Before dawn arrived, Duy and Might Guy had already reached the waterfall deep within Konoha's back mountains.
The cold mist drifting from the waterfall soaked the surrounding rocks and grass, while the roaring sound of rushing water echoed throughout the forest.
Duy stood proudly with his hands on his hips, his sparkling white teeth gleaming brightly even in the darkness before sunrise.
"Guy!"
"We only have twenty days left! Ordinary training won't be enough anymore!"
As he spoke, his expression gradually became serious.
"So from today onward, Papa is giving you special training!"
Might Guy nodded calmly.
"Okay."
Duy froze for a moment.
"You're not even going to ask what kind of training it is?"
"No."
Duy's eyes instantly reddened again.
"As expected of my son! So hot-blooded!"
Before Might Guy could react, Duy had already rushed over and hugged him tightly.
Guy nearly suffocated on the spot.
"Papa... loosen your grip first..."
Only then did Duy finally release him.
After taking a deep breath, his expression became unusually solemn.
"Guy, from now on, you must complete five thousand kicks every single day!"
"One thousand push-ups using your fingers, with two hundred more added each day!"
"You must also stand beneath the waterfall for at least one hour!"
Then he paused dramatically before raising a thumbs-up.
"And most importantly..."
"Papa is going to teach you an ultimate Taijutsu move!"
"Konoha Senpu!"
Might Guy's eyes immediately brightened.
Konoha Senpu.
One of Might Guy's signature Taijutsu techniques in the future.
It was also the foundation for many of his later kicking techniques.
"Watch carefully!"
Duy stepped backward several paces before inhaling deeply.
Then his body suddenly burst forward.
He leaped into the air.
Midair, his body spun rapidly before unleashing a powerful roundhouse kick.
Whoosh!
The sharp sound of tearing wind echoed clearly through the forest.
After landing smoothly, Duy turned around proudly, his white teeth gleaming brightly.
"Well?!"
Might Guy blinked slightly.
At the instant he watched that kick, something strange seemed to ignite within his mind.
It was not a System notification.
Instead, it felt more like instinctive comprehension.
The rhythm of the spin.
The adjustment of balance while airborne.
The method of channeling force through the waist and legs.
It was as though his body had naturally understood the movement.
"Papa."
"Let me try."
Duy stared blankly at him.
"Now? You've only watched it once..."
However, Might Guy had already begun moving.
He sprinted forward.
Leaped into the air.
Twisted his body.
Then kicked.
Whoosh!
Although the movement looked slightly awkward and he nearly stumbled upon landing, the kick itself had been executed successfully.
Duy's mouth slowly fell open.
Might Guy steadied himself before looking back at his father.
Duy still had not closed his mouth.
"...Guy."
"Hm?"
"You... just now..."
Might Guy scratched his head awkwardly.
"I think I understood it."
"I'm just not very skilled at it yet."
Duy stood frozen for three full seconds.
Then his eyes instantly turned red once more.
"GOOD SON!!!"
"YOU'RE A GENIUS!!!"
"YOU WERE BORN FOR TAIJUTSU!!!"
He immediately charged forward to hug him again.
Fortunately, this time Might Guy reacted quickly and turned around to run.
"Papa! Calm down first!"
"I CAN'T CALM DOWN!!!"
Soon, two green figures began chasing each other wildly through the forest, startling flocks of birds into the air.
...
Their true special training officially began afterward.
On the first day, Might Guy completed five thousand kicks, one thousand finger push-ups, and stood beneath the waterfall for twenty minutes.
He endured it.
On the second day, the number increased to five thousand five hundred kicks, one thousand two hundred finger push-ups, and thirty minutes beneath the waterfall.
He still endured it.
By the third day, the training had already reached six thousand kicks, one thousand four hundred finger push-ups, and forty minutes beneath the freezing waterfall.
That evening, Might Guy sat quietly beneath a tree while staring at his hands.
Not a single finger remained intact anymore.
The skin around his knuckles had completely torn apart, exposing bloody flesh beneath. Some places had even become raw enough to reveal hints of pale white bone.
Blood slowly dripped from his fingertips onto the fallen leaves below.
Then he lowered his head toward his feet.
Even his insteps had split open from repeatedly striking tree trunks.
The bark before him was stained with dried blood.
At that moment, a thought suddenly surfaced inside his mind.
Why am I pushing myself this hard?
In his previous life, he had been an orphan with nobody to care about him.
Back then, simply surviving had already been enough.
But in this life...
He had a father.
He had a System.
And he possessed the chance to become truly strong.
Might Guy silently lowered his head and stared at his bloodied fingers.
At that moment, footsteps slowly approached nearby.
Duy walked over quietly and sat beside him without saying a word.
Then he lowered himself into a horse stance.
The next moment, he threw a punch forward.
Bang!
His fist smashed heavily into the tree trunk, causing the entire tree to tremble as leaves rained down.
Bang!
Another punch followed immediately afterward.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Again and again, Duy continued punching the tree silently.
Very quickly, the skin on his fists split apart as blood slowly seeped out.
Might Guy looked at him blankly.
Duy still said nothing.
He simply continued throwing punches.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Might Guy slowly gritted his teeth.
Then he silently raised his own finger once more.
Poke.
Again.
Again.
Again.
[Great Vajra Finger proficiency +1]
[Great Vajra Leg proficiency +1]
Night gradually descended upon the forest.
Only the sounds of fists and fingers striking wood continued echoing through the woods over and over again until very late into the night.
...
On the thirteenth day, Might Guy woke up at around three in the morning.
His fingers hurt.
His feet hurt.
His shoulders hurt.
Every part of his body ached painfully.
After opening his eyes, he instinctively prepared to circulate the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic to ease the soreness.
However, he quickly noticed that Duy was not sleeping beside him.
Might Guy slowly turned his head toward the door.
The door was slightly open.
Moonlight quietly filtered through the crack.
He climbed out of bed and silently walked over before peeking outside.
Duy was sitting alone at the doorway while staring quietly at the moon.
This man, who usually laughed the loudest and acted the most energetic, now looked strangely quiet.
For some reason, his back appeared unexpectedly lonely.
Might Guy slowly pushed the door open before walking over and sitting beside him.
Duy turned slightly and grinned.
"Why are you awake?"
"Does it hurt?"
"Yeah."
Might Guy answered honestly.
Duy gently patted his head.
"Papa hurts too."
"But pain is a good thing."
"It means you're becoming stronger."
Might Guy remained silent for a while.
Then he suddenly asked softly:
"Papa."
"Hm?"
"Have you ever regretted it?"
Duy looked slightly startled.
"Regretted what?"
"Training for twenty years and still remaining a Genin."
Might Guy looked quietly toward the moon above.
"Do you regret it?"
Duy became silent.
After a long time, he finally shook his head slowly.
"Regret?"
"No."
"Guy... Papa only regrets not understanding certain things sooner."
Might Guy turned toward him.
"Understanding what?"
Duy continued staring quietly at the moonlight.
His voice became gentler than usual.
"Protecting the people important to you matters far more than becoming a Jonin."
After pausing briefly, he continued speaking.
"Back when Papa used to participate in missions alongside Senior White Fang, I was always the weakest person there."
"I slowed everyone down."
"I couldn't help much."
"Sometimes, I even needed others to protect me."
"But Senior White Fang never once looked down on me."
Duy slowly turned his head toward Guy before smiling brightly.
"He once told me that everyone has their own path."
"Some people rely on Ninjutsu."
"Some rely on Genjutsu."
"Others rely on secret clan techniques."
Then Duy raised his thumb proudly.
His white teeth shone brilliantly beneath the moonlight.
"And my path..."
"is using Taijutsu to burn my youth until the very end!"
Might Guy quietly looked at the man beside him.
The moonlight illuminated Duy's face while his eyes shone with unwavering conviction.
He spoke with a smile, yet the weight carried within those words was unmistakable.
This was not empty encouragement.
This was the belief he had lived by his entire life.
Might Guy slowly inhaled deeply.
"Papa."
"Hm?"
"Tomorrow..."
"I want to increase the training."
Duy froze briefly.
Then his eyes reddened yet again.
"GOOD SON!"
He immediately hugged Might Guy tightly while laughing loudly into the night.
Might Guy nearly rolled his eyes from being squeezed again, but the corners of his mouth still curved upward slightly.
...
On the afternoon of the seventeenth day, Might Guy stood alone deep within the forest before a tree trunk roughly as thick as a bowl.
During these past fifteen days, he had already thrown over one hundred thousand kicks.
He had thrust his fingers more than ninety thousand times.
Two bottles of Golden Sore Ointment had been completely used up.
Two training outfits had been ruined.
Four pairs of shoes had fallen apart entirely.
[Great Vajra Leg: Small Success 100/300]
[Great Vajra Finger: Initial Mastery 99/100]
The Great Vajra Leg had reached Small Success first.
Might Guy slowly inhaled deeply.
Inside his mind, he recalled the movement Duy had demonstrated countless times before.
Run forward.
Leap upward.
Rotate.
Kick.
He already understood it perfectly.
Long ago, his body had memorized it instinctively.
Might Guy suddenly sprinted forward.
Then he leaped high into the air.
His body spun powerfully midair.
"KONOHA SENPU!!!"
Whoosh! Bang!!!
The bowl-thick tree trunk snapped instantly beneath the kick.
The upper half of the tree crashed heavily toward the ground as leaves scattered everywhere.
Might Guy landed firmly and stared blankly at the broken trunk.
Not far away, Duy was equally stunned.
Then, in the next instant, Duy exploded with excitement and rushed toward him.
"GUY!!!"
"YOU DID IT!!!"
"YOU REALLY DID IT!!!"
He tightly hugged Might Guy while tears and snot poured down uncontrollably.
"WAAAAAH!!!"
"PAPA KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!!!"
"KNEW YOU COULD!!!"
Might Guy was squeezed so tightly he could barely breathe.
His clothes and face were quickly covered with tears and mucus.
"Papa... let go first..."
"I CAN'T!!!"
"PAPA IS TOO HAPPY RIGHT NOW!!!"
Might Guy helplessly rolled his eyes while letting his arms hang limply.
However, his heart still felt warm.
Forget it.
We'll just wash the clothes again later.
[Great Vajra Leg has reached Small Success]
[Main Mission Progress: 1/2]
The setting sun shone through the gaps between the trees.
Within the forest, two green figures remained tightly locked together.
One cried uncontrollably with excitement.
The other stared upward lifelessly after nearly being strangled unconscious.
The evening wind slowly blew through the woods, carrying with it the scents of sweat, blood, and something else difficult to describe.
Perhaps...
That was what youth truly smelled like.