In the forest, a figure was walking at high speed on its hands. Despite being upside down, his pace was much faster than a normal person's walk.
Anyone who witnessed this scene would surely be left dumbfounded.
As he moved, he was also roaring all sorts of passionate phrases containing the word "youth," which caused Kakashi, who was following beside him, to twitch his lips.
'Guy really is the same as ever,' Kakashi thought with a half-lidded, exasperated expression.
His best friend had been obsessed with the word "youth" since they were children, constantly in a state of fervent passion, and now, more than a decade later, nothing had changed.
It was hard to say if it was due to his boundless energy or just his personality.
'Hmm, I see Goku and the others.'
Just as he was thinking, he looked up and spotted Goku's group about a hundred meters ahead.
Earlier, after he had finished his business in the village and was about to head over, he had run into Might Guy, who had just returned from a mission.
The moment Guy saw him, he started clamouring for a long-overdue "youthful showdown."
Normally, he might have agreed. After all, if he refused, Guy would stick to him like glue, following him everywhere and driving him to exhaustion. But now...
Kakashi glanced at the approaching group, his gaze locking onto the figure in the orange martial arts uniform.
'Goku, you've been wanting to find a strong opponent, haven't you? Well, I've brought one for you.'
That's right. When Guy had proposed their youthful showdown, a brilliant idea had struck him. He had thought of someone else who loved to fight as much as he did: Son Goku!
Although Goku hadn't sought out any fights recently, Kakashi still vividly remembered how, upon first arriving in Konoha, he had wanted to challenge the current Hokage.
After that, he had heard from Naruto and the others that Goku regretted not being able to fight the previous Hokages.
Both of these things proved that Goku was also a battle-lover, making him a perfect match for Might Guy, who loved to challenge people to youthful showdowns!
And so, with a bit of his trickery—no, his skilful guidance—Might Guy had become fired up, shouting about how he wanted to have a hot-blooded, youthful duel with a master that even Kakashi acknowledged!
This was why he was bringing Guy here now. Let's shift our focus back to Goku and Naruto's group.
Upon hearing those familiar, passionate shouts, Rock Lee abruptly stopped his training.
He stared at the approaching green figure in the forest and said excitedly, "Guy-sensei! It's Guy-sensei! He's finally back from his mission!"
Might Guy's mission this time had lasted for over a month. Not having seen him for so long, Lee had found it difficult to get used to the absence of his teacher's passionate words.
Now, finally hearing Guy-sensei's hot-blooded talk of youth again, he was so moved that his eyes began to well up with tears.
"Guy-sensei?"
Goku and the three genin all looked over in unison. The green figure in the forest soon burst out from the trees and, in the blink of an eye, was standing before them.
The newcomer then flipped over, landed on his feet, struck an alluring pose, gave a thumbs-up, and flashed a brilliant white smile.
"Everyone, are you also burning with the flames of youth?"
After getting a clear look at the man, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all froze in shock. "Aaargh! It's a thick-eyebrowed guy with even thicker eyebrows than thick-eyebrows/Lee!"
Goku's eyes also widened. He walked up to the man, looked him over from left to right, then looked back at Rock Lee and exclaimed, "Hey! Are you two brothers? You look exactly alike!"
The newcomer was wearing the same green jumpsuit as Lee, had the same bowl cut as Lee, and even had the same thick eyebrows—in fact, they were even a few shades thicker than Lee's.
Hearing everyone's exclamations, Rock Lee quickly said, "Hey, Naruto, don't make fun of my teacher! And Goku, he is my teacher, not my brother!"
He then turned to the newcomer, his teacher, Might Guy, and said with tears in his eyes, "Guy-sensei, in the time you were away, I have continued to burn brightly with the flames of youth!!"
Hearing this, Might Guy dropped his pose, his own eyes welling up with tears. "Lee! You truly are my prized pupil!!"
"Guy-sensei!!"
"Lee!!"
The two of them first shared a deep, emotional stare, and then embraced each other tightly, tears streaming down their faces. The scene was, to put it mildly, incredibly "touching."
"Haha..." Goku, who rarely ever felt awkward, couldn't help but break out in a sweat, a slightly uncomfortable smile on his face.
As for Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, they were so shocked by the cringeworthy scene that they had all turned to stone.
"Ahem, don't mind them. Guy has always been like this—passionate and energetic," Kakashi, who had appeared beside them at some point, said, rubbing his forehead as he tried to salvage some of his friend's image.
After his explanation, he patted Might Guy on the back and whispered in his ear, "Guy, that's enough. Have you forgotten why you came here?"
At Kakashi's reminder, Might Guy's tears instantly vanished. He let go of Lee and said, "Lee, I will check on the results of your burning youth later. For now, watch as your teacher burns with his own youth!"
With that, without waiting for Lee to reply, he took a step forward and scanned his eyes over Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Goku.
He then locked onto Goku, who best fit the description of his target, pointed at him, and yelled, "My name is Might Guy! Engage me in a youthful, burning duel! Son..."
His passionate words were suddenly cut off. He turned to Kakashi and asked, a little embarrassed, "Ahem, Kakashi, what was his name again?"
He had always been a bit forgetful and would often forget the names and faces of people he didn't see regularly, let alone someone he had never met and had only heard the name of once on the road.
"His name is Son Goku. You can call him Mr Goku or Goku," Kakashi, who was well aware of his friend's weakness, replied immediately.
"Ahem, engage me in a youthful, burning duel! Goku!!" After getting the name, Might Guy immediately turned back and issued his challenge once more.
"Huh?" Faced with this sudden invitation, Goku scratched his head, not quite understanding.
"Goku, Might Guy is an incredibly skilled taijutsu master, and he loves to fight strong opponents," Kakashi explained from the side.
"After he learned there was a powerful master like you here, he wanted to have a match with you. And I remember you also wanted to find a strong opponent, so I brought him here."
"A match with Goku-sensei?!"
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura's eyes widened in unison. They looked at Might Guy, then at Goku, a shared curiosity sparking in their minds:
Could a master praised by Kakashi-sensei actually beat their teacher of the past month, Goku-sensei?
After hearing Kakashi's explanation, Goku finally understood.
He looked at the fiery, battle-ready Might Guy and said with a delighted expression, "A master, you say? Now this sounds exciting!"