In the quiet clearing, sunlight trickled through the leaves as Might Guy stared at Uchiha Ryosuke with genuine admiration.
"Ryosuke," Guy said, voice honest and bright with emotion, "your improvement is incredible. You can go all-out against me and not fall behind at all."
To Guy—who had trained from childhood, who had bled and sweat for every ounce of strength—Ryosuke's explosive growth was astonishing. But admiration outweighed shock.
Ryosuke smiled lightly.
"That's because I've been sparring with you, Guy. I wouldn't be this strong without you."
He meant it.
Guy had trained with him without reservation—pure-hearted, uncalculating, selfless. A man worth respecting.
Guy, however, didn't entirely buy it.
He'd poured decades into his taijutsu.
Ryosuke had improved more in a single month than Guy had in years.
If Ryosuke wasn't born a taijutsu prodigy…
Then perhaps Ryosuke really had discovered some new… mysterious… terrifying training method.
Guy hesitated, then asked bluntly:
"Ryosuke… your improvement is too fast. Did you develop some kind of taijutsu that… makes you stronger by being beaten?"
He squinted seriously.
"That's the only explanation I can think of."
Off to the side, Lee nearly dropped his jaw.
So it WAS a real technique?!
But Ryosuke almost choked on his own saliva.
A taijutsu prodigy?
A genius?
Some secret "pain-equals-power" method?
If only.
All of his improvement came from the Auto-Training System.
Out loud, he said the most reasonable explanation possible:
"I don't intentionally get beaten. But real combat raises reaction speed, and taking hits does build toughness. That's all."
Guy instantly nodded.
"I knew it! Combat experience and body conditioning! Of course!"
Exactly the conclusion Guy would reach.
And now that Guy believed he understood Ryosuke's method…
His eyes grew serious.
Time to push himself, too.
"Ryosuke—be careful. I'm going to use a special technique."
Ryosuke's pulse quickened.
Eight Gates?
Was he about to witness the legendary technique?!
He sharpened his vision, Sharingan turning crimson.
This wasn't arrogance—this was necessity.
Even a single glimpse of the Eight Gates' internal flow would be invaluable.
He prepared himself for the chakra surge—
But Guy did not open the Gates.
Instead, Guy stepped forward with explosive speed, body twisting.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
A powerful roundhouse kick ripped through the air, aimed at Ryosuke's ribs.
Ryosuke blocked cleanly, raising his leg.
Guy wasn't surprised—but that was just the setup.
"Leaf Whirlwind — Second Stage!"
Guy's hand planted onto the ground.
His body rotated with terrifying speed—
A second kick came whipping around from below.
The Sharingan saw it.
Ryosuke's body… didn't react in time.
BAM!!
The heel smashed into his chest, sending him flying across the clearing.
Guy didn't chase.
He didn't need to—he knew Ryosuke wouldn't break easily.
Sure enough—
Ding!
Strength +2
Speed +2
Constitution +2
Warmth flowed through Ryosuke's body, knitting muscles and easing the bruise.
He stood up almost immediately.
His eyes shone with excitement.
"The second-stage kick is really something, Guy. Fast and clean—hard to counter on the first try."
Guy smiled, both proud and secretly shocked.
Ryosuke had taken a solid hit from his spinning heel.
Yet he stood as if it were nothing.
What kind of body did this kid have?!
Even he, Might Guy, would be coughing for a moment after taking his own kick.
Lee, watching from the side, was mesmerized.
"So cool… Guy-sensei's whirlwind… it's so cool…"
And Ryosuke—fresh from being kicked across the clearing—had already recovered.
Then Ryosuke cracked his neck, eyes burning.
"My turn."
He dashed forward.
His right leg swept upward.
Guy raised his arm to block—simple.
But then—
Ryosuke's hands hit the ground.
His whole body twisted.
His left leg came whipping around—
Exactly the Leaf Whirlwind Second Stage.
Guy's eyes went wide.
Wait—
Isn't that… my technique?!
He had no time to dodge.
WHAM!
Ryosuke's kick smashed into him, throwing him backward.
He hit the dirt and grimaced, covering his abdomen.
Pain shot through him.
Ryosuke had taken Guy's kick easily…
But Guy was struggling to rise from Ryosuke's.
This… this boy's physical endurance and recovery…
It was beyond human.
Guy massaged the spot, breathing out.
"Again."
Ryosuke's Sharingan glittered in response.
Both had the same thought:
Let's get stronger.
Let's keep fighting.
And so—
The two plunged into another bout.
Kicks, punches, spins.
Impact after impact.
Lee watched with sparkling eyes.
Guy-sensei attacking with full force.
Ryosuke matching him step for step.
Blow for blow.
Neither backing down.
Neither slowing down.
Half an Hour Later
Both men collapsed to the ground—bruised, panting, drenched in sweat.
Guy felt deeply, profoundly satisfied.
Even fighting Kakashi, he rarely fought with this much intensity.
Ryosuke, meanwhile, was euphoric.
Because the system chimed joyfully:
Strength +5
Speed +5
Constitution +5
His muscles tingled with new power.
Where before he was Guy's equal…
Now—
Just slightly—
He surpassed Guy.
Ryosuke lay on the grass, chest heaving, and grinned at the sky.
This was the correct path.
He would save the clan.
He would crush Itachi.
He would change the future.
And he would do it—
By growing stronger every single day.
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