Kirito's group set out from Konoha. Though the journey was long, the road itself was relatively safe, and it was Lee who suggested they travel by running the whole way.
Guy-sensei praised Lee's passionate youthful spirit. Neji, though indifferent to Lee's obsession with youth, also agreed, he, too, saw this as a chance to train his stamina. Tenten didn't object either, and Kirito simply went along without comment.
"Huff… huff… huff…"
After running for quite some time, the group's breathing began to grow heavier.
Guy's physical stamina was practically inhuman. Even running all day and night wouldn't faze him. For him, this level of running was child's play.
Lee, naturally, stuck right behind Guy the moment they started.
Neji ran a little farther back. Though he lacked Lee's sheer physical endurance, his long-term training in Gentle Fist had forged a different kind of body conditioning. He wasn't faster, nor stronger, but when it came to long-distance endurance, he could often outlast Lee.
Gentle Fist emphasized efficiency and internal control, every step Neji took consumed far less energy than Lee's brute force approach. Rather than push his body to the limit, Neji had mastered conserving it.
Tenten, as a kunoichi, had decent stamina, but unfortunately, she belonged to a squad of physical combat maniacs. Unsurprisingly, she was left trailing in the rear.
And then… there was Kirito.
From the very start, Kirito had been running side-by-side with Lee, directly behind Guy.
His stamina was nowhere near Lee or Neji's, probably on par with Tenten. So how was he keeping up?
It was all thanks to the Gale Boots, a conceptual equipment item enhancing his movement speed. When out of combat for more than five seconds, it gave him an even greater burst of speed.
At top speed, Kirito could rival Lee's full sprint, at least when Lee hadn't opened any of the Eight Gates. In a marathon-like run like this, no one could sustain their full power, not even Lee or Guy. So by relying on the passive speed boost of his boots, Kirito had little trouble keeping pace, even though he wasn't exerting much strength at all.
Still, as time passed, even Lee, running at 70% effort, began to tire and slow down. Kirito, too, started to breathe harder. Though he wasn't using much strength to maintain this pace, his stamina wasn't great to begin with, so fatigue inevitably crept in.
And Neji? He was still running steadily, his breathing calm, every step measured. Years of Gentle Fist training had granted him a rhythm that synchronized breath and movement, making long-distance runs almost effortless.
Tenten, meanwhile, was gasping like a dying fish, drenched in sweat. Honestly, for a kunoichi, she'd already pushed herself admirably far.
Eventually, the group slowed and came to a halt for a break.
Among them, only Guy looked completely untouched, breathing steady, posture upright. Neji followed close behind. Kirito and Lee were both panting but still had energy to spare. Tenten, however, collapsed on the grass in a full starfish sprawl, utterly exhausted.
During the rest stop, everyone went to refill water by the nearby stream. Kirito brought back a canteen for Tenten.
"Yo, here's water." He handed it to her.
Tenten was still breathing hard, cheeks flushed red from exertion, her whole body soaked. Her throat was too dry to speak, so she merely opened her mouth and gestured weakly for him to help her drink.
Kirito couldn't help but chuckle. She really was the type who didn't care about appearances. And yet, that candid, unfiltered nature was exactly what made her so likable. Gently, he helped her sit up and carefully tilted the canteen to her lips.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp"
Tenten chugged the cold water in huge, unrestrained gulps, the sound of it echoing without shame.
From the side, Neji frowned slightly. As someone raised in a noble household, with etiquette drilled into his every move, he found the scene rather crude. Guy and Lee, on the other hand, didn't notice a thing, after a short rest, the two had already started doing push-ups just to burn off their extra energy.
After downing the entire canteen, Tenten finally caught her breath. She exhaled deeply, opened her eyes slightly, and gave Kirito a weak glance.
"Kirito… that was so unfair. I get Guy-sensei, Neji, and Lee being monsters, but you, you're not even a genin, and you managed to keep up with them? That's not right. I remember your stamina wasn't much better than mine."
Tenten didn't mince words, bluntly stating that Kirito wasn't even a registered ninja. He didn't mind, after all, she was right. His endurance really wasn't that impressive. It was only thanks to the Gale Boots that he could sustain such speed with minimal effort. The only reason Neji lasted longer was due to his superior overall stamina.
Still, Tenten wasn't the kind to pry too much once her curiosity was satisfied. After regaining some strength, she got up and stretched.
"I'm gonna go change, be back in a bit~" she waved, heading toward the trees.
For a girl, being soaked in sweat, sticky and uncomfortable, was not a pleasant experience. She definitely needed a moment to clean up.
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters