Uchiha Mai was simply too fast.
Guy, still airborne, had no time to evade or change his move. He was struck head-on and sent flying backward.
The storm-like offensive instantly collapsed.
Mai took a step forward and leapt high, snapping into a lethal scissor kick that locked around Guy's waist. In one smooth motion, he seized one of Guy's arms, twisted his body, flipped, and dropped down — slamming him flat onto the ground beneath him.
The final position was absolute control.
Guy lay on his back, his throat and chest pinned under one of Mai's legs, while the other leg pressed down to stabilize him. One arm was fully trapped — its elbow wedged against Mai's waist, the wrist clamped tightly in his grip, completely unable to exert force.
He Jin-Yin has locked down Senior Brother!
"AAAAAH — !!!"
Guy roared, pouring every ounce of strength into trying to break free. But Mai only had to slightly thrust his hips forward for Guy's effort to collapse instantly. A tearing pain ripped through Guy's arm, so intense that all strength drained from it in an instant.
"Give up, Guy," Mai said calmly. "You can't break my armbar."
The armbar had countless variations and was one of the most iconic techniques in grappling, perfectly embodying the principle of leverage.
Mai's entire body formed the bow, while Guy's trapped arm was the bowstring.
If Guy wanted to exert force, he would need that arm to overpower the strength of Mai's core and waist — something that was fundamentally impossible.
Even with the Gate of Opening active, his strength hadn't reached that absurd level.
Watching from the sidelines, Might Duy focused for a brief moment on Mai's positioning, and his eyes immediately lit up.
What a vicious forced submission!
As long as Mai straightened his waist and applied force, Guy's arm would be finished — his elbow joint would be dislocated beyond doubt.
"I haven't… ngh — !"
Guy tried to keep talking tough, but Mai smoothly applied more pressure through his hips. Sweat poured from Guy's body as searing pain wracked him, forcing him to shut his mouth obediently.
"Guy, you've already lost," Might Duy declared, bringing the match to its final conclusion.
Hearing his father's words, Guy finally stopped resisting. He dispersed the Gate of Opening and lay flat on the ground, breathing deeply, his chest rising and falling violently.
Only then did Mai release the armbar and stand up.
"Dad, I lost again," Guy said while staring up at the sky. Despite the defeat, his eyes were crystal clear — there was no frustration or discouragement in them at all.
"Yes. You lost again."
Might Duy nodded and pulled his son up. Then he continued,
"But so what?
"Guy, we don't have talent in ninjutsu. All we can do is train day after day in taijutsu that no one else wants to practice, without even knowing whether this path truly has a future.
"Yet through effort, youth, and burning passion, you were able to fight geniuses like Kakashi and Mai to this extent. That alone proves you've already surpassed your past self.
"One defeat means nothing. Train again, feel your growth clearly, and then 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 still growing every step of the way as you chase after them?"
"Yes!"
Tears welled up in Guy's eyes as he hugged his father tightly. Then, brimming with determination, he set a new personal goal.
"It must be because my training still isn't hard enough! I've decided — starting today, I'll run an extra 100 kilometers every day! If I can't finish that, I'll do 1,000 push-ups! If I can't finish those, I'll do 1,000 sit-ups! If I can't finish those, I'll kick trees 1,000 times — "
Guy rattled off training plans like Guo Degang listing dishes, talking nonstop for a full two minutes before finally finishing.
Standing off to the side like a complete outsider, Uchiha Mai couldn't help but sigh.
Guy was absolutely a genius.
His talent just wasn't obvious — much like the abilities granted by Mai's ridiculous system. It required deep excavation and an insane level of effort to fully realize.
Forget ordinary people — even most ninja wouldn't survive Guy's training regimen. That, in itself, was his unparalleled talent.
After the emotional moment passed, the father and son finally remembered there was still someone else present.
Might Duy released Guy, scratched his head, and said to Mai,
"Guy is like this. Once he locks onto a goal — or an opponent — he won't give up until he completely surpasses them.
"Mai-kun, sorry about that. Guy will probably keep pestering you in the future."
Mai smiled and replied,
"Not at all.
"Having an opponent like Guy is something every young ninja dreams of. Healthy competition pushes both sides to grow.
"To avoid being surpassed by him, I'll definitely put in twice the effort in my own training."
As if he'd ever be annoyed.
While the two were caught up in emotion, Mai sneakily glanced at his system. The Fashion Points he had spent were now replenished — up to 115 points.
115 points — enough for another half-star draw.
And he now had a rough idea of how Fashion Points were earned.
They seemed to depend on the opponent, the spectators, and his own performance. Guy's importance couldn't possibly be lower than Asuma's.
But this time, there was only one spectator — Might Duy — and his performance hadn't been particularly outstanding. Only that final Phoenix Qilin · Asura had really counted as a flashy moment.
"As long as you don't mind," Might Duy said with a nod, then added after studying Mai closely, "After watching that fight, I now understand what you want to learn from me.
"The taijutsu you created is already worthy of being called a school — still just a prototype, but with limitless potential.
"I have a bit of insight into leg techniques. I hope that this simple kicking method I know can help fill in the gaps of your system."
"That would be perfect," Mai replied, thoroughly satisfied with the gains from this visit.
"For the next few days, I won't be going on missions," Might Duy continued. "After school, you and Guy can come to my place every day. I'll teach you the kicking techniques of the Strong Fist style.
"As for later — whenever I return from a mission, Guy will know. He'll tell you. You can come whenever you like."
"Understood."
After settling the training schedule and chatting a bit more, Mai dragged his battered body home as dusk fell.
Guy was a complete beast. Once the Gate of Life opened, he became ferocious beyond reason, completely ignoring whether his opponent could take it. He just hammered away nonstop, leaving Mai sore, aching, and bruised all over.
Soaking in a steaming bath, Mai fell into thought.
He currently had 115 Fashion Points — enough for a half-star draw.
Should he draw immediately… or save up 300 points for a one-star pool?
The two half-star rewards he'd obtained so far were essentially "keys to knowledge." With deep study and proper application, they could greatly refine his personal system.
Without those half-star rewards from the damned system, could he have created his own taijutsu style so quickly — much less fight Guy to a standstill?
In his dreams.
One-star rewards, on the other hand, were more like talents, innate abilities, or passive skills — things with long-term potential that could also boost combat power immediately.
So… which should he choose?
(End of Chapter)