Chapter 10: Rival for Life
Off to the side, Ikkaku silently picked up the unconscious Obito and looked at Might Guy with relief and satisfaction.
After Kazuki showed his exquisite Water Release technique...
When he said he would continue to choose a third opponent, almost everyone present subconsciously retreated, their eyes became evasive, and no one dared to look directly at Kazuki.
Only Might Guy.
Although he was also surprised by Kazuki's strength, his astonishment quickly turned into excitement. Finally, he decided to challenge Kazuki with determination.
"No need to say that, Guy." Kazuki, with a serious expression, looked at Might Guy, who was still crying. “Everyone has their own path of training. You may think that my modesty is the best choice, but you don’t know my thoughts…”
“Every time I see your effort, I feel deeply inspired to train more seriously…”
"My low profile is due to my personality, but I like your passion more, Guy. Your existence has infected many confused classmates, allowing them to no longer worry about their own talents, but to work hard to achieve the best they can..."
"Guy, I need to thank you for your encouragement along the way."
“Today, let’s have an exciting fight.”
Kazuki's expression was extremely serious as he assumed the traditional taijutsu stance of the Senju clan.
After hearing Kazuki's words, Might Guy's tears flowed uncontrollably. His heart was filled with unspeakable joy.
Having faced rumors and doubts to get to this point, Might Guy had questioned himself at times, but his father, Might Dai, had always been a solid emotional backer, sustaining him until today.
And now, Kazuki, who had swept the entire audience away, had not hesitated to publicly state that he had been inspired by Might Guy's efforts, appearing very affirmative in his words...
It was an Uchiha genius's recognition of his path as a ninja!
"Kazuki, you..." Might Guy's tears could not be stopped. He remembered how Kazuki always supported him, no matter his sloppy clothes or exaggerated style, he always gave him a thumbs up…
A wonderful sense of destiny and warmth filled Might Guy's heart.
"Come on, Guy, this is our first duel, we must go all out." Kazuki's voice became louder, and his eyes were full of encouragement.
"Okay, okay..." Might Guy held back his tears, rubbed his face vigorously, and took the starting stance of Konoha's taijutsu. "I will do my best, Kazuki!"
Kazuki nodded.
The next instant, Kazuki's figure moved rapidly at an incredible speed as he charged towards Might Guy.
Might Guy did the same.
[Bang!]
Two powerful whip kicks collided with each other, and the roar caused by the collision of muscles resounded in the place, causing a circle of sound waves.
Might Guy's eyes showed a trace of surprise. He was a hard worker and that was also his pride. As someone who considered himself a genius of hard work, he didn't think there was anyone his age in Konoha capable of matching his physical strength.
But in the recent exchange, Might Guy had to admit: Kazuki's physical strength was superior to his own…
Thanks to the improvement of the Uchiha bloodline and Senju Tobirama's incomplete Sage Body.
Kazuki's basic physical strength was still strong enough, and the Essence of Physical Techniques against Uchiha also allowed Kazuki to gain some of Senju Tobirama's taijutsu experience.
Might Guy made a quick decision, retracting his leg and then leaning down to dodge Kazuki's punch, before counterattacking with a fierce upward kick.
Behind Kazuki's seemingly black pupils, the Sharingan was spinning rapidly.
The Sharingan’s excellent dynamic vision made Might Guy’s movements seem like they were in slow motion. Kazuki leapt in anticipation, his chakra wrapping around his hand, and with the force of gravity, he launched a powerful punch towards Might Guy’s head.
With his beast-like instinct, Might Guy rolled sideways without caring about his image, barely avoiding Kazuki's fist!
[Boom!]
The punch shattered the floor tiles within a radius of more than a meter, raising a large amount of dust.
The students of the Ninja School watched this scene numbly, and they all thought in their minds: 'Why doesn't this monster apply for early graduation and stay in the Ninja School until now?'
'If this punch hits the body, it will definitely be broken in half, right?'
At this moment, many people's eyes turned to Kakashi...
Can this recognized No. 1 genius of Konoha beat Kazuki?
Kazuki smiled as he dissipated the chakra from his hands, skillfully using the Senju clan's taijutsu to fight Might Guy.
The two of them engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand fight, executing various techniques with great enthusiasm.
Ikkaku admired this scene. Frankly speaking, although he is a veteran Chunin, he is not as good as these two students in terms of taijutsu.
On the other hand, Kakashi was already frowning. The straggler who used to harass him has grown to such a level now? Kazuki on the other hand, was an existence he couldn't understand.
Far ahead of the geniuses of the same period, the long-dormant competitive spirit in Kakshi's heart beats for the first time in a long time...
After a full-strength kick, Might Guy gasped and fell to the ground, holding his thigh. He had cramps...
Facing Kazuki required extreme demand on his muscular strength.
Even if Might Guy tries his best, at the age of seven he can't compare to the incomplete Sage Body.
"Kazuki-kun..."
"Guy, just call me Kazuki." Kazuki smiled, not speaking of victory or defeat, and a green light appeared in his hand, enveloping Might Guy's leg.
"Kazuki, this is..." Might Guy felt the muscles in his thighs relax noticeably, and the pain from the cramps seemed to fade before his eyes.
"This is the Mystical Palm Technique, Guy."
“It is a medical ninjutsu that channels chakra from the palm of the hand to infiltrate the body, stimulating the healing capacity of the muscles.”
Guy said impulsively: "Kazuki, can you teach me?"
But he instantly regretted having said it.
Not only did he doubt his own ability to learn it, but the scroll of such a rare medical ninjutsu could cost a fortune. Why should he teach it to him?
Guy blushed immediately and wanted to rush to explain his imprudence.
Kazuki smiled and shook his head, signaling him not to rush. "The Mystical Palm Technique requires extremely precise control of chakra, and the ability to judge the degree of injury to the patient's affected part. If the input chakra is too high, it will cause disorder in the human body and cause worse effects."
“Guy, give your full attention to your taijutsu training. If you need it, don’t hesitate to come to me.”
Might Guy stared straight at Kazuki's sincere eyes, and slowly said something that many people could not understand: “Kazuki, please allow me to be your rival for life!”
"Okay..." Kazuki took his hand off Might Guy's thigh, stood up, stretched out his palm to him, and pulled him up from the ground: "Come on, Guy!"
[Detecting strong emotion of rivalry in Might Guy, bound as target.]
"This bastard with thick eyebrows..." Shisui pouted, feeling unhappy. “Humph, my brother is just looking out for your emotions…”
“Being my brother’s rival for life and protecting him is something only I can do.”
Shisui silently competed with Guy in his mind, but he was also impressed by how quickly Might Guy had become strong.
'I must train more seriously.' Shisui thought.
Guy's progress from being at the bottom of his class to his impressive mastery of taijutsu has been meteoric.
In fact, among the generation of Kakashi and Obito, most of those who will become jonin in the future graduated at the age of nine or ten.
Only Kakashi, the six-year-old genius, surpassed that standard, while Guy was supposed to graduate successfully at age seven.
Although it started late, its development has been one of accumulation of forces, showing great persistence and potential...
"Kazuki, I am very pleased that you have the strength you have now..." Ikkaku said with an expression of admiration as he approached Kazuki, patting him on the shoulder. "How is it, do you still have the energy? Do you want to try fighting Hatake Chunin?"
"Not only can you avoid the tedious process of graduation assessment, but there will also be some unexpected benefits, such as the attention of the Third Hokage..."
Ikkaku, with his back to Kakashi, showed an encouraging look.
As an experienced chunin, Ikkaku had a good ability to assess the abilities of shinobi.
For him, as long as Kakashi did not have the opportunity to use his Kenjutsu to settle the fight in one blow, he would not be able to defeat Kazuki.
Ikkaku wanted his student, with such a kind character and such powerful abilities, to have the opportunity to make a name for himself in Konoha.
But to his surprise, Kazuki shook his head slowly. "No, Ikkaku-sensei, I have no plans to graduate for the time being."
"This time, it's just because I need to respect the rules and regulations of the ninja school exam. Since I was picked, I need to take the competition and the opponent seriously..."
“And as for avoiding the graduation exam, to be honest, I’m quite looking forward to this year’s Will of Fire exam…”
Kazuki winked at Ikkaku and then turned back to the audience.
Kakashi looked at Kazuki with a grave expression. He felt disturbed.
After Kazuki demonstrated his skills, Kakashi wished to face him. As an ever-arrogant genius, Kakashi had not felt pressure and competition from his peers in a long time…
If it weren't for his family's strict upbringing, Kakashi would have wanted to force Kazuki into a test using his identity as an examiner.
And Might Guy, who had been pestering him, had made a promise with Kazuki that they would be rivals for life, which made Kakashi feel lost, and the loneliness in his heart deepened.