A Sand shinobi suddenly appeared, blocking Might Guy's path.
In the next instant, his body swelled at a visible rate. He shot past seven feet tall, thick silver-gray fur sprouting across his frame. Muscles bulged like steel cables.
He grinned at Guy, fangs flashing.
"Konoha ninja. Your opponent is me now."
The gorilla-man's massive fist met Guy's head-on.
BOOM!
The shockwave cracked the air. Guy skidded back over a dozen steps. The transformed Sand ninja only staggered a few feet.
Guy's expression sharpened.
"Devil Fruit?"
News of the fruits had spread across the ninja world, but very few people had actually seen one in action.
"That's right." The gorilla shinobi smirked. "Monkey Fruit — Silverback Gorilla form. Gives me the raw power of a silverback. Guy, the Blue Beast of Konoha… your strength is real. So let's find out whose beast hits harder."
He charged.
Despite his size, he moved with terrifying speed. In a blink he was in Guy's face. The Devil Fruit's power gave him the clear edge. Both fighters relied on pure taijutsu, so Guy had no natural counter.
Fists crashed. Heads slammed. Every blow was brutal and direct.
The surrounding shinobi stared, stunned.
"That power is insane…"
"Taijutsu users can actually reach this level? That's ridiculous."
"Guy's no joke. Blue Beast is living up to the name."
"But that Sand guy's Devil Fruit is no slouch either. A regular chunin turned into a monster like that…"
A few Konoha shinobi refused to accept it.
"He's just borrowing the fruit's power. Without it he's nothing but an average chunin. Guy would crush him."
The Sand ninja sneered.
"Can't have it, so you trash it? Is that all Konoha's got? Shuriken, explosive tags, summoning beasts—none of that is your 'own power' either. The Sannin built their entire reputation on toads and snakes. Deny the fruit and you might as well deny the Sannin while you're at it."
Guy took a deep breath as the gorilla charged again.
"Eight Gates — Third Gate, Gate of Life… OPEN!"
Green energy exploded around him. His skin flushed red. Speed and power surged.
"Reverse Lotus!"
He became a green blur, faster than sound. A storm of kicks hammered the gorilla shinobi, then his bandages wrapped around the massive arms and yanked him skyward. Guy drove a devastating punch downward.
CRASH!
The gorilla hit the ground hard.
Konoha shinobi lit up.
"It's over!"
"Devil Fruit? Not so tough after all."
But Guy's face stayed grim.
The gorilla shinobi rose immediately, brushing dust off like nothing had happened. He grinned wide.
"Blue Beast… that your strongest attack? Pathetic. Didn't even sting."
The Konoha side went quiet. That last hit would have put most of them in the hospital. Yet the gorilla stood there smiling.
Some eyes filled with raw envy.
"If I had a Devil Fruit, I'd be that strong too…"
"Why do all the good things go to Sunagakure?"
The gorilla cracked his knuckles.
"My turn."
"Gorilla Charge!"
He thundered forward. The ground shook with every step. He slammed into Guy like a freight train, sending him flying. Before Guy could recover, the gorilla was already on him again, arms spread wide.
"Gorilla Slam!"
He caught Guy mid-air, flipped him upside down, and drove him straight into the dirt like a hammer.
At the last second, Guy roared.
"Eight Gates — Fourth Gate, Gate of Wound… OPEN!"
The dangerous gate. Power and speed spiked further, but the damage to his body began immediately.
The fight exploded into even greater violence.
On the other side of the battlefield, Kisame finally broke free of the genjutsu.
His eyes locked on the red-haired kunoichi who had cast it.
"Yūhi Kurenai."
Daughter of Yūhi Shinku. One of the strongest genjutsu users among Konoha's young shinobi. Without the Uchiha, she ranked near the top.
Kisame's eyes narrowed.
"Water Style: Water Shark Bullet!"
He had been forced to dodge Guy the entire fight. Guy's insults still rang in his ears. All that frustration needed somewhere to go.
Kurenai barely twisted away from the shark.
A new voice cut through the chaos.
"Mist traitor! Don't get cocky! Asuma Sarutobi is here to take you down!"
Asuma charged forward, blades flashing, then glanced back.
"Kakashi! Get over here! We're killing this bastard together!"