The sun was sinking westward, and Shin-chan's first day at ninja school was finally drawing to a close.
Teacher Ibuki stood at the front of the classroom and closed the attendance book. "Alright, that's it for today. Remember to bring everything tomorrow, and don't be late."
The classroom instantly erupted.
Shin-chan sprang out of his seat, his eyes shining like two little stars, and dashed out of the classroom at astonishing speed.
"Snack time, snack time~"
He chanted it under his breath as the red blur shot through the hallway, across the schoolyard, and out the school gate—faster even than he'd run that afternoon when chasing after Teacher Asagi.
At the gate, the old guard only felt a blur pass in front of his eyes.
"Did a kid just run out?"
"I think so," the person beside him nodded.
"Why was he running that fast?"
"Probably in a hurry to get home."
The old man fell silent for two seconds, then shook his head. "It's good to be young."
Meanwhile, that very "it's good to be young" figure had already run dozens of meters away.
Then Shin-chan suddenly stopped by the roadside, tilting his head as he looked at the sunset ahead.
"Hm?"
It felt like he had forgotten something.
Shin-chan frowned and tried hard to remember.
This morning, Misae had dragged him along... then he met the thick-eyebrowed man... then he refined chakra... then there had been the bell peppers at lunch... and then Teacher Asagi in the afternoon...
Everything seemed perfectly normal.
So what had he forgotten?
After thinking for a full two seconds, Shin-chan gave up.
"Whatever. If I can't remember it, it probably wasn't important."
And off he ran again.
"Snack time, here I come!"
Meanwhile, Guy had never expected Shin-chan to run off that fast. Seeing that he wasn't in the classroom, Guy decided to wait at the school gate instead, staring intently at every student who came out.
Shin-chan had promised they would train together after school. That boy who had charged into the crowd that morning and shouted "Youth!" with them surely wouldn't go back on his word.
The evening sun shone on his green bodysuit, stretching his shadow long across the ground.
One student after another passed by him.
No red shirt.
Two more.
Still no red shirt.
Then a whole group.
Still nothing.
Guy's thick brows gradually drooped, but he still didn't leave. "I'll wait a little longer..."
At the same time, Shin-chan was tearing through the streets like a gust of wind, with only two words in his head:
Snack. Time.
He hadn't gotten to eat chocolate sticks this morning, had run into those hateful bell peppers at lunch, and then had run all those laps in the afternoon. Right now, he urgently needed a snack to restore his energy.
He shoved open the front door, kicked off his shoes, and charged inside.
"I'm home!" Shin-chan called out automatically.
"It's 'I'm back,' not 'you're home,'" Misae's voice came from the kitchen. "Wash your hands first. Your snack is on the table."
Shin-chan's eyes lit up. He washed his hands at lightning speed and pounced on the table.
There, on the table, was a plate of little cakes and a glass of milk.
Shin-chan grabbed a spoon and immediately stuffed a big bite of cake into his mouth.
Misae came out of the kitchen, taking off her apron. Seeing her son wolfing down food like that, she couldn't help smiling. "Slow down. Nobody's going to steal it from you."
"Mmph mmph~" Shin-chan replied with his mouth full.
Misae sat down across from him, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh right, didn't you say after school today you were going to go train with that man in the green bodysuit?"
Shin-chan's chewing stopped. He looked up and blinked.
Then blinked again.
"..."
Seeing that expression, Misae felt her heart skip a beat. "You didn't forget, did you?"
Slowly, Shin-chan pulled the spoon out of his mouth. His expression shifted from confusion to sudden realization, and then from realization to guilt.
"It does seem like... there was something like that..."
"'Seems like'?" A cross-shaped vein bulged on Misae's forehead. "This morning, weren't you happily making plans with him? That man was so excited, going on and on about 'youth, youth'!"
Shin-chan lowered his head and looked at the snack on the table.
"But..." he muttered softly, "I wanted to eat my snack."
Misae took a deep breath, stood up, walked over to him, and crouched down so she could look him in the eye. Her tone softened.
"Shin-chan, let Mommy ask you something. If you promise someone something and then don't do it, how do you think that person would feel?"
Shin-chan thought about it. "Disappointed?"
"Right." Misae nodded. "And not just disappointed. He'll think Shin-chan doesn't keep his word. He'll think Shin-chan isn't someone he can trust."
Shin-chan fell silent.
Misae continued, "Mommy knows you wanted your snack, and I know you're tired after your first full day at school. But if you promise someone something, you have to follow through. That's what a real man does, right?"
Shin-chan looked up at his mother.
She wore a gentle smile. She wasn't angry—she was just seriously trying to teach him something.
Shin-chan was quiet for a few seconds, then slid down from the chair.
"Mom."
"Mm?"
"Save the cake for me." Shin-chan put on his shoes. "I'm going to find them."
Misae smiled. "Alright. I'll save it for you."
Shin-chan pulled open the door, then suddenly turned back around. "Oh, right, Mom."
"What is it?"
"The stuff you just said... did you learn it from a book?"
Misae's smile stiffened. "What do you mean?"
"It just sounded really impressive," Shin-chan said seriously. "Like maybe it came from some kind of 'Great Mom Quotes Collection' book."
"Less talking, more going!" Misae roared.
Shin-chan ran out the door, then after a few steps suddenly stopped again, standing there in the sunset with his head tilted.
"What was that thick-eyebrowed kid's name again?"
"Whatever, I remember what he looks like."
And then he took off running.
Meanwhile, back at the school gate—
Guy was still standing there.
The sun had dipped a little lower, and his shadow had grown a little longer.
Guy lowered his head and drew circles on the ground with the tip of his foot.
"Maybe... he really did forget," he murmured. "Maybe... he didn't actually want to come."
"Maybe he's just still on the way."
A voice suddenly spoke right beside him.
Guy jerked his head up.
A bright, beaming smile appeared in front of him. Because he had run so hard, tiny beads of sweat still clung to Shin-chan's forehead.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Shin-chan planted his hands on his hips. "I'm here to burn with youth!"
Guy froze, and huge tears instantly welled up in his eyes.
"Shin-chan!" Guy threw himself forward and hugged him tightly. "I thought you weren't coming. I waited so, so long."
"Well..." Shin-chan wheezed a little from being squeezed so hard, "I just went home to eat my snack."
"That's okay." Guy let him go, wiped away his tears, and raised a thumbs-up. "As long as you came, that's enough. This is youth—waiting for you as long as it takes was worth it!"
"Then let's go." Copying Guy, Shin-chan raised his own thumbs-up. "Let's go burn with youth."
The two little figures ran side by side under the setting sun.
One in red, one in green.
In the distance, Might Duy was training on the practice field by walking on his hands. When he saw the two children running toward him, tears immediately filled his eyes.
"Youth!" Duy cried to the heavens. "My son... has found a true friend!"
Then, flipping gracefully to the ground, he spread his arms wide to welcome them.
"Come! Let us begin our youthful training!"