"The battle begins!"
With Mokgetsu's command, Might Guy immediately opened the Fourth Gate of the Eight Gates and launched forward with concentrated breath.
Faced with Might Guy exerting his full strength, Shisui dared not be careless and immediately activated the Three Tomoe Sharingan and concentrated the Breath of Flame.
This was the first time Shisui applied the Three Tomoe Sharingan in official combat.
During the Chunin Examination, no opponent forced Shisui to use the Sharingan; he defeated all adversaries with Fire Release and Taijutsu.
Under Shisui's Three Tomoe Sharingan, Might Guy's extremely fast speed slowed down, and his Taijutsu movements became observable.
Yet Shisui still chose not to engage Might Guy in Taijutsu combat.
Although his visual prowess allowed him to see through Might Guy's movements, his body might not keep up with Guy's pace.
The Breath of Rock elevates the body, being the pinnacle of breathing techniques, and coupled with the first four gates of the Eight Gates, even a casual Taijutsu move from Might Guy carries substantial power, not to be measured by normal standards.
Unlike Obito, Shisui regarded all disciples, except Nohara Rin, as hypothetical enemies for detailed battle strategy analysis.
Shisui believed that to defeat Might Guy, he must stall, exhaust Guy's peak period.
The Eight Gates combined with the Breath of Rock is indeed formidable, but it puts tremendous stress on the body. The longer he drags, the more it benefits Shisui.
However, despite sounding simple, executing such a plan is challenging.
Because not only is Might Guy strong, he is incredibly fast and possesses the terrifyingly powerful Golden Horizon, a slight mistake from Shisui could result in being taken down by Guy.
In their previous battle, Shisui experienced the Golden Horizon firsthand; even using Armament Aura couldn't defend against it.
In terms of power alone, the Golden Horizon is the strongest Taijutsu Shisui has ever seen.
But Shisui also knows that Armament Aura isn't weak, merely his cultivation hasn't reached mastery.
Using high proficiency in Instant Body Jutsu and the Three Tomoe Sharingan, Shisui ensured Might Guy couldn't touch even a corner of his clothing.
Yet this dodging approach isn't easy for Shisui, as high intensity use of the Instant Body Jutsu tires the legs, and concentrated mental effort exhausts one's energy.
To ease his burden and further deplete Might Guy, Shisui dodged while releasing various Fire Release attacks.
Even though he possesses a resilient physique, Might Guy would not withstand Ninjutsu needlessly, dodging while pursuing.
"This fight is so boring, they haven't even touched each other once." Obito couldn't help but complain.
"In actual combat, any strategy that leads to victory is a good strategy." Kakashi said calmly.
If placed in Shisui's position, Kakashi would also employ such a delaying tactic.
Because Shisui's speed isn't lacking, his insight is strong, and he has ample Chakra to qualify for stamina contest against Might Guy.
In confrontations with Might Guy, Kakashi can't use such tactics because he would deplete himself first; he can't outlast Guy.
Breath of Thunder heavily consumes Chakra and energy. Although Kakashi has more Chakra than average, it's less compared to Shisui, who possesses the Three Tomoe Sharingan of the Uchiha.
In Kakashi's view, he must erupt to the extreme, wielding attacks stronger than Might Guy's to defeat him.
"I didn't say it was bad." Obito muttered.
His complaint was just words; in real battles, one fights however they can win if capable.
Shisui fled while Might Guy chased; in the forest, their figures continuously flashed, toppling one large tree after another during their chase.
"Golden Horizon!"
Ultimately, Might Guy seized victory with a golden line, catching up to Shisui.
"If Obito's and Shisui's strengths were fused, perhaps it might work." Kakashi analyzed privately.
If Obito had Shisui's level of Instant Body Jutsu and combat intelligence, or Shisui had Obito's proficiency in Breath of Flame, either would have a good chance against Might Guy.
"Guy is the victor." Mokgetsu declared the battle over.
Shisui's loss was expected by Mokgetsu because Shisui was not only slightly inferior in overall strength but also restrained by Might Guy.
Genjutsu is Shisui's forte, and Might Guy happens to be the type least afraid of Genjutsu, making victory even more elusive for Shisui.
Mokgetsu planned to gradually reduce the emphasis on Genjutsu in Shisui's mid-to-late training plan; on the surface, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu are indispensable abilities for ninjas, but knowing the plot, Mokgetsu understands that this only applies to ordinary ninjas.
Even Mangekyo Genjutsu struggles to play a significant role in the late-stage chaos of divine battles; regular Genjutsu is even less relevant. The path of Genjutsu is limited, at least within the confines of the local Hokage illusions.
"Lastly, the opponent is you, Kakashi! Is this our bond?" Even before the fight began, Might Guy was already excited.
Kakashi looked at Guy with a head of black lines, thinking there's nothing particularly bonding about only four participants in the battle.
After resting and regaining strength, the two began preparing for battle.
Kakashi's eyes turned sharp; this time, he was hopeful to earn Mokgetsu's title of strongest disciple.
Compared to three months ago, he had fully mastered Armament Aura, while Might Guy's progress in the Eight Gates and Breath of Rock was minimal.
"The advantage is mine." Kakashi's breathing focused gradually, and as soon as Teacher Mokgetsu shouted "begin," he instantly entered the state of the Transparent World.
Kakashi knew that Might Guy was only a hair away from mastering the Eight Gates, so he didn't want to give him any chances and went all out against him right from the start.
With the Full Concentration Breathing of Thunder enhancing his body and Lightning Attribute, and the Lightning Attribute Chakra increasing his power, followed by perfect exertion in the Transparent World, Kakashi charged his White Fang Short Blade with Armament Aura, pushing his momentum to the peak.
Even though Might Guy went all out as well, he felt an immense threat from Kakashi and quickly accumulated injuries.
The burning, stinging slashes didn't make Might Guy back down; instead, he laughed excitedly.
Kakashi was the rival Might Guy acknowledged. Just as he believed that Kakashi could catch up to him, he also believed he could become the strongest in Taijutsu.
Kakashi's display of such overwhelming dominance was undoubtedly in response to Might Guy's expectations, which only made Guy more excited.
"Eight Gates, Fifth Gate, Limit Gate, open!"
Might Guy wasn't beaten down; his tremendous resilience allowed him to enter the Fifth Gate, increasing his power in an extreme state.
Feeling a sudden surge of Chakra within Might Guy's body, Kakashi's expression changed dramatically. The more advanced the Eight Gates, the stronger the amplification, and this boost was not insignificant.
The situation instantly reversed dramatically. Might Guy not only escaped the disadvantage but gained a greater advantage than Kakashi had before, forcing a Chakra-exhausted Kakashi into dire straits.
Left with no other choice, Kakashi had to make a desperate gamble, putting all his remaining strength into one slash.
A dazzling lightning slash collided with a golden thread, and the torn-apart lightning silently declared the battle's outcome.
"Still a bit short." Exhausted of both Chakra and stamina, Kakashi collapsed weakly onto the ground.
Because he had just succeeded in cultivation, the strength of his Armament Aura was average and couldn't compare to the powerful Chakra increase from Might Guy's Fifth Gate.
"It's Might Guy who won again, how amazing," Nohara Rin praised.
In her view, Kakashi and Obito were already extremely powerful, yet Might Guy managed to defeat them twice and win, which Rin greatly admired.
Listening to Rin's praise and looking at the exhausted Kakashi on the ground, Obito felt incredibly frustrated, his desire to defeat Might Guy growing stronger.
Shisui pondered how long he had to train to reclaim the title of the strongest student.
"Everyone's tired from the fight too, so there's no need for further training. Let's just relax and have a hot pot," Mokgetsu said with a smile, pulling out various tools from the Scroll.
Mokgetsu's words dissipated the lingering tension in the area, leaving only joy, and all the students were visibly happy.
The fact that they wouldn't need to train wasn't the key point; the key point was that they could enjoy a hot pot together.
While handling the ingredients, Mokgetsu opened the panel.
[Student Might Guy, under your guidance, has worked hard to increase his overall power and earned a reward — Bursting Fist (Master Level).]
Mokgetsu didn't immediately recall which world this skill was from; it sounded too ordinary.
Only after the training memories appeared did Mokgetsu realize it was a Fighting Type skill from Pokemon.
In Pokemon, this is a low-accuracy move but guarantees confusion in the opponent upon a hit; post-localization, the confusion effect became a temporary Chakra disruption in the opponent.
Though not overly unique, the Rasengan could also cause temporary Chakra disruptions when hitting someone.
Nevertheless, Mokgetsu found the technique within the Bursting Fist intriguing, as Rasengan was a Ninjutsu relying on extreme Chakra compression and rotation, while Bursting Fist was Taijutsu.
After organizing his memories, Mokgetsu found some similarities between the two.
He channels all his body's strength into his fist, gathering a large amount of Chakra, compressing and maneuvering it within the fist, and then releasing it all at once at the moment of a punch.
"Although it's Taijutsu, it might not suit Guy very well," Mokgetsu thought.
After opening the Eight Gates, Might Guy's Chakra became too wild, preventing precise Chakra control.
Moreover, Bursting Fist required a certain level of proficiency; lacking practice could cause delays during Chakra compression, preventing an immediate attack and giving the enemy time to react, which Mokgetsu believed was the local version's low accuracy effect.
"Get a good rest after returning. I'll teach you something new tomorrow," Mokgetsu said, patting Kakashi's shoulder after finishing the hot pot.
Kakashi's eyes brightened immediately; Mokgetsu's specific mentions were never disappointing.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, do I have anything?" Obito asked expectantly.
Smack!
Mokgetsu tapped Obito's head with a finger, "First, practice your Fire Release properly before anything else."
Training under Mokgetsu was fortunate when it came to Fire Release and Taijutsu because Mokgetsu had many highly skilled techniques and a deep understanding in these areas.
Perhaps being spurred by Might Guy's consecutive wins, Obito and Shisui were particularly motivated, quickly earning breakthrough rewards as well.
[Student Uchiha Obito, under your guidance, has worked hard to increase his overall power and earned a reward — Great Flame Ring: Flame Emperor (Master Level).]
[Student Uchiha Shisui, under your guidance, has worked hard to increase his overall power and earned a reward — Water Instant Body Jutsu (Master Level).]