Crack.
Might Guy stepped out of his house dressed in his green spandex suit, a steamed bun clenched between his teeth. The warm morning sunlight washed over his face, and even the ever-energetic Guy couldn't help letting out a satisfied groan as he stretched luxuriously.
The flowers lining the street were in full, vibrant bloom. Just one glance at them was enough to brighten anyone's mood.
"Morning really is the most magnificent time for youth to shine!"
Guy took a deep breath, quickly finished off the bun, and shouted with his mouth still full, "Beneath the rising sun of the Konoha, let our sweat dance together with the flower petals!"
With that, he broke into a vigorous sprint toward the commercial district, legs pumping and kicking up clouds of dust. Halfway there, however, he noticed more and more villagers heading in the opposite direction. The once wide and open road was becoming noticeably crowded.
"Huh?"
Guy stopped in his tracks and scratched his head. He leaped lightly to a higher spot, shaded his eyes with one hand against the sun, and looked toward the streams of people on the other streets.
Crowds were converging like a tide of ants, groups of villagers all heading toward the village entrance.
"What's going on?"
The sight made him curious, but after only a brief hesitation, he continued pushing against the flow of people toward the Hyūga clan district.
Time flew by. Two whole months passed in the blink of an eye.
During this period, the Konohagakure remained peaceful and tranquil on the surface. The ordinary citizens had no idea about the conflicts occurring on the border of the Land of Fire.
It wasn't until the village leadership announced that Kumogakure would be coming to Konoha to sign an alliance treaty that the people learned of it—and reacted with pleasant surprise. They were amazed that their Third Hokage had secretly pulled off something so significant.
Though it was dressed up as an "alliance treaty," everyone understood it was really Kumogakure seeking the protection of a greater power.
After their former major enemy from the Great Ninja Wars had essentially yielded, every villager in the Konoha felt a surge of pride.
However, a low-ranking chūnin with no special background like Might Guy had no knowledge of what had happened on the border. Completely absorbed in his daily training, he was also unaware of the news about Kumogakure's upcoming visit to the village.
All he knew was that his training partner, Hyūga Kumokawa, had gone completely silent for the past two months.
Every time he visited the Hyūga clan looking for him, a branch family member with a complicated expression would stop him. Their attitude was unusually polite—even courteous—as they informed him that Kumokawa was in closed-door training and asked him to return after two months.
Closed-door training?
How could anyone train taijutsu while shut inside?
Guy knew very well how hardworking and disciplined Kumokawa was, so his first reaction was that the boy was lying to him.
Yet the complex look on the branch member's face didn't seem feigned, which made him wonder if something had happened within the Hyūga clan.
Now, two months had passed since that day.
"Kumokawa should finally be done with his training today."
With Kakashi busy day and night after joining the Anbu, and his only other training partner missing, Guy had been forced to train alone for two months and was going stir-crazy.
Seeing that the agreed time had arrived, he headed over eagerly.
When Might Guy reached the Hyūga clan grounds, the person on duty today happened to be the same branch family member whom Kumokawa had once disciplined.
This time, the man didn't block his path or look at him coldly. Instead, he politely let him through.
His attitude had changed! It had definitely changed!
That kid Kumokawa must have done something major in secret!
"Kumokawa———!"
Might Guy ran excitedly toward Hyūga Kumokawa's residence, shouting loudly, "Don't pretend you can't hear me, you bastard! Let me see how much you've improved over these two months! Today I'm definitely going to make you yell 'As expected of Guy-senpai!'"
Previously, there had always been a barrier around Kumokawa's house. Now it was gone.
In his excitement, Guy ignored all formalities. Seeing the door left open, he took it as an invitation and walked right in.
But the instant he stepped inside the house, it felt as though he had passed through a thin membrane. The hairs all over his body suddenly stood on end.
It wasn't from sensing any killing intent. The air itself seemed charged with invisible static electricity, causing the fine hairs on his skin to rise slightly.
"This is…"
Feeling the faint tingling numbness across his body, Guy paused in surprise. Frowning, he moved cautiously toward Kumokawa's training room. The closer he got, the stronger the sensation became.
When he pushed open the door, what greeted him was air that shimmered faintly.
Crackle!
All the conductive training equipment had been cleared from the room. In the center, Hyūga Kumokawa sat cross-legged, his upper body bare and sharply defined with muscle. Small blue arcs of electricity danced across his skin and around him, like countless tiny blue snakes writhing and stretching through the air.
Hearing Might Guy enter, Kumokawa slowly opened his eyes. A fleeting blue glow vanished from within his pure white pupils.
Under Guy's astonished gaze, the electric arcs swirling around him began to converge. Like a group of tamed snakes, they gradually sank back into his body.
"Guy-senpai, are we going training?" Hyūga Kumokawa asked calmly.
"…"
Guy snapped back to reality and stared at Kumokawa's physique. The power hidden within that body was almost visible to the naked eye.
"Kumokawa… you're actually using Lightning Release chakra to temper your body?" Disbelief spread across his face as he blurted out, "Have you gone mad?"
The fact that Lightning Release chakra could strengthen the body was no secret in the ninja world. Kumogakure was best known for it, after all.
The Third Raikage had earned the titles of "Strongest Shield" and "Strongest Spear," while the Fourth Raikage was renowned as the "Blue Lightning" for his incredible speed.
But not just anyone could temper their body with Lightning Release chakra. Mastering both the nature and shape transformation of Lightning chakra was already difficult enough for most shinobi. It also required a perfect understanding of one's own complex chakra pathway system.
Why were most Lightning Release ninjutsu long-range techniques?
Why were there so few Lightning Release jutsu suitable for chūnin and genin?
It was because Lightning Release chakra was far less stable than Earth Release chakra—in fact, it was the most volatile of the five basic chakra natures.
Using any ninjutsu required circulating chakra through the body's pathways. The aggressive nature of Lightning chakra made it extremely difficult to control. The slightest mistake during the process could inflict serious damage on one's own body…
Thinking of this, Guy suddenly froze as a realization hit him.
With the Byakugan's ability to see the chakra pathways inside the body, Hyūga Kumokawa was perhaps the ideal person to train this way.
"This…"
For a moment, he opened his mouth but couldn't find the words, falling into a brief silence.
It was easy to imagine that with his body tempered by Lightning Release chakra, Kumokawa's future progress in the Eight Inner Gates would be nothing short of meteoric.
And this was a training method completely beyond the reach of someone like him, who had almost no talent for ninjutsu.
Yet that fleeting feeling of frustration was quickly swept away by the boiling fighting spirit and hot blood surging in his chest.
Might Guy's gaze toward Hyūga Kumokawa shifted several times before finally settling into the same look he usually reserved for Kakashi.
"Kumokawa," he said, eyes burning with intensity. He thrust his thumb upward, flashing a wide grin that revealed his shining white teeth, and spoke with complete sincerity. "Congratulations."
There was no trace of jealousy or bitterness in his voice—only genuine joy for his friend, and for himself.
He was happy for Kumokawa's tremendous progress, and happy that he had gained another true rival.
Yes.
In that moment, Hyūga Kumokawa was no longer just a fellow underdog he trained with out of camaraderie, nor a promising junior he felt the need to guide.
He had become a true rival worthy of serious respect—just like Kakashi—and a cherished friend.
***
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