Might Guy felt his heart sink slightly.
It was finally happening.
In the original story, Kakashi Hatake had only spent less than a year in the Ninja Academy before graduating early. After Sakumo Hatake's death, Kakashi had desperately wanted to become stronger and prove that rules and missions mattered more than emotions.
But now, Sakumo Hatake was still alive.
Because of that, Might Guy had originally thought Kakashi would remain at the Academy until the following year and graduate together with the rest of them.
He had not expected Kakashi to still make the same decision.
"Why?" Might Guy asked quietly.
Kakashi Hatake looked directly at him, his expression unusually serious beneath the moonlight.
"The Ninja Academy can no longer teach me anything useful."
Might Guy remained silent.
"Especially after tonight's battle," Kakashi continued calmly. "I used the Clone Technique. I used shuriken. I used Earth Release. But against that Ninja Bear, none of those things truly mattered."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Only real combat allows people to break through their limits."
Might Guy lowered his eyes slightly.
How could he possibly fail to understand that feeling?
For more than ten days now, both Great Vajra Leg and Great Vajra Finger had been stuck at 999 proficiency. Every single day, he still completed ten thousand kicks and ten thousand finger strikes without fail, yet the proficiency values did not move even a little.
Then, during the life-and-death moment earlier, when Kurenai Yuhi had rushed in front of him without hesitation, his mind had completely emptied.
He had not thought about cultivation.
He had not thought about the System.
He had not thought about Bottlenecks or proficiency values.
He had simply kicked.
And in that instant, he broke through.
Perfection.
The true Perfection Realm of Great Vajra Leg.
That kind of feeling absolutely could not be achieved through ordinary repetitive training alone.
"Might Guy."
Kakashi suddenly spoke again while staring at him seriously.
"Do you want to come with me?"
The moonlight quietly illuminated the two boys.
Behind them came the noisy sounds of Obito and Ebisu arguing endlessly, mixed together with Rin and Kurenai's laughter and the scraping noises made by the tied-up bear cub dragging itself along the ground.
The surroundings felt both noisy and strangely peaceful.
Might Guy looked directly into Kakashi's eyes.
There was no arrogance there.
No condescension.
No attitude of a so-called Genius looking down on a dead last.
Instead, there was only sincerity.
"I want to become stronger together with you."
Might Guy truly felt tempted.
How could he not?
Real battlefields.
Real enemies.
Real life-and-death combat.
That was where true breakthroughs happened.
That was where Martial Skills could be tempered toward Perfection.
However...
He could not go.
An image suddenly appeared in his mind.
A green jumpsuit.
Thick eyebrows.
Bright teeth with one front tooth missing.
That foolish yet burning smile.
"Might Guy! Youth means standing back up after falling down!"
Might Duy.
That foolish old man.
Might Guy knew the future.
The Third Shinobi World War would begin in at most two or three years.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would infiltrate near the Land of Fire.
And in order to save Might Guy and the others, that idiot old man would forcibly open the Eight Inner Gates.
He would kick the Seven Ninja Swordsmen from seven people down to three.
Then afterward...
His body would burn out completely.
Might Guy could not gamble with that future.
If he graduated early now alongside Kakashi, what team would he be assigned to afterward?
He did not know.
What kind of missions would he receive?
He did not know.
Would he still encounter the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in the future?
He knew even less.
And if he failed to encounter them?
If history shifted slightly and that battle never happened?
Would that foolish old man still throw away his own life somewhere else in order to save somebody?
Might Guy absolutely could not allow that possibility.
Moreover, he was still not strong enough.
He slowly lowered his head and looked at his own hands.
Great Vajra Leg had reached Perfection.
But Great Vajra Finger still remained stuck at the threshold.
The Muscle-Tendon Change Classic still had a long way to go before completion.
He still needed stronger Martial Skills.
He still needed more power.
As he was now, he could kick away a ten-meter-tall Ninja Bear.
But what about the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?
Seven elite swordsmen.
Seven legendary blades.
Every single one of them possessed strength at least comparable to Jonin.
With his current strength, how many could he kill?
One?
Two?
And then what?
Would that old man still open the Eight Gates afterward?
Would he still burn himself into ashes in front of his own son?
No.
It still was not enough.
Far from enough.
"Might Guy?"
Kakashi called out again.
Only then did Might Guy return to his senses.
He took a slow breath before shaking his head firmly.
"I'm not going."
Kakashi was visibly stunned.
"Why?"
Might Guy grinned faintly.
"There are still many things I haven't learned yet."
Kakashi frowned slightly.
"But that kick earlier..."
"That kick still isn't enough," Might Guy interrupted directly. "Not even close."
He looked straight into Kakashi's eyes with a rare seriousness.
"Kakashi Hatake, you go ahead first."
"As for me, I still need to stay in the Academy a little longer."
Kakashi remained silent.
Might Guy continued speaking calmly.
"One year at most."
"After one year, I'll graduate too."
"At that time..."
A bright grin spread across his face as he raised a thumbs-up.
"We'll meet again on the battlefield."
Kakashi quietly stared at him.
Under the moonlight, the green-clothed boy looked battered and miserable. The corner of his mouth was swollen, his eyebrow was scraped open, and his clothes were torn in several places.
Yet his eyes shone frighteningly brightly.
Those were the eyes of someone with absolute determination.
At that moment, Kakashi seemed to understand something.
He did not continue asking questions.
Instead, he simply nodded once.
"Okay."
Might Guy immediately laughed.
"You're not even going to ask why?"
Kakashi shook his head.
"No."
After a brief pause, he added quietly:
"You must have your reasons."
Might Guy froze slightly before smiling even more brightly.
"Thanks."
Kakashi rolled his eyes.
"What are you thanking me for?"
The two continued walking side by side.
Suddenly, Obito's loud shouting echoed from behind them.
"Hey!!! What are you two secretly whispering about up there?!"
Might Guy immediately turned around and shouted back.
"None of your business!!!"
"You bastard!!!"
Behind them, Rin and Kurenai both covered their mouths while laughing softly.
Bullying Obito had practically become everyone's daily entertainment already.
...
The next morning.
Hokage Building.
Kakashi Hatake stood quietly at the entrance before taking a deep breath and pushing the door open.
Inside the office, the Third Hokage sat behind his desk while slowly smoking his pipe.
After seeing Kakashi enter, Hiruzen raised an eyebrow slightly.
"The Hatake boy? What brings you here this early?"
Kakashi walked forward before stopping respectfully in front of the desk.
"Third Hokage."
"Hmm?"
"I wish to apply for early graduation."
The Third Hokage's smoking motion paused briefly.
He carefully observed the silver-haired child standing before him.
Bright eyes.
Calm expression.
Cold composure beyond his years.
In many ways, he truly resembled Sakumo.
"What is your reason?"
"The Ninja Academy can no longer teach me anything useful," Kakashi answered calmly. "I want to step onto the battlefield and become stronger through real combat."
The Third Hokage remained silent for several seconds before slowly exhaling smoke.
"Does your father know about this?"
"Yes."
"And what did Sakumo say?"
Kakashi lowered his gaze slightly.
"He said the decision is mine."
The Third Hokage nodded thoughtfully.
This child truly matured far earlier than most children his age.
"Very well," Hiruzen finally said. "Three days from now, I will personally test you. If you pass, I will approve your graduation."
Kakashi bowed respectfully.
"Thank you, Third Hokage."
He turned around and walked toward the exit.
However, just as he reached the doorway, he suddenly stopped again.
"Third Hokage."
"Hmm?"
"Might Guy..."
Kakashi paused briefly.
"He said he plans to graduate in one year."
The Third Hokage raised his eyebrow slightly.
"Oh?"
But Kakashi did not explain further.
He simply pushed open the door and left.
The Third Hokage quietly looked toward the closed office door while taking another puff from his pipe.
Might Guy.
The son of that Eternal Genin.
Even Sakumo had mentioned that child recently during his report.
According to Sakumo, the kick that child displayed during the assessment had already surpassed many ordinary Genin.
The Third Hokage slowly smiled.
Interesting.
...
Three days later.
At the entrance of the Ninja Academy, Kakashi Hatake stood quietly with a small backpack slung over his shoulder.
Might Guy stood opposite him.
Obito stood beside Guy with a dissatisfied expression on his face.
"Hmph! What's so amazing about graduating early?! I can definitely graduate next year too!"
Kakashi completely ignored him.
Instead, he looked directly toward Might Guy.
"I'm leaving."
Might Guy nodded.
"Yeah."
A brief silence followed.
Then Kakashi slowly extended one hand.
Might Guy froze slightly before extending his own hand as well.
Slap.
Their hands clasped firmly together.
"Don't die," Might Guy said seriously.
"You too," Kakashi answered calmly.
Meanwhile, Obito nearly jumped into the air beside them.
"Hey! Hey! What about me?!"
Kakashi glanced at him quietly.
"You..."
After a brief pause, he added calmly:
"Just survive well."
Obito instantly froze in disbelief.
"What do you mean just survive well?! I'm strong too, okay?!"
Nobody paid attention to him.
At this moment, Rin walked over smiling while handing Kakashi a small cloth bag.
"Something to eat for the road."
Kakashi looked slightly surprised.
"...Thank you."
Nearby, Kurenai also waved gently.
"Kakashi Hatake, take care."
Kakashi nodded quietly.
Then he turned around and started walking away.
After taking two steps, he suddenly stopped again before turning back.
"Might Guy."
"Hmm?"
"That one year you mentioned."
Might Guy immediately grinned.
"One year."
Kakashi nodded once.
"I'll wait for you."
Might Guy raised another thumbs-up.
"Alright."
For the first time in a long while, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Kakashi's mouth.
Then he finally turned around completely and left.
The group quietly watched his figure disappear around the distant street corner.
Might Guy remained standing there silently.
Slowly, a smile spread across his face.
This was not his usual loud and exaggerated "youth burning" grin.
Instead, it was a quieter smile.
A calmer smile.
A calculating smile.
He lowered his gaze slightly.
The System panel quietly floated before his eyes.
[Host: Might Guy]
[monk value: 0]
[Specialty Skill List]
[Muscle-Tendon Change Classic (High Grade): 788 (Mastery)]
[Great Vajra Leg (Low Grade): 1000 (Perfection)]
[Great Vajra Finger (Low Grade): 999 (Mastery)]
[Precept-Breaking Blade (Medium Grade): 0 (Initial Mastery)]