Whirlwind Kid

Ebisu looked quite pleased after his match. He tilted his head up slightly, adjusted his glasses, then patted Guy, who was doing push-ups.

Guy raised his head. Seeing Ebisu, he flashed a brilliant white-toothed grin and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Good luck, Ebisu! I believe you can win!"

Ebisu's smug expression completely froze.

Seeing how awkward Ebisu looked, Tatei Iwashi held back a laugh and said, "Ahem, Guy, Ebisu has already finished his match~"

"Oh? Is that so? Just as expected of Ebisu~"

As Ebisu stood there as disheveled as willow fluff in the wind, Guy once again gave him a shining white grin and a thumbs-up. Perhaps because it was the second time, his two thick black eyebrows even waggled at Ebisu.

Ebisu's face darkened, and his cheeks twitched as he barely squeezed out a few words.

"I-I need some quiet time~"

"Oh, then I need to work even harder too!!" Guy, drenched in sweat from training, stood up and wiped his brow before immediately starting sit-ups with his hands behind his head.

"Seventh Match: Might Guy, Koki... Take your positions!"

"Go, Guy!"

"Good luck, Guy!"

Everyone immediately offered their encouragement. After all the cheering, Might Guy seemed fully charged, practically howling with excitement.

"Everyone, I'll definitely give it my all!"

Guy's expression was somewhat complicated, carrying both a smile and a hint of bitterness. He had become a Genin through Taijutsu alone, and along the way, he had probably endured more hardship than anyone else.

He had once been the one no one believed in. But now that he had reached a field he excelled at, everyone gave him their support without hesitation or the slightest worry.

This had to be the best reward for all his efforts over the past few years.

"Look, it's that Invincible Whirlwind Kid—the one who's super fast and spins like crazy~"

"Oho, is that the kid from before? Then this match is going to be exciting~"

"Mm-hmm, one of those already on the field is quite famous for Taijutsu. He's the long-haired one in the tight-fitting outfit. They say his name is Koki, and he once traveled around, studying and sparring with quite a few ninja."

"No way, it's Koki? He's really strong~"

"The Whirlwind Kid seems pretty good too. Maybe we'll get a great show~"

As the contestants discussed among themselves, the people in the stands also began chanting in rhythm.

"Koki, go! Koki, go..."

"Whirlwind Kid, Whirlwind Kid, you're the best..."

"Whirlwind Kid... are they calling me?"

Guy scratched his head and asked himself in confusion.

Before Guy could fully confirm it, someone approached him. "Hey, Whirlwind Kid, you did pretty well just now. How about we team up and take him out first?"

Guy looked up and saw a long-haired man dressed in ninja-style clothing. Not quite understanding what the other person meant, Guy blankly pointed at himself and asked, "A-Are you talking to me?"

"Huh? Of course I am. Everyone calls you that. Didn't you know?"

Koki's mouth twitched. Internally, he complained that Guy was a little dumb, but he quickly resumed his friendly expression and continued, "So, what do you say? The two of us take him down first, then we can have a fair fight!"

Guy followed the direction Koki pointed in. Their other opponent looked ordinary, but his eyes held a trace of defiance and anger. Still, he only bit his lip tightly and said nothing.

The sight made Guy's mind drift for a moment, as though he were seeing his former self—the self who, no matter how hard he tried, could not even protect his father's dignity.

"Alright, the previous match took up too much time. Hurry up and choose your positions!"

Without giving Guy any more time, the referee sternly said with a straight face.

"Um... could we wait a moment?"

Having suddenly been defied, the referee unhappily stared at the Watermelon Head kid, who was even shorter than he was.

"What, how much longer do you want to chat!?"

"No, it's just that this is the first time so many people have supported me. I want to thank them~"

"Wouldn't it be better to thank them after the match? If you win, then you'll have lived up to their support. But if you lose, then your thanks will be worth nothing!"

Might Guy blinked. Having always neglected his academic studies, he did not know whether the referee was right or not, so he could only stare into the referee's eyes for a long time.

At that moment, the referee no longer had his previous arrogance. Like the Third Hokage, he seemed to be a dignified yet kindly elder, inspiring an indescribable sense of trust.

"I understand. Thank you for your guidance!"

"Alright, the Seventh Match now officially begins!"

As the referee's voice fell, all three of them tensed their nerves.

At this moment, Koki still had not given up on joining forces with Guy, slowly moving closer to him.

However, to his surprise, Guy looked him straight in the eye with a serious expression and said something he could not understand no matter how hard he tried: "I've decided. I won't team up with you to deal with him!"

"Wh... why? We take care of the weaker one first, then have a good fight between ourselves. Isn't that better?"

Guy shook his head, his gaze becoming exceptionally resolute.

"I've always worked hard alone in silence. But today, so many people are supporting me and believing in me. I need to believe in myself completely too! Let's have our match first—putting all the effort we've made until now on the line!"

"Effort? Heh, effort is long outdated! Do you think everyone gets the chance to become as strong as you at your age? What do you think I relied on to get where I am today? But... but no matter how hard I worked, no matter how much I humbled myself, I could never obtain those lofty powers that ninjas possess."

After roaring at Guy, Koki shed a tear and turned his red-rimmed eyes toward the other opponent.

"You! You know about me too, right? How about the two of us join forces? I'll take the lead and bring him down first, then we can fight each other afterward."

The ordinary-looking contestant seemed dazed for a moment, but quickly shook his head. "Whether from the standpoint of personal gain or the greater good, if he's already challenged you and I remain neutral, I lose nothing."

After hearing the man out, Koki gave a bitter smile. But then his face twisted viciously. "Hahaha, what a miscalculation. Then come on, Whirlwind Kid—let me see what you're capable of!!"

With that, Koki vanished in an instant. Just as everyone held their breath, he suddenly appeared at Guy's side and unleashed a fierce whip kick.

"Bang!"

Caught off guard, Guy was sent flying. Yet at the instant he was struck, he still managed to block part of it with his elbow.

But the kick had been heavy. When Guy got back up, even his hand was slightly numb, and he had to clench and flex his fist before it recovered.

"Well? I learned this from some old ninjas. Speed similar to the Body Flicker Technique, achieved through physical strength alone. It took me a very long time to master it~"

Watching Guy's disheveled state, Koki curled his lips, his eyes gleaming with pride.

But just as he was feeling smug, Guy vanished as well, suddenly appearing behind him with a sweeping kick.

Koki reacted in time and instantly leaped out of the sweep's range. But he understood that he was not out of danger yet, because Guy had already carried the sweep into a full rotation, aiming to follow it up with a combo.

"Invincible Great Whirlwind!"

"Aah!!"

Though he had been prepared, Koki still took a kick. Not knowing how to defend in the rush, he had used both hands to block Guy's leg.

Compared with Guy's injuries, his were more severe. For a while, his hands would remain sore and numb.

Guy would not kick someone while they were down, but when he saw his opponent get back to his feet, he immediately closed in and threw a punch.

The punch missed, their speeds nearly indistinguishable.

But a missed punch also meant an opening. Having struggled and fought everywhere for years, how could Koki possibly let such an opportunity slip by?

Ignoring everything else, including the soreness in his hands, he launched himself into the air with a sacrificial side kick, both feet flying toward Guy.

This attack carried the weight of an entire adult along with the momentum of his leap. If it struck Guy, it would probably break something.

However, Guy's combat instincts were excellent. He immediately pushed off in the direction his punch had missed, flipping through the air to evade it.

"Ah!!"

Koki's attack missed, and one of his hands accidentally hit the ground as he landed.

"Damn it, you've made me angry!"

Ignoring the pain in his hand, Koki got up and charged at Guy, raining punches and kicks down on him.

His attacks were extremely fierce, faint sounds of air splitting accompanying them, but they were also somewhat disordered.

Fortunately, Guy remained calm and composed throughout, evading every attack in time. This drove Koki nearly mad.

"Damn it, damn it, you brat!!"

Unable to land a hit for so long, Koki grew even more impatient. He suddenly darted forward and kicked at Guy, but Guy lowered his body and blocked it with his elbow.

"You think you're the only one who can spin!?"

Koki's foot suddenly hooked around Guy's elbow. His body abruptly spun, and his other foot was about to slam into Guy's body.

This would combine his body weight with the force of the rotation, carrying power comparable to a sacrificial attack.

Just as Guy was about to be kicked, he swiftly grabbed one of Koki's legs and, like the Hulk meeting a showboating Loki, began spinning him around before letting go at top speed and hurling him away.

Though it lacked the part where Loki was repeatedly smashed headfirst into the ground, it was still an astonishing sight.

Guy's small, green-clad body had actually lifted an adult and spun him around like a toy, then flung him that far away. The visual impact was immense.

Koki, who had been thrown away, could not get back up. After catching his breath, Guy looked toward his final opponent.

As Guy's beastlike gaze swept over him, the man's body trembled. He shakily raised one hand. "I-I surrender. I'm not fighting anymore!"

"Heh, that saves time too. Then we'll leave it at that." The referee walked over to the contestant who had surrendered and patted him on the shoulder, then came to Guy's side and raised his hand.

"In the seventh martial arts match's three-person free-for-all, Might Guy wins!"

"Whirlwind Kid, Whirlwind Kid, you're amazing! Whirlwind Kid..."

Only after his victory was announced did Guy realize that the entire arena was filled with chants of his title alone. Tears instantly welled up in his eyes.

"Sniffle~ Thank you! Thank you, everyone~"

Overwhelmed with emotion, Guy did not know what to say. He could only instinctively thank them while bowing toward the stands chanting his title.