Spar

When he turned to look, Hyuga Kagami realized that the green figure holding a large tabby cat was no stranger, but Might Guy, a classmate who had graduated alongside him.

At the moment, Guy was clumsily handing the tabby over to a Mission Center staff member, apparently completing a mission handoff.

Hyuga Kagami smiled at the sight.

In Hyuga Kagami's memories of his previous life, Guy had been a powerful Elite Jonin, a representative of Konoha's Steel Fist Style, and later even one of the pillars among Konoha's Jonin.

But in this life, Guy had struck him as a complete dead last, a strong contender with Obito for the bottom rank at the Academy.

At first, Hyuga Kagami had thought his transmigration had caused some sort of deviation.

But as his strength and experience grew, he now understood that this was not some deviation caused by his transmigration. This seemingly ridiculous boy in green would, in the near future, become the Guy from his memories of his previous life.

The reason was simple. The Steel Fist Style was closely tied to physical ability. Without speed and strength, Steel Fist was rootless duckweed. Thus, in childhood, when the body had yet to develop, ninja who trained in Steel Fist would be far inferior to those who trained in Ninjutsu. This was entirely a natural law and had nothing to do with individual talent.

But once they reached adulthood and their bodies fully developed, ninja who practiced the Steel Fist Style would rapidly enter their prime and catch up to the orthodox ninja who practiced Ninjutsu.

What was more, Guy possessed the inherited Forbidden Technique, the Eight Inner Gates. As he grew older, this former dead last at the Academy would certainly shine in a different way!

Thinking of the Eight Inner Gates Forbidden Technique Guy possessed, Hyuga Kagami could not help feeling eager.

A Forbidden Technique like the Eight Inner Gates was generally passed down only from father to son, master to disciple, or between close friends. Perhaps the village also kept a copy of the Eight Inner Gates, but given Hyuga Kagami's current status, obtaining it through official village channels was clearly unrealistic. Thus, Guy before him became Hyuga Kagami's best route to acquiring the Eight Inner Gates.

As for how to befriend Guy, that was no challenge for Hyuga Kagami, because there was already a ready-made example: Kakashi.

As long as he made himself Guy's "eternal rival," just like Kakashi had, Hyuga Kagami would hardly need to do anything. Guy would come looking for him himself.

Having made up his mind, Hyuga Kagami walked over to Guy and said with a faintly contemptuous expression, "I remember you're already a Chunin. Why are you still doing Genin missions like finding cats and dogs?"

Guy recognized Hyuga Kagami as well and immediately scratched his head awkwardly. "Ahaha, I just happened to find it while training, so... so I brought it in."

Staring at the claw marks the tabby had left on Guy's face, Hyuga Kagami chuckled. "Don't tell me no one is willing to team up with you, so you can't take on higher-level missions?"

Having been exposed so mercilessly, Guy immediately lowered his head and said dejectedly, "Everyone thinks I can't use Ninjutsu, so none of them are willing to take me on missions with them."

"So that's how it is..." Hyuga Kagami gave a soft laugh and said indifferently, "Then Steel Fist truly has no future!"

Guy abruptly raised his head and shouted, "I'll prove it to everyone! Even without Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, a Steel Fist Style ninja can still become a true ninja!"

"Naive!" Hyuga Kagami snorted coldly. "It seems I need to make you see reality. Come with me. I'll show you that the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist is the true essence of Taijutsu!"

Guy was stunned when he heard that. He had not expected Hyuga Kagami to be willing to spar with him.

After graduating from the Academy, ninja rarely sparred with one another unless they were extremely close friends or members of the same clan.

That was because sparring inevitably revealed intelligence about one's Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and other abilities. Once such information, which was tied to one's strength, fell into an enemy's hands, it became easy to be countered, with potentially disastrous consequences.

After leading Guy to the secluded little grove where he had practiced Kaiten that morning, Hyuga Kagami stopped. "Here will do."

At the thought of sparring with Hyuga Kagami, who came from a prestigious clan, Guy brimmed with energy. He gave Hyuga Kagami a thumbs-up, flashed a mouthful of gleaming white teeth, and said cheerfully, "Kagami, this is the youth I've always longed for!"

Hyuga Kagami remained expressionless and impatiently beckoned to him, signaling that they could begin.

Guy said no more. His body turned into an afterimage as he charged at Hyuga Kagami.

Bang...

Their fists and palms collided with a dull, heavy thud!

So fast!

Hyuga Kagami's heart tightened.

Guy's straight punch had been both swift and heavy. If this had been before he obtained the Tenseigan, that single move alone would probably have put him on the defensive.

Daring not to underestimate him in the slightest any longer, Hyuga Kagami immediately focused himself.

Bang, bang, bang...

In an instant, the two figures began exchanging blows fiercely among the trees!

The key to Steel Fist was speed, precision, and ruthlessness. Without sufficient perception, ordinary ninja simply could not keep up with the rhythm of a ninja deeply versed in Steel Fist.

Sasuke's brief clash with Rock Lee before the Chunin Exams was the most classic example.

But Hyuga Kagami was not Sasuke, and the Tenseigan was not something a two-tomoe Sharingan could compare to. Thus, although Guy was incredibly fast, Hyuga Kagami quickly adapted.

At that moment, beneath his dark Goggles, Hyuga Kagami's sapphire-blue Tenseigan shone with brilliant light.

The flow of chakra within Guy's body, the contractions and extensions of every muscle, even the trajectories of the stone fragments kicked up from the ground—none of it could escape the Tenseigan's insight.

Guy's fierce speed gradually slowed beneath those eyes, as though time flowed at different rates for the two of them.

The battle continued.

On the surface, Hyuga Kagami appeared to be growing more and more relaxed.

But in truth, every parry and every block left him suffering in silence.

He had truly not expected that in just a few short years, Guy's strength had grown so great. Even merely parrying and blocking made him feel strained.

Once Guy entered combat, the comical air he had displayed earlier vanished. His entire presence became sharp and fierce, and every movement carried a natural, imposing vigor.

After a rapid series of attacks narrowed Hyuga Kagami's room to dodge, Guy immediately shouted, "Leaf Whirlwind!"

Whoosh...

Guy truly became like a green whirlwind, sweeping ferociously toward Hyuga Kagami.

With nowhere to evade, Hyuga Kagami did not choose to retreat. He directly stirred up the chakra throughout his body and met the attack with Gentle Fist.

Bang...

Another dull, heavy impact rang out. Guy was sent flying and crashed hard onto the ground.

Although clashes between Taijutsu-focused ninja lacked the grand spectacle of battles between Ninjutsu-focused ninja, the contest within such close quarters was far more intense.

If Hyuga Kagami had not, in that split second, used Gentle Fist to seal several acupoints in Guy's leg and cut off the chakra pathways feeding chakra into it, the one sent flying would have been him.

Though his heart pounded loudly and both arms ached terribly, Hyuga Kagami maintained his cold expression and mocked him against his conscience, "It seems you haven't improved at all these past two years."

As though he had long since grown accustomed to the cold mockery of the village's ninja, Guy did not take Hyuga Kagami's teasing to heart. Instead, he said with complete sincerity, "Kagami, you're amazing!"