"I'll handle this!"
Guy's voice had barely faded when Choza whipped around.
He looked at the eight-year-old boy.
Rain streamed down that face, but his eyes shone with frightening intensity.
"Now isn't the time to be stubborn."
"I'm not being stubborn."
Guy cut him off.
He raised a hand and pointed ahead.
Choza followed his finger.
Through the curtain of rain, the thirteen men had already spread out.
They weren't charging over in a disorderly mob.
They had pulled apart with practiced precision, forming a semicircular encirclement.
Three on the left, three on the right, and seven in the middle.
Their retreat to Kikyo Mountain had been completely sealed off.
Choza's pupils contracted slightly.
"This formation..."
A moment ago, he had been focused only on getting them to retreat and hadn't looked closely.
Now that he did, his heart sank.
The enemy had never intended to let them leave.
Iwami Shigezo stood in the very center, arms folded across his chest, wearing the smile of a cat toying with a mouse.
When he saw Choza's gaze, the corners of his mouth stretched even wider.
"Kid from the Akimichi Clan, you want to let your people run first?"
He shook his head.
"They won't get away."
"Tonight, none of the four of you will leave."
He waved his hand.
The thirteen men began to advance slowly.
Their footsteps were orderly.
Their killing intent was overwhelming.
Choza took a deep breath.
He turned to Guy, his tone heavy.
"Are you confident?"
Guy grinned.
It was the exact same smile he had worn three months ago.
He raised a thumb.
His teeth flashed.
"I am."
He looked toward Ebisu and Genma again.
Ebisu had already removed his sunglasses and tucked them into his clothes.
"I'm an elite!"
Genma took the toothpick from his mouth and gripped it in his palm.
"I've been ready for a while."
Choza looked at the three of them.
Three eight-year-old children.
Three months ago, they had been inexperienced rookies who had just graduated from the academy.
Now, facing thirteen enemies, there was no fear in their eyes.
Only seriousness.
Only the resolve of true ninja.
Choza was silent for two seconds.
Then he smiled.
"Good."
He turned back to face that jōnin.
"Then—"
He took a deep breath.
His body suddenly swelled.
"Expansion Jutsu!"
His entire body instantly became a giant more than three meters tall, and his two massive hands slammed outward like doors.
"Break through!"
The moment his voice fell, he had already charged into the enemy formation.
His target was Iwami Shigezo.
Iwami Shigezo's eyes sharpened as he raised his arms to block.
"Bang!"
The two collided, shaking the ground and sending muddy water spraying in every direction.
At the same time, Choza's other hand swept across with tremendous force, flinging away a Chunin who had not had time to dodge.
"One!"
He roared.
Taking one of them out is better than taking none!
Iwami Shigezo was tied down by Choza, and one Chunin had been sent flying.
But there were still two Chunin and nine Genin.
They charged toward Guy and the others with savage grins.
"Three brats!"
"Kill them!"
"Don't let that Akimichi get away!"
The rain fell harder and harder.
Ebisu tightened his grip on his Kunai, his palm slick with sweat.
Genma held five shuriken in his hand, ready to strike at any moment.
Just as the two were about to move—
"Eight Inner Gates—"
A voice rang out beside their ears.
"Third Gate—"
"Gate of Life!"
"Open!!"
Boom!!!
A burst of air exploded from Guy.
The rain was blasted apart, scattering in every direction and forming a brief vacuum around him.
Ebisu's vision blurred.
That green figure had already vanished.
No.
He hadn't vanished.
He was simply too fast.
Too fast for the raindrops to finish falling.
Too fast for the savage grins on the enemies' faces to fade.
Too fast for the Chunin charging at the front to see anything but a flash of green.
Then—
"Vajra Whirlwind Leg!!"
Whoosh!!!
Guy's body spun through the air.
His right leg, wrapped in golden light and green steam, was like a whirlwind.
No.
It was a whirlwind.
The ferocity of Vajra Leg.
The spinning force of Leaf Hurricane.
The speed of the Third Gate of the Eight Inner Gates.
All three merged into one.
"Bang!!!"
His foot viciously struck the Chunin's neck.
"Crack!"
The sound of breaking bone.
Crisp.
Piercing.
It rang out with extraordinary clarity in the rainy night.
The Chunin's eyes opened wide.
His mouth hung open.
The savage grin remained frozen on his face.
But his entire body had already been sent flying.
Not flying.
Shot away.
"Bang!"
He slammed into a tree five meters away.
The trunk split down the middle.
The man was embedded in the tree, his neck twisted at an eerie angle.
He did not move.
He was dead.
He had not even had time to use a jutsu.
Guy had killed him with a single kick!
The rain seemed to stop for an instant.
The entire world fell silent.
The remaining Iwagakure Ninja had not yet had time to change the expressions on their faces.
Their savage grins remained.
So did their stunned gazes.
But every movement had stopped.
They looked at their companion embedded in the tree.
Then they looked at the green figure standing where he was.
Green steam billowed from his body.
The rain fell toward him, but evaporated before it could touch his skin.
He slowly lowered his leg.
Then stood straight.
He raised his head.
Those eyes shone with frightening intensity.
Ebisu opened and closed his mouth.
He wanted to say something.
But his mind was completely blank.
Only one thought remained.
He had seen this scene before.
One year ago.
Konoha Back Mountain.
The night Might Guy had kicked down the Ninja Bear.
That figure whose body had been wreathed in green steam.
"The Vajra Beast of Konoha..."
"Again."
"No... This time, it seems even more terrifying..."
Ebisu murmured.
Iwami Shigezo's feral grin finally vanished.
He stared at Guy, and for the first time, seriousness appeared in his eyes.
"Ninjutsu... No! Taijutsu!"
He gritted his teeth.
"Konoha's Taijutsu... What a formidable brat..."
Choza was stunned as well.
He looked at Guy's back, at the green steam surrounding him.
Three months.
He had trained this brat for three months.
All he knew was that the boy's Taijutsu was decent, his legs were powerful, and his reactions were fast.
But Guy's speed...
He shouldn't have been that fast!
And there was that familiar green light.
A sharp glint flashed in Akimichi Choza's eyes.
"The Eight Inner Gates!"
"He's opened the Third Gate!"
"This child is a genius!!"
An eight-year-old child had opened the Eight Inner Gates to the Third Gate.
Akimichi Choza knew exactly what that meant.
"He absolutely can't let anything happen to him!"
Once he came to his senses, this thought immediately surfaced in Choza's mind.
This was Konoha's tender shoot.
A tender shoot that was growing vigorously.
He absolutely couldn't let Guy die here.
Choza took a deep breath and reached inside his clothes.
When he pulled his hand out, a small rectangular box was already sitting in his palm.
It was made of wood.
It was about the size of his palm.
The crest of the Akimichi Clan was carved into its surface.
He opened the box.
Inside lay three pills, perfectly still.
One was green.
One was yellow.
One was red.