Things were still somewhat different from Naruto's era in the future.
The selection for the Chunin and Jonin Exams was actually decided by the village. The joint Chunin Exam was a means for villages to compete in peacetime, after the war had ended.
So.
This time, the Jonin Exam was being held internally by Konoha.
During wartime, the process for an ordinary Jonin's promotion was very simple, but the current situation was different—the war was about to end.
Yes.
The Third Hokage had mentioned it to Kyoichi.
The war on the front lines had completely ended. Sunagakure had sued for peace, and the ninja had now withdrawn to their respective villages. The war was in its final stages, and some ninja would even be returning to the village soon.
The Ninja Academy graduation exam was also on the agenda.
"Looks like I'll have to find a way to speed things up during this period. It'd be a shame not to fleece so many plump little lambs."
Kyoichi pondered secretly.
If his understanding of the system was correct, teaching the Body Flicker Technique next time should bring in a considerable reward.
However.
Teaching children alone only yielded these kinds of rewards.
"Looks like I still need to study this system."
Judging from the beginner's rewards, what he had obtained so far truly wasn't much.
There had to be a way to obtain even greater rewards!
Kyoichi had no classes the next day. He had his clone practice Sword Technique while he went out to train his body.
There were quite a few more people on the streets.
Looks like some of the ninja had already returned!
Kyoichi spotted a familiar face.
Dressed in green.
Might Guy.
He had graduated from the Ninja Academy at the age of seven. During that exam, he had even fought Obito, directly interrupting Obito's hand seals for the Great Fireball Technique.
After running a little farther, Kyoichi saw another "familiar face."
Might Duy!
He wore the same outfit. Aside from having more facial hair, he was practically a grown-up version of Guy.
Might Duy?
Kyoichi's heart stirred.
This was an excellent target!
Others might not know, but he understood just how strong Might Duy's body was.
In the original story, Might Duy didn't understand Taijutsu moves. Relying solely on his powerful body to open the Eight Gates, he beat the famous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into the Lucky Three Treasures with a flurry of punches and kicks.
What would happen if he learned actual Taijutsu moves?
Kyoichi was immensely tempted.
If he could give Might Duy some pointers, the reward would definitely be extraordinary.
However.
If he rashly went over and offered instruction, the other man might well take him for a lunatic.
He still had to proceed gradually.
With that thought, he said nothing more and simply continued running as usual.
Might Duy didn't notice him at first.
But on the second lap, he noticed Kyoichi, who had been running continuously.
There was another ninja in the village who was passionate about Taijutsu?
And.
He was very young, at most fifteen or sixteen.
Might Duy grew curious.
Third lap, fourth lap...
Might Guy sped up.
Kyoichi laughed inwardly.
Children really couldn't hold back. Was he already unable to resist comparing himself?
He sped up as well.
Kyoichi possessed the Senju bloodline, so his body recovered quickly. Although he wasn't as powerfully built as Might Duy, still...
I may not be able to outrun your father, but surely I can outrun you?
An hour later.
Might Guy noticed that Kyoichi's face wasn't flushed and he wasn't even breathing hard. He realized that this youth, a few years older than himself, hadn't used much strength at all. If he sped up further, he could definitely keep up without much effort.
Just as he was wondering whether he should remove his weights—
"Guy! You rascal..."
Bang!
A heavy thud rang out.
Might Guy was kicked flying.
Right after that.
Might Duy shot forward and tearfully embraced his son's head. "You rascal! You trained hard, but that wasn't so you could compete and provoke others!"
"Yes, Father. I know I was wrong."
"..."
Kyoichi took a deep breath.
No wonder Kisame Hoshigaki called Guy a Rare Beast. One could see it clearly from Might Duy right now.
The two men hugged each other and wept bitterly.
Even though Kyoichi had seen this in the anime, he still felt intensely uncomfortable. If these two had lived in his era, they would absolutely have been unreservedly socially inept.
They were too intense!
Still.
To bystanders, the scene was inevitably somewhat awkward.
At that moment, he was considering whether he should leave for a while and come back later.
Fortunately, the crying stopped then.
"Thank you for not holding my son's behavior against him!"
Might Duy said gratefully.
Although he didn't know Kyoichi's position, he vaguely felt that Kyoichi was at least a Chunin, or perhaps even stronger.
"It was only training. What's there to mind?"
Kyoichi shook his head.
Then he bid farewell to Might Duy and Might Guy and continued running forward. After running for a while, he reached a roadside grove and began practicing moves.
They were actually the Taijutsu moves Guy had developed.
The Konoha Whirlwind.
This move was the core of Might Guy's Strong Fist Taijutsu. Many later Taijutsu moves were derived from it. It wasn't especially difficult, either; Kyoichi's Shadow Clone had already practiced it into passable shape in half a day.
At first, Might Duy and Might Guy paid it no attention.
However.
After passing by several times and seeing Kyoichi still practicing the Spinning Kick there, they couldn't help but start studying the Taijutsu move.
The result was—
"You're not running anymore?"
"Ah... I'm terribly sorry! We secretly watched you practicing just now. We're truly very sorry!"
Might Duy immediately bowed in apology.
Ninja training wasn't particularly taboo, but when it came to moves like these, staring at someone's practice could easily lead to conflict.
"It's nothing. I'm still studying this Taijutsu move myself. If you're interested, you can study it together with me. Let me introduce myself. My name is Kanda Kyoichi, and I'm a teacher at the Ninja Academy. What about you?"
"You're a teacher at the Academy?"
Might Guy was somewhat astonished.
He didn't look much older than himself...
"Teacher Kanda, my name is Might Duy, and this is my son, Might Guy."
Might Duy pulled Guy forward as he spoke.
"You two have very strong bodies. Would you like to study Taijutsu moves with me?"
"This..."
"You're really willing to teach me?"
Duy was somewhat hesitant, but Might Guy could no longer hold back.
This move really suited him!
He wanted to learn it.
"It's not a particularly impressive technique. I'm just experimenting."
As Kyoichi spoke.
He suddenly exerted force, leaped into a spinning kick, and slammed his foot into a tree.
The sturdy tree shook several times.
"It's actually just a simple spinning kick. But when combined with physical strength and chakra, it can unleash attacks of different levels."
As Kyoichi spoke, he kicked again.
This time, he didn't kick the tree, but a rock.
Bang!
With one kick, the rock shattered.
"Wow, amazing! Father..."
Might Guy turned to look at Might Duy.
He wanted to learn.
But.
Might Duy had said before that it had taken him twenty years to master that move. If Guy divided his attention to practice these techniques, he might be unable to master his father's move.
Guy hesitated.
In fact, Might Duy was hesitating as well.
He was a ten-thousand-year Genin, and his son Guy wasn't exactly a genius either. Aside from Taijutsu, he had failed every other subject at school. He had only graduated because of his extraordinary Taijutsu.
Normally, the two of them were never popular.
This youth was a Chunin despite his young age, was kind, and was even willing to teach them Taijutsu...
"Teacher Kanda, this..."
"It's only Taijutsu."
Kyoichi didn't insist. He said this and continued practicing on his own.
Might Guy imitated the movements from the side. Might Duy hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he didn't pull Guy away.
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