Reverse Lotus

Might Duy looked to be around eighteen or nineteen.

He wore a distinctive green training suit, orange leg warmers and scarf, with incredibly thick eyebrows, a bowl cut, and a sharply defined face that always carried a bright, hearty smile.

Though he was nearly twenty and still a genin, and would very likely remain one until the day he died.

For present-day Konoha—or rather, the entire Shinobi World—the only person who knew his strength and worth stood right in front of him.

Satoru smiled and asked Dai for guidance, catching him completely off guard.

"Guidance...?"

That word struck Dai straight in the heart. His eyes stung, and he nearly burst into tears.

It had been many years. Ever since he had finally become a genin, other genin around his age had steadily become chunin, while he alone had remained stuck in place.

Unable to use any ninjutsu or Genjutsu and capable only of training taijutsu, Dai could not advance to chunin and could only take genin missions.

That meant doing menial labor for clients, helping them find cats, and other trivial little tasks.

Who would ever ask a genin like him for "guidance"?

Besides, the four children before him all bore surnames famous throughout the village.

The child speaking to him was even the son of a high-ranking advisor.

"I... can't use any ninjutsu or Genjutsu. I only know taijutsu, so I might not be able to teach you anything..."

Coming back to his senses, Dai looked at the four children before him and could not help feeling dejected.

"Although I'm a genin, strictly speaking, even that is just a consolation. After all, even attending the Ninja Academy requires passing tests in ninjutsu and Genjutsu."

"Just in that respect, you're already better than me."

Satoru looked at the dispirited Dai and felt a little emotional.

There was very little information about Dai, so little that he seemed like a character hastily added in later.

Yet the internet had dug through even that scant information thoroughly, leaving a deep impression on Satoru.

This was the first person who had truly embodied the power of hard work.

"We're training taijutsu. Isn't that what you, Big Brother Dai, are best at?"

Satoru handed a piece of magical pork floss bread to the startled Dai, who had raised his head.

"Hurry up and eat it. We're about to begin!"

"Let us witness your youth!"

Dai blankly accepted the bread. He had clearly seen it appear out of thin air in Satoru's hand.

"You..."

He looked over the child before him again.

"As expected of the advisor's son. Youth, huh..."

"I... I honestly thought I was speaking with a friend around my own age just now..."

As Dai silently bit into the delicious bread, Satoru had already gathered with Choza and the other two, whispering about something. Their expressions first turned to surprise, then confusion.

"Satoru, is what you said true? This genin Dai is that strong?"

Choza rubbed his belly. He was already full.

"When I'm full, my strength isn't inferior to an adult's—but he looks like he has an ordinary build, and he said he can't use ninjutsu or Genjutsu. Can pure taijutsu really be that strong?"

"If you rely on strategy and use ninja tools in combination, pure taijutsu can still perform exceptionally well, but only at the genin level."

Shikaku stroked his chin. He had been studying Dai for some time.

Satoru was probably right. After all, his father was an advisor. If there were any unusual ninja in Konoha, it would not be strange for Satoru to know about them.

"But what puzzles me is that this man doesn't look very smart. Could he really fight using nothing but taijutsu?"

"Shikaku, he doesn't look like someone who uses ninja tools," Inoichi said as he carefully observed Dai. "The placement of the scars on his hands isn't what someone proficient with ninja tools would have."

"I've observed members of the Uchiha clan before. Their hands all have certain distinctive scars, injuries inevitably caused by training with ninja tools."

"He really does rely solely on taijutsu. As for why... we can ask him ourselves in a moment."

Satoru nodded. His three friends' doubts would soon be answered.

By then, Dai had finished the bread and drunk his fill of water. Feeling that his previously exhausted energy and stamina had fully recovered, he stood and walked over to Satoru's group.

"Satoru, your youth is truly enviable..."

"At your age, almost no one thinks of training taijutsu—they usually only train it incidentally when they get older and start practicing with ninja tools."

"The noble Hyuga clan is an exception... As a renowned taijutsu clan, they begin training earlier."

Dai did not waste words. He seemed to instinctively regard Satoru as an adult close to his own age rather than a first-year child.

Dai directly told Satoru and the others some of the taijutsu basics he knew—

Including the Gentle Fist of the Hyuga clan, which stood opposite the Strong Fist he practiced.

"What I practice is straightforward fistwork. Its focus is speed and strength!"

"But for now, you only need to build your foundations, so I can introduce you to my training methods."

"Big Brother Dai, what level has your taijutsu reached? How strong are you?"

Although Choza trusted Satoru almost blindly, his curiosity still made him voice his doubts.

As a taijutsu-focused ninja himself, Choza had heard his father mention the upper limits of taijutsu.

The Akimichi clan also used ninjutsu to amplify the destructive power of their taijutsu. Without such amplification, Choza understood that relying on taijutsu alone would give them no advantage in battle.

"I see..."

Dai hesitated, but his expression quickly became resolute.

"Since you're interested, I'll demonstrate the level of strength my taijutsu can currently achieve."

Taking a deep breath, Dai clenched his fists. His expression grew solemn, and after a moment, he gave a low shout.

"Eight Gates Formation: First Gate of Opening, open!"

"Second Gate of Healing, open!"

"Third Gate of Life, open!"

The four stared at Dai's condition in shock—

Dai now radiated a powerful aura. His body had turned faintly red, and a layer of green energy shimmered around him!

"This is the strongest technique I can safely use... If I go any further, I'll have to spend time lying in a hospital afterward..."

Dai chuckled.

"After all, as a genin, I'm not exactly well-off. It's best to avoid the hospital whenever possible~"

After making that joke, Dai waved at the four stunned children before him.

"First, speed..."

Whoosh!

Dai vanished from before Satoru and the others in an instant. When he reappeared, he was already high in the air—

He could even use his speed to remain suspended in midair for a brief moment!

"Then, strength!"

Dai disappeared from the air in an instant. Before the four could react, a violent explosion sounded from the ground some distance away—

The entire ground shattered as though it had been bombarded by a dense barrage of explosives, crumbling beneath a storm of relentless strikes!

Reverse Lotus!

Boom—rumble—!

After a long while, the dust gradually settled. Choza and the others looked at Dai with reverence as green light radiated from his body and he walked out of the ruins.

"So... amazing!"