"Minato-senpai."
Hanekawa stepped forward to greet him.
"Hanekawa, long time no see."
Namikaze Minato flashed his signature smile and said, "I've heard a lot about your exploits in the Land of Grass."
"It wasn't just my doing."
Hanekawa shook his head and replied.
"You're still as humble as ever."
Minato paused for a moment, then said, "You guys catch up. I'll go meet the Hokage with the others from Iwagakure."
"Alright."
Hanekawa glanced at Rin Nohara.
She was already eager to find Kakashi Hatake to ask about Obito Uchiha.
"I heard you killed the Third Mizukage?"
Might Guy asked with curiosity.
"Yeah."
Hanekawa nodded.
"As expected of my lifelong rival!"
Might Guy gave a thumbs-up, his teeth gleaming. "This really gets my blood pumping! I can't wait to have a youthful showdown with you right now!"
Hanekawa twitched his lips.
So this is your real goal, huh?
"Sure."
Hanekawa agreed without hesitation.
"Huh?"
Might Guy's eyes widened in surprise. "What did you say?"
"Didn't you want to spar?"
Hanekawa countered.
"That's great!"
Might Guy was stunned for two seconds, then became extremely excited.
"I recently learned a taijutsu technique from Master Chen."
Hanekawa explained with a smile. "Since you're here, I can test its power on you."
"Master Chen?"
Might Guy looked puzzled. "Which Master Chen?"
"Chen Baojun."
Hanekawa replied.
"It's him?!"
Might Guy's face lit up with realization. "I've heard of him! He's known as the strongest taijutsu master in Konoha!"
"That's him."
Hanekawa was a bit surprised.
Might Guy, who usually struggled to remember names, actually knew Chen Baojun.
Perhaps it was because they were both taijutsu specialists.
"Is this what youth feels like? I feel like I'm on fire!"
Might Guy clenched his fists and exclaimed, "Youth is all about fighting with all your might against a fellow taijutsu user!"
"How far have you progressed with the Eight Gates?"
Hanekawa thought for a moment and asked.
"I'm stable at the Sixth Gate now."
Might Guy didn't hide anything and replied, "The Seventh Gate isn't quite there yet."
"That's impressive."
Hanekawa praised.
The Eighth Gate was the Gate of Death, and once opened, it couldn't be undone.
In other words, Might Guy had essentially mastered the Eight Gates.
"Use the Sixth Gate's Morning Peacock when we spar."
Hanekawa wanted to see if his Lightning Release Chakra Mode combined with Leaf Dragon God could stand up to the Morning Peacock.
"Morning Peacock?"
Might Guy hesitated.
He was well aware of the power of the Sixth Gate.
If he accidentally injured Hanekawa, he would feel guilty for a long time.
"You don't trust my strength?"
Hanekawa knew what he was thinking and smiled. "Your Morning Peacock might not even work on me."
"Shall we start now?"
Might Guy immediately tossed his worries aside and asked eagerly.
"Hold on."
Hanekawa raised an eyebrow.
He noticed the change in Rin's expression. Her eyes were red, as if she was about to burst into tears at any moment.
"What's wrong?"
Hanekawa walked over and asked.
He already had a good idea of the reason.
"We requested the prisoner list from Iwagakure, but Obito's name wasn't on it."
Kakashi Hatake said with a heavy tone.
He had already known about this earlier, so he wasn't as distraught as Rin.
"But... Obito's body wasn't found, right?"
Rin's voice trembled as she asked.
"It's common not to find bodies on the battlefield."
Kakashi said, though it pained him to say it.
Rin's last hope was shattered, and tears began to flow uncontrollably from her eyes.
"Rin."
Hanekawa sighed, wanting to comfort her but unsure of what to say.
After a moment of hesitation, he pulled Rin into his arms.
A warm aura enveloped them.
Rin was momentarily stunned, but then she stopped holding back and clung tightly to Hanekawa, crying even harder.
Kakashi, seeing this, didn't think much of it, but it stirred up his own emotions.
He turned around and wiped his eyes.
The next second, Might Guy rushed forward and hugged him, crying so hard that tears and snot were everywhere.
"...?"
Kakashi's lips twitched.
Suddenly, he didn't feel like crying anymore, as his emotions were completely disrupted by Might Guy.
After what felt like an eternity, Rin suddenly came to her senses.
Her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Um... thank you."
Rin let go of him and took half a step back.
"It's nothing."
Hanekawa shook his head and said solemnly, "Obito is a hero. He sacrificed himself for Konoha. We should be proud of him."
Obito Uchiha becoming a hero was the best outcome for Rin and Kakashi.
Therefore, Hanekawa wouldn't let him come back to life.
The next time they met Obito, he would help him truly become a hero.
Rin nodded silently.
At that moment, she noticed that Hanekawa's clothes were damp from her tears.
"Your clothes... I'm sorry!"
Rin quickly apologized.
"Oh, this? It's no big deal. I'll just wash it when I get back."
Hanekawa glanced down and said nonchalantly.
"I'll wash it for you!"
Rin said with determination.
"Then I'll trouble you."
Seeing her resolute expression, Hanekawa had no choice but to agree.
He took off his shirt and pulled out a spare jacket from his storage scroll.
"I'll return it to you after I wash it."
Rin held onto his still-warm shirt, suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, and said.
"Let's not stand around here. Let's head back to the village."
Hanekawa said with a smile.
"Hanekawa and I are going to have a youthful showdown. Do you guys want to watch?"
Might Guy's emotions shifted quickly, and he immediately remembered their spar.
"When?"
Kakashi was naturally interested.
Like Minato, he had heard about Hanekawa's incredible feats in the Land of Grass, including the death of the Mizukage at his hands.
Kakashi recalled their days at the ninja academy, when they were evenly matched. But now, the gap between them was likely insurmountable.
Still, he was curious to see just how strong Hanekawa had become.
If Might Guy used the Eight Gates, he might be able to push Hanekawa to reveal some of his true strength.
"Don't you guys need to rest?"
Rin, holding Hanekawa's jacket, asked.
She didn't have a storage scroll because they were too expensive. As a civilian-born ninja, she couldn't afford one.
"No need!"
Might Guy said with excitement. "I'm so pumped up right now, I could punch a cow to death! That's the power of youth!"
Rin looked at Hanekawa.
He had just performed a surgery that morning.
"It's just a spar, not a life-or-death battle. It doesn't need to be so formal."
Hanekawa gave her a reassuring smile.
Rin's heart fluttered, and she nodded obediently.
"Let's head to the nearest training ground."
Hanekawa thought for a moment and said.
"Let's go!"
Might Guy quickly found the direction and dashed off in a flash.
"Doesn't he usually ask you to spar?"
Hanekawa nudged Kakashi and asked.
"He does."
Kakashi said calmly. "But I always refuse, saying it's not the right time during the war."
"No wonder he's so excited."
Hanekawa couldn't help but laugh.
After the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi, was captured, Iwagakure withdrew from the Land of Grass and ceased hostilities with Konoha.
In other words, Might Guy hadn't been in a real fight for a long time.
For him, that must have been unbearable.
The four of them arrived at the training ground.
Since it was almost noon, the training ground was empty.
"Begin!"
Kakashi volunteered to act as the referee.
"Be careful, Hanekawa!"
Might Guy couldn't wait and shouted, "Konoha Senpū!"
Chakra gathered in his legs, and his speed increased dramatically. In the next second, he was right in front of Hanekawa.
He lifted his leg and delivered a spinning kick.
Konoha Senpū!
Hanekawa reacted quickly and countered with a spinning kick of his own.
Their legs collided.
The force of the impact created a shockwave.
Might Guy's body trembled, and he was forced to take several steps back.
He shook his slightly numb right leg and said with admiration, "Hanekawa, your strength is getting scarier by the day."
"You're not bad either."
Hanekawa smiled.
His strength—or rather, his physical foundation—had been steadily increasing.
First, as he grew older, his body developed naturally.
Second, the Lightning Release Chakra Mode had brought about changes.
It wasn't just when the Lightning Release Chakra Mode was active that his body received a boost.
In fact, during the training process, his body had been gradually growing stronger.
"Looks like I'll have to get serious!"
Might Guy roared, "Eight Gates Release: Open!"
His face turned slightly red, and a green energy surged from his body. The chakra-induced airflow spread out in all directions.
Third Gate.
Hanekawa took a glance and immediately understood.
"Dynamic Action: Konoha Kōryū Senpū!"
After opening the Third Gate, Might Guy's speed increased dramatically, and he instantly launched a kick.
Konoha Shufu!
In an instant, Hanekawa delivered three kicks.
Chen Baojun had only taught him two taijutsu techniques.
One was Leaf Dragon God.
The other was Konoha Shūfū.
Leaf Dragon God needs no explanation.
Konoha Shūfū, in simple terms, was a triple spinning kick.
But combined with Hanekawa's immense strength, it wasn't something an ordinary person could withstand.
The first kick hit Might Guy, and his body didn't budge.
By the second kick, he began to feel a heavy pressure.
With the final kick, the pressure increased, and Might Guy was forced to step back.
But compared to their previous exchange, he only took two steps back, showing some improvement.
"Again!"
Might Guy wasn't discouraged. Instead, he became even more fired up.
"These two are monsters."
Kakashi, who was watching, couldn't help but comment.
After opening the Third Gate, Might Guy's taijutsu reached jonin level, or even surpassed that of an average jonin.
But Hanekawa, in his normal state and using only taijutsu, was actually slightly ahead. It was truly outrageous.
Even Kakashi would struggle to win against him in pure taijutsu.
Against Might Guy with the Third Gate open, Kakashi would have to rely on his sword techniques and ninjutsu to compete.
"Guy!"
After a few minutes of sparring, Hanekawa punched Might Guy back and shouted, "Warm-up's over!"
"Fourth Gate: Open!"
Hearing this, Might Guy stood still, and his aura became thick and violent.
The chakra-induced turbulence caused his hair to flutter.
"Fifth Gate: Open!"
Might Guy roared with a fierce expression.
The ground beneath him cracked.
"Sixth Gate: Open!"
Might Guy's aura reached its peak.
The terrifying chakra waves kicked up debris, creating clouds of dust.
Kakashi's expression turned serious.
With the Sixth Gate open, Might Guy's taijutsu surpassed that of most jonin.
At the very least, Kakashi wouldn't dare to take him on head-on.
If he were to spar with Might Guy in the Sixth Gate, he would have to rely on long-range tactics.
But even that would be difficult, as Might Guy's speed was too fast, allowing him to close the distance easily.
"Can he win?"
Rin instinctively tightened her grip on Hanekawa's jacket, her face filled with worry.
"Morning Peacock!"
Might Guy shouted the name of the technique but paused for two seconds to give Hanekawa time to prepare.
Chidori Current!
Electricity surged, instantly enveloping Hanekawa.
"Here I come!"
Might Guy's body flickered and disappeared.
His speed was so fast that it created friction with the air, generating flames.
Might Guy clenched his fists and threw punches at Hanekawa.
His physical abilities were at their limit, and so was his speed.
His fists moved like lightning, creating countless flames as they tore through the air, resembling the dazzling display of a peacock's tail.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode!
The electricity from the Chidori Current provided a momentary cover.
Hanekawa clapped his hands together, and a large amount of chakra surged around his body.
Leaf Dragon God!
His body began to spin rapidly.
The blue lightning was almost instantly replaced by a green tornado.
Hanekawa's body disappeared, replaced by a massive green dragon over thirty meters long.
Of course, it was actually a tornado.
The fast-moving wind turned into sharp blades, absorbing and shredding the nearby flames.
From a distance, it looked like a peacock having its tail feathers plucked by a green dragon.
"What?!"
Might Guy felt pain in his fists and even his arms.
Every punch he threw into the tornado was met with cutting winds.
In no time, his arms were covered in blood.
Hanekawa wasn't feeling too great either.
Although the layer of wind around his body provided some protection, the force of Might Guy's attacks was immense.
This force penetrated the wind and struck the armor formed by his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, causing discomfort.
And Might Guy wasn't throwing just one punch—he was throwing countless punches in rapid succession.
The continuous barrage of force put a lot of pressure on Hanekawa.
But he was satisfied.
After all, he hadn't sustained any injuries from the Morning Peacock.
"What kind of taijutsu is this?"
Kakashi's eyes widened.
This was the first time he had seen a taijutsu technique that could rival the Morning Peacock.
For him, this was a mind-blowing experience.
After all, he had always believed that the Eight Gates was the ultimate taijutsu in the ninja world.
"So cool!"
Rin couldn't help but exclaim.
Kakashi nodded in agreement.
The Morning Peacock was impressive, but compared to Hanekawa's dragon form, it was slightly less visually stunning.
The sound of tearing wind echoed!
Hanekawa's body shook, and the green dragon coiled around Might Guy.
The flames completely dispersed, and the peacock's feathers were completely stripped away.
The surrounding ground was affected, exploding and sending debris flying.
The shockwaves kicked up dust, creating ripples that spread out in all directions, leaving destruction in their wake.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
Seeing this, Kakashi quickly raised an earth wall in front of himself and Rin.
When everything settled, Hanekawa stood unharmed.
Might Guy, on the other hand, was covered in blood and looked quite battered.
Although Hanekawa had controlled his strength, the Leaf Dragon God had inevitably caused some superficial wounds.
Luckily, they weren't serious.
"An incredible taijutsu! A passionate youth!"
Might Guy's eyes shone brightly as he laughed. "That was an amazing fight!"
_
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