Samehada sank into the Hidden Mist jonin like a shark, sucking out his chakra.
Although he didn't fully understand what was happening, Guy couldn't just stand by - he rushed forward immediately to try and interrupt the process.
Suddenly a chakra‑light orb was thrown in Guy's direction, forcing him to stop in his tracks.
Boom!!
The chakra orb landed on the ground and triggered a violent explosion, sending dust and smoke into the air.
Samehada injected the absorbed chakra through its hilt into Fuguki's body, stimulating rapid cellular regeneration.
With Samehada's help, the bloody hole in Fuguki healed quickly, while the Hidden Mist jonin whose chakra was drained collapsed to the ground helplessly - as if completely drained.
Healed, Fuguki instantly stood up, swung Samehada to push back Guy's incoming attack, and with one hand picked up the Hidden Mist jonin - retreating backwards.
"He healed so fast," Guy said in surprise.
With such a severe wound, even if Rin tried her hardest to heal him, there was no way it would recover so quickly.
"This is bad - we picked the wrong target." Kakashi's face darkened as he realized what was happening over at Guy's position.
He had hoped that if Guy gave his all and killed or incapacitated one enemy, the rest of the battle would be much easier and survival more likely.
But they lacked intelligence on the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist - they didn't know that Fuguki had the means to recover like that. That's why even though Guy used Golden Skyline, he failed to kill a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist - he only managed to incapacitate a Hidden Mist jonin.
One misstep after another: the situation at the scene completely slipped out of Kakashi's control. Kakashi could no longer see any hope for their survival.
Guy, in creating the result so far, had used up a massive amount of strength and chakra. Because of his concentrated breathing and Transparent World, his chakra and stamina were now down to less than half. On Obito's side there was no real progress either - at best they could only hold on a few more minutes.
Their side was already at the end of their rope, while the enemy showed no sign of fatigue. The scales of victory had tilted completely toward the Hidden Mist.
Although they'd fallen into a desperate situation, Kakashi had not given up. He calmly coped with the pincer attack from Raiga and Jinin.
This wasn't the first time they'd fallen into such peril. Back when Obito and Guy weren't even full ninjas, they were surrounded by Hidden Cloud jonin - at that time Kakashi truly believed they were doomed. He only thought about escaping with whoever he could.
But Obito and Guy had personally shown him what it meant never to give up. Guy pushed through higher gates, Obito activated Sharingan, and in the end Kakashi understood - together with his teammates they united to defeat the Hidden Cloud jonin.
During the Chunin exams, exhausted physically and mentally from the battle with Kisame's squad, they encountered Hidden Mist jonin infiltrating the Forest of Death.
At that time, everyone's stamina and chakra had hit their limit, while the enemy was a fully healthy, powerful jonin.
A fight between a group of exhausted genin and jonin - even an outsider could easily guess the outcome. But it was this seemingly hopeless situation that Kakashi broke with Transparent World, instantly killing the Hidden Mist jonin in one strike.
Persistence might not guarantee survival, but giving up would guarantee death. Kakashi would protect his teammates until he exhausted his last bit of strength.
Guy did not choose to chase Fuguki. Shisui was badly injured - he wanted to take Shisui back to Rin for treatment.
Seeing that, Kushimaru immediately launched an attack. He wouldn't dare to attack recklessly on his own - after all, Fuguki had just been severely wounded, and Kushimaru didn't have Samehada to heal him.
It was Aoma who came to help. Raiga and Jinin defeating Kakashi was only a matter of time. Aoma wanted to help Kushimaru by eliminating the most dangerous threat - Guy.
Guy had to abandon his plan to take Shisui for treatment, and instead struggled to withstand the two‑person coordinated assault, to prevent them from inflicting new wounds on Shisui.
Guy cast a sidelong glance in Obito's direction. Going there directly was impossible. He had no choice but to unconsciously steer the battlefield closer to that side.
Obito also wanted to go back and let Rin treat Shisui - so the initiative in battle wouldn't be on their side. All they could do was minimize their own casualties.
"It seems I must become the Green Beast then." Guy drew in a deep breath. His gaze hardened. He tried to force open the Sixth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates.
So far it had been under a month since he had used up to the Fifth Gate. Even if he succeeded in opening the Sixth, it would inflict tremendous damage to his body - possibly irreversible internal injuries, because the later gates are dangerous.
But the situation was too urgent; Guy knew this was not the time to worry about consequences. What the squad needed now was a powerful combat force. Consequences could be dealt with after survival.
Moreover, given the current situation, even opening the Sixth Gate might not guarantee reversing the outcome - so there was no point overthinking.
"Eight Inner Gates, Sixth Gate, Gate of Joy - Open!"
With a youthful shout, a green silhouette appeared on the battlefield, and with a Whirlwind Kick he forced back the enemies in front of him.
Guy stared in shock at the green figure before him - so stunned that he failed to activate the Sixth Gate.
"What a time to run into strong enemies," Duy said with a sigh as he took in the dire state of Kakashi, Guy, and the others.
He had been carrying out a mission nearby when the commotion here caught his attention - and he never expected that the squad in danger would be the one his son was in.
"Dad..." Guy's surprise turned to joy, then immediately to worry.
They badly needed reinforcements now - but if it was only Duy showing up, Guy almost wished he hadn't noticed them.
There's a time when a child sees his father as invincible, but as they grow older, they slowly realize their dad is also human, and there are many things he simply can't do.
Guy knew his father's strength quite well. If neither of them used the Eight Inner Gates, Guy could easily win.
Even with the same Gate opened, Guy at the Fifth Gate would still outmatch Duy.
That said, even if Duy opened the Seventh Gate, he still wouldn't surpass a Fifth‑Gate Guy by much - but in the current battle situation, one slightly stronger Fifth‑Gate Guy couldn't turn things around.
Shisui was injured, Obito and Kakashi were severely worn out, and soon the tide would change drastically. They were dangerously short on combat strength.
"Guy's father, huh..." Kakashi felt a bit of melancholy as well.
He had no idea how strong Duy really was - but he was sure he wasn't as powerful as Mutsuki. Otherwise he wouldn't have taken so long just to get promoted to Chūnin; in Konoha, promotions weren't usually delayed when one had the seniority.
Still, based on his current appearance, Duy was stronger than an average Konoha jonin.
When Shiranui Genma and Ebisu saw someone come to their aid, their faces brightened - until they recognized the newcomer and their expressions froze.
It wasn't that they looked down on Duy. It's just that the enemies they were facing this time were truly formidable; having a regular ninja come was tantamount to sending a plate of food to the enemy.
Jinpachi Munashi and the others tensed when they saw a ninja suddenly arrive, but relaxed and smiled when they realized it was someone unfamiliar.
Every major ninja village had a limited number of truly powerful individuals - if someone like Duy had real strength at his age, he would've been famous already.
"To be able to fight the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist like this... Guy, you've grown faster than I expected." Duy gave Guy a thumbs-up.
Being stationed on a battlefield against Hidden Mist, Duy was no stranger to the infamous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist - he understood just how powerful the enemies Kakashi and the others were facing really were.
"Leave the rest to me. Now is the time to release my self-imposed limits!" Duy clenched his fists and spoke solemnly to Guy.
Guy instantly understood what he meant - Duy intended to open the Eighth Gate, the Gate of Death, to help them defeat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
The Gate of Death was the most powerful and critical gate of the Eight Inner Gates. When all the other gates were opened, unlocking the final gate created a state known as the Eight Gates Formation, unleashing an overwhelmingly powerful surge of chakra within the body.
It could be said that the power gained from opening this final gate surpassed the combined strength of all the previous seven.
But that immense power didn't come from nothing - the Gate of Death consumed the user's life force. Once opened, it couldn't be closed until the user's life was completely exhausted.
Guy had no doubt that Duy was capable of opening the Gate of Death - after all, Duy had dedicated twenty years solely to mastering the Eight Inner Gates, never learning any other taijutsu or ninjutsu in the process.
"Self-imposed limits? Are you saying you're actually strong if you don't hold back?" Kurosuki Raiga, using lightning in coordination with Jinin Akebino to injure the exhausted Kakashi, glanced at Duy from the corner of his eye.
The moment he laid eyes on Duy, Raiga thought the man looked silly and strange. It wasn't just the green chakra radiating off him-he was dressed head to toe in green, and that watermelon-shaped haircut combined with thick eyebrows looked utterly ridiculous.
Duy didn't respond to Raiga's comment. He didn't care about what people in Konoha said about him-why would he care about what an enemy had to say?
"Dad, don't open the Gate of Death. The Seventh Gate is enough. Please believe in our strength," Guy couldn't help but say.
Guy believed that his father, once he opened the Gate of Death, had the strength to kill the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist-but the cost was far too heavy. He couldn't bear to watch his father burn himself to death before his very eyes.
To prove his own strength, Guy resolutely tried again to force open the Sixth Gate.
Looking at Shisui's blood-soaked clothes, at the wounded and weakening Kakashi, and imagining the tragic result of Duy opening the Gate of Death, a steely determination filled Guy's eyes. He had to become stronger-only then could he protect everything he wanted to protect.
"Gate of Joy, Open!" Guy roared, releasing a terrifying surge of energy as green, leaf-like chakra burst out from his entire body.
The opening of the Sixth Gate caused Might Guy's chakra to skyrocket once again. He could feel it surging through him endlessly-his power had reached an unprecedented peak.
*Whoosh whoosh!!*
The immense chakra pressure stirred the leaves around him without wind. Aoma Hirame and Kushimaru, who were closest to him, looked on in shock.
They couldn't imagine that such an overwhelming aura could come from a mere ten-year-old boy.
Biwa Juzo slapped away Rin's thrown ninja tools with his greatsword, then turned to look at Might Guy, his expression growing serious.
Even though Guy had already been marked as a priority target for elimination, Biwa Juzo felt that Hidden Mist Village had severely underestimated him.
Guy was exactly the kind of genius who needed to be assassinated-at just ten years old, he already possessed such strength. If allowed to grow, he might become someone who surpasses even the Sannin.
"Hahaha! As expected of my son. Gate of Shock, Open!" Duy laughed heartily as he opened the Seventh Gate of the Eight Inner Gates, unleashing a powerful aura from his body.
The Gate of Shock is the final gate before the Gate of Death. While it doesn't carry the same devastating cost, its side effects are terrifying. Opening the Gate of Shock puts immense strain on the body-after it's deactivated, even the slightest touch can cause unbearable pain.
Duy chose to trust his son. If he had a choice, of course he wouldn't want to die. He still wanted to see Guy walk step by step toward becoming the strongest in Taijutsu.
The overwhelming chakra of Guy and Duy swept across the battlefield. At that moment, not a single Hidden Mist ninja dared to underestimate these two Taijutsu users in green bodysuits. Their power was plainly visible to the naked eye.
*Whoosh!*
Duy, his entire body enveloped in blue steam, burst forth with chakra and rushed straight toward Kakashi. Right now, Kakashi was in the most dangerous situation on the battlefield-injured, isolated, and caught in a pincer attack.
Jinin Akebino swung his iron hammer with tremendous force to smash the incoming Duy, but Duy extended his right hand and, to Jinin's shock, caught the hammerhead firmly.
*Bang!*
Duy flung Jinin Akebino into a large tree nearby.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"
Raiga injected chakra into his Thunder Swords and hurled a dazzling lightning ball at Duy.
But with the Seventh Gate open, Duy moved at incredible speed. With a leap and a few light steps on a nearby tree, he easily dodged the lightning ball and landed beside Kakashi.
"Uncle Duy, thank you," Kakashi said, slightly out of breath.
His condition was indeed quite poor now-if Duy hadn't arrived, he would've been at his limit.
For a mere Chunin like him to hold off two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was truly not easy. If it weren't for the strong defensive capabilities of the Transparent World, Kakashi wouldn't have lasted this long.
Just as Duy was about to say something, Jinin and Raiga rushed at them again, forcing him to rejoin the battle.
Kakashi didn't retreat behind Duy to recover, but instead deactivated Transparent World to assist Duy in combat.
"If only he'd arrived a bit earlier," Kakashi thought to himself.
If he were still at his peak, teaming up with Seventh Gate Duy might have given them the chance to quickly take down one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
But that thought only lasted a split second before vanishing.
That Guy's father could come to support them at all was already a great stroke of luck-how could he expect him to arrive at the perfect moment?
After assisting Duy in two exchanges, Kakashi noticed something: although Duy's body was strong under the Seventh Gate, his Taijutsu was actually inferior to Guy's.
This created a problem. Despite their considerable advantage in raw power, they couldn't deal significant damage to Jinin and Raiga.
The two Mist ninjas were seasoned teammates from many missions, and their coordination was far better than Kakashi and Duy's.
As Kakashi continued analyzing ways to break the stalemate, he also kept an eye on the rest of the team.
Although Guy had opened the Sixth Gate, his situation hadn't improved much-he was practically fighting one versus three.
After setting down the Hidden Mist Jonin, Fuguki chose to go after Obito, while Juzo joined the battle on Guy's side.
Since Guy hadn't used a single Ninjutsu from the start, Fuguki felt his Samehada wouldn't be effective, so he swapped opponents with Juzo. As the dominant side in the battle, they could do this with ease.
The massive blade of the Executioner's Blade didn't appear cumbersome in Juzo's hands; he could always strike precisely at Guy's vulnerable spots. Combined with the flanking attacks from Aoma and Kushimaru, the pressure on Might Guy was intense.
Shisui's situation was even more dire. His untreated wounds were causing severe stamina loss. His body grew weaker, and his movements and reactions dulled.
At this point, Shisui was no longer a help to Guy; instead, he became someone Guy had to divert attention to protect.
"Obito, that barbed sword absorbs Chakra-and it doesn't like fire," Shisui shouted with effort, sharing the intel he had gathered during the fight with Fuguki.
Obito immediately flared his Chakra, setting his body ablaze. Every punch and kick carried intense heat, causing the injured Samehada to unwillingly tap Fuguki's arm with its hilt in protest.
Fuguki's face darkened. He backed off to gain distance and began weaving signs to attack Obito with Water Release.
Samehada was the only sword among the Seven Ninja Blades with its own consciousness. If Fuguki forced it to block flames repeatedly, it might not complain the first time, but if it kept happening, Samehada could seriously throw a tantrum and stop cooperating entirely.
In the worst case, Samehada might even reject him altogether-this was a picky blade that chose its wielder.
Boom!!
Jinpachi swung the Blastsword: Splash, launching over a dozen explosive tags from the blade toward Nohara Rin.
"Water Body Flicker Jutsu!"
Rin reacted and attempted to dodge with Water Body Flicker, but she wasn't fast enough to escape the blast radius. The explosions scorched her body, leaving burn marks from the detonations.
Even with support from Shiranui and Ebisu, fighting against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was proving too much for her.
Seeing this, Obito's eyes filled with rage. His Sharingan's crimson hue deepened, and he tried to rush to her aid-only to be intercepted by Fuguki.
Jinpachi took the opportunity to swing his greatsword down at the fallen Rin.
Clang!
Shiranui rushed forward with a kunai and blocked the strike for Rin.
Bang!
Jinpachi kicked out with his right leg, sending Shiranui flying five meters away.
Then, instead of continuing his assault on Nohara Rin, he suddenly turned and slashed to his left, forcing Ebisu-who had been aiming for his left waist-to retreat.
"So this is the strength of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist... If I make it back alive, I swear I'll match Guy's training regimen!" Shiranui muttered, trembling as he climbed back to his feet.
It was only when directly facing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist that Shiranui realized how vast the gap between them and Rin really was. At least Rin could hold her ground for a while, whereas they felt like toddlers who had just learned to walk-completely overwhelmed.
Shiranui and Ebisu charged at Jinpachi once more.
Bang! Bang!!
The two of them were sent flying again, crashing hard into the ground.
Jinpachi once again raised his greatsword toward Nohara Rin. The sword was nearly as tall as Rin herself; one strike would surely cut her in two-so severe that even Tsunade wouldn't be able to save her.
Crackle!!
Just as Jinpachi's greatsword was about to fall, a lightning-infused tanto intercepted it.
It was Kakashi's White Fang Tanto.
After Kakashi realized that even with his support, Duy couldn't quickly deliver effective blows to the enemy, he repositioned himself as a firefighter-rushing to wherever someone was in immediate danger. After all, he was the fastest when it came to sudden bursts of speed.
But Kakashi only had one such rescue left in him. His Chakra was nearly depleted-if he had more, he wouldn't need to play the firefighter; he'd be helping Duy take out enemies instead.
Obito felt slightly relieved in his heart, but because he was too focused on Rin's situation, he was caught off guard and injured by Fuguki.
Noticing Obito's disadvantage, Guy grew increasingly anxious but was powerless to help.
Juzo, Aoma, and Kushimaru-none of these three were ordinary Jonin. Aoma's Hiramekarei had immense destructive power, and without having mastered Armament Haki, Guy couldn't block it with just his body.
Kushimaru's Longsword: Sewing Needle and its steel wire were tricky and hard to guard against; even a slight mistake could result in a chunk of flesh being sliced off.
Juzo's Executioner's Blade didn't show any particularly unique ability, but his solid strength actually made him the strongest of the three.
Being surrounded by such opponents, Guy genuinely couldn't spare any energy to support others. Protecting Shisui was already the absolute limit of what he could do with his current strength.
"Guy, do you remember what I once told you? Youth is endless. Death won't end youth. To die protecting something important is the climax of youth!" Duy said with deep emotion.
Even though he didn't want to part from Guy, the time had come to open the Gate of Death.
If he didn't open the Gate of Death, with Kakashi and Obito about to fall, the next in danger would be Guy.
Only by opening the Gate of Death and gaining overwhelming power could he resolve the crisis they were in.
"I remember! But you also said that when something is truly important, no matter how painful or sad it is, you must push through to the end. Even if you lose your life, you must use your own hands to protect it to the end! And to me, you, Dad, are also someone truly important!" Guy shouted.
Guy understood very clearly what Duy was thinking and feeling. If he could open the Eighth Gate, he would rather be the one to do it instead.
Guy wanted to protect his father, protect his teammates-no matter the cost.
With such determination, Guy's breathing gradually began to change.
Duy showed a gratified expression-Guy had truly grown a lot, both in strength and in other aspects.
"I'm glad you have this resolve, but right now only I can change the situation by opening the final Gate of the Eight Inner Gates." Duy prepared to open the last Gate of Death.
The reason Duy could speak his final words to Might Guy in the midst of battle was because one had opened the Seventh Gate and the other the Sixth, but Kakashi and Obito didn't have that luxury. The battle had already reached its most critical point.
"No, I still have one more Stone Breathing technique," Guy suddenly realized in that moment.
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