"I hope you're not just saying that." Kakashi struck a pose with a calm demeanor.
Kakashi wouldn't underestimate Might Guy's strength, but he didn't think that the current Might Guy could defeat him.
So far, he has never lost a battle with his peers, let alone anyone older by two or three years. Even those in the same year as him have not defeated Kakashi.
"The battle begins!" Mokgetsu quickly shouted as soon as both were ready.
Whoosh, whoosh!!
Kakashi immediately took out several shurikens and shot them at Might Guy.
Might Guy's chakra erupted from his feet, and with a swoosh, he used the Instant Body Jutsu to disappear in front of Kakashi to dodge the shurikens flying towards him.
Kakashi sensed the gust attacking from the side and immediately kicked sideways, clashing feet with Might Guy.
Bang! A dull thud echoed as the powerful force pushed Kakashi back a few steps.
Kakashi knew that he couldn't win against Might Guy using only Taijutsu, so while retreating, Kakashi continued to withdraw backward and swiftly formed hand seals to perform Ninjutsu.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
After creating two Shadow Clones, Kakashi stopped retreating, charging forward with his two clones toward Might Guy.
The main body of Kakashi was slightly behind the two clones, ready to use Purple Lightning to stop Might Guy if he revealed an opening while attacking the clones.
Seeing Kakashi's rapid counterattack, Might Guy laughed heartily.
"Kakashi, this is the first time I've used this Kinjutsu in battle. I've been saving it for you ever since I mastered it."
"Breath of Rock, Full Concentration Breathing!" Might Guy entered a state of heightened focused breathing, absorbing a large amount of oxygen to enhance his physical abilities. The incoming breath traveled through his body's chakra meridians, reinforcing his entire body with chakra.
But it didn't end there. On top of performing Full Concentration Breathing, Might Guy opened the Eight Gates.
"Eight Gates, Opening Gate, Open!" Might Guy shouted loudly, unblocking the chakra constraints in his body, dramatically increasing his chakra and enhancing his physical capabilities once more.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
At the moment Kakashi's Shadow Clones charged forward, Might Guy kicked out a lightning-fast Tornado Kick. With immense strength, he directly dissipated Kakashi's two Shadow Clones on the spot.
"Opportunity!" Kakashi squinted his eyes, raised his right hand, and concentrated a large amount of chakra into his palm to perform Lightning Release's Nature Transformation, then charged toward Might Guy.
Kakashi quickly completed Nature and Form Transformations, and the radiant purple lightning burst from his palm, resembling a purple blade wrapped around his hand.
However, the Might Guy who employed both Breath of Rock and the Eight Gates demonstrated unexpected strength that went beyond Kakashi's imagination. Even though he'd just defeated two Shadow Clones, when Kakashi rushed forward, Might Guy showcased extraordinary speed, easily dodging Kakashi's slash.
"This speed, how is this possible?" Kakashi frowned, surprised by the unexpected speed Might Guy suddenly showcased.
On the second day of joining the team, Kakashi had faced Might Guy once, so he relied on the experience from the previous battle to deal with Might Guy, thinking that in half a month's time, Might Guy wouldn't improve drastically.
But the truth showed Kakashi that he was wrong. The Might Guy from two weeks later wasn't on the same level as the one from two weeks prior.
Not only Kakashi but also Obito and Shisui, who were observing, were amazed by Might Guy's speed.
"What's going on? Has Guy's Breath of Rock achieved another breakthrough? Why has his speed increased so suddenly?" Obito scratched his head in surprise.
He couldn't quite understand Might Guy's sudden explosive speed but remembered that Might Guy had mastered Breath of Rock not long ago. If the Breathing Technique were to have a breakthrough, it should have been him first to achieve it.
Shisui, upon seeing Might Guy's speed, showed a grave expression. If he were facing this Might Guy, he might need to use the Sharingan to secure victory.
A misjudging Kakashi immediately switched tactics to compensate. He activated the Purple Lightning in his right hand, sending streaks of lightning to all directions.
The wide-range attack of Purple Lightning traded off some power for expanding attack reach, and after all, it's still lightning, capable of paralyzing the opponent.
However, Kakashi underestimated Might Guy's combat abilities and his desire for victory.
When Mokgetsu taught Armament Haki, he would occasionally demonstrate using Purple Lightning because, unlike other Lighting Releases, it is purple lightning, making it particularly memorable to Might Guy.
When Kakashi employed Purple Lightning, Might Guy was already prepared, retreating rapidly to dodge the incoming purple lightning.
"Darn." Seeing Might Guy evade the purple lightning, Kakashi sensed something amiss.
Although Purple Lightning was flexible and powerful, it consumed a lot of chakra. Expending large amounts of chakra without securing any victory in the battle put Kakashi on the defensive.
After dodging the Purple Lightning, Might Guy knew that the time to counterattack had arrived. He was already on the path to victory and immediately sprinted full-speed at Kakashi.
Might Guy could feel the continuous emergence of power within his body. The Breathing Technique brought external strength, while the Eight Gates unsealed the internal potential. The two Kinjutsu together elevated his power to the pinnacle of his cultivation so far.
While running, Might Guy channeled all his strength into his legs, where a massive amount of chakra gathered. He intended to focus all this power into an unprecedentedly powerful kick.
If Might Guy were to roll up his pant leg at this moment, he would see a fearsome sight of protruding veins across his leg.
"Extreme·Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
In the midst of his sprint, Might Guy gathered all his strength and unleashed a kick of his utmost limits.
The gust generated instantly by his kick could blow Kakashi's white hair back.
"This attack can't be countered with force, I must dodge," was the thought that instantly formed in Kakashi's mind.
Yet in the next moment, Kakashi discarded that thought, because Might Guy, rapidly closing in, demonstrated that his speed far outmatched Kakashi's. Having failed the gamble, Kakashi no longer had the opportunity to evade.
When Might Guy dodged the swing of Purple Lighting, both he and Kakashi had two choices. Kakashi could either change Purple Lighting's form or retreat, while Might Guy could attack with Taijutsu or retreat using his speed.
Kakashi chose to alter Purple Lighting instead of retreating, worried that Might Guy would launch a direct assault, rendering Kakashi's slower retreat meaningless.
So, Kakashi opted to expand Purple Lightning into a wide-range attack; if Might Guy dared to attack, he would instantly be paralyzed by the lightning.
Although Kakashi executed his plan decisively, Might Guy was equally decisive and successfully anticipated Kakashi's actions, causing Kakashi's attack to miss and waste a large amount of Chakra.
Might Guy got closer and closer to Kakashi, leaving Kakashi no time to react; he didn't even have time to form hand seals, and he had no Chakra left to use Purple Lightning again without the seals.
He gathered Chakra in his arms for a final stand.
"Kakashi, can't you do something? Make it count." Although Obito usually found Kakashi annoying, seeing him being overpowered by Might Guy left him somewhat uncomfortable.
He really wanted to pay Might Guy a thousand ryo to switch places; how exhilarating it would be to take that kick himself.
It might sound unfair to Might Guy, but Obito hoped Kakashi would win because he wanted to be the first to defeat Kakashi himself.
Beating Kakashi, then returning all the mocking words he had once said. Just the thought could make Obito smile from ear to ear.
Mokgetsu watched the scene behind his back without surprise. Kakashi's errors weren't for lack of combat intellect compared to Might Guy, but due to weaker raw strength, which added immense pressure during battles, making mistakes more likely.
As the distance between them shrank further, Might Guy suddenly recalled meeting Kakashi for the first time. Back then, Kakashi was the top of his class, while he was a dropout.
Through sheer effort, he eventually got admitted to the Ninja Academy and happened to be placed in the same class as Kakashi.
During class, when the teacher asked Kakashi to demonstrate the Clone Jutsu, Kakashi effortlessly produced multiple Shadow Clones. Right then, Might Guy understood what a true genius looked like.
Might Guy still remembers the compliments from the teacher towards Kakashi, and the admiration in the classmates' eyes. From that moment, he vowed to surpass such a genius Kakashi.
But Might Guy's strength back then was poor; not only was he lacking in Ninjutsu, but he was also weak in Taijutsu. The first time he challenged Kakashi, Kakashi easily defeated him with one move.
Might Guy was often mocked for overestimating himself, for being a dead-last but still daring to challenge a genius.
He ignored those words, taking the ridicule as encouragement, quietly increasing his training load, and challenging Kakashi whenever he made progress.
Meeting Mokgetsu became a crucial turning point in his life. Mokgetsu taught him stronger Taijutsu, provided him with secret medicine to eliminate fatigue, and crafted a training plan to enhance his strength rapidly.
Faced with the rapidly improving Might Guy, Kakashi also had to bring out his full strength and use every technique at his disposal.
But challenging a genius is hard. Until yesterday, in formal battles, Might Guy had never won against Kakashi even once.
"Guy, I believe you can become the strongest in Taijutsu because you're a genius of hard work."
Mokgetsu's words echoed in his ears. Amidst his continuous breathing, Might Guy felt a new surge of power within his body, continuing to channel the added strength into his legs.
"Super·Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
The kick he unleashed was no longer his limit—it was a kick surpassing all limits!
BAM!!!
Might Guy's kick surpassing all limits collided with Kakashi's cross-guarded arms, erupting in a loud boom.
Feeling the immense power transmitting through his arms, Kakashi's faced changed dramatically; excruciating pain quickly spread from his arms to his entire body. After merely a few seconds of clash, under the impact of the tremendous force, Kakashi was sent flying backward, crashing hard against a tree.
Kakashi felt as though his entire body was about to fall apart; he struggled but failed to stand up, slumping onto the ground.
"Kakashi, this time, I won!"
Might Guy, leaning on one knee, breathed heavily, smiled, and gave Kakashi a thumbs-up.
After four years of effort, he had finally beaten the genius who once defeated him in a single move. Through his relentless physical training and cultivation of Taijutsu, he had vanquished that genius, Kakashi.
This time, it was a victory for the genius of hard work.
[Disciple Might Guy has completed the cultivation task]
[Disciple Might Guy has obtained an optional life task]
[Life Task: Walk the Path to Become the Strongest in Taijutsu]