After returning home, Taiichi tidied himself up a little before heading out to the training ground. To his surprise, he found Might Guy and Kakashi sparring there.
Kakashi's father was Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang of Konoha. Guy's father might have only been a Genin, but he was a top-tier Genin capable of opening the Eight Gates and taking down the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Both of them had received guidance from their fathers.
That much was obvious from their sparring. Their moves were disciplined and methodical. Unlike Taiichi, who was a complete rookie with no fighting experience whatsoever.
As he watched the two exchange moves and shift between offense and defense, Taiichi considered how he would respond if he were in their place.
At that moment, the two sparring boys noticed Taiichi nearby. After exchanging one more blow, they used the force of the impact to leap apart.
"Taiichi, you're a little late today! Kakashi and I got here early in the morning! Youth cannot be so lazy!" Guy flashed his gleaming white teeth and exaggeratedly addressed Taiichi.
"I had something to do at the orphanage this morning." Taiichi did not elaborate. "By the way, when did you two become so close? You're even practicing together."
"Haha, Kakashi is my lifelong rival! We met before school started." He then turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi, this is Taiichi Matsushita, my best friend!"
"Idiot. We're classmates. Do you really need to introduce him?" Ignoring Guy's embarrassed foolish grin, Kakashi invited Taiichi, "Taiichi, let's have a spar!"
Why was Kakashi so competitive at this age? Still, Taiichi had no reason to refuse. This was exactly the sort of experience he lacked.
"No problem. But I haven't sparred before, so don't be disappointed."
The two walked to the center of the field, formed the Seal of Confrontation, and began fighting.
Kakashi lowered his center of gravity, moving as smoothly as a hunting leopard. He darted forward and swept his left leg at Taiichi's lower body. Taiichi hurriedly leaped back to evade, only for Kakashi to switch moves with lightning speed. He planted both hands on the ground, sprang up, and followed with a high kick toward Taiichi's chest. With nowhere to brace himself in midair, Taiichi could only shield his chest with both arms. Kakashi's kick sent him crashing to the ground.
The instant Taiichi hit the ground, he rolled backward to dissipate the force and used the motion to get back on his feet. As soon as he steadied himself, he rushed forward, unleashing a barrage of straight punches. His punches were even slightly faster than Kakashi's.
That fierce assault caught Kakashi scrambling for a moment, but he quickly regained control. Seizing an opening, he whipped a kick at Taiichi's side. Taiichi blocked with his forearm, but Kakashi used the momentum to turn and drove an elbow into him, knocking Taiichi back several steps.
The two traded blows evenly, but overall, Kakashi held the upper hand. Taiichi ultimately lacked experience, and many of his responses were flawed. Only occasionally could he use an unexpected move to recover a little ground.
After another dozen exchanges, Kakashi finally knocked Taiichi to the ground with a flying kick. Taiichi did not get back up.
Taiichi lay on the ground, breathing heavily as sweat slid down his cheeks. Kakashi withdrew his attack and stepped forward, extending a hand to pull up Taiichi, who had already sat up.
"You're impressive, Taiichi. I can tell you rarely spar, but to perform like this is truly rare." As Kakashi spoke, he recalled his father's earlier assessment of Taiichi and Guy, and agreed with it even more.
Guy, who had been watching from the side, also ran over. He raised a thumbs-up from afar. "Taiichi, I never expected you to be this strong! My youthful blood is boiling just from watching!"
"Come on, Taiichi, let's have a thrilling duel too!" Guy excitedly said as he assumed his opening stance.
"Okay!" Taiichi was not intimidated. After resting on the ground for a while, he had recovered some stamina. He got to his feet and assumed his own opening stance.
Watching the fighting spirit between the two, Kakashi stepped aside to observe.
Once Guy saw that Taiichi was ready, he charged in without hesitation. Compared to Kakashi's emphasis on technique, Guy's attacks were powerful and heavy. Every punch and every kick was incredibly difficult for Taiichi to block.
Gradually, Taiichi found the trick to it. He stopped directly clashing with Guy's attacks and instead used wrapping and deflecting techniques to neutralize Guy's moves. Whenever he found an opportunity to launch a fierce counterattack, he could also leave Guy scrambling.
Kakashi, watching from the side, could see it even more clearly. Taiichi's technique had improved tremendously. In just two duels, while it was not quite like he had become a completely different person, he had clearly risen to an entirely different level.
During Taiichi's duel with Guy, Kakashi could even see traces of himself in Taiichi's moves. That rate of improvement was practically inhuman.
It was no wonder Taiichi had improved so much. His Lv6 Basic Taijutsu was no weaker than that of an ordinary Genin. What he lacked was combat experience, the ability to fully bring out the foundation of his Lv6 skill.
As the two continued clashing, Taiichi's stamina gradually began to fail. His movements started to deform and slow, and blocking and parrying became increasingly difficult. In the end, because his movements had become sluggish and his defense was a step too slow, Guy struck him in the chest with a punch and knocked him down.
The battle ended with both of them panting heavily. Taiichi's stubborn resilience had forced Guy to expend plenty of stamina before he could claim victory.
"Taiichi, huff... You truly are my best friend, huff... To improve this much, huff..." Even while gasping for breath, Guy did not forget to flash his gleaming white teeth.
Meanwhile, Taiichi was staring at the panel in his mind.
[You engaged in Taijutsu sparring. Related insights increased.] [Your skill Basic Taijutsu has improved. Experience +2.] [You focused on Ninja combat training. Genin class experience +2.] ...
Seeing the greater experience gains than usual, Taiichi realized that the path of "leveling up by killing monsters" really suited him better. Just two short duels had given him more experience than two hours of ordinary training.
Kakashi came over and helped Taiichi, who was still lying on the ground, to his feet. The three sat beneath the shade of a tree to rest for a while, discussing the insights they had gained from the recent battles. Once their stamina had recovered, they resumed their individual training, occasionally sparring again to reinforce what they had learned.
The cherry blossoms beside the training ground swayed gently in the wind, petals drifting between the three boys. The Sun Barrier slowly sank westward, and the glow of the setting sun fell over them, lengthening their shadows and witnessing the friendship between the three.
That evening, Taiichi returned home dragging his exhausted body. After simply making something to eat, he went to the study.
Thinking back on what he had gained that day, the matter of making money had finally been settled. All that remained was to wait for Tsunade's reply. If things went quickly, there would probably be a result tomorrow.
His sparring with Guy and Kakashi that afternoon had also revealed another way to gain experience. Everything was developing in a positive direction.
Name: Taiichi Matsushita Class: Genin Lv2 (127/200) Talents: Diligence Makes Up for Mediocrity, Academic Overachiever Age: 6 Constitution: 10 Strength: 11 Agility: 10 Spirit: 18 Chakra: 657 (4200) Attribute Points: 5 Skill Points: 5 Skills: Basic Taijutsu Lv6 (324/1000), Basic Meditation Lv6 (815/1000), Chakra Refinement Technique Lv2 (15/200), Ninja Tool Throwing Lv1 (94/100) Evaluation: A fighter jet among the trash. Looking forward to seeing you go further.
Looking at his panel, compared to before school started, he had gained two more skills, and his experience level had also increased considerably. There was just one shortcoming—he did not know a single Ninjutsu.
Lowering his head, he looked at the scroll on the table. Now that he had Chakra, Ninjutsu training also had to be put on the agenda.
At the same time, on the other side of Konoha, in an izakaya.
Tsunade, already drunk beyond recognition, was sprawled over the table and sleeping soundly, having completely forgotten about what happened during the day.
Across the table, Jiraiya and Orochimaru exchanged helpless looks with bitter smiles. Tsunade had originally dragged them out for drinks, but judging by the situation, not only had they failed to drink anything, they now had to clean up the mess left by a drunken person.
Before you continue