"You came."
"I came."
"You shouldn't have come."
"But I'm already here."
"Then get out! Breaking into my house was bad enough—why did you run into my bathroom? Guy, what are you trying to do?!"
Even the normally calm and aloof Kakashi Hatake couldn't hold it together anymore. He looked at Might Guy , who had barged into the bathroom, with a frantic expression.
"Of course I came for a battle full of youth and passion!" Guy said enthusiastically, raising his arm and giving Kakashi a thumbs-up.
Kakashi: …
If he hadn't still had soap all over his body, he would have already kicked that irritating grin off Guy's face.
Who storms into someone's bathroom at night asking for a duel?
"Even if we're going to fight, at least wait until I finish my bath," Kakashi complained.
"As expected of my rival—so decisive! I'll wait outside!" Guy said with a dazzling smile, his bright white teeth gleaming under the light.
Kakashi rubbed his forehead speechlessly.
He began to suspect that his father might have misjudged things back then.
To think Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha, believed that Guy might one day surpass him and become a worthy rival.
Still, if Guy wanted to fight, then fine.
Let him see the gap between them.
Kakashi quickly rinsed off, got dressed, and stepped outside.
"Let's decide the winner!" Guy shouted passionately, assuming his fighting stance.
"Are we competing in taijutsu again this time?" Kakashi asked.
Ever since their first year at the Ninja Academy, Guy had constantly challenged him.
The competitions weren't limited to combat—sometimes they compared things like shuriken throwing.
"No. Use your full strength. Treat this like a real battle," Guy said seriously, shaking his head.
"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked again.
If he really fought at full strength, Guy probably wouldn't even have a chance to resist.
Kakashi had already become a chūnin two years ago, while Guy was still just an Academy student.
"Absolutely sure!" Guy replied with a bright smile.
"Then be careful."
As soon as Kakashi finished speaking, he immediately threw four shuriken at Guy.
Guy dodged them with a quick movement.
But suddenly he realized that Kakashi had already closed in on him and was throwing a punch.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Guy unleashed a lightning-fast spinning kick.
His leg collided with Kakashi's fist, forcing both of them to step back several paces.
"Hm?" Kakashi looked at Guy with slight surprise.
He hadn't expected Guy to react so quickly and counterattack.
The speed of that kick was unexpectedly fast.
Two months ago, Guy had challenged him once before—also in taijutsu.
Compared to last time, Guy had clearly improved.
"So what do you think, Kakashi? I've gotten much stronger!" Guy laughed loudly.
"Let's see if you're still smiling later," Kakashi said as his gaze sharpened.
Kakashi quickly formed hand seals.
He created four Shadow Clones, and those clones then performed the Clone Technique, generating numerous illusions.
"So many Kakashis!" Guy stared in shock at the dozens of Kakashis that suddenly appeared.
Several Kakashis rushed toward him.
Guy unleashed another Leaf Whirlwind, kicking down more than a dozen of them.
Unfortunately, they were all illusions.
The remaining Shadow Clones seized the opportunity and attacked.
While Guy struggled to deal with them, a hand suddenly emerged from underground and grabbed his ankle.
"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"
Guy immediately felt his body being dragged downward.
By the time he reacted, only his head remained above the ground.
"The battle's over," Kakashi said calmly while crouching beside him.
"Kakashi… you really are the powerful rival I'm chasing," Guy sighed.
When he fought that Hyūga clan student, he had at least been able to trade blows.
He only lost because the opponent's Byakugan gave them superior perception.
But fighting Kakashi was completely different.
Aside from the initial taijutsu clash, he quickly fell into a disadvantage and was defeated in one decisive move.
The fight had been a complete crushing defeat.
That was the only way Guy could describe it.
"If you know I'm strong, then train more before coming to challenge me again. At the very least, graduate first," Kakashi said bluntly.
"Alright! When I become stronger, I'll challenge you again!" Guy replied with a big laugh.
Kakashi felt like Guy had selectively ignored half of what he said.
Stop skipping the last part of the sentence!
Too lazy to argue further, Kakashi pulled Guy out of the ground and went back inside.
Guy brushed the dirt off his clothes.
Looking at Kakashi's departing figure, he clenched his fists.
"I need to become stronger… much stronger!"
This full-power battle with Kakashi had broadened his horizons.
If he wanted to become the strongest, he still had a long road ahead.
Guy had already decided.
Tomorrow, he would ask Teacher Makoto if he could design an even stricter training plan for him.
The Next Day — Ninja Academy
"Next, I'll explain the key points you need to pay attention to when using the Clone Technique…"
During ninjutsu class, Makoto finished explaining the theory behind guiding chakra through hand seals, then briefly touched on the Academy Three Basic Techniques.
Although the class only learned three actual jutsu, there was still plenty of theoretical knowledge about ninjutsu to cover.
"Teacher Hosokawa ," Hagane Kotetsu raised his hand.
"Since the main purpose of the Clone Technique is to create illusions to confuse the enemy, could I combine it with the Transformation Technique to create a clone that's even more misleading than my real appearance?"
Makoto thought about it seriously.
It actually sounded feasible.
In fact, someone in the original story had even developed an upgraded version of that idea.
That technique was Naruto's Sexy Jutsu.
Clone + deception + transformation.
A perfect combination.
Because it used Shadow Clones, it could even be considered an advanced version.
"You can try," Makoto encouraged him.
"The reason we have so many ninjutsu available today is because previous generations developed them through experimentation."
"But I suggest you don't use it in real combat until it's perfected," Makoto added.
If Kotetsu somehow invented something like the Sexy Jutsu, that would be fine.
But if he created something strange instead…
Makoto was worried he might get beaten up.
"I understand, teacher," Kotetsu nodded.
He planned to discuss it later with his two good friends Kamizuki Izumo and Mitarashi Anko.
Surely the combined wisdom of these three top students could develop a shocking new technique.
"Class dismissed!"
As the bell rang, Makoto announced the end of the lesson.
[Lecture Completed]
[Evaluation: A]
[Reward Obtained: Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall]
"Finally, Earth Release…" Makoto thought with pleasant surprise.
Although Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall wasn't an especially powerful jutsu, the system also granted some Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation experience.
Now Makoto had effectively mastered all Five Basic Nature Transformations.
Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water.
After school that afternoon, Makoto encountered Might Guy on the way to the training ground.
His earlier guess had indeed been confirmed—
But the result still surprised him slightly.
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