Imparting the Leaf Hurricane!

Before dawn, Dai and Might Guy arrived at the waterfall behind the mountain.

"Guy!"

Dai placed his hands on his hips, his teeth flashing.

"Twenty days is too short! Ordinary training won't be enough! Dad is going to put you through special training!"

Might Guy nodded: "Okay."

Dai was stunned: "You aren't going to ask what it is?"

"No need."

Dai's eyes reddened again.

He grabbed Might Guy in a bear hug: "Good son! So youthful!"

Might Guy's eyes rolled back from the squeeze.

Dai let go, took a deep breath, and his expression turned uncharacteristically serious.

"Guy, the training you are about to undertake is five thousand kicks every day!"

"Start with one thousand push-ups, adding two hundred more each day!"

"Stand under the waterfall for one hour!"

"And also..."

He paused, then held up a thumb.

"Dad will teach you an ultimate move! Leaf Hurricane!"

Might Guy's eyes lit up.

Leaf Hurricane.

One of Might Guy's signature taijutsu moves.

It was also the foundation for many subsequent taijutsu techniques.

"Watch closely!"

Dai stepped back a few paces, took a deep breath, and sprinted forward.

He leaped into the air.

His body rotated in mid-air.

A beautiful spinning kick!

Whoosh!

The sound of breaking air was sharp and piercing.

Landing, Dai turned back, his teeth flashing: "How was that!"

Might Guy blinked.

In that instant, something seemed to light up in his mind.

It wasn't a system notification.

It was a... feeling.

That way of exerting force, the rhythm of the rotation, the technique of adjusting his center of gravity in mid-air—

He felt like he had mastered it.

"Dad, let me try."

Dai was taken aback: "Now? You only watched it once—"

Might Guy was already sprinting.

He leaped.

He turned.

He kicked!

Whoosh—

The movement was a bit crooked, and he nearly fell upon landing, but the kick had been executed.

Dai's mouth hung wide open.

Might Guy steadied himself and looked back at him.

Dai's mouth still hadn't closed.

"...Guy."

"Yeah?"

"You... you just..."

Might Guy scratched his head: "I think I got it. But I'm not very smooth yet."

Dai fell silent for three seconds.

Then, his eyes turned red again.

"My good son!!! A genius!!! You are absolutely a genius of taijutsu!!!"

He rushed over to hug him, but Might Guy was prepared and took off running.

"Dad, calm down first!!"

"I can't calm down!!!"

Two green blurs, one large and one small, chased each other through the woods, startling a flock of birds into flight.

The training officially began.

On the first day, five thousand kicks. One thousand one-finger push-ups. Standing under the waterfall for twenty minutes.

Might Guy endured it.

On the second day, five thousand five hundred kicks. One thousand two hundred one-finger push-ups. Standing under the waterfall for thirty minutes.

He endured it again.

On the third day.

Six thousand kicks. One thousand four hundred one-finger push-ups. Standing under the waterfall for forty minutes.

At dusk, he sat before a tree, staring at his hands.

Of his ten fingers, not a single one was intact.

The knuckles were worn raw, a bloody mess. In some places, the white bone was visible.

Blood dripped down his fingers, landing on the fallen leaves.

He lifted his foot.

The instep was also torn. The tree trunk was covered in bloody marks.

Why push myself this hard?

The question popped up suddenly.

In his past life, he was an orphan, ignored and unloved; just surviving was enough.

But in this life, he had a father, he had a system, and he had the chance to become stronger...

He lowered his head, staring at his mangled fingers.

Footsteps approached from the side.

Dai walked over, said nothing, and settled into a horse stance beside him.

Then, he raised his fist.

Bang!

He slammed a punch into the tree.

The trunk vibrated, and leaves rained down.

Bang!

Another punch.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Punch after punch.

The skin on his knuckles soon broke, seeping blood.

Might Guy stared at him, stunned.

Dai didn't speak.

He just kept punching.

One.

Two.

Three.

Might Guy gritted his teeth.

He turned his head.

He raised his finger.

Poke.

One.

Two.

Three.

[Vajra Finger proficiency +1]

[Vajra Leg proficiency +1]

Night fell.

Only the sounds of "thud" and "thwack" remained in the woods, echoing rhythmically until late into the night.

The thirteenth day.

Three in the morning.

Might Guy woke up.

His fingers ached.

His insteps ached.

His shoulders ached.

His entire body ached.

He opened his eyes, intending to circulate the Yijin Jing to dull the pain.

Then he realized Dai was not on the bed.

He turned his head toward the door.

The door was left ajar.

Moonlight filtered in.

Might Guy crawled up, walked over on tiptoes, and peered outside.

Dai was sitting on the doorstep, staring blankly at the moon.

The man who was usually the loudest and laughed the heartiest sat there in complete silence.

His back looked somewhat lonely.

Might Guy pushed the door open, walked over, and sat down beside him.

Dai turned his head to look at him, grinning, "Why are you awake? In pain?"

"Yeah."

"Daddy is in pain too," Dai patted his head, "but pain is a good thing. Pain means you are getting stronger."

Might Guy was silent for a moment.

"Daddy."

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever regretted it?"

Dai was stunned.

"Practicing for twenty years and still a genin," Might Guy looked at the moon, "do you regret it?"

Dai did not speak.

After a long while, he finally opened his mouth.

"Regret?"

He shook his head.

"Guy, there is only one thing Daddy regrets: not realizing it sooner."

Might Guy turned to look at him.

"Realizing what?"

Dai looked at the moon, his eyes very gentle.

"Protecting the people you want to protect is more important than becoming a jonin."

He paused, then continued.

"Back when I was on a mission with White Fang, I was the weakest one."

"I held everyone back, couldn't help out, and sometimes even needed to be protected."

"But White Fang never looked down on me."

He turned his head, looked at Might Guy, and grinned.

"He said, everyone has their own way of living."

"Some rely on ninjutsu, some on genjutsu, some on secret clan techniques. And me—"

He held up his thumb, his teeth gleaming in the moonlight.

"My way of living is to burn my youth to the very end with taijutsu!"

Might Guy looked at this man.

The moonlight shone on his face, his eyes shining with a terrifying intensity.

Although he said it with a smile, Might Guy could feel the weight behind those words.

This was no mere platitude.

This was a man's conviction.

Might Guy took a deep breath.

"Dad."

"Hm?"

"I want to increase my training tomorrow."

Dai froze for a moment.

Then, his eyes turned red again.

"That's my boy!"

He pulled Might Guy into a hug, his booming voice echoing loudly through the night.

Might Guy's eyes rolled back from the crushing grip, but the corners of his mouth were curled upward.

The afternoon of the seventeenth day.

The forest behind the mountain.

Might Guy stood before a tree as thick as a bowl.

In these fifteen days, he had kicked ten thousand times.

He had thrust his fingers over nine thousand times.

He had used two bottles of Golden Sore Medicine.

He had worn through two training suits.

He had ruined four pairs of shoes.

[Vajra Leg: Minor Accomplishment 100/300]

[Vajra Finger: Initial Mastery 99/100]

The leg came first.

He took a deep breath.

The movement Dai had demonstrated flashed through his mind.

Run-up, leap, spin, kick.

He knew it.

He had known it for a long time.

He ran.

He leaped.

His body spun in mid-air—

"Leaf Hurricane!!!"

Whoosh—Bang!!!

The trunk of the tree snapped instantly, and the upper canopy crashed down with a roar.

Fallen leaves swirled everywhere.

Might Guy landed and steadied himself.

He stared at the severed trunk, stunned.

Dai, standing not far away, was equally stunned.

Then, Dai rushed over.

"Might Guy!!! You succeeded!!! You did it!!!"

He grabbed Might Guy in a hug, tears gushing out, snot streaming down his face.

"Waaaaah Might Guy!!! Dad knew you could do it!!! I knew you could!!!"

Might Guy was being squeezed until he couldn't breathe.

His face and clothes were smeared with snot and tears.

"Dad... let go... let go..."

"I won't!!! Dad is just so happy!!! So happy!!!"

Might Guy rolled his eyes, his arms hanging limply at his sides.

But his heart felt warm.

Forget it.

"Go home and do the laundry."

[Vajra Leg has reached "Minor Accomplishment," main quest progress 1/2.]

The setting sun spilled through the gaps in the leaves.

Two green figures, one large and one small, were locked in an embrace.

One was crying his eyes out.

The other was rolling his eyes, looking utterly dead inside.

The wind blew through the woods, carrying a faint scent of blood and sweat.

And something else, indescribable.

Perhaps, it was youth.