Your Efforts Have Always Inspired Me, Seisui's Chicken Soup!

Might Guy burst into tears, stepped out from the crowd, and clenched his fists. "Qingshui-kun, this is the youth you burn so brightly for!"

"Please forgive me. I was so rude before, thinking that Qingshui-kun had lost the faith to become a ninja... So you had been quietly working hard all along, training yourself to this level of strength while remaining so low-key..."

"Yet I became lost in my small achievements and even wanted to apply for early graduation this year... Qingshui-kun, on the other hand, had spent five whole years honing himself at the Ninja Academy and could even resist the Sharingan's Genjutsu with his conviction!"

"Please use your full strength against me, Qingshui-kun! Let me feel the flavor of your youth through your power and conviction!!"

Might Guy's expression was extraordinarily vivid.

There was excitement, remorse, exhilaration, and shame...

Iruka Umino silently carried the unconscious Obito Uchiha aside, looking at Might Guy with both relief and emotion.

After Seisui displayed that exquisite Water Release...

When he said he would choose a third opponent, nearly everyone present instinctively shrank back. Their gazes turned evasive, and no one dared meet Seisui's eyes.

Only Might Guy did.

He saw Seisui's strength. Though shock showed on his face as well, he gradually grew excited and ultimately chose to challenge Seisui without hesitation!

"No need to say that, Guy."

Seisui put away his smile and spoke seriously to the still-tearful Might Guy. "Everyone's path of training is different. Perhaps you think my low-key approach is the better choice, but you do not know what I think..."

"Whenever I saw you striving and working hard, I felt immensely inspired and trained even more seriously..."

"My low-key nature comes from my personality, but I personally prefer your burning passion. Guy, your presence has inspired many confused classmates, helping them stop obsessing over their own talent and instead strive to be the best they can possibly become..."

"Guy, after all these years, I need to thank you for always encouraging me."

"Today, let us have a truly satisfying duel!"

Seisui's expression was extremely serious as he assumed the opening stance of traditional Senju-style taijutsu.

After hearing Seisui's words, Might Guy's tears burst forth as though a dam had broken, streaming down his face.

His heart was filled with indescribable joy.

Having endured rumors and ridicule all the way to this day, Might Guy had not never doubted himself. It was only because his father, Might Duy, had always been his steadfast emotional support that he had made it this far.

Yet today, Seisui, who had effortlessly swept through the entire field, openly declared before everyone that Might Guy's efforts had once inspired him. His words were filled with agreement and approval...

This was recognition of his ninja way from the Uchiha clan's top genius!

"Qingshui-kun, you..." Might Guy could no longer hold back his tears. He remembered how Seisui had always supported him, never minding the clothes and exaggerated mannerisms that others despised, always giving him a thumbs-up...

So Qingshui-kun had always been inspired by me, and had always been encouraging me too?

A strange sense of destiny and warmth filled Might Guy's heart.

"Come on, Guy. This is our first duel. Give it everything you have." Seisui raised his voice, his eyes full of encouragement.

"Okay, okay..." Might Guy forcibly held back the tears in his eyes, rubbed his face hard, and assumed the opening stance of Konoha-style taijutsu. "I will give it everything I have, Seisui!"

Seisui nodded.

The next moment, Seisui's body swayed into motion. Abundant strength gave him astonishing speed as he charged straight toward Might Guy.

Might Guy did the same. His day-and-night self-imposed training had given his physique an astonishing boost.

Bang!

Two powerful roundhouse kicks collided, the boom of muscle striking muscle resounding through the field as though it had created a silent shockwave!

A flicker of surprise appeared in Might Guy's eyes.

He was hardworking, but he was also proud. As a genius of hard work, he had never believed that any peer in Konoha possessed strength close to his own.

But in that exchange just now, Might Guy had no choice but to admit it: Seisui's strength surpassed his by a considerable margin...

Thanks to the perfected Uchiha Bloodline and the incomplete Sage Body inherited from Tobirama Senju.

Seisui's base strength was already formidable enough, and "Essentials of Uchiha Taijutsu" had also granted him part of Tobirama Senju's taijutsu experience.

Might Guy made a snap decision. He pulled back his leg, bent at the waist using Seisui's force, dodged the kick, then followed up with a fierce low kick at Seisui!

Konoha Great Whirlwind!

Behind Seisui's seemingly pitch-black eyes, his Double Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly.

The Sharingan's exceptional dynamic vision made Might Guy's every movement seem like it was playing in slow motion. Seisui leaped ahead of time, Chakra wrapping around his hand. Borrowing the force of his ascent, he drove a fist down toward Might Guy's head with the force of a mountain collapsing!

Relying on beast-like instincts, Might Guy rolled sideways without caring about his appearance, barely avoiding Seisui's fist!

Boom!

The heavy punch crashed down, smashing the floor tiles across an area more than a meter wide and kicking up clouds of dust.

The Ninja Academy students stared numbly at the scene, all thinking the same thing. Why did a monster like this not apply for early graduation and instead stay at the Ninja Academy until now?

"If that punch hit someone's body, they would be split in half, right?"

At that moment, many gazes shifted toward Kakashi...

Could Konoha's universally acknowledged number one genius defeat Seisui?

Seisui smiled and voluntarily dispersed the Chakra from his hand. Skillfully employing the techniques and tactics of Senju-style taijutsu, he engaged Might Guy in a fierce battle.

Their fists struck flesh, and they freely unleashed all manner of techniques in a thoroughly satisfying exchange.

Iruka Umino watched the scene with appreciation.

To be frank, although he was an experienced Chunin, when it came to taijutsu, he truly could not compare to these two students.

Kakashi, meanwhile, had long since furrowed his brow.

Had that former dead last who used to pester him really grown to such a level?

And Seisui was someone he simply could not see through at all.

Far ahead of every genius in their class, the competitive spirit that had lain dormant in his heart for so long began to beat again after all this time...

After another all-out exchange of kicks, Might Guy panted heavily, clutched his thigh, and fell to the ground.

He had a cramp...

To trade blows with Seisui, he had to push his muscles to their limits.

No matter how hard Might Guy worked, the flower nurtured by a seven-year-old's sweat could not yet match the vibrant bloom of the Sage Body.

"Qingshui-kun..."

"Guy, just call me Seisui."

Seisui smiled without mentioning victory or defeat. A green glow appeared in his hand, which he placed over Guy's leg.

I have a meeting this morning, sob sob sob...

I was afraid I would not be able to slack off at work and write, so I thought I would get up early and finish a chapter...

But I got up way too early. The cat woke me up, and I was up at four...