Uchiha Mai was simply too fast.
With Guy still airborne, there was no time to dodge or change his move. He was struck head-on and sent flying backward.
The storm-like offensive instantly collapsed.
Mai stepped forward and leapt high, snapping into a lethal scissor kick that clamped around Guy's waist. In the same motion, he seized one of Guy's arms, twisted his body, and dropped down—planting Guy hard onto the ground beneath him.
In the end, the posture was unmistakable:
Guy lay flat on his back.
One of Mai's legs pressed down across his throat and chest.
One arm was trapped and pinned.
The elbow was wedged tightly against Mai's waist, the wrist firmly locked—there was no room to generate strength at all.
He Jin-yin had locked down Senior Brother!
"AAAHHH!!!"
Guy roared, forcing every ounce of strength from his body in an attempt to break free.
But Mai merely straightened his waist slightly.
In that instant, Guy's entire arm screamed with tearing pain. He lost all strength immediately.
"Give up, Guy," Mai advised calmly.
"You can't break my armbar."
There were many variations of the armbar—one of the most iconic techniques in jujutsu—and it embodied leverage to perfection.
Mai's body formed the bow.
Guy's captured arm was the bowstring.
To break free, Guy would have to overpower Mai's torso and core using only that single arm.
That was impossible.
Even with the Gate of Opening active, Guy's strength hadn't reached that absurd a level.
Watching from the side, Might Dai focused for a moment on Mai's positioning—then his eyes lit up.
What a move… a true forceful man-locking technique!
As long as Mai straightened his waist and applied force, Guy's arm would be torn straight from the elbow joint.
"I still haven't… ngh…"
Guy tried to stubbornly speak again.
Mai smoothly applied another burst of waist strength.
Guy instantly broke into a cold sweat, pain surging through his entire body, and obediently shut his mouth.
"Guy," Might Dai said solemnly,
"you've already lost."
Hearing his father's words, Guy finally stopped resisting. The Gate of Opening dispersed, and he lay flat on the ground, breathing heavily as his chest rose and fell.
Only then did Mai release the armbar and stand up.
"Dad… I lost again," Guy said, staring up at the sky.
Despite the defeat, his eyes were astonishingly clear—without even a trace of frustration or despair.
"Yes. You lost again."
Might Dai nodded, pulling his son up.
"But so what?
"Guy, we don't have talent for ninjutsu. All we can do is train taijutsu—day after day—something no one else wants to practice. We don't even know whether this road truly leads anywhere.
"But through effort, youth, and burning passion, you've managed to fight geniuses like Kakashi and Mai to this extent.
"That alone proves you've surpassed yourself.
"A single defeat means nothing. Train again. When you feel yourself clearly growing stronger, challenge them again.
"As long as you don't give up, one day you'll win.
"And even if you never do… isn't your strength increasing as you chase them?"
"Yes!"
Guy burst into tears, hugging his father tightly.
Then, with blazing determination, he declared:
"It must be because my training isn't hard enough! I've decided—from today on, I'll run an extra 100 kilometers every day! If I can't finish, I'll do 1,000 push-ups! If I can't finish those, then 1,000 sit-ups! If I can't finish those, I'll kick trees 1,000 times—!"
Guy rattled on endlessly, like Guo Degang listing dishes, going on for a full two minutes before finally stopping.
Uchiha Mai stood off to the side, sighing inwardly.
Guy truly was a genius.
His talent simply wasn't obvious—just like the abilities granted by Mai's system. It required deep excavation and unimaginable effort before it could be realized.
Most people—no, most ninja—could never endure training like Guy's.
That, in itself, was his greatest innate talent.
After the emotional moment ended, the father and son finally remembered there was still an outsider present.
Might Dai released Guy, scratched his head, and said apologetically:
"Guy is like this. Once he sets his sights on a goal—or an opponent—he won't stop until he surpasses them.
"Mai-kun… I'm afraid he'll keep pestering you in the future."
Mai smiled lightly.
"Not at all.
"To have an opponent like Guy is something every young ninja dreams of. Healthy competition allows both sides to grow.
"To avoid being surpassed by him, I'll also devote myself fully to training."
As if he would ever complain.
While the two were talking, Mai secretly glanced at the system.
The fashion points that had previously been emptied had risen again—
115 points.
Enough for another half-star draw.
And at the same time, Mai had gained a rough understanding of how fashion points were earned.
They likely depended on the opponent, the audience, and his own performance.
Guy's importance couldn't possibly be lower than Asuma's.
But this time, the only spectator was Might Dai—and his own performance hadn't been especially flashy. Only the final Phoenix Qilin · Asura really counted as a proper show-off.
"It's good that you don't mind,"
Might Dai nodded, studying Mai carefully before continuing:
"From that battle just now, I already understand what you wish to learn from me.
"The taijutsu you created truly qualifies as a school. Though it's only a framework, its future is limitless.
"I have some understanding of leg techniques. I only hope that this simple move I know can satisfy you and help complete your system."
"That would be wonderful," Mai replied sincerely.
"For the next few days, I won't be taking missions," Dai said.
"After school, come to my house with Guy every day. I'll teach you the kicking techniques of the Strong Fist style.
"As for later—whenever I return from missions, Guy will know. You're welcome to come anytime."
"Understood."
After discussing the training schedule and chatting a bit more, Mai dragged his battered body home under the cover of dusk.
Guy was an absolute beast.
Once the Gate was open, he became wildly energetic, completely ignoring whether the other person could handle it—just pounding nonstop.
Mai's waist ached, his back was sore, and bruises covered his body.
Soaking in the steaming bath, Mai fell into deep thought.
He currently had 115 fashion points—enough for one half-star draw.
So…
Should he draw immediately?
Or save up to 300 points for another one-star pull?
The two half-star rewards he'd obtained so far were essentially "keys to knowledge."
By studying and applying them deeply, they helped refine and build his personal system.
Without those half-star rewards, could he really have created his own taijutsu style so quickly—and fought Guy evenly?
In his dreams.
One-star rewards, on the other hand, were closer to talents, innate abilities, or passive skills.
They had growth potential—and could immediately boost combat strength.
So…
Which should he choose?
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