The school bell soon rang across the Ninja Academy, and students gradually walked out in small groups. Although their voices were deliberately lowered, their gazes still drifted uncontrollably toward Kakashi from time to time.
"Have you heard about White Fang Senior..."
"Shh, keep your voice down..."
Kakashi continued sitting silently beside the window as though he could not hear anything around him. His small figure remained motionless beneath the setting sunlight pouring through the glass.
Might Guy quietly packed his schoolbag before standing up. He first glanced at Kakashi's back, then toward the classroom entrance.
Outside the door, Obito was waving energetically at him.
"Thick Brows! Are we heading for extra training today?"
Might Guy paused briefly before shaking his head.
"You go ahead first. I have something to take care of."
Obito froze for a moment before following Guy's gaze toward Kakashi. A look of understanding slowly appeared on his face.
"Oh..."
"Then I'll wait for you at the back mountain."
After speaking, he pushed open the classroom door and left.
At almost the same time, Kurenai Yuhi also reached the doorway. Before leaving, she turned back to glance worriedly toward Might Guy.
Guy simply smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.
Kurenai pursed her lips lightly before quietly leaving as well.
Soon, the noisy classroom became completely silent.
Only two people remained inside.
Might Guy slowly walked over before sitting in the seat directly in front of Kakashi. Turning around, he looked straight at him.
"Kakashi."
There was no response.
"Kakashi."
Still no reaction.
Guy finally raised his hand and waved it in front of Kakashi's eyes.
Only then did Kakashi slowly turn his head.
His eyes were slightly red, and his expression was colder than usual.
"What is it?"
Might Guy did not beat around the bush.
"What do you think about what happened to your father?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Kakashi's gaze instantly sharpened.
"It has nothing to do with you."
After speaking coldly, he stood up, grabbed his schoolbag, and walked toward the classroom exit.
Might Guy immediately followed after him.
"I think it does have something to do with me."
Kakashi did not stop walking.
Might Guy continued speaking calmly behind him.
"Was your father wrong to save his comrades?"
Kakashi abruptly stopped.
Then he suddenly turned around and glared fiercely at Guy.
His voice was low, but filled with suppressed anger.
"What do you know?"
"You know absolutely nothing!"
Might Guy looked directly at him without avoiding his gaze.
"That's why I'm asking you."
Kakashi bit his lip tightly as his chest rose and fell violently.
"Move."
"I won't."
Kakashi directly walked around him and continued leaving.
Might Guy followed silently behind him all the way out of the classroom building, through the Academy gates, and onto the streets outside.
Finally, Kakashi suddenly turned around and shouted:
"Stop following me!"
The sudden outburst immediately attracted the attention of nearby villagers.
Might Guy finally stopped walking.
Then he quietly asked:
"Then tell me."
"What are you really thinking right now?"
Kakashi clenched both fists tightly.
"What I think has nothing to do with you!"
"You're a dead last!"
"I'm a Genius!"
"We were never walking the same path to begin with!"
After saying that, he turned around once more and walked away quickly.
Might Guy stood there while quietly watching Kakashi's small white-haired back gradually move farther away.
Then he suddenly spoke.
"Let's fight."
Kakashi's footsteps paused instantly.
Might Guy repeated himself calmly.
"Let's have a fight."
"If I win, you tell me what you're really thinking."
Kakashi slowly turned around again, his expression becoming strange.
"You?"
"Fight me?"
"Yes."
Kakashi frowned slightly.
"You can't even use the Clone Technique."
Might Guy suddenly grinned brightly before raising a thumbs-up.
"But I have youth."
Kakashi stared at him silently for two seconds.
"...Boring."
Then he continued walking again.
However, Might Guy immediately chased after him and grabbed his shoulder.
"Don't you want to know what is right and what is wrong?"
"After we fight, I'll tell you."
Kakashi forcefully shook his hand away before staring directly at him.
Inside those eyes were anger, confusion, helplessness, and emotions far too complicated for a child his age.
After several moments of silence, Kakashi finally spoke coldly.
"Fine."
"You want to fight?"
"Then let's fight."
Soon afterward, the two arrived at the Academy training grounds.
By this point, the setting sun had almost disappeared beneath the horizon.
The wind blew softly through the surrounding trees, causing the leaves to rustle continuously.
Guy and Kakashi stood facing one another from ten meters apart.
There were no spectators.
Only the two of them remained in the empty training field.
Kakashi calmly asked:
"What are the rules?"
Might Guy casually tossed his schoolbag aside.
"No rules."
"We fight until one side can't stand anymore."
After speaking, he grinned before lowering himself into a fighting stance.
Kakashi also slowly assumed his own stance. One hand stretched forward while the other tightly gripped an unsharpened kunai.
"Come."
The instant Kakashi finished speaking, Might Guy rushed forward.
His first attack arrived immediately.
Great Vajra Leg.
His sweeping kick tore directly toward Kakashi's calf with astonishing speed.
Kakashi sidestepped calmly before counterattacking instantly. The kunai in his hand slashed toward Guy's arm in a sharp arc.
Guy quickly withdrew his leg before stepping backward to dodge.
However, Kakashi did not give him any chance to breathe.
His fingers instantly formed hand seals.
"Clone Technique!"
Poof!
Three Kakashis immediately appeared side by side.
Their movements and gazes were completely identical.
Guy froze for only half a second.
Then all three Kakashis charged toward him simultaneously.
Which one is real?
Guy gritted his teeth before sweeping a kick toward the nearest target.
Poof!
The body instantly exploded into smoke.
A Clone.
However, before Guy could react further, the remaining two Kakashis had already arrived before him.
The one on the left thrust a kunai forward.
The one on the right kicked directly toward his stomach.
Guy had no time to think.
He immediately thrust two fingers toward the left-side Kakashi while twisting his body sideways.
Putch.
His fingers pierced through another Clone.
But at the same time—
Thud!
The kick from the right landed heavily against his stomach.
Guy was blasted backward two full steps as burning pain exploded through his abdomen.
Before he could stabilize himself, the sound of air splitting suddenly came from behind him.
"Shuriken!"
Guy instantly ducked downward.
Two shuriken flew past his back before embedding themselves deeply into a nearby tree trunk.
Guy immediately turned around.
Five meters away, Kakashi stood calmly with two additional shuriken between his fingers.
Among the three Kakashis earlier, not a single one had been the real body.
Might Guy panted heavily before grinning.
"Impressive."
Kakashi remained silent while forming another hand seal.
"Body Flicker Technique."
His figure instantly blurred.
The next moment, he appeared directly before Guy as the kunai in his hand slashed horizontally.
Guy had no time to dodge.
He instinctively raised his arm to block.
Slash!
The kunai sliced across his forearm, instantly opening a bloody wound.
Blood splattered outward.
Guy let out a muffled groan before thrusting his opposite hand toward Kakashi's shoulder with two fingers extended.
Kakashi leaned backward to avoid it before taking the opportunity to kick directly behind Guy's knee.
Thud.
Guy dropped onto one knee immediately.
Kakashi quickly retreated several steps before staring at him coldly.
"Enough."
Guy slowly raised his head.
"Enough of what?"
Sweat mixed with blood dripped continuously down his face.
Using his remaining strength, he forced himself back to his feet while blood continued flowing from his wounded arm.
"I've only just started."
Kakashi frowned.
"You can't beat me."
Might Guy flexed his fingers slowly. His knuckles were already scraped raw from blocking the kunai earlier.
"I know."
"But I'm still standing."
The next instant, he charged forward again.
This time he was even faster than before.
Inside his body, the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic circulated frantically as streams of warmth spread throughout his limbs, forcefully suppressing the pain from his injuries.
What replaced the pain was boiling hot blood.
Great Vajra Leg!
Whoosh!
Kakashi sidestepped instinctively to dodge.
However, midway through the kick, Guy's leg suddenly twisted direction and swept horizontally toward Kakashi's waist.
Kakashi's pupils contracted slightly.
He immediately planted one hand on the ground and flipped backward, barely avoiding the attack.
But before he could fully recover, Guy's fingers were already thrusting toward him once more.
Great Vajra Finger!
Putch!
Two fingers slammed directly into Kakashi's shoulder.
A sharp numbness instantly spread through his arm.
"You—!"
Kakashi gritted his teeth before kicking Guy heavily in the stomach.
Guy staggered backward several steps.
But he still did not fall.
After inhaling deeply once, he charged again.
Kick.
Finger strike.
Kick.
Finger strike.
There were no fancy combinations.
No complex movements.
Only the two simplest attacks repeated endlessly.
Yet every kick carried fierce force, and every finger strike produced sharp pain capable of numbing muscles instantly.
Kakashi continuously dodged and counterattacked while leaving one wound after another across Guy's body with his kunai.
His clothes gradually tore apart.
Blood stained both arms.
Even his face had become scraped and bruised.
Yet Guy still continued charging forward relentlessly.
Thud!
Kakashi's fist smashed directly into Guy's face.
Guy's head snapped sideways as blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
However, at the same moment, he grabbed Kakashi's wrist.
The terrifying grip strength of the Great Vajra Finger erupted instantly.
Kakashi struggled immediately.
But for a brief moment, he could not break free.
At the same time, Guy's opposite fist slammed heavily toward Kakashi's stomach.
Thud!
Kakashi doubled over instantly from the impact.
However, he also used the momentum to wrench his wrist free before stumbling backward.
The two boys once again separated by several meters while gasping heavily for breath.
Kakashi's Chakra was nearly exhausted.
The repeated use of Clone Technique and Body Flicker Technique had consumed too much energy.
Meanwhile, the green-clothed figure opposite him was covered entirely in blood.
Yet he was still standing.
And those eyes remained frighteningly bright.
"...You're insane."
Kakashi panted heavily while staring at him.
Might Guy grinned widely, revealing bloodstained teeth.
"Youth means being insane."
Then he charged forward once more.
This time, neither side used any techniques.
No Ninjutsu.
No tricks.
Only fists and legs remained.
Kakashi had almost no Chakra left either and could only continue fighting through Taijutsu.
Thud!
Their fists collided heavily.
Slap!
Their legs smashed against one another.
Kakashi punched Guy directly in the ribs.
Guy kicked Kakashi in the thigh.
Neither dodged.
Neither retreated.
They simply exchanged blows head-on again and again.
Perhaps they were fighting.
Or perhaps they were venting everything buried inside themselves.
Until finally—
Guy threw a punch that missed.
Kakashi threw a kick that also failed to land.
The two simultaneously lost balance before collapsing heavily onto the ground together.
Neither could move anymore.
By now, the sun had completely disappeared.
Darkness slowly covered the training field.
The surrounding woods were completely silent except for the heavy breathing of the two exhausted boys.
Might Guy lay flat on the ground while staring at the darkening sky above him.
Every inch of his body hurt.
His right arm had already become numb.
Even breathing caused sharp pain through his ribs.
Yet despite everything, he still smiled.
"Kakashi..."
Only exhausted breathing answered him at first.
After several seconds, Guy slowly continued:
"Now..."
"Can you finally tell me what you're really thinking?"
Silence filled the air once more.
After a very long time, Kakashi's hoarse voice finally sounded softly beside him.
"...I think my father wasn't wrong."
Guy slowly turned his head.
Kakashi lay several meters away while staring blankly at the sky.
Tears quietly flowed from the corners of his eyes and disappeared into his silver hair.
"Saving comrades..."
"What's wrong with that?"
His voice trembled continuously.
"But everyone keeps saying he disgraced Konoha..."
"They say he's unfit to be a Ninja..."
"I don't understand..."
"I really don't understand..."
He slowly raised his arm to cover his eyes while his shoulders shook uncontrollably.
Might Guy quietly watched the cold Genius finally crying like an ordinary child.
Then he slowly forced himself upright.
Every movement felt as though his body were being torn apart, but he still gritted his teeth and crawled toward Kakashi little by little.
Finally, he stopped beside him and placed a hand gently on his shoulder.
Kakashi froze before lowering his arm.
His reddened eyes stared directly at Guy.
Guy's face was swollen and bruised.
Blood still stained the corner of his mouth.
Yet his gaze remained incomparably firm.
"I think your father was right."
Kakashi froze completely.
Might Guy continued speaking slowly.
"Those who abandon their comrades are the ones unfit to become Ninja."
Every single word struck Kakashi's heart heavily.
"Your father saved his comrades."
"That makes him a hero."
"As for the people talking nonsense..."
"What do they understand?"
Guy suddenly grinned again despite the pain pulling at the wound near his mouth.
"When I become a Ninja someday, I'll save my comrades too."
"Even if the mission fails."
"Even if the entire village curses me."
"I'll still protect the people important to me."
Then he raised a thumbs-up once more.
"This is my Ninja Way."
Kakashi stared blankly at the green-clothed boy before him.
His face was swollen.
His entire body was covered in blood.
He looked absolutely miserable.
Yet his eyes burned brighter than fire itself.
Tears surged from Kakashi's eyes once more.
But this time, he no longer tried to hold them back.
He simply cried openly in front of Guy.
Meanwhile, Guy said nothing more.
He only remained there quietly with his hand resting on Kakashi's shoulder.
After a long time, Kakashi finally sat upright while wiping his eyes roughly.
Then he looked toward Guy.
"...Why did you help me?"
Might Guy thought seriously for a moment.
"Because you're my classmate."
Kakashi froze.
Then Guy scratched his head awkwardly.
"And your father praised my kick during the assessment before."
After hearing that, Kakashi stared at him blankly for several seconds.
Then, for the very first time, he suddenly felt that this so-called dead last in front of him was an unbelievable fool.
A fool so sincere that it made people want to cry.
[Bond Triggered: The Genius and the Dead Last]
[Reward: Monk Value +30]