Separated by a Pitifully Thick Wall

The two teams soon began training, and the Forest of Death rang with the sounds of fierce combat.

A moment later.

In the forest, several Kyohikos and Guys darted around, making it impossible to tell the real ones from the fakes.

These were illusions created by the Hell Clone Technique.

Kurenai Yuhi had mastered it.

As Kakashi dispelled the illusion, he watched for the real Kyohiko, then swiftly drew his blade and attacked one of the figures.

The two fought fiercely...

At the clang of metal, Kakashi immediately turned around, ready to assist the others.

However.

Genma Shiranui, Ebisu, and Kyohiko, who had used the Body Flicker Technique to get there, swiftly swung their blades.

After only a few Body Flickers, Genma Shiranui and Ebisu were already "dead."

The outcome was clear.

Kyohiko had gotten faster, and he could control his speed with frightening precision.

Genma Shiranui and Ebisu couldn't stop Kyohiko's sudden attacks and assassinations. Every time, they lost in exactly the same way!

What incredible progress!

Kakashi tightened his grip on his sword, then let it go.

"Let's take a break."

"Okay."

Kyohiko nodded.

The two teams split up and sat in separate spots.

"Whew! You're too strong!"

After only a few clashes, Genma Shiranui was drenched in sweat. The Kunai in his hand had left his thumb webbing split from the vibrations, and blood trickled from the wound.

He'd known Kyohiko was strong.

But...

He hadn't expected the gap between them to be so huge.

Ebisu said bitterly, "We can't beat him at all!"

Kakashi glanced at the two of them.

"So you were still thinking you could win?"

Even he hadn't thought they could win.

"Well... of course we'd thought about it. We figured the gap might not be that big."

Genma Shiranui's face burned.

Before the fight, he'd still clung to a sliver of hope. With Kakashi on their side, he'd thought their team might be stronger overall. And with Kakashi's tactics, perhaps they could defeat the other team.

But...

Reality had hit hard.

They were no match at all.

Genma Shiranui recalled Kyohiko darting and weaving through the fight, and couldn't help shuddering.

He'd dodged every Kunai and Shuriken. Not one had hit him.

And that had been Genma's limit.

Even if he'd used an Explosive Tag, the outcome probably wouldn't have been any better.

"So if you got lucky, you thought you might beat all three of them?"

Kakashi's gaze was icy.

Genma Shiranui and Ebisu didn't dare meet his eyes.

That was exactly what they'd thought.

On their previous team, they'd always looked down on Guy and failed to recognize his strengths and how powerful he was.

But...

A change in perspective could make everything feel completely different.

Now that they'd seen him next to the others, they both understood clearly—

Guy might not be very dignified, but he was far stronger than they were!

Kakashi stood and walked over to Kyohiko.

"Kyohiko, you're too strong. Training like this won't help."

Kakashi felt conflicted as he said it.

Kyohiko had improved again!

He'd recently started using a similar training method and had made some progress, but nowhere near as quickly as Kyohiko.

Incredible talent and dedication!

Kakashi sighed inwardly.

"..."

Kyohiko rubbed his brow.

He'd noticed it too.

With the Grandmaster Body Flicker Technique, he could dodge most ninja tools, as well as launch surprise attacks and assassinations. Against fighters like Genma Shiranui and Ebisu, there was basically no way to hold him back.

Genma Shiranui and Ebisu followed behind him in silence.

"You two..."

Kyohiko had meant to say something encouraging, but the two of them had performed so poorly.

They were just too weak...

They were performing about as well as anyone their age could be expected to, and Genma Shiranui was even fairly talented. But compared with Kakashi and Guy, they just didn't measure up.

Especially Ebisu.

If he'd so much as helped Genma Shiranui, they wouldn't have lost so quickly so many times.

Kyohiko hesitated.

In the end, he decided to be direct.

"You need to work harder to get stronger. You're far too weak as you are now."

"Yes, sorry!"

Genma Shiranui and Ebisu immediately apologized.

Kyohiko shook his head.

"You were only helping me out, so you don't need to apologize to me. But things are unstable right now, and war will break out again sooner or later. The stronger we are, the better our chances of making it through the future."

"We'll work twice as hard!"

"Starting tomorrow, let's train together. We'll improve together and grow stronger."

Kyohiko suggested.

"Can we?"

Genma Shiranui and Ebisu were stunned, both surprised and delighted.

"Of course."

And so.

The next day, a striking new sight appeared in Konoha.

"Five hundred laps! Anyone who can't do it has to throw a hundred punches! Gah, gah, gah!"

A green figure sprinted wildly ahead.

"Huh?"

Genma Shiranui and Ebisu were dumbfounded.

They'd agreed to train together, but that meant training with Might Guy?

This wasn't what they'd imagined!

"Do you want to quit?"

Kyohiko looked at the two of them, as well as Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi.

Their faces turned green.

But...

If they quit just like that, they'd look like cowards.

Up ahead—

"Gah, gah, gah! My youthful passion is burning with all its might! My eternal rival, come and duel me!"

Kurenai covered her face.

Training with Guy was a little too much for her nerves.

But...

"Let's run!"

Seeing Kyohiko take off, Kakashi gritted his teeth and followed.

Usually, Guy was the one who challenged him to a duel.

This was the first time in his life he'd joined Guy for a run!

Kurenai had no choice but to follow.

She ran with her head lowered, too embarrassed to look up. But she soon realized that the shame didn't last.

Once you got used to it, it really wasn't so bad—as long as...

You didn't run into anyone you knew!

The school day was almost over. She followed behind Kyohiko, panting as they ran past the Ninja Academy. The moment she caught sight of a few strange looks from the school grounds, she immediately ducked her head.

There were people she knew!

Inside the school, Asuma was doing combat drills. He stared through the fence, stunned.

Running wildly alongside Kyohiko and the others...

Was that Kurenai Yuhi?

No!!!

Impossible!

He had to be seeing things!

Asuma rubbed his eyes, but after checking several times, he realized he hadn't been mistaken.

It really was Kurenai Yuhi!

Her whole demeanor had changed.

"Asuma, what are you looking at? Oh, Kurenai? I heard she's studying under Lady Tsunade now. Man, I'm so jealous! Maybe she'll become a kunoichi like Lady Tsunade someday!"

A classmate beside him sighed enviously.

Asuma was stunned.

Studying under Lady Tsunade?

Kurenai?

Looking outside, Asuma had a vague sense that—

Though it seemed as if there was only the Ninja Academy's wall between him and Kurenai Yuhi, in truth, they were already separated by a pitifully thick wall.

The embarrassment of training faded bit by bit with continued practice.

One day, two days...

Then, twenty days later, everyone had gotten completely used to it.

Of course.

Even Kyohiko couldn't completely adopt Guy's habit of shouting at the top of his lungs.

He just wanted to get stronger, not become a lunatic.

That evening.

Everyone lay on the grass, utterly exhausted. Only Kurenai Yuhi still looked somewhat presentable.

Kyohiko sat up.

"Do you still think this kind of training is ridiculous?"

"If it makes us stronger, there's nothing ridiculous about it."

Kakashi's face remained expressionless.

Genma Shiranui and Ebisu hesitated for a moment, then agreed as well.

Since their physical foundations had been weaker, their progress—and Kurenai Yuhi's—was obvious to the naked eye.

This training really did make them stronger!

"From now on, even if Guy and I aren't here, you can't slack off. You have to train every day for it to work. Got it?"

Kyohiko gave them a stern warning. "And that's not all. You have to get everyone else to train with you, too. Shouldn't we share good things? And even if you don't share them, if everyone's embarrassed together, will you still be embarrassed?"

"We should make this a Konoha tradition. From now on, let's hold an Extreme Training competition once a year!"

Kyohiko shared his vision.

Apart from Might Guy, who was burning with passion, everyone else fell silent.

That kind of scene...

Was just too terrifying!