Chapter 15

Might Guy's current mood was a mix of nervousness and excitement.

He worried about whether he could defeat the emerging genius, Aragami Kyomu. However, he also looked forward to the upcoming spar with Kyomu.

To engage with a prodigy was a meaningful and long-awaited event for Might Guy. Under the influence of Might Duy, Guy had already begun to awaken his unique traits—the mindset of not giving up and not wasting his youth was deeply ingrained in him.

Although Guy hadn't yet embraced the optimistic and energetic demeanor he would develop in the future due to his self-esteem issues, it was foreseeable that the sparring with Kyomu would mark the first step forward for Might Guy.

"Kyomu, please enlighten me," Guy said seriously, forming hand seals with utmost concentration and bowing slightly towards Kyomu.

Aragami Kyomu reciprocated, following the etiquette of their spar. "Guy, please enlighten me."

As soon as the words fell, Guy instinctively created some distance from Kyomu.

It wasn't a matter of right or wrong; it was merely a reflection of individual combat preferences. Compared to Guy's caution, Kyomu inherently leaned towards aggression and didn't adhere to the strategy of waiting and seizing opportunities.

Swiftly advancing, Kyomu approached Guy, his right hand already on his ninja tool pouch. With a quick flick, three shurikens were held between his fingertips.

Swish, swish, swish.

With a sudden swing of his right hand, three shurikens shot out, forming a '品' character, blocking Guy's limited space for forward movement and maneuvering.

Observing from the sidelines, Shuzo's eyes glinted at Kyomu's predictable yet essential tactics—a necessary step before a ninja initiated an attack.

Simple but practical.

Hatake, who was also closely monitoring the battle, instantly adopted Might Guy's perspective, contemplating how he would respond if he were facing this situation against Kyomu.

However, Guy's performance as the participant left much to be desired.

His pre-training was limited to basic physical conditioning taught by Might Duy, and his knowledge about combat was lacking. Looking a bit flustered, Guy took a few steps back, reaching for his ninja tool pouch with his right hand, intending to counterattack with kunai or shurikens, similar to Kyomu.

However, his movements were somewhat clumsy. While the shurikens Kyomu threw were approaching, Guy hadn't retrieved his necessary tools from his pouch.

Witnessing this, Kakashi couldn't help but shake his head, denying Kyomu's earlier statement about Guy's extraordinary abilities. In his opinion, Guy was just of average skill and didn't stand out much.

Shuzo also shook his head while observing. Kyomu's straightforward tactic seemed to have already secured his victory, and he was prepared to intervene and rescue Might Guy at any moment.

However, Guy's subsequent performance surprised both Kakashi and Shuzo, challenging their preconceived notions.

In a sudden twist to the left, Guy narrowly avoided the shurikens coming from the right. Subsequently, without exerting much force, he leaned backward, relying on the excellent stability provided by his lower body.

Naturally, the two shurikens approaching from the front and left were narrowly evaded as well.

Though thrilling, Guy's performance was remarkable, showcasing the limits of his body's reaction speed and flexibility.

"Such quick reflexes!" Kakashi marveled. "While I can achieve this to some extent, it's not as smooth as he demonstrated."

Shuzo, evaluating Might Guy's actions, commented, "A beautiful spontaneous adaptation. However, it's evident that Guy's response was instinctive, lacking deliberate training. Despite evading Kyomu's initial attack, he lost the initiative and entered a defensive state."

Watching the three shurikens about to collide, Shuzo shook his head again. "The outcome seems predetermined. Kyomu's throwing technique is quite impressive."

Ding, ding, ding.

As predicted by Shuzo, even though Might Guy successfully dodged the first round of shuriken attacks, chaos ensued as they collided. With sparks flying, the three shurikens changed their flight paths, targeting Guy's back and flying towards him again.

Accompanied by the collision's sparks, the shurikens redirected towards Guy's back, causing him to panic. He forgot that Kyomu had this trick up his sleeve.

No time for further contemplation, and driven by instinct, Guy forcefully propelled himself with a sudden burst of power from his legs.

Simultaneously twisting his waist and abdomen, relying on powerful core muscles, he turned his body into a spinning gyroscope, rotating horizontally twice in mid-air. He skillfully avoided the three shurikens attacking from behind.

"Such outstanding body coordination!" Kakashi's eyes lit up. "I suddenly understand why Kyomu praised him earlier!"

It was evident that Guy's two evasion moves were entirely instinctive and not the result of deliberate training for on-the-spot reactions.

This was talent—skills that could be mastered without intentional learning, in stark contrast to techniques acquired through training.

Shuzo also nodded in approval, acknowledging Might Guy's unexpected performance.

"Too bad Kyomu's practiced throwing skills went to waste," Shuzo remarked. "If Kyomu had the Sharingan to assist him, a simple prediction would have led to Guy's defeat at this point."

Glancing at Obito, who was watching the battle, Shuzo couldn't help but feel a bit unbalanced.

"The Uchiha clan is indeed blessed. With just one awakening, they can match years of hard training by others."

Though the spectators had diverse thoughts, once the initial probing failed, Kyomu had already closed in on Guy.

While Guy's performance had been impressive, it was clear that, until his natural talent was fully realized, there was still a considerable gap between him and Kyomu.

At least in terms of strategic intelligence, Guy was still like a blank sheet.

Having lost the initiative and falling into a passive defensive state, Guy was completely drawn into Kyomu's attacking rhythm.

Bang.

A seemingly ordinary straight punch was swung, and Guy crossed his arms to barely block it. Upon landing, he swayed a few times, retreating several steps to dissipate the remaining impact.

Without giving Guy time to adjust, Kyomu closed in again. Suddenly feinting a sweeping leg motion, he threw Guy off balance for a moment.

As Guy jumped to evade, he belatedly realized that Kyomu had already changed his move. Angling at 45 degrees, Kyomu kicked right into Guy's chest.

Bang.

Mid-jump and without a surface to push against, Guy could only endure the attack, getting kicked and sent flying.

Observing from the sidelines, Kakashi noted that Shuzo hadn't moved an inch. He could see that Guy had a sturdy physique and could endure such blows.

However, within the battle's context, Kyomu didn't hesitate to follow up with the final blow.

Closing the distance with one more step, Kyomu reached out and grabbed Guy's wrist as he soared backward. Swiftly leveraging and using Guy's flying momentum, Kyomu applied additional downward force, crashing Guy to the ground.

Bang.

Quickly seizing a ninja knife from behind as Guy hit the ground, Kyomu unsheathed it. Kneeling on Might Guy's chest, he positioned the blade against Guy's neck.

"You've lost."

Guy stared blankly at Kyomu towering over him, his eyes dimming, and his head turning away.

"I lost."

Kyomu stood up, sheathing his knife and bending over, offering a hand. "Need help?"

Guy turned his head, hesitated for a moment, and eventually took Kyomu's hand, allowing himself to be pulled up.

"Thank you."

Standing up, Guy whispered his gratitude.

"No need." Aragami Kyomu shook his head. "You're strong. This battle has been very enlightening for me."

"Really?!" The dull gaze in Guy's eyes suddenly brightened. "You acknowledge my strength?!"

"Of course. You're a talented opponent," Kyomu gestured. "I believe that among my future formidable opponents, you'll definitely have your place. Keep it up!"

Biting his lip, Guy looked at Kyomu's encouraging gesture and his serious expression, feeling tears welling up.

Is this what youth is all about?

And he really wanted to spar with Kyomu again, no, many more times!

On the path to youth, how could one do without worthy opponents?

However, Kyomu didn't say much more to Guy. He turned around and ran away.

The look in Guy's eyes just now was dangerous!

Damn, maybe I overacted!

(End of this chapter)