Rare Beasts, Father and Son, Living Up to Their Name

Now is still a bit different from the era of Naruto later on.

Chunin and jonin exam selections were actually decided by the village; the joint Chunin exams were a means of village maneuvering in peacetime after the war ended.

So.

This jonin exam was hosted internally by Konoha.

In wartime, the promotion process for jonin was usually simple, but the current situation was a bit different—the war was nearing its end.

Yes.

The Third Hokage had mentioned it to Kyoichi.

The frontline war was completely over; Sunagakure had sued for peace, and the ninja had already withdrawn. The war was in its final stages, with some ninja even set to return to the village soon.

The Ninja Academy graduation exam was also on the agenda.

"It seems I need to find a way to speed things up during this time. So many little fat sheep—it'd be a shame not to fleece them."

Kyoichi mused to himself.

If his understanding of the system was correct, the next wave of teaching the Body Flicker Technique should yield considerable gains.

But.

Teaching only children would limit the rewards to this.

"It seems I still need to study this system."

Looking at the beginner rewards, what he'd obtained so far wasn't really high.

There had to be a way to get higher rewards!

The next day, Kyoichi had no classes. He had his Clone train swordsmanship while he went out to exercise.

There were noticeably more people on the streets.

It seemed some ninja had already returned!

Kyoichi spotted a familiar face.

All in green.

Might Guy.

He had graduated from the Ninja Academy at age seven. During that exam, he had even clashed with Obito, directly interrupting Obito's hand seals for the Great Fireball Technique.

After running a bit further, Kyoichi saw another "familiar face."

Might Duy!

Same outfit, except for a bit more stubble—he was basically an enlarged version of Guy.

Might Duy?

Kyoichi's heart stirred.

This was a great target!

Others might not know, but he understood just how strong Might Duy's body was.

In the original story, Might Duy didn't know any Taijutsu techniques. Relying solely on his robust physique to open the Eight Gates, he beat the infamous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into the Lucky Three Treasures with a flurry of punches and kicks.

If he learned Taijutsu techniques, what then?

Kyoichi's heart raced.

If he could guide Might Duy, the rewards would surely be extraordinary.

But.

If he just walked up and offered guidance out of nowhere, the guy would probably think he was crazy.

He'd have to take it slow.

With that thought, he said nothing and just kept running.

Might Duy didn't notice him at first.

But on the second lap, he took note of Kyoichi, who had been running all along.

A ninja in the village who was passionate about Taijutsu?

And.

Very young, at most fifteen or sixteen.

Might Duy grew a bit curious.

Third lap, fourth lap...

Might Guy sped up.

Kyoichi chuckled inwardly.

Kids really can't hold back—can't resist trying to compete already, huh?

He picked up his pace as well.

Kyoichi had the Senju bloodline, so his body recovered quickly. He wasn't as strong as Might Duy, but...

If I can't outrun your old man, I can still outrun you?

An hour later.

Might Guy noticed Kyoichi's face wasn't flushed and his breathing wasn't heavy. He realized this guy, a few years older than him, hadn't used much effort at all. If he sped up, he could definitely catch up without much strain.

Just as he was wondering whether to take off his weights—

"Guy! You bastard!"

Thump!

A heavy, dull impact.

Might Guy was kicked flying.

Right after.

Might Duy shot over in a flash, tears streaming down his face as he hugged Guy's head and said, "You bastard! Training hard isn't about competing or getting into a pissing match!"

"Yes, Father. I know I was wrong."

"..."

Kyoichi took a deep breath.

No wonder Guy was called a Rare Beast by Kisame Hoshigaki—you could see it clearly from Might Duy right now.

The two hugged each other, sobbing.

Even though Kyoichi had seen this in the anime, he still felt a strong sense of discomfort. If these two were in his era, they'd be textbook cases of social butterfly syndrome.

Too intense!

But.

To an outsider, it was unavoidably a bit awkward.

Right now, he was considering whether to step away for a moment and come back later.

Fortunately, the crying stopped.

"Thank you for not taking my kid seriously!"

Might Duy said gratefully.

He didn't know Kyoichi's rank, but he vaguely felt it was at least Chunin or even higher.

"It's just training. No big deal."

Kyoichi shook his head.

Then, he said goodbye to Might Duy and Might Guy, kept running forward, and after a stretch, ducked into a roadside forest to practice moves.

They were the Taijutsu moves Guy had been researching.

Konoha Whirlwind.

This move was the core of Might Guy's Strong Fist Taijutsu. Many later Taijutsu moves were extensions of it, and it wasn't too difficult. Earlier, Kyoichi's Shadow Clone had practiced it for half a day and gotten a decent handle on it.

At first, Might Duy and Might Guy didn't pay attention.

But.

After passing by a few times and seeing Kyoichi still practicing the Spinning Kick, they couldn't help starting to analyze the move.

Then.

"Aren't you two running anymore?"

"Ah... our sincerest apologies! We were secretly watching you practice just now. We're truly sorry!"

Might Duy immediately bowed and apologized.

While ninja training wasn't that taboo, staring at someone's moves like that could easily cause conflict.

"It's nothing. I'm still researching this Taijutsu move myself. If you're interested, we can figure it out together. Let me introduce myself—I'm Kanda Kyoichi, a teacher at the Ninja Academy. And you?"

"You're an Academy teacher?"

Might Guy was a bit surprised.

He didn't look much older than him...

"Teacher Kanda, I'm Might Duy, and this is my son, Might Guy."

Might Duy pulled Guy along and said.

"You two have strong bodies. Want to research Taijutsu moves with me?"

"This..."

"You'd really teach me?"

Duy hesitated, but Might Guy couldn't hold back anymore.

This move really clicked with him!

He wanted to learn.

"It's not that impressive a technique. I just figured it out on my own," Kyoichi said.

He suddenly gathered strength, leaped up with a spinning kick, and slammed his foot heavily into a tree. The thick trunk shook several times.

"It's just a simple roundhouse kick, but when you combine it with physical strength and chakra, it can unleash attacks on different levels." Kyoichi spoke, then kicked out again.

This time, he didn't hit a tree, but a rock.

Boom!

One kick, and the rock shattered.

"Amazing! So amazing... Father!" Might Guy turned to look at Might Duy.

He wanted to learn.

But.

Might Duy had said before that it took him twenty years to master that one move. If he got distracted practicing these other things, he might never grasp his father's technique.

Guy hesitated.

In truth, Might Duy was hesitating too.

He was a lifelong Genin, and his son Guy was no genius either. At the academy, Guy failed every subject except Taijutsu, and only graduated thanks to his extraordinary physical skills.

The two of them had always been unpopular.

This young man, a Chunin at such a young age, was kind and even willing to teach them Taijutsu...

"Teacher Kanda, this..."

"It's just Taijutsu."

Kyoichi didn't push it. He spoke and went back to practicing on his own.

Might Guy mimicked the movements on the side. Might Duy hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he didn't pull Guy away.