"Kakashi, I will also give it my all in this battle. Let's have a fight full of youth and passion!"
Just then, Nagato happened to walk back into the resting room.
"The camaraderie between Teacher Mokgetsu's disciples is really nice," Nagato thought as he nodded slightly, feeling a hint of regret in his heart.
Even though he was also a disciple of Mokgetsu, he couldn't acknowledge Kakashi and the others, because if Mokgetsu's identity were exposed, it would not only affect the situation in the Land of Rain but could also affect the entire Ninja World.
Nagato understood that Mokgetsu only wanted to help the Land of Rain restore peace out of a desire for peace in the Ninja World, but others might not see it that way.
The Daimyo of the Land of Rain and Hanzo might see Mokgetsu as wanting to overthrow the Land of Rain.
Ninjas from places other than Konoha might think Konoha has an unusual ambition, sending Mokgetsu to establish the Ninja Sect to try and replace the Rain Village.
Konoha Ninja might think Mokgetsu's actions are a betrayal, not fulfilling his responsibilities as a Konoha Ninja by going to the Land of Rain to establish a Ninja Sect, even helping train Hidden Rock Ninjas.
For the greater good, Nagato had to suppress his curiosity about the other disciples and maintain a distant demeanor.
"Number Eleven, Might Guy, against Number Fifteen, Hatake Kakashi!" The referee's voice echoed once more into the resting room.
Might Guy and Kakashi exchanged a glance and walked side by side towards the battle arena.
"Guy, you can do it! I believe you can win,"
Obito decisively offered encouragement to Might Guy, hoping he could transform into the Taijutsu god of war and thrash Kakashi, just like in their usual internal battles.
"How should I defeat Uchiha Obito then?" Terumi Mei had no mind for the match anymore, fully focused on thinking about her upcoming battle.
The lot she drew wasn't bad; her quarterfinal opponent was Obito, whom she overcame with her Water Release.
If she advanced to the semifinals, her opponent would very likely be Shisui, whom she also countered.
But there was a problem for Terumi Mei. In past Chunin Exams, her record with Obito was one loss and one win, having defeated him in the Forest of Death, but losing to him in the third-round arena.
Even with the advantage of Chakra attributes, Terumi Mei wasn't very confident about defeating Obito.
So, Terumi Mei decided to stop watching the other contestants, trying instead to analyze Obito's weaknesses to increase her chances in the quarterfinal battle.
"Might Guy, do you have any strength you haven't shown yet?" On the high platform, Hanzo focused his attention on the battle arena.
He refrained from commenting on the contestants to avoid Kakuzu's sarcastic remarks.
Might Guy scanned around and didn't see that green figure, shaking his head slightly with a hint of regret, "What a pity, it would be great if my father were here."
If his father saw him perform so well in such a major event, he would definitely be pleased.
Upon hearing Might Guy's words, Kakashi felt a pang of solitude; Might Duy simply couldn't make it, but his father, well, that was truly impossible.
"You can go back, take the rewards, and tell him again later," Kakashi said after clearing his thoughts.
Although his parents had both passed away, he now possessed many precious things, including a teacher who cared deeply for him and friends to whom he could entrust life and death.
"Haha, as expected of a close friend, what you say makes sense." Might Guy gave Kakashi a thumbs-up.
For the next minute, neither spoke, each adjusting their state in preparation for battle.
"The battle begins!"
"Eight Gates, Opening Gate, open... Limit Gate, open!"
At the moment the referee shouted, Might Guy growled and immediately opened the Eight Gates to the Fifth Gate.
With the opening of the first five gates, Chakra surged wildly within Might Guy, becoming violent and difficult to control. A strong wave of Chakra suddenly sent ripples through the air, making the atmosphere solemn.
Facing the rival he recognized, even in the probing phase, Might Guy dared not be careless, as Kakashi's explosive power was evident to all disciples.
"Breath of Thunder, Full Concentration!"
Kakashi wasted no time, concentrating his breathing to enter the state of the Transparent World.
Might Guy had been the perennial winner of many internal battles among the disciples; his Breath of Rock combined with the Eight Gates taught all disciples what simple strength meant.
Might Guy didn't have many flashy moves; he usually opened with various Tornado Kicks, following with big Taijutsu moves like Hirudora and the Golden Horizon when he was confident.
Yet this seemingly unchanging routine left Kakashi and the others helpless, even now.
Because this was simple strength—simple, yet very powerful.
If not for the effect of the Transparent World, Kakashi wouldn't dare stay within ten meters of Might Guy, as it's easy to get caught up in Might Guy's Taijutsu rhythm and be taken down in one fell swoop.
"Leaf Hand Blade: Continuous Strike!"
This time, Might Guy didn't choose to rush directly; instead, he gathered a large amount of Chakra in his palm and slashed out several transparent Qi Force strikes towards Kakashi.
Through the Transparent World, Kakashi saw Might Guy's muscle movements and successfully predicted the direction of his attack, so he didn't waste Chakra on the Instant Body Jutsu, simply tilting his body and slightly moving his head.
Bam BAM!!
The Qi Forces that missed struck the ground, leaving crater-like marks.
Swish swish!!
Then Kakashi started to run, tossing several Shuriken towards Might Guy.
Might Guy swung his fist winds to block the surging of Shurikens while retreating backward.
"What's up with Guy, giving Kakashi such face, why not use the Instant Body Jutsu to get close and land a kick to his face?" Obito didn't understand.
Usually, it was them being chased and beaten by Might Guy, but today the tables had turned, with Might Guy being driven back by Kakashi's ordinary Shurikens.
"He might be wary of Kakashi's slash," Shisui thought awhile and said.
Although Might Guy hadn't gone on the Grass Village mission, Kakashi often practiced the Thoughtless Slash in the Southern Border Forest, so Might Guy knew Kakashi mastered a powerful Lightning Release Blade Technique.
Might Guy might seem careless, but in battle, he wasn't just mindlessly charging forward.
"Oh, indeed," Obito nodded, recalling the slash that Kakashi had delivered in Grass Village.
Though Might Guy's Golden Horizon is equally strong, it's executed with fingers, while Kakashi's Thoughtless Slash is done with a weapon—a sharp Chakra Blade.
In a head-to-head clash, the flesh-and-bone Might Guy would surely suffer; even the Breath of Rock fortification has its limits.
"It's still not quite comfortable like this."
After dodging for a while, Might Guy laughed and intensified his breathing to its peak, entering the Breath of Rock Chakra Mode, further enhancing his already powerful body with this shift in breathing.
At this moment, Might Guy's aura reached its zenith, creating air currents that stirred up the dust around him, so even those in the audience could feel an inexplicable pressure.
Kakashi took a deep breath, entering a heightened state of alert, ready at any moment to activate the Breath of Thunder Chakra Mode to enhance his body.
PS: This chapter combines two sections into one 7000-character chapter.