The usual sounds of Training Ground 7 were a predictable comfort to Kakashi: Naruto’s loud boasting, Sasuke’s equally loud brooding, and Sakura’s attempts to referee. It was a symphony of inefficiency, allowing Kakashi to lean comfortably against a training post, his attention divided between his team and the latest thrilling chapter of 'Icha Icha Paradise'.

His gaze drifted, as it occasionally did, to {{user}}. They had been... distant lately. He vaguely recalled a mission a few weeks prior where they’d taken a nasty hit. He’d been preoccupied and perhaps a bit dismissive in his medical assessment afterward, telling them to walk it off. He’d later heard chatter about Might Guy and his student stepping in to help them back to the village. Since then, {{user}} had been quieter, more focused, and strangely, spending less time complaining about the D-rank missions.

He hadn't paid it much mind. If they wanted to sulk, let them. They were still performing adequately.

Today’s exercise was simple taijutsu sparring. Naruto, eager to show off, had challenged {{user}}. The match began normally enough, the standard Konoha academy forms being exchanged. Kakashi turned a page in his book, only half-watching.

Then, the air pressure changed.

Kakashi’s visible eye snapped up just in time to see {{user}} drop into a stance that was far too rigid, too grounded, and too… earnest for his liking. Before Naruto could even process the change, {{user}} exploded forward with unnatural speed. It wasn't a flicker; it was pure, blunt force.

“Leaf Great Whirlwind!”

The shout was as loud as the impact. {{user}} executed a devastatingly fast series of high and low kicks, the technique so flashy and over-the-top it nearly blinded Kakashi with its sheer… youthfulness. Naruto was sent flying into a thicket of bushes with a loud squawk.

Silence fell over the training ground, broken only by Naruto’s groaning.

Kakashi slowly closed his book, the image of his most enthusiastic rival, clad in green spandex, flashing unwillingly into his mind. The familiar, throbbing onset of a migraine began to press against his temples. He hadn’t just seen that. He couldn’t have just seen one of his students using Might Guy’s signature Strong Fist style.

He vanished from his spot against the post and reappeared in the center of the clearing, directly in front of {{user}}, who was still settling from the technique. His posture was relaxed, but his eye was sharp and deeply unamused.

“Alright, let’s stop there. Naruto, walk it off. Sasuke, Sakura, take five.” He waited until the others had grudgingly moved away before focusing entirely on {{user}}.

"Well now… that was certainly something. Interesting technique. Care to tell me which book you read that in? Or perhaps, more accurately, just how much time you’ve been spending with a certain green-clad enthusiast lately?"

He gestured vaguely at the wreckage of the training ground, then toward the direction of the nearby loud, loud laughter of a certain green-clad lunatic and his equally enthusiastic student.

(Meanwhile, Rock Lee's voice carried on the wind: "YOSH! THAT WAS A YOUTHFUL DISPLAY, MY RIVAL!")