As far as Samui knew, Kakashi was the son of "Konoha's White Fang," Hatake Sakumo. He had become a Jonin at just twelve years old, copied over a thousand Ninjutsu with a transplanted Sharingan, and earned the title "Copy Ninja," a name that resounded across the nations.
He was practically a celebrity in the Ninja World.
As for his companion, Might Guy, aside from his rather eye-catching appearance, he wasn't particularly famous.
However, Guy's father, Might Duy, had once faced the renowned Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist alone on the battlefield during the Third Shinobi World War, leaving four dead and three fleeing.
He had made a name for himself in a single battle, shocking the entire Ninja World.
As Might Duy's son, Guy was certainly no mediocrity.
Now.
There was no way these two had come to see Uchiha Dan together over some "trivial matter."
Inside the Meditation Room.
As soon as Guy and Kakashi entered, they caught the scent of high-quality sandalwood incense. Breathing it in made them feel refreshed, and their restless minds instantly grew calm.
The room was dimly lit and utterly quiet.
Their eyes were first drawn to the enormous Yin-Yang Tai Chi pattern on the floor, but soon shifted to Dan.
At the far end of the Meditation Room.
Dan sat cross-legged on a cushion, eyes closed, dressed in a black kimono. His towering frame seemed almost to merge with the darkness, becoming one with his surroundings.
On the wall behind him hung a piece of calligraphy, bearing two bold, forceful characters:
Zan-mai.
"Guy, look..." Kakashi had a sharp eye. He drew Guy's attention to Dan's body.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
It looked as though a little mouse was hiding beneath Dan's clothes, scurrying constantly over the surface of his body.
But a closer look revealed that the supposed "mouse" was actually a bulging mass of energy, carrying Dan's blood and vital force throughout his body.
During the process.
Although Dan sat perfectly still, his skin grew increasingly ruddy. Streams of hot air poured from his pores, as if he were taking a sauna.
Kakashi and Guy were both transfixed.
Then.
Dan drew in his belly and breathed.
"Whoosh."
With that deep breath, the blood in Dan's body suddenly surged faster, rushing through his veins. The sound of it even seemed to escape his body, like a raging river sweeping against its banks.
It went on without end.
After several deep breaths, Dan pressed both hands against his abdomen. The energy within him surged upward from his gut, then emerged from his throat as the roar of a dragon and the howl of a tiger.
"Roar!"
The sound reverberated through the Meditation Room, bouncing off the windows and walls until the doors, windows, and chairs shook violently.
It took dozens of seconds for the noise to gradually subside.
If even his breathing carried such force, what was he if not a human? He was practically a Tailed Beast.
Guy drew a deep breath, his expression grave.
"Eight years ago, I saw Uchiha Dan fight once. He defeated my father with ease. I've become a Jonin now, but I still can't be sure I could beat him, so... don't let your guard down, Kakashi."
He gave his close friend a serious warning.
"I'm not here to fight."
Kakashi shrugged and placed a hand on Guy's shoulder. "You're the one who needs to calm down. Just watch my signal later."
As soon as he finished speaking.
Dan, seated across from them, finally opened his eyes.
Whoosh.
In an instant, his gaze flashed through the air like lightning and fixed on Kakashi and Guy.
They both jolted, feeling as though a tiger had set its sights on them. Their bodies tensed, and every hair on their skin stood on end.
As the two watched tensely.
Dan made no move to rise. He simply pressed his toes against the floor, and his imposing frame stood upright.
"Guy, it's been a long time."
As their host, Dan was the first to greet them. "You don't seem to have grown much. You're still as scrawny as ever."
Might Guy stood 184 centimeters tall and weighed 76 kilograms. He was a fairly tall, muscular man.
It was just that.
Next to Dan, anyone would look like a skinny monkey.
"Bigger muscles don't mean greater strength. The blood and sweat I shed will prove how hard I've worked and show that I have no regrets about my youth!"
Guy showed no fear. He met Dan's eyes, his resolute gaze brimming with confidence.
Hearing this, Dan couldn't help but sigh:
"You're exactly like old Duy was back then."
The old Duy he spoke of was Guy's father, Might Duy.
"You have no right to bring up my father. Because... you insulted his ninja way!"
Guy clenched his fists, his emotions suddenly flaring.
Dan shook his head and spoke slowly:
"The first principle of our Physical Transformation Department is to cherish our bodies. Nothing is more important than that.
"Until you've trained your body to its peak, you must take good care of it. You must never let it suffer injury.
"If old Duy had trained for a few more years, he would certainly have surpassed his limits and achieved his goal of physical transformation. But he wouldn't listen to my advice. He insisted on going to the front lines, and ended up throwing his life away for nothing..."
"You're wrong!"
Guy stepped forward, cutting him off.
"My father didn't die trying to show off or play the hero. He died saving me and my teammates.
"He wasn't like you, someone who cares only about himself. He was the kind of man who would protect the beliefs in his heart even if it cost him his life.
"True victory isn't defeating a powerful enemy. It's protecting what matters to you until the very end. My father taught me that way of life with his own life."
Guy spoke with pride.
Throughout this exchange, Kakashi was an outsider.
However.
He wholeheartedly agreed with what Guy had said.
His father, Hatake Sakumo, had abandoned a mission to protect his comrades. In the end, the villagers' gossip and slander had driven him to take his own life.
Sakumo and Duy were the same kind of person.
Dan had denied Duy, and in doing so, he had also denied White Fang's ninja way.
Perhaps, in Dan's eyes, he would always matter more than other people.
But in Duy and Sakumo's hearts, other people mattered more than they did.
One was self-serving, the other selfless. It was obvious which was more noble.
The Third Hokage had said so too.
Konoha Village's Will of Fire could endure because people like White Fang and Duy selflessly gave everything they had, burning their lives to nourish the towering tree that was Konoha.
Faced with Guy's impassioned speech.
"I'm very disappointed in you."
Dan sighed. Guy had clearly misunderstood what he meant, but Dan wasn't the sort of person to bother explaining himself.
"I didn't come here to argue with you either."
Guy shook his head too, fixing Dan with a blazing gaze. "Let's settle this with our fists. I challenge you!"
He had just turned twenty, the very age when a young man's blood ran hot.
"You're no match for me. Leave. I have no interest in fighting you."
Dan said it calmly, then turned around.
He presented his back to Guy.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Guy's blood surged to his head. He shouted and kicked off the floor, launching himself toward Dan like an arrow loosed from its string.
"Guy!"
By the time Kakashi reacted, Guy had already reached Dan from behind. He leaped into the air and threw a powerful kick, putting his whole body behind it.
Konoha Whirlwind.
It shot straight toward Dan's right shoulder.
Dan didn't turn around. He raised his right forearm as if without a care, and blocked the kick perfectly.
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