Forest clearing
In truth, Katsumi Kei had been wondering how to find a suitable opponent to test both his and Hayate's current strength.
So when Might Guy offered a spar in exchange for taijutsu instruction, it was the perfect opportunity.
Win-win.
Kei, Hayate, and Might Guy soon arrived at a wide open space, the forest clearing ringed by morning mist. Tenten and Naruto stood off to the side, eyes gleaming.
"Kei," Might Guy called, adjusting into his stance—fists raised, legs braced. "As your senior, I'll let you take the first move!"
Kei gave a single nod. "Alright. Hayate."
"Woof!"
With a sharp bark, Hayate's chakra surged out from his frame in spiraling gusts of wind. It wrapped around his limbs, encased his body—violent, howling, focused.
The wind was more than show. It was a weapon.
In the next instant, Hayate vanished.
A flash of white. A streak through the air.
Guy's eyes gleamed. "Leaf Hurricane!"
He twisted, his leg sweeping wide. Hayate's claws met Guy's chakra-coated kick with a loud bang.
The wind screeched.
Hayate was knocked back, claws carving a twin trench nearly two meters long into the earth before he regained balance.
Before Kei could react, Guy was already in pursuit.
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
Whipping forward like a storm, Guy's legs lashed out.
"Wind Style: Wind Blade!"
Kei clapped his hands together.
Three shadow clones appeared.
Kei swept his palm, slicing the air with a half-meter blade of wind.
Simultaneously, his clones flanked out, launching coordinated volleys of kunai and shuriken.
No Wind Style from them—Kei didn't have the chakra reserves yet. And this was a spar.
But still—
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Under pressure, Guy halted.
"A well-timed tactic!" he praised mid-dodge. "If memory serves, you only began chakra training two days ago. But you've already reached this level? You're a true genius, Kei!"
With fluid grace, he spun through the hail of projectiles and slashed wind, landing nimbly on his feet.
Hayate surged back into the fray.
'He's adapting,' Kei noted. 'Fast.'
"You're amazing too, Senior Guy," Kei replied, forming another set of seals. "Every move—clean, direct, efficient. It's like watching perfected instinct."
Guy laughed.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
Chakra flared from his calves, coating his lower limbs in a visible surge of blue.
Tsunade used chakra for raw power. Guy used it for speed and precision.
Strong Fist enhanced the body's performance outward—speed, force, impact.
Gentle Fist, by contrast, turned chakra inward—suppressing, damaging, controlling.
Light and dark. Yin and yang. Two paths to mastery.
Kei would walk both, if given the chance.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"
A concentrated shell of air blasted from Kei's mouth.
The clones moved in sync—shuriken and kunai arcing through the air in staggered rhythm.
Hayate's tail whipped like a banner behind him as he launched forward, his fangs and claws shrouded in slicing wind.
One white blur. One green.
They collided like opposing storms.
Whirlwind against whirlwind.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
"Leaf Rising Wind!"
Basic taijutsu forms in Guy's hands became something else entirely—extensions of his body. Elbows, knees, feet, even hip twists—all became lethal.
Kei didn't falter.
Wind flowed along his limbs like silk drawn over wire.
Each movement precise. Every gust shaped with intent—Vacuum Sphere, Wind Blade, Wind Palm.
His control grew sharper.
The clones evolved with him, adjusting their throws, tweaking wind pressure to alter trajectories mid-flight.
It made their barrage unpredictable.
Hayate, too, seemed to awaken a deeper instinct. He moved with wilder precision, reacting not just as a partner—but as a beast.
Their rhythm began to overwhelm.
Even Guy's smile faded.
His brows furrowed.
"Kei, your genius... it's not just theory. It's adaptability. This is—astonishing."
His feet dug in.
"If I don't get serious, I might actually lose. So Kei… brace yourself!"
The mood shifted.
The pressure from Might Guy exploded outward.
His real strength was coming next.