Might Guy's training continued beneath the rising morning sun.
Again and again, his fingers thrust forward toward the rough bark of the tree.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Each strike sent sharp pain through his fingertips, yet he gritted his teeth and continued without hesitation.
Inside his body, the warm current of the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic slowly circulated through his meridians. The skin on his fingertips repeatedly split open, healed, tore apart again, and healed once more under the nourishing flow of Internal Energy.
The sun gradually climbed higher into the sky.
One hundred strikes.
Two hundred strikes.
Five hundred strikes.
One thousand strikes.
By then, his fingers had swollen badly enough to resemble red carrots.
Two thousand strikes.
The skin around his knuckles had been rubbed raw, leaving thin streaks of blood on the bark.
Three thousand strikes.
At that point, the pain had almost turned numb.
Yet Might Guy still continued stabbing his fingers forward relentlessly.
Only one thought remained inside his mind.
You cannot stop.
Four thousand strikes.
Five thousand strikes.
When the final strike landed, his fingers were so stiff they could barely bend anymore.
Might Guy slowly spread open both hands and looked at his swollen fingers before grinning brightly.
[Great Vajra Finger: Initial Mastery 5/99]
"Not bad."
"Time to head home and eat."
The path back required passing through a small forest grove.
Might Guy casually shook his hands to restore circulation. His fingertips throbbed painfully, but his mood remained surprisingly good.
Then he suddenly heard crying.
It was extremely quiet.
The kind of crying where someone desperately covered their mouth because they were afraid of making noise.
Might Guy's footsteps paused instantly.
Following the sound, he looked deeper into the woods.
Four older boys surrounded a little girl near the trees.
The girl had naturally curly black hair cut short around her shoulders.
Her eyes were large and wine-red.
Even at a young age, she was exceptionally adorable.
However, tears filled those beautiful eyes while she bit her lip tightly to stop herself from crying.
She clutched a small hair tie tightly in her hand while several boys repeatedly tried to snatch it away.
"Let go!"
"I won't! My mother gave this to me!"
"If you don't hand it over, we'll beat you up!"
Might Guy's expression darkened immediately.
Bullying a little girl?
Something instantly snapped inside his head.
[System Prompt: Mission Triggered β Righting Wrongs, Acting Heroically.]
[Reward: Monk Value +80, Random Elementary Gift Pack Γ1]
Might Guy did not even bother paying attention to the System notification.
He rushed forward and shouted loudly:
"LET GO OF THAT GIRL!"
The four boys jumped in surprise before turning around together.
The leader was a chubby seven or eight-year-old wearing a wrinkled Ninja Academy uniform.
The moment he recognized Might Guy, a mocking sneer appeared on his face.
"Oh, I was wondering who it was."
His gaze swept over Might Guy's green outfit mockingly.
"So it's the Eternal Genin's useless son."
"The rejected dead last."
The other boys immediately burst into laughter as well.
"I heard he can't even properly use the Clone Technique."
"He only knows some Taijutsu."
"So what if he knows Taijutsu? He's still just a human punching bag."
The chubby boy stepped forward arrogantly and shoved Might Guy in the chest.
"If you know what's good for you, get lost and stop meddling in our busi..."
Before he could finish speaking, Might Guy suddenly kicked forward.
"Great Vajra Leg!"
Bang!
The kick slammed heavily into the boy's shin.
The chubby boy immediately let out a miserable scream before dropping to his knees.
The remaining three boys froze briefly before angrily charging forward.
Might Guy did not retreat at all.
His swollen right fingers instantly thrust outward and stabbed into the shoulder of the nearest boy.
The boy screamed miserably while clutching his shoulder.
Half of his arm immediately went numb.
At the same moment, the third boy rushed in from the side while holding an unsharpened training kunai.
Although it was not a real weapon, being cut would still hurt badly.
Might Guy sidestepped instinctively before following up with another kick.
The top of his foot slammed directly into the boy's chin.
The boy immediately fell backward onto the ground.
The final bully was frightened senseless.
He turned around and ran while shouting loudly:
"Just you wait! You'll regret this later!"
Might Guy did not bother chasing after him.
Instead, he lowered his head and looked toward his arm.
Although he had dodged most of the attack just now, the edge of the training kunai had still sliced across his forearm.
Blood slowly dripped down from his elbow.
The wound was not deep, but it stung painfully.
Might Guy did not even make a sound.
He simply turned around and looked toward the little girl.
She still stood there motionlessly while tightly clutching the hair tie in her hand.
Her wide wine-red eyes stared blankly at him in shock.
Might Guy immediately flashed a grin before raising a thumbs-up.
"It's okay now!"
The sunlight landed across his face. Sweat covered his forehead while blood trickled down his arm, yet his smile remained dazzlingly bright.
The little girl stared at him blankly.
Then her face slowly turned red.
She lowered her head and spoke softly.
"Th-thank you..."
Might Guy walked over before crouching slightly to look at her.
"What's your name?"
"...Ku... Kurenai Yuhi."
Her large red eyes briefly looked up at him before quickly lowering again.
Might Guy paused slightly.
Kurenai Yuhi?
Future Yuhi Kurenai?
No wonder she looked so cute.
A dangerous thought instantly appeared in his mind.
I kind of want to pinch her cheeks...
Fortunately, he forcefully restrained the impulse.
To ease the awkwardness, he scratched the back of his head before asking:
"Why were you here alone anyway?"
Kurenai lightly pursed her lips.
"I just finished training and wanted to take a shortcut home..."
Might Guy nodded knowingly.
"Take the main road next time."
"If those idiots come back again, just run away first."
"And if you can't escape, shout loudly. If I hear you, I'll come help."
Kurenai blinked slightly.
Her gaze slowly shifted toward his green outfit, then toward his swollen fingers, and finally toward the bleeding wound on his arm.
"Your... your arm..."
"It's nothing!"
Might Guy waved his hand confidently.
Although the pain made the corner of his mouth twitch slightly, his smile remained unchanged.
"I'm a man. A little injury like this doesn't matter."
A strange light slowly appeared inside Kurenai's eyes.
She quietly pursed her lips before pulling out a neatly folded handkerchief from her pocket.
"Here..."
"You should wipe the blood off."
Might Guy looked slightly surprised before accepting it.
"Thanks."
The tips of Kurenai's ears instantly turned red.
She hurriedly turned around and began running away.
However, after taking several steps, she suddenly stopped and looked back seriously.
"My name is Kurenai Yuhi!"
"You have to remember it!"
Then she quickly ran away again.
Her curly black hair bounced gently beneath the sunlight.
Might Guy watched her disappearing figure before lowering his head toward the handkerchief in his hand.
A small flower was embroidered neatly onto the fabric, carrying a faint pleasant fragrance.
He could not help smiling slightly.
[Mission Completed: Righting Wrongs, Acting Heroically]
[Reward Obtained: Monk Value +80, Random Elementary Gift Pack Γ1]
[Open Gift Pack?]
"Open."
[Obtained: Golden Sore Ointment Γ3]
[Effect: Accelerates healing of external injuries]
Might Guy's eyes brightened slightly.
Golden Sore Ointment?
This was definitely useful.
Without hesitation, he immediately invested all eighty Monk Value points into the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic.
[Monk Value -80]
The Muscle-Tendon Change Classic was his true foundation.
Might Guy had already decided that all future Monk Value points would first be invested into this cultivation technique.
Only by rapidly increasing the proficiency of the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic could he build the strongest possible foundation for his future.
Moreover, the higher its proficiency became, the greater his physical recovery speed would grow.
That meant he could endure even more intense training.
A perfect cycle.
Feeling satisfied, Might Guy hummed quietly while returning home.
The moment he pushed open the door, Duy immediately greeted him enthusiastically.
"Guy! You must be hungry! Papa specially prepared..."
His voice abruptly stopped the moment he noticed the blood on Might Guy's arm.
"You're injured?!"
"Just a small wound."
Might Guy casually waved it off.
"I ran into some bullies on the way back and fought a little."
Duy froze briefly.
Then his eyes instantly turned red again.
He suddenly pulled Might Guy tightly into his arms.
"Good son!"
"Standing up for justice is what real men do!"
Might Guy was squeezed so hard he nearly stopped breathing.
"Papa... food first..."
"Oh! Right, right, right! Time to eat!"
On the table sat two steaming plates of fried rice with extremely strange colors.
Green.
Red.
Yellow.
The mixture looked suspicious enough to resemble some sort of experimental Ninjutsu.
Might Guy silently sat down before taking a spoonful into his mouth.
Surprisingly...
It actually tasted pretty good.
Meanwhile, Duy sat across from him and stared at him proudly the entire time.
"Guy."
"Hm?"
"Did you apply medicine to your injuries yet?"
"Not yet."
Duy immediately stood up and rummaged through a cabinet before pulling out a small medical box.
Then he sat beside Might Guy and carefully began applying ointment onto the wound.
Might Guy quietly watched his father's clumsy but careful movements.
In his previous life, nobody had ever treated his injuries for him.
"Papa."
"Hm?"
"I beat up four people today."
"One of them even had a kunai."
"But I wasn't scared."
Duy's hand paused briefly.
When he raised his head again, his eyes were slightly red, but his face was filled with pride.
"Good son!"
Then he heavily slapped Might Guy's back in excitement.
Might Guy almost spat out his fried rice.
After finishing the meal, Duy cleaned the dishes before suddenly remembering something.
"Oh right, Guy."
"Papa has to leave tomorrow."
Might Guy looked up.
"Where are you going?"
"There's an escort mission outside the village."
"We're protecting a merchant caravan traveling to a nearby town."
"It'll probably take two or three days."
Duy scratched his head awkwardly.
"It's only a C-rank mission. I originally didn't plan to accept it, but the payment is pretty good."
"The client specifically requested me too!"
As he spoke, he proudly raised another thumbs-up.
"Looks like your father still has some reputation!"
Might Guy nodded calmly.
It was perfectly normal for Genin to handle C-rank escort missions.
"Then you should rest properly tonight."
Duy gently patted his head.
"The body is the most important thing."
"While Papa is away, don't train too recklessly."
"And remember to eat on time."
Might Guy froze briefly.
This hot-blooded idiot actually said something like don't train too hard?
"...I know."
Duy grinned happily before heading outside to buy groceries for tomorrow's trip.
That afternoon, Might Guy stood in the courtyard while looking toward the training equipment nearby.
He genuinely wanted to continue training immediately.
However, Duy's earlier words continuously echoed inside his mind.
"The body is the most important thing."
"Don't train too hard."
Might Guy lowered his head and looked at his swollen fingers.
Then he glanced toward the wound on his arm.
Although the bleeding had already stopped, moving still caused pain.
After taking a deep breath, he turned around and returned to his room.
Then he quietly lay down on the bed.
The Muscle-Tendon Change Classic slowly circulated throughout his body.
Warm currents flowed gently through his meridians.
The pain in his fingers gradually weakened, while the wound on his arm tingled slightly as it healed.
The afternoon sunlight outside was warm and peaceful.
Eventually, Might Guy slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Duy was right.
Proper rest existed for the sake of even better cultivation later.
That evening, Duy quietly pushed open the bedroom door.
When he saw that Might Guy was still sleeping soundly, he froze briefly.
Then a relieved smile appeared on his face.
He carefully walked to the bedside before gently pulling the blanket higher around his son.
"Good son..."
He spoke softly.
"You've finally learned how to rest properly."
After silently watching him for several moments, Duy seemed to make some sort of decision.
He slowly inhaled deeply before quietly turning around and walking out of the room.