Wearing a green skin-tight outfit, Might Guy stepped out of his house with a bun clenched between his teeth. Warm sunlight fell on his face, and even the always energetic Might Guy could not help letting out a sound as he stretched. He looked relaxed, like the morning itself was pushing him to move.
The flowers planted along the street were already in full bloom, bright and colorful. Just one glance was enough to lift his mood.
"Of course, morning is the best time for youth to bloom!"
Might Guy took a deep breath, stuffed the bun into his mouth in a few bites, and shouted through a mouthful of food, "Facing the sunrise of Konoha, let sweat and petals fly together!"
With that, he swung his legs and ran toward the commercial district, kicking up dust as he went. Halfway there, he noticed more and more people walking in the opposite direction, and the wide road began to feel crowded.
"Huh?"
Might Guy stopped, scratched his head, and jumped up lightly to a higher spot. He raised a hand to block the sunlight and looked toward the flow of people on the distant streets.
The hurried crowd gathered like ants, moving in small groups toward Konoha Village Gate. The scene felt unusual, and it drew his attention without effort.
"What happened?"
Curiosity flickered in Might Guy's mind, but he only hesitated for a moment. He then continued against the crowd, heading toward the clan grounds of Hyuga Clan.
Time passed quickly, and two months slipped by in the blink of an eye. During this period, Konoha remained peaceful and calm, and the ordinary people knew nothing about the conflicts on the borders of the Land of Fire.
It was not until the higher-ups of Konoha announced that Kumogakure would come to Konoha to sign an alliance that the public finally realized something had been happening. Shock quickly turned into joy, as they were amazed that their Third Hokage had done something so significant in secret.
Calling it an "alliance" sounded nice, but was it not just coming over to cling to a stronger leg? Faced with the submission of a former great enemy from the days of the Ninja World War, everyone in Konoha felt proud.
However, someone like Might Guy, a minor chunin with no background, naturally had no idea what had happened at the border. He trained every day and did not even know that Kumogakure was coming to Konoha to sign an alliance.
What he did know was that his training partner, Ryuji Hyuga, had completely vanished over the past two months. Every time he went to the Hyuga Clan grounds to look for Ryuji Hyuga, he was stopped by a Branch Family clansman with a complicated expression.
That person would politely, even unusually courteously, inform him that Ryuji Hyuga was in closed-door cultivation and to come back after two months. Closed-door cultivation for physical training made no sense at all.
Might Guy knew very well that Ryuji Hyuga was no less hardworking and disciplined than himself. His first reaction was that the guy was lying, but the clansman's expression did not seem fake.
That was when Might Guy began to wonder if something had happened inside the Hyuga clan. Now, two full months had passed since that day.
"Ryuji should be opening his door today, right?"
Because Kakashi Hatake had joined ANBU and was busy every day, and with Ryuji Hyuga gone as his only training partner, Might Guy had been stifled training alone for two months. When the agreed time arrived, he naturally rushed over without delay.
When Might Guy reached the clan grounds of Hyuga Clan, the person on duty happened to be the same Branch Family clansman who had once been taught a lesson by Ryuji Hyuga. This time, the man did not stop him or glare coldly, but politely let him pass.
The attitude had changed, and it had clearly changed for a reason. That kid Ryuji must have quietly done something big.
"Yun, chuan!"
Might Guy ran toward Ryuji Hyuga's residence with an excited face and shouted, "Do not pretend you cannot hear me, you jerk! Let me see what kind of progress you made in these two months. Today I will definitely make you shout, 'As expected of Senior Guy!'"
In the past, Ryuji Hyuga's residence had always been protected by a barrier, but now it was gone. Carried by excitement, Might Guy did not bother with formalities and stepped inside when he saw the door was not closed.
The moment he entered, it felt like passing through a thin film, and his body hair suddenly stood on end. It was not killing intent, but an invisible charge in the air that made his skin tingle.
"This is…"
Feeling a faint numbness on his skin, Might Guy frowned and moved lightly toward Ryuji's training room. The closer he got, the stronger the sensation became.
When he pushed open the door, slightly distorted air came into view. A sharp crackling sound followed, thin and continuous.
All conductive equipment in the room had been removed, and Ryuji Hyuga sat cross-legged in the center with his upper body bare. Fine blue arcs of electricity danced across his skin and around him, like countless small blue snakes stretching and gliding through the air.
As if hearing Might Guy enter, the closed-eyed Ryuji Hyuga slowly opened his eyes. A flash of blue light passed through the pure white depths of his gaze.
Under Might Guy's shocked stare, the arcs of electricity around Ryuji Hyuga began to draw inward. Like tamed snakes, they gradually sank back into his body.
"Senior Guy, are you going to train?" Ryuji Hyuga asked calmly.
"…"
Might Guy snapped back to himself and stared blankly at Ryuji Hyuga's body. The power hidden within was almost visible to the eye.
"Ryuji, you are using Lightning Release Chakra to temper your body?" His face filled with disbelief as he blurted out, "Are you crazy?"
Using Lightning Release Chakra to strengthen the body was not a secret in the ninja world, especially since Kumogakure was best at it. The Third Raikage was known as having the strongest shield and spear, and the Fourth Raikage earned fame as the Blue Lightning for his speed.
But not just anyone could use Lightning Release Chakra in this way. Mastery of its nature and form was already difficult, and it also required a complete understanding of one's own meridian system.
Why were most Lightning Release techniques long-range in nature? Why were there so few suitable for chunin and Genin to practice?
It was because Lightning Release Chakra was unstable, perhaps the most unstable of the five Chakra attributes. To use any technique, Chakra had to circulate through the body's meridians, and the violent nature of Lightning Release made it extremely hard to control.
Even a small mistake during that process could heavily injure the user. Thinking of this, Might Guy suddenly froze.
With the Byakugan that allowed him to see the meridian system, Ryuji Hyuga might truly be the best candidate for this kind of training. That realization left Might Guy speechless for a moment.
It was easy to imagine that Ryuji Hyuga, who tempered his body with Lightning Release Chakra, would make rapid progress in training the Eight Gates. This was a path completely out of reach for someone like him, who had almost no talent for ninjutsu.
That brief frustration vanished almost instantly, replaced by boiling battle intent and passion. Might Guy's gaze toward Ryuji Hyuga shifted again and again, until it became the same look he usually gave Kakashi Hatake.
"Ryuji." He raised his thumb, eyes burning, and flashed a wide grin of shining white teeth as he said seriously, "Congratulations."
There was no jealousy or bitterness in his words, only sincere happiness for his friend and for himself. He was happy for Ryuji Hyuga's growth, and also happy that he had gained another worthy opponent.
At this moment, Ryuji Hyuga was no longer someone who needed to huddle together for warmth, nor a junior to be pitied and guided. He had become, like Kakashi Hatake, a truly respected rival and close friend.