The entrance of the ninja tool shop was already surrounded by villagers. Upon seeing Ryuma, they began pointing and whispering among themselves.
The shop owner wore a twisted expression, his entire face flushed red as if suffering from oxygen deprivation.
It wasn't because he'd lost his mind from anger or anything — rather, it was because the hand he had extended to grab Ryuma by the collar was now firmly held in place by Ryuma's grip.
It felt like being caught in an iron vice — no movement, no escape.
Ryuma, standing before him, was expressionless, as though the person in front of him wasn't a grown man, but merely a fly.
Being treated like this by a child, the shopkeeper was embarrassed.
Glaring at Ryuma with bloodshot eyes, he furiously insisted that it was Ryuma who had stolen from him.
"Give it back, you thief!"
At the word "thief," the onlooking crowd grew more brazen. Without even understanding the full story, they began hurling accusations and disdainful looks.
Ryuma, unfazed, maintained his calm expression, holding onto the man's hand and said lightly.
"I didn't steal your stuff."
"If it wasn't you, who else could it be? Just now, there were only three of us in the shop — you, me, and Guy-san."
The pain in his arm made the shopkeeper's voice hoarse, almost like a beast growling.
"If you say you didn't steal anything, then prove it in front of everyone — let me search you!"
Search him?
In front of all these people?
Ryuma narrowed his eyes and suddenly applied force to the shopkeeper's right hand. The man screamed in pain.
"You can go notify Konoha's Military Police Force…"
The meaning was obvious, a body search? Don't even think about it. And even if they did search him, they'd find nothing.
"You…"
"Alright, shopkeeper, I can testify that he didn't steal anything from your store."
Just as the shopkeeper was about to say more, Guy, who had been watching from the side, finally stepped in.
"But,Guy-san, only the three of us were in the shop earlier. If it wasn't him, then who—?"
"Maybe you were mistaken." Guy replied confidently, his gleaming teeth flashing.
"I may not be as sharp as Kakashi, but committing evil right in front of me? Impossible! You must believe in the power of youth!"
As an elite ninja of Konoha, Guy's words carried some weight.
Still, his appearance — green bodysuit, bowl-cut hair, thick eyebrows — gave everyone a strange chill.
"…Since even Guy-san says so, then maybe I did make a mistake. Can you… have him let go of me?"
The shopkeeper couldn't exactly deny Guy's words.
But more importantly, the pain in his arm was becoming unbearable. If it continued, he feared it might be permanently damaged.
"It's all just a misunderstanding. Of course, no problem." Guy turned and flashed his pearly whites at Ryuma again.
"Young man…"
Ryuma let go without a word, turned around, and left decisively without looking back.
With the excitement over, the crowd also dispersed.
'Did you get everything?'
'Got it. Not only did I collect all the weighted training gear for you, I even cleaned out the rest of the store — kunai, shuriken, everything, including his entire stock!'
Everything?
No wonder the shopkeeper had screamed in despair when Ryuma left.
"Thanks."
Ryuma rarely smiled, but he did now, nodding in gratitude to the mongoose.
He knew this was the system's steward — or system spirit — standing up for him.
The mongoose was stunned. Thinking it had misheard, it rubbed its ears several times before letting out a weird yelp.
"What did you say just now? I didn't hear that clearly. Could you repeat it?"
Ryuma didn't respond and just kept walking toward the forest.
"You cold-blooded, rude brat actually said thank you? No way! Are you planning to starve me from now on or something?"
This damn creature…
A few veins bulged on Ryuma's forehead. He wanted nothing more than to smack the mongoose's head right then and there and have it for dinner.
Too bad the thing was immune to all damage. It couldn't be killed.
...
Back at his training grounds, Hanabi had already left, but the rice balls she made were still there.
Ryuma glanced at them, then withdrew his thoughts and resumed training.
The mongoose returned to its perch — a bird's nest — and sat cross-legged, taking off its shorts, ready to inspect its loot.
Suddenly, its long tail shot straight up and pointed diagonally in one direction.
"Ryuma, someone's coming!"
At the warning, Ryuma instantly released the gravity suppression on his body and resumed striking the training post as if nothing had happened.
"To be able to jump back into training like this after what just happened…Youth truly moves me."
Before the person arrived, their voice echoed first.
The same look — bowl-cut, green bodysuit, thick brows, and those blinding teeth.
'So shiny… damn it, how are his teeth even more outrageous than mine?'
Watching those teeth sparkle even though the sun was already setting, the Mongoose perched in the bird's nest—had a look on its face like it had seen a ghost.
Ryuma also found it hard to look directly at him and asked, pretending not to know, "Who are you? What are you—"
"Good question!" Before Ryuma could finish, Guy struck a pose, shouting with passion, "I am Konoha's proud Blue Beast — Might Guy!"
Ryuma wasn't sure if it was a hallucination, but he could swear he saw a blazing cartoon sun behind the man — like something a kindergartener might draw.
Taking a deep breath, Ryuma asked, "How did you find me? Were you following—"
Before he could finish, Guy struck another exaggerated pose and burst with energy, "It was your youth that guided me here, young man!"
After getting interrupted again and again, even Ryuma was starting to feel the urge to punch someone.
Noticing the faint bulge of veins on Ryuma's calm face, Guy wisely decided to dial it back.
He wasn't the smartest or most observant, but he wasn't a total idiot either. He knew full well that his behavior… well, most people would call it "a bit much."
So, he finally dropped the dramatic act and got to the point.