"Have you found out everything?"
"Yes, we have, Lord Danzo."
"According to our investigation, the man named Son Goku first appeared in the vicinity of the Land of Waves, where he encountered Kakashi and his team, who had just arrived for a mission."
"After meeting them, he travelled with them and assisted them in defeating the rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist, Zabuza Momochi, as well as an individual named Haku, who was suspected of using Ice Release."
"After defeating those two, he then defeated the wealthy tycoon Gato and his men, taking the vast majority of Gato's assets."
"In my judgment, this individual possesses the strength of at least a Jonin, and he is likely at the level of an Elite Jonin."
"Mm, I see. Continue."
"Yes, my lord."
"After Kakashi's team completed their mission, this individual accompanied them back to Konoha and has taken up residence in the village."
"Since then, he has spent every day with Naruto Uzumaki, known as the demon fox; the Uchiha clan survivor, Sasuke Uchiha; and the civilian-born Sakura Haruno. They are often on the back hills of the village."
"Another person has joined them these past few days: Might Guy's student, Rock Lee."
"As you instructed us not to get too close, we have only been able to confirm that this individual is helping these children with their training."
"What about Kakashi? Is he not with them?"
"Kakashi was with them every day at the beginning, but since then, he has only gone intermittently, sometimes with several days between visits."
"Have you found anything about this person's history before he met Kakashi's team?"
"I have searched all over the Land of Waves. My investigation revealed that there are no records of this person ever appearing in the Land of Waves before that time."
"Furthermore, all boat-owning fishermen have stated that they never transported this individual to the Land of Waves."
"Therefore, he must have arrived via an outside vessel. As for the origin of that vessel, it will require a significant amount of time to investigate, and we are unlikely to find an answer any time soon."
"Mm. Leave the file on the table. You are dismissed."
"Yes, my lord!"
In the dark, underground chamber, Danzo's gaze was intense as he stared at the file on his desk.
Ever since he had been rebuffed by Hiruzen Sarutobi a month ago, he had not sent any more men to capture Son Goku, as he did not wish to sever ties with Hiruzen just yet.
But not capturing him did not mean he was taking no action. He knew that Hiruzen rarely went to such lengths to hide something from him.
Therefore, this concealment was highly suspicious; it was very likely that Goku's origins held a great secret.
So, he had dispatched his subordinates to investigate Son Goku's background thoroughly and to constantly monitor his movements within Konoha, hoping to deduce something from his actions.
"Elite Jonin? Helping them train? Hiruzen, what in the world are you plotting? And you, Son Goku... who, or what, are you?"
Goku was unaware that someone was investigating him, and even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.
At this point in his life, there were very few things that could capture his attention. Coincidentally, however, there was one such thing at this very moment.
"Alright, Guy, let's get started!"
In a clearing in the forest, Goku beckoned to Might Guy. Although he had done some exercise this past month to stay in shape, not having a real fight had made him feel a bit rusty.
Now that an opponent had finally come to him—and a strong one, at that—he was overjoyed.
"YOUTH! BURN! BOIL OVER!!"
Across from him, upon seeing Goku's gesture, Might Guy let out a passionate roar, pushed off with his legs, and charged at him, his spirit ablaze with the will to fight.
'Who's going to win?'
On the sidelines, Kakashi, the three genin, and Rock Lee all watched as the duel began, the same question popping into their minds simultaneously.
BOOM!!
Just as the thought had formed, a massive crash echoed from the centre of the field. Two iron fists had collided with the force of a hammer striking an anvil.
At the point of impact, a powerful, invisible shockwave erupted and spread outwards with incredible speed.
Goku felt the considerable strength coming from his opponent's fist, and his eyes lit up. 'This guy's strength is way greater than that other guy's.'
The thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately raised his leg in a vicious roundhouse kick aimed at Might Guy's head. But midway through the kick, he suddenly stopped, a look of bewilderment on his face.
"Huh? Why are you crying?"
One second earlier.
Upon feeling the power in Goku's punch, Might Guy's eyes had also lit up.
'He really is strong! Kakashi, you truly are my greatest friend and rival! To think you understood me so well as to find me such a worthy opponent!'
He was suddenly so moved that tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes, which startled Goku into halting his attack.
On the sidelines, seeing this bizarre turn of events just one second into the fight, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura's mouths all twitched, feeling as if ten thousand alpacas were stampeding through their minds.
Even Kakashi, who was familiar with Guy's personality, couldn't help but feel a few dark lines appear on his face, at a complete loss for words at his friend's antics.
Only Rock Lee, who was cut from the same cloth as his master, saw nothing wrong with this at all. He clenched his fists, his own eyes welling up with tears.
"Guy-sensei! He must have been reminded of something very touching! This is so moving!"
On the field, Might Guy quickly stopped his tears.
He wiped the corners of his eyes and said to Goku apologetically, "My apologies. I was suddenly overcome with a moving thought. We can continue now!"
Hearing this, Goku blinked his big, innocent eyes and then chuckled. "Alright!"
As soon as he spoke, both of them threw a punch at the same time.
BOOM!!
Their iron fists once again slammed into each other. After this collision, before Goku could make a move, Might Guy twisted his body and launched a spinning kick at Goku's head with the force of a thunderclap!
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Faced with this powerful and imposing attack, Goku remained unruffled. He raised a hand and solidly blocked it.
Then, giving his opponent no time to react, he shot out a front kick aimed at his abdomen!
SMACK!!
Might Guy blocked it with both hands, using the force of the blow to backflip several times.
He then pushed off the ground with his right foot, creating a small crater, and launched himself forward again like an arrow released from a bow.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!!"
This time, the degree of his rotation was clearly greater than before. As a result, both the power and the speed of this kick far surpassed the previous one.
But faced with this even more ferocious attack, Goku remained calm, raising a hand and once again solidly blocking it.
"A-amazing! To think he can block both of Guy-sensei's moves head-on! Those are powerful taijutsu techniques that Guy-sensei developed himself!" Rock Lee exclaimed from the side, his face awed.
While he was learning these two moves, Might Guy told him they were incredibly powerful, high-speed taijutsu techniques.
Most people couldn't even block the first hit and would have to duck or lean back to avoid it.
When the opponent dodged the first hit, he could use the momentum to spin around and attack again.
At that point, the opponent would have no way to escape and would be forced to block the second hit.
But because the rotational inertia amplified the second hit, its speed would be astonishingly fast, far beyond what the opponent could imagine.
As a result, they often failed to block it successfully and had to take the full force of the blow, sustaining considerable damage.
And yet, Goku had so easily nullified these two powerful moves, not even giving Might Guy the chance to launch his follow-up attack!