good person and even saved me! You really shouldn't have an issue with him."
Once Li Zhenwu left, Hinata softly told Neji, who felt a sharp pang in his heart, feeling as though his position as Hinata's protector was under threat.
Li Zhenwu continued running laps around the village with Guy Sensei, and they finally completed their 300 laps just as the night fully descended.
Both felt invigorated, and Guy Sensei gave a thumbs up.
Before heading back, they encountered the duo of Rock Lee and Naruto, who had come looking for Li Zhenwu.
"Come on, let's go get some Ichiraku ramen together!" Li Zhenwu declared with a wave of his hand.
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