Because of Hagoromo's constant projectile harassment, Might Guy abandoned straight-line charges and shifted into a serpentine movement pattern.
In truth, at this level of speed—with the Fourth Gate open—Hagoromo's thrown weapons could never actually hit Guy. Their purpose was never damage.
They were disruption.
And disruption was exactly what they achieved—nothing more, nothing less.
Yet even so, even as Hagoromo continued retreating step by step, Guy's absolute speed was simply too overwhelming. In almost the blink of an eye, he was already right in front of him.
Exposed crimson skin.
Eyes tinged with pale red.
That ridiculous green jumpsuit and upward-tilting bowl cut.
Blue chakra spilling outward.
And above all—
His fighting spirit.
A momentum that felt capable of smashing everything in its path.
To stand directly in front of that kind of force required resolve of the same magnitude.
The proud Azure Beast of Konoha?
Guy left behind a trail of afterimages as he charged straight at Hagoromo.
Bang!
His left foot slammed heavily into the ground, cracking it apart. Using the left leg as a pivot, the right foot lightly tapped down to stabilize his balance—then, riding the full momentum of his charge, Guy's body spun violently.
His right leg lashed out like a whip, carrying a force capable of splitting metal and stone!
Leaf Strong Whirlwind(Konoha Senpū)!
Once true close combat began, Hagoromo stopped rushing to counterattack.
Guy's right leg came down in a diagonal arc from above, like a sword drawn in an iaijutsu strike—meant to cleave everything in front of it in two.
And Hagoromo chose to take it head-on.
Only by receiving this all-out blow could he truly understand how far Guy had reached.
Iron sand formed the outermost barrier.
Lightning Release filled the gap within.
And finally—Hagoromo crossed his arms into an X-shaped guard.
BOOM!
Lightning erupted in an instant, exploding outward like a storm centered on Hagoromo, scattering in a spherical shockwave!
In the glow of dusk, Hagoromo's techniques had a tendency to look dazzling—almost artistic.
It had to be said: lightning-based abilities came with an inherent coolness buff.
If the user happened to be female and at least passably good-looking, the coolness multiplier jumped straight to 300%.
Just look at the original Uchiha Mikoto—who wouldn't respectfully call her Lightning Release-onee-san?
Unfortunately, Hagoromo himself did not remain cool all the way through.
He was kicked away like a soccer ball.
On this flat terrain, with no footing to borrow from and with Guy's full forward momentum behind the strike, Hagoromo failed to fully stop it.
The force exceeded his expectations.
No—more accurately, he bounced like a pinball.
He was sent flying more than five meters. Just as his back was about to slam into the ground, the iron gourd on his back suddenly burst open.
Soft as fluttering ribbons, iron sand touched down lightly against the ground, then rebounded like springs—launching Hagoromo back up again.
After several such rebounds, he finally twisted mid-air and landed cleanly.
"Raiden Mei(Iron Sand Technique )"… really did look even more like a tentacle monster now.
Still, this was perfect force dispersion. The technique was textbook-level. Anyone watching would have applauded—the control was exquisite, almost unbelievable for someone who had only acquired this tool recently.
It just looked… a bit miserable.
Hagoromo's arms trembled slightly.
That kick had been serious—Guy hadn't held back in the slightest.
Normally, Hagoromo was the one making enemies feel numb, tingly, and desperate to quit. Who would have thought the tables would turn, letting him experience that same bone-deep soreness?
Lightning crackled along his arms as his fingers twitched rhythmically.
He was electro-stimulating himself, forcibly accelerating recovery from the residual numbness.
His expression grew serious.
Later, he'd probably need to find a Hyūga shinobi and get something like an X-ray—had his arm cracked?
That exchange had been too fast for him to paralyze Guy with Lightning Release.
Not that he intended to.
If he truly unleashed his instantaneous output, anyone who came close would be shocked into blissful oblivion—rendering Guy immobile in an instant.
But if he did that, what meaning would this match still have?
The strap across his chest snapped.
The iron gourd fell, smashing into the ground and leaving a perfectly round crater.
Against this version of Guy… that approach wasn't ideal.
"Not using Raiden Mei(Iron Sand Technique ) anymore?" Guy asked.
"Yeah… well, Mei isn't meant for this. Not against you."
Hagoromo shook out his arm as Lightning Release surged back across his body.
The once-shrill chirping sound of chakra stabilized, settling into a steady rhythm.
"Now it's my turn."
"You won't use ninjutsu?"
"No. From here on, it's taijutsu—at full power."
Same seriousness.
Different method.
His arms dropped naturally at his sides as he synchronized his breathing.
Inhale—
Then Hagoromo charged.
It was also a straight-line dash, but compared to Guy, Hagoromo's movement looked light and effortless—like a dragonfly skimming water as he accelerated into high speed.
He slammed to a stop, planted a foot, spun—
And unleashed a flying kick!
Lightning exploded behind his leg, suddenly intensifying. The chakra discharge actually formed a jet-like thrust, as if a flame thrower had been mounted behind him.
The rhythm shifted sharply.
Through this method, the kick's speed and power surged again.
Hagoromo's body alone could never match Guy's raw strength—so this was nintaijutsu.
Nin before tai.
The gourd could be discarded without hesitation.
Lightning Release could not.
It was neither something he could abandon—nor something he ever would.
Guy answered Hagoromo's Leaf Strong Whirlwind(Konoha Senpū) with the same technique.
And just as before, Guy didn't dodge.
He blocked.
This was a sparring match—not a battlefield. In a life-or-death fight, one dodged whenever possible.
Guy had already prepared his defense.
He crouched slightly, power coiled in advance, ready to collide with Hagoromo head-on.
Hagoromo's sudden tempo change might have overwhelmed most shinobi—but not Guy.
Back in the Academy days, Hagoromo used this trick all the time.
Rhythm shifts were clever. Hagoromo was undeniably sharper mentally.
But tricks worked once.
Maybe twice.
Not a third time.
Even Guy could predict.
CRACK!
The impact was immense.
The ground beneath Guy's feet rippled outward like the surface of a lake slapped diagonally by a giant hand—soil rising in waves toward the direction of Hagoromo's kick!
Guy's right hand curled his ring finger and pinky inward, leaving three fingers extended like an eagle's talon—clamping down on Hagoromo's ankle.
His left hand clenched into a fist, driving straight toward Hagoromo's abdomen.
His brow furrowed sharply; veins bulged across his face.
This was different from before.
Now, he was maintaining continuous contact with Hagoromo's Lightning Release—and still moving freely.
That wasn't technique.
That was instinct, forged through endless refinement.
But that move—
Hagoromo couldn't take it.
Damn it—Reverse Lotus!
Only the Front Lotus hit harder!
There was no way he was eating that.
Lightning surged again!
Guy maintained the grappling posture with one hand, but the Reverse Lotus punch was forcibly halted. Without even moving his feet, his body shot backward, explosively retreating out of Hagoromo's lightning range.
Hagoromo landed, staring at Guy—still crackling with electricity.
Not a single moment of slack allowed.
So what should he do now?
The answer was obvious.
He exhaled slowly…
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
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