By the following afternoon, reinforcements from the village had begun arriving at the outpost.
Sen took advantage of the rare break to stroll along the shore with Kushina and ease their weary minds.
As they walked, a flash of green caught Sen's eye. Looking closer, he saw a ninja dressed head to toe in a green bodysuit.
The man was doing push-ups in the sand with a huge rock on his back, counting through gritted teeth.
"930."
"931."
"932..."
Most people were resting in the shade, but he was training hard. Judging by the sweat pouring off him, he had been at it for quite some time.
"Might Duy?" Sen called out before he could stop himself.
This was the future Might Guy's father, a legend of taijutsu in the Shinobi World! Sen had never expected to run into him here!
Hearing his name, Might Duy stopped and glanced over.
When he saw the Uchiha Clan Crest on Sen's clothes, a trace of wariness flickered in his eyes.
Might Duy immediately drew a conclusion: here was another member of a great clan who wanted to "encourage" him—and one he neither wanted nor could afford to offend.
Since Sen was much younger than him, Might Duy answered patiently. "I don't believe I know you. If you're here to offer the same sort of encouragement they do, please get it over with."
The Uchiha Clan's reputation was as bad as ever.
Sen shook his head and stepped forward. "That's not why I'm here. I wanted to ask if you have time for a spar."
Might Duy shook his head without stopping his push-ups. Members of great clans had mocked him plenty of times before. This was probably just a new way of doing it.
"I'm only a Genin. I can't compete with people like you."
With that answer, Sen didn't want to bother him further. He was about to leave when two ninjas around Might Duy's age came over. Standing beside him, they sneered:
"Hey, why bother sparring with this eternal Genin? Are you Uchiha really that bored?"
"Exactly. We're embarrassed to have this loser on our team!"
Might Duy said nothing. He seemed to know the two of them—and seemed used to this.
"Hey, how can you talk about a teammate like that?" Kushina demanded.
Kushina knew all too well what that felt like. She could barely hold herself back from attacking.
"Teammate? We've put up with him for ten years! He's a loser who can't use a single ninjutsu! He was a Genin on our first mission together, and now war's about to break out and he's still a Genin. Who could stand that?"
Kushina raised her fist, but Sen caught her shoulder. In a flash, he appeared in front of the two men.
Thud! Thud!
Sen showed no mercy. His Sharingan flared, and he sent both men flying with two sweeping kicks!
"Anyone who can't value their teammates is worse than a loser," Sen said, staring coldly at them. "One day, the village will recognize Might Duy's talent. As for you, you're nothing but mediocrities who will never amount to anything.
"If you have a problem with that, my name is Uchiha Sen. Come find me anytime!"
The two men looked at the crimson Sharingan in Sen's eyes and heard the force of his words. Knowing they were no match for him, they slunk away as the crowd pointed and whispered.
"Well said, Sen!"
"'Anyone who can't value their teammates is worse than a loser'—that's one for the ages!"
"Since when could an Uchiha brat talk so fancy?"
"Don't call Sen a brat! His fighting and his cooking are both incredible!"
"Sen, you're so cool!" Kushina held his hand, stars shining in her eyes. "You really are kind, just like me. I can't stand seeing people bully their teammates either!"
Sen waved to the people around them. They were his loyal fans, won over by his cooking. Of course they had rushed over the moment their favorite chef was involved in something.
"Show's over, everyone. Just a little misunderstanding." Sen scratched his head as he looked down at Kushina's blissful face.
I just wanted to show off a little. And maybe pick up the Eight Inner Gates while I was at it...
As the two were about to leave, Might Duy, whom everyone had overlooked, stood up. "Uchiha Sen, thank you. Do you really want to spar with a Genin like me?"
"I don't see Genin or Jonin, or even the Hokage. I see teammates," Sen replied.
At those simple words, tears suddenly streamed down Might Duy's face. His fists trembled with excitement. "Ah! How many years has it been? At last, I can feel the fire of youth again! I'll defeat you, Sharingan or not!
"Youth is invincible!"
Everyone: "..."
Sen's face darkened. Had he been too impulsive? Why did he suddenly feel so embarrassed?
"Let's find somewhere empty and fight," Might Duy suggested, brimming with "youth."
Sen naturally agreed.
The two went to an open area. Before the fight even began, people in the crowd were cheering for Sen, their favorite chef.
"No amount of cheering will help you! Youth is on my side!" Seeing that Sen was ready, Might Duy removed the weights from his legs and hurled them away with a shout.
Boom! Boom!
The motion looked effortless, but when the weights hit the ground, they exploded into the sand as though a string of Explosive Tags had gone off!
Everyone watching was stunned. They instinctively took several steps back.
This fight was not going to be as they had imagined. Either man might win!
"Incredible!" Sen gave him a thumbs-up in sincere admiration.
"Sen, I know ordinary ninjutsu won't beat you. I've trained this technique for years, but today is the first time I've truly used it in front of anyone!" Green chakra, visible to the naked eye, began radiating from Might Duy's body.
"I call it—the Eight Inner Gates!"
"Eight Inner Gates—open!"
"Gate of Healing, open!"
"Gate of Life, open!"
The instant the third gate opened, a vast surge of chakra swept outward, whipping up a relentless wind. Might Duy's skin had turned reddish. Muscles rippled across his body, and his engorged veins bulged. He looked like a fierce war god!
The onlookers instinctively retreated. What they were seeing had gone far beyond their understanding.
"Isn't he a Genin? How does he have so much chakra?! It's like a typhoon's about to hit!"
"Is this really one of Konoha's Genin? How is he stronger than me, a Chunin?!"
"Move! Get farther back before you're caught in it!" a Chunin warned, ushering everyone away.
Might Duy gritted his teeth as he adjusted to the strain on his body, then roared:
"Come on, Sen! Let our youth blaze together!"
Dust burst from the sand. A green streak flashed forward, and a vicious punch drove straight toward Sen's face.
So fast! Even with his Sharingan pushed to its limit, Sen only managed to react at the last instant. He ducked as low as he could, narrowly dodging the blow.
Might Duy gave him no chance to catch his breath. A small whirl of sand spun up, and in the next instant, Might Duy's sweeping kick was upon him.
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