The Forest of Death.
Two figures were locked in close combat, their movements so fast that their features blurred into afterimages.
Kitazawa stopped in his tracks, a hint of surprise crossing his face.
He had left the academy to look for Might Guy.
Bringing Hyūga Hinata along was simply to begin her special training on the way.
Rather than stepping in, Kitazawa stayed where he was and calmly watched this one-on-one clash between men.
He knew both combatants well.
One was Might Guy, dressed in a green jumpsuit so tight it assaulted one's aesthetic sensibilities.
The other was no less eye-catching—Hatake Kakashi, with his silver hair and black mask covering everything but his right eye.
Kitazawa's gaze never left Guy.
Before long, he saw him unleash Leaf Great Whirlwind.
With nothing better to do, Kitazawa memorized the movement sequence.
But technique alone wasn't enough—taijutsu relied most heavily on how force was generated.
Unless one had the Sharingan, proper instruction was indispensable.
Bang!
The two exchanged a final blow and instantly separated.
"That's enough for today."
Kakashi paused, then said flatly,
"Kitazawa's here. He probably has business."
"Then we'll continue next time."
Guy replied with lingering enthusiasm.
"Guy."
Kitazawa walked over and greeted them.
"Kakashi."
"You're free at this hour?"
Kakashi glanced at Hinata, who was hiding behind Kitazawa, and asked,
"Skipping work?"
"I just finished class."
Kitazawa introduced her,
"This is my student, Hyūga Hinata."
"I'm very interested in the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist!"
Guy's eyes lit up instantly.
"She's still a child."
Kakashi reminded him.
Guy scratched his head awkwardly.
The Hyūga clan, while not controversial, was difficult to deal with—much like the Uchiha.
The Uchihas were proud.
The Hyūga were bound by rules.
"Guy, I came to ask you for a favor."
Kitazawa went straight to the point.
"Then I'll leave you to it. I'm heading back to ANBU."
Without waiting for a reply, Kakashi vanished.
Kitazawa twitched his lips.
He strongly suspected Kakashi ran that fast because he was afraid of getting dragged into more sparring.
In canon, Guy treated Kakashi as his lifelong rival, constantly challenging him to duels of every imaginable kind.
Truly—a good man fears persistent men.
"Can you teach me Leaf Great Whirlwind?"
Kitazawa asked directly.
"Of course!"
Guy gave a thumbs-up, his teeth gleaming.
"Burning youth must be shared through taijutsu—sweat and passion together!"
In canon, Guy had even taught Kakashi the forbidden Eight Gates.
Compared to that, Leaf Great Whirlwind was nothing more than a basic taijutsu.
"Thanks."
Kitazawa suddenly thought of something and asked,
"Do you know Rock Lee?"
"I don't."
Guy thought for a few seconds, then shook his head.
Kitazawa wasn't surprised.
After all, Rock Lee was only a second-year student at this point.
"Rock Lee is in Second Year, Class A."
Kitazawa explained.
"If you have time, you should meet him."
"Why?"
Guy asked, puzzled.
"I think he possesses the spirit of youth."
Kitazawa smiled.
"He's perfectly suited for your taijutsu."
"Really?!"
Guy's excitement exploded.
In the shinobi world, the bond between teacher and student was both common and deeply significant.
Most shinobi longed to find someone who could inherit their techniques.
Guy was no exception.
Yet finding a suitable disciple was incredibly difficult—Eight Gates were brutally demanding.
"You'll see for yourself."
Kitazawa said confidently.
"He won't disappoint you."
"Fantastic!"
Guy froze for a moment, then his body trembled as tears burst forth.
"This must be the power of youth!"
Kitazawa could only think of four words—utterly astonishing.
Hinata, meanwhile, stared in shock.
What is this… strange adult?
"Excellent!"
Guy wiped away his tears.
"Let us begin a lesson of youthful passion—right now!"
"Hinata, since you're here, you should learn too."
Kitazawa followed after him and said,
"O-okay."
Hinata snapped out of it and nodded.
"Watch closely!"
Guy stopped in front of a tree and shouted,
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
He launched a low kick into the trunk, then spun his body, turning it into a rising kick.
Boom!
The tree shook violently. Leaves scattered everywhere, and a deep dent was carved into the trunk.
"That power is terrifying."
Kitazawa couldn't help but click his tongue.
But on second thought, it made sense.
In canon, Guy's dedication was unrivaled—no exaggeration, he trained whenever he wasn't eating or sleeping.
"Your turn."
Guy stepped aside.
Kitazawa walked forward and replicated the technique exactly.
"Amazing!"
Hinata blurted out when she saw him succeed on the first try.
"You've learned this before?"
Guy asked, staring at his flawless execution.
"No."
Kitazawa shook his head.
He truly hadn't learned Leaf Great Whirlwind before.
But he had mastered Leaf Whirlwind at a proficient level.
"Kitazawa, train taijutsu with me!"
Guy suddenly looked at him with burning anticipation.
"I don't have that much time to train."
Kitazawa coughed lightly and refused.
"And we're classmates—becoming teacher and student now would mess up seniority."
Learning the Eight Gates meant a lifetime of suffering.
Now that he had a system, wasn't he allowed to enjoy life a little?
By noon, after two full hours of training, Kitazawa had successfully mastered Leaf Great Whirlwind.
[Current Task: Master a C-rank technique faster than Uchiha Sasuke.]
[Reward: Manipulated Shuriken Technique.]
[Task Completed. Reward Granted.]
Manipulated Shuriken Technique was both a ninjutsu and a throwing art.
In simple terms—it used nearly invisible wires to control shuriken, achieving unpredictable trajectories.
"Guy, thanks for today. I'll treat you to lunch."
Kitazawa wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked,
"What do you want to eat?"
"Ichiraku Ramen."
Guy replied after a moment's thought.
"Hinata, how are you holding up?"
Kitazawa turned to her.
Her fair face was flushed from sweat, and her neatly kept hair was now slightly messy.
"I… I'm fine."
Hinata took a breath and said,
"Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen."
Kitazawa looked at her, already thinking about the second stage of her training.
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