Boom!
Two wandering ninjas slammed hard onto the ground, knocked out cold.
"I was thinking we might have encountered a ninja above Genin this time, turns out Guy you didn't use your full strength," Shiranui Genma said, having also taken down the enemy.
He thought that to hold back Might Guy, it should at least require a Chunin; a Genin would be easily knocked away with a single kick.
Ebisu glanced at Teacher Chen and gained some insight.
"Not bad, you all are starting to resemble my disciples," Teacher Chen said with a serious expression.
Ebisu's mouth twitched; if Teacher Chen didn't have smudged red marks on his face, he might actually seem a bit proper, but with that image, his words seemed pretentious.
Noticing Ebisu's gaze, Teacher Chen wiped again and started reviewing the recent battle with Shiranui Genma and Ebisu, pointing out their issues.
Might Guy certainly had no problem; he finished with a single kick once he got serious.
Next, Might Guy and the others didn't encounter any more enemies and safely delivered the client to the destination, then quickly returned to Konoha.
However, upon returning to Konoha, a small incident occurred; shortly after entering, they encountered another disciple of Teacher Chen.
"Teacher Chen." A young man, about 175cm tall with sturdy muscles, greeted Teacher Chen respectfully.
"Is this Junior Brother Guy?" The young man continued, looking at Might Guy.
Although he hadn't met Might Guy, Teacher Chen had described him, and Might Guy's distinctive features made him easily recognizable.
"His name is Kawai Tatsuya, and like you, he has no Ninjutsu or Genjutsu talent, but his Taijutsu skills are considerably weaker than yours." Teacher Chen nodded and briefly introduced his eldest disciple to everyone.
Listening to Teacher Chen's introduction, Might Guy gave Kawai Tatsuya a thumbs up; he understood how hard it was to become a ninja without Ninjutsu or Genjutsu talent.
After all, before meeting Mokgetsu, he had been a hopeless case for three whole years.
Ebisu and Shiranui Genma also greeted Kawai Tatsuya.
"Guy, I heard you're already practicing the Konoha Dragon God, can I take a look?" Kawai Tatsuya asked curiously.
He had always wanted to learn Teacher Chen's Konoha Dragon God, but he hadn't met the requirements yet.
Knowing that Might Guy, his much younger junior, had already started practicing the Konoha Dragon God, he was eager to see and learn.
"No problem." Might Guy readily agreed; he had a good impression of Kawai Tatsuya.
The group then casually headed to a training ground.
"Watch closely; if you can reach Guy's current level, I'll be a bit more reassured." Teacher Chen said, tapping Kawai Tatsuya.
With war erupting everywhere, he was worried that Kawai Tatsuya, who had limited techniques, might perish on the battlefield.
Although Might Guy only mastered Taijutsu, his skills were strong enough, whereas Kawai Tatsuya's skills were not enough to cover the lack of Ninjutsu and Genjutsu.
Kawai Tatsuya respectfully nodded, then looked earnestly at Might Guy.
"Breath of Rock, Full Concentration!"
"Eight Gates, Opening Gate, Open! …Life Gate, Open!"
Since the Konoha Dragon God demanded high physical requirements, Might Guy heightened his physical state to its peak.
"He's really strong!" Although Teacher Chen had mentioned before, experiencing Might Guy's full force aura left Kawai Tatsuya amazed.
To think that Might Guy was only nine years old, while he himself was already eighteen; Might Guy, half his age, had far surpassed his strength.
"Focus, he's coming," Teacher Chen reminded.
Kawai Tatsuya immediately cleared any distractions and continued to watch Might Guy.
"Konoha Dragon God!"
With a fierce shout, Might Guy's powerful Chakra erupted from within, he kicked out a leg then spun rapidly.
Whoosh, whoosh!!
Soon, a blue-green dragon appeared on the training ground.
The dragon drew everything nearby that was torn apart by its mighty wind, turning the surroundings into disarray at lightning speed.
Looking at the blue-green dragon, Kawai Tatsuya fell into a daze; this was the powerful Taijutsu he yearned for.
Teacher Chen patted Kawai Tatsuya's shoulder and then departed.
He had taught all he could; the rest was up to Kawai Tatsuya himself.
Feeling the wave of Might Guy's strength, Ebisu and Shiranui Genma also refreshed their motivation and went off to cultivate.
"Guy, how do you usually train?" Kawai Tatsuya couldn't help but ask.
"I wake up at six in the morning for a morning workout, run until I'm out of energy then have breakfast, followed by a morning of physical training, then at noon..." Might Guy earnestly listed his schedule.
Kawai Tatsuya was shocked; he thought he'd been working hard, given how difficult it was for a ninja relying only on Taijutsu; effort was indispensable.
Comparing himself to Might Guy, he found Might Guy was even more diligent; his training volume exceeded his own.
"Is this your routine every day?"
"Not always; during Chunin exams I can't follow this, and sometimes injuries will reduce the training," Might Guy continued.
Kawai Tatsuya was silent; he felt Might Guy's strength was meticulously earned, his effort was remarkable, even injured he would only reduce rather than cease training.
"As ninjas like us with no Ninjutsu or Genjutsu talent, we must work harder to catch up with the geniuses!" Might Guy revealed his white teeth and smiled.
"You're already a genius," Kawai Tatsuya commented.
"Indeed, Teacher Mokgetsu said so too; he called me a genius of hard work," Might Guy's smile grew brighter.
Kawai Tatsuya agreed and nodded; certainly, Might Guy is a genius of hard work.
"I firmly believe that even with only Taijutsu, one can reach the pinnacle of the Ninja World," Might Guy stated firmly.
"Long ago, there was once a Taijutsu master who honed himself in eight harsh environments and eventually created the mighty Taijutsu called Eight Extremes Heaven. I believe if we strive hard enough, we can achieve such feats one day!"
Might Guy recounted the story of Eight Extremes Heaven and the second generation of the Dragon of the Mists.
Hearing the story, Kawai Tatsuya was deeply moved.
Before that moment, Kawai Tatsuya had no grand aspirations, merely to master the Konoha Dragon God and become an excellent Taijutsu ninja.
Now, he thought it might be time to broaden his goals, with past great deeds as inspiration and the near example of nine-year-old Might Guy mastering the Konoha Dragon God; could he be so incapable?
"Not only will I master Teacher's Konoha Dragon God, but I also aim to create my own advanced Taijutsu!" Kawai Tatsuya thought enthusiastically.
"Guy, let's work hard together!" Kawai Tatsuya exclaimed, looking at Might Guy gratefully.
"Youth is about striving and struggling together." Might Guy laughed heartily and gave a thumbs up.
"By the way, for training, I recommend this green spandex I'm wearing; it's perfect for body workouts."
...
After the training ended, Mokgetsu headed towards the main city, homeward direction. Nearing home, Mokgetsu skillfully opened his Byakugan to scan the surroundings.
Mokgetsu didn't spot any Root or Anbu ninjas but noticed an additional scroll on his home table.
Mokgetsu calmly returned home, confirmed the scroll's safety, and then opened it.
"Training for Root Ninjas..." Quickly scanning the contents, Mokgetsu showed a contemplative expression.
He wasn't contemplating whether to go or not but on how to teach, whether to limit the teaching skills or conduct normal lessons.
Going was certain, for despite having no fears of Danzo given his current strength, he needed to keep things stable in Konoha, reducing potential troubles caused by Danzo.
Furthermore, Mokgetsu pondered what benefits this training might bring him.
The tangible benefits were easy to foresee; if he truly helped Danzo succeed, his status within Root would surely rise, followed by Ninjutsu rewards. Danzo held significant authority in Konoha, offering Ninjutsu rewards was a zero-cost endeavor for him.
Mokgetsu considered system rewards; would teaching these stronger ninjas yield higher-level evaluations?