Genius and the Underdog

The school bell rang.

Students filed out in twos and threes, their hushed discussions unable to mask the glances they kept casting toward Kakashi.

"Did you hear? White Fang..."

"Shh—"

Kakashi sat by the window, motionless.

Guy packed his bag and stood up. He glanced at Kakashi's back, then toward the door.

Obito was waving at him. "Bushy Brows! Let's go, are we still doing extra training today?"

"You go ahead, I have something to take care of."

Obito paused, followed his gaze to Kakashi, and seemed to understand something.

"Oh... then I'll wait for you at the back hill."

He pushed the door open and left.

The classroom was nearly empty. Kurenai Yuhi walked to the door, looked back at Guy, her eyes filled with concern.

Guy smiled at her and gave a thumbs-up.

Kurenai pursed her lips and left as well.

In the end, only two people remained.

Guy walked over to Kakashi, sat in the seat in front of him, and turned around.

"Kakashi."

No response.

"Kakashi."

Still no response.

Guy reached out and waved a hand in front of him.

Kakashi finally moved, turning his head to look at him. His eyes were still red, but his expression was as cold as ice.

"What do you want?"

Guy was blunt. "What's your take on your father's situation?"

Kakashi's gaze sharpened.

"It has nothing to do with you."

He stood up, grabbed his bag, and walked out.

Guy followed him. "I think it does."

Kakashi didn't slow his pace.

"Was your father wrong to save his comrade?"

Kakashi stopped abruptly, turned to glare at him, his voice low but aggressive. "What do you know? You don't know anything!"

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you," Guy said.

Kakashi bit his lip, his chest heaving.

"Move."

"No."

Kakashi walked around him and kept going.

Guy followed him out of the school building, out the gate, and all the way into the street.

"Stop following me!"

Kakashi turned back and shouted, drawing stares from passersby.

Guy stopped and looked at him.

"Then tell me, what do you really think?"

Kakashi clenched his fists.

"What I think is none of your business! You're a dead-last, I'm a genius—we were never on the same path! Stop bothering me!"

He turned and walked away.

Guy stood where he was, watching that small, white-clad back.

He suddenly spoke up. "Let's fight."

Kakashi's footsteps faltered.

"Let's fight," Guy repeated. "If I win, you tell me what you're thinking."

Kakashi turned his head, looking at him with a strange expression.

"You? Fight me?"

"Yes."

"What can you do? You can't even perform the Clone Technique."

Guy grinned, gave a thumbs-up, and his teeth flashed: "But I have youth!"

Kakashi was silent for two seconds.

"Boring."

He continued walking.

Guy chased after him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't you want to know what is right and what is wrong? After we fight, I'll tell you!"

Kakashi shook off his hand and stared at him.

In those eyes, there was anger, confusion, and something indescribable.

"Fine. If you want to fight, then let's fight."

School training ground.

The sunset gradually faded.

Guy and Kakashi stood facing each other, ten meters apart.

No one was watching.

Only the rustling of wind through the leaves.

"Rules?" Kakashi asked.

"No rules."

Guy tossed his schoolbag aside.

"Until one side can't stand up anymore."

Guy grinned and assumed his starting stance.

Kakashi also took a stance, one hand in front of him, the other holding an unsharpened Kunai.

"Come."

Guy rushed forward.

The first kick, Vajra Leg, swept toward Kakashi's lower leg.

Fast.

Kakashi dodged to the side, his Kunai slashing backhand toward Guy's arm.

Guy retracted his leg, stepped back, and evaded.

Kakashi didn't give him a chance to breathe, forming seals with one hand—

"Clone Technique!"

"Poof."

Three Kakashi stood side by side, identical movements, identical gazes.

Guy froze for half a second.

All three Kakashi rushed over simultaneously.

"Which one is real?"

He gritted his teeth and swept his leg toward the nearest one—

"Poof."

The clone turned into smoke.

The other two were already right in front of him.

The one on the left thrust with the Kunai, while the one on the right kicked toward his stomach.

Guy couldn't worry about that; he poked two fingers of his right hand toward the one on the left while dodging—

"Pfft."

His fingers pierced through a clone.

"Poof."

But the kick from the right landed solidly.

Guy was kicked back two steps, his stomach burning with pain.

Before he could steady himself, a whistling sound came from behind.

"Shuriken!"

Guy bent over abruptly, and two Shuriken grazed his back, embedding themselves into a tree trunk.

He turned his head.

Kakashi stood five meters away, two more Shuriken in his hand.

Of those three clones from just a moment ago, not a single one had been real.

Guy panted, grinning.

"Impressive."

Kakashi didn't speak, forming hand seals once more.

"Body Flicker Technique!"

His figure flickered, suddenly appearing before Guy, a Kunai slashing horizontally.

Guy had no time to dodge, raising his arm to block.

The Kunai carved a gash into his forearm, blood spraying out.

Guy let out a muffled grunt, his other hand jabbing toward Kakashi's shoulder.

Kakashi leaned back to evade, following through with a kick to the back of his knee.

Guy dropped to one knee.

"Enough."

Kakashi stepped back, watching him.

"Enough of what?"

Guy lifted his head, sweat and blood streaming down his forehead.

He pushed himself up, blood from his right arm dripping down his elbow.

"I've only just begun."

Kakashi frowned: "You can't beat me."

"I know."

Guy flexed his fingers; the knuckles were raw and scraped from the earlier blocks.

"But I haven't fallen yet."

He charged forward again.

This time, he was faster.

Yijin Jing circulated wildly within his body, a warm current flowing through his limbs, suppressing the pain of his wounds.

In its place was boiling hot blood.

Vajra Leg!

Whoosh—

Kakashi dodged to the side, but Guy's leg suddenly changed direction in mid-air, sweeping toward his waist.

Kakashi's eyes flickered; he braced a hand on the ground and flipped, barely avoiding the strike.

Before he could rise, Guy's fingers were already jabbing forward.

Vajra Finger!

Thwip.

The fingers struck Kakashi's shoulder, and he let out a muffled grunt as his shoulder went numb.

"You!"

Kakashi gritted his teeth, kicking Guy in the stomach.

Guy was sent stumbling back a few steps, but he didn't fall.

He drew a breath and charged again.

Kick, jab, kick, jab.

There were no flashy movements, only the two simplest techniques.

But every kick whistled with wind, and every finger jab caused searing pain.

Kakashi dodged and countered, adding gash after gash to Guy's body with his Kunai.

His clothes were shredded.

His arms were covered in blood.

His face was scraped and raw.

But Guy kept charging forward.

Bang!

Kakashi slammed a fist into his face.

Guy's head snapped to the side, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

But he grabbed Kakashi's wrist with a backhand motion.

The gripping power of the Diamond Finger!

Kakashi struggled, but couldn't break free.

Guy's other hand was already balled into a fist, slamming into his stomach—

Bang.

Kakashi was struck, doubling over.

But he took the opportunity to wrench his wrist free and staggered backward.

The two stood five meters apart, gasping for air.

Kakashi's chakra was nearly bottomed out.

He had used the Clone Technique and Body Flicker Technique too many times; his body felt hollow now.

Across from him, that guy in green was covered in blood, yet still standing.

His eyes were terrifyingly bright.

"You... lunatic," Kakashi panted.

Guy grinned, revealing teeth stained red with blood.

"Youth is madness."

He charged forward once more.

This time, there were no ninjutsu, no techniques.

Just the simplest of fists and legs.

Kakashi had no chakra left either, so he could only engage in a desperate bout of taijutsu.

Bang!

Their fists collided.

Snap!

Their legs swept into each other.

Kakashi punched Guy in the ribs.

Guy kicked him in the thigh.

One hit for you, one hit for me.

No dodging, no defense.

Just a brutal, head-on collision.

It was as if they were venting something.

Until the very end.

Guy threw a punch and missed.

Kakashi kicked out and missed as well.

Both men stumbled simultaneously, then collapsed onto the ground together.

They just lay there.

Neither could move anymore.

The sunset sank completely, and the sky turned dark.

The woods were deathly quiet, save for their heavy, ragged breathing.

Guy lay on the ground, watching the sky slowly darken.

There wasn't a single spot on his body that didn't ache.

His right arm was numb, and his ribs hurt with every breath.

But he smiled.

"Kakashi."

A panting sound came from beside him, but no response.

"At this point... you can tell me... your thoughts, right?"

Silence.

A long time passed.

Kakashi's voice rang out, very soft and raspy.

"I... think my father wasn't wrong."

Guy turned his head to look at him.

Kakashi lay on the grass two meters away, his eyes fixed on the sky.

Tears streamed from the corners of his eyes, vanishing into his white hair.

"What's wrong with... saving a comrade?"

His voice trembled.

"But... but everyone is saying... saying he brought shame to Konoha... saying he doesn't deserve to be a ninja..."

"I don't know... I really don't know..."

He raised his arm to shield his eyes, his shoulders shaking rhythmically.

Guy watched as the usually cold Genius wept like an ordinary child.

He propped himself up.

His entire body ached as if it were falling apart, but he still managed to crawl over.

He crouched down beside Kakashi.

Then, he placed a hand on his shoulder.

Kakashi froze, lowering his arm to look at him with bloodshot eyes.

Guy's face was swollen and his lip was bleeding, but his gaze was terrifyingly earnest.

"I think you're right."

Kakashi was stunned.

"Those who do not cherish their comrades are even worse than trash."

Guy's voice wasn't loud, but every word struck Kakashi's heart like a stone.

"Your father saved his comrades; he is a hero."

"What do those gossips know, anyway?"

Guy grinned, pulling at the wound on his lip and wincing in pain, yet his smile remained unchanged.

"When I become a ninja, I will save my comrades too. Even if the mission fails, even if everyone curses me, I will still save and protect those I hold dear."

He gave a thumbs-up, his teeth flashing.

"Because that is my Ninja Way!"

Kakashi stared at him blankly.

The guy in the green suit, with his swollen face, blood-soaked clothes, and disheveled appearance.

Yet, his eyes burned as if two fires were lit within them.

Kakashi's tears welled up again.

But this time, he didn't hide them.

He just wept in front of Guy, sobbing uncontrollably.

Guy didn't speak either; he just stayed crouched there, his hand resting on Kakashi's shoulder.

Once Kakashi had cried his fill, he sat up, sniffling.

He looked at Guy, his lips moving slightly.

"Why... why did you help me?"

Guy thought for a moment.

"Because you're my classmate."

Kakashi was taken aback.

"Besides," Guy scratched his head, "the day your father evaluated us, he praised that kick of mine."

He chuckled.

Kakashi looked at him, suddenly feeling that this Underdog was a bit of a fool.

A fool so earnest it made him want to cry.

[Bond Triggered: Genius and the Underdog]

[Reward: Monk Points +30]