Assessment Day, White Fang's Surprise

Several days later, one morning.

Ninja Academy training grounds.

Might Guy stood in the center of the field, wearing that washed-out Green Spandex Suit.

Dai stood at the edge of the field, his fists clenched as he trembled nervously.

"Guy! Do your best! Dad's watching you from here!"

His booming voice echoed over the training grounds.

Opposite him, a middle-aged man with long silver hair approached at an unhurried pace.

Hatake Sakumo.

Konoha's White Fang.

He was dressed as always, his eyes gentle.

"Might Guy."

He stopped and looked down at the six-year-old boy before him.

"You seem to have gotten quite a bit stronger."

Guy looked up at him. "Senior White Fang, please guide me."

White Fang nodded.

"The assessment has three parts. Basic taijutsu, ten consecutive kicks against a target, and combat sparring."

He paused and looked at Might Guy.

"Are you ready?"

Guy took a deep breath.

"I'm ready."

The first part: basic taijutsu.

"One thousand front kicks. Begin."

Guy walked over to the wooden post.

He raised his leg.

Kicked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

His movements were so precise, they seemed measured with a ruler.

His waist was straight, his leg taut, toes curled back, and each landing steady.

One hundred.

Three hundred.

Five hundred.

White Fang stood nearby, watching quietly.

Eight hundred.

One thousand.

Guy lowered his leg and stood still.

A light sheen of sweat covered his forehead, but his breathing remained steady.

White Fang nodded.

"Your form is excellent. Far more precise than your father's was back then."

Dai's eyes reddened at the edge of the field. "Senior White Fang!"

White Fang ignored him.

"Second part: ten consecutive kicks against a target."

Three chunin carried over a wooden target as tall as half a man.

It was the standard training model, made of solid wood and wrapped in hemp rope.

Guy walked over.

He recognized this kind of target.

When he had practiced kicking before, one of these could withstand several hundred strikes.

But that had been before.

He took a deep breath.

Raised his leg.

Bang!

The first kick.

The wooden target shook violently, several strands of its outer rope snapping.

White Fang raised an eyebrow.

Guy's second kick was already on its way—

Bang!! Crack—

The target split down the middle, wood chips flying everywhere.

"Stop!" the examiner beside them hurriedly called. "That's enough! That's enough! The target's broken!"

Guy lowered his leg, somewhat bewildered.

"...I only kicked it twice."

The examiner stared at the target split in half, his mouth twitching. "Yes, twice was enough."

At the edge of the field, Dai jumped up excitedly.

"Guy!!! Amazing!!! This is the power of Youth!!!"

White Fang glanced at Dai, then turned back to Might Guy.

Something more appeared in his eyes.

"Third part," he said. "Combat sparring."

Guy froze for a moment. "Against whom?"

"Me."

White Fang unfastened the short sword from his shoulder and handed it to the nearby examiner.

"Don't worry, I'll fight at genin level." He rolled his wrists. "Go all out."

Guy swallowed.

He was going to fight Konoha's White Fang.

Even if White Fang only fought at genin level, he was still White Fang.

He assumed his opening stance.

White Fang nodded. "Come."

Guy charged forward.

He knew neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu. He only knew two things—

Kicking and poking.

"Then I'll kick and poke."

His first kick, the Vajra Leg, swept toward White Fang's lower leg.

White Fang shifted aside to evade it.

The second kick followed immediately, another Vajra Leg, this time a front thrust.

White Fang took a step back.

Guy landed and jabbed two fingers from his right hand straight toward White Fang's shoulder.

White Fang's eyes flickered as he raised an arm to block.

Thud.

Guy's fingers struck his forearm.

White Fang felt his forearm go numb.

He was somewhat surprised.

This child's finger strength was far greater than it looked.

Guy gave him no time to think.

Kick, poke, kick, poke.

He knew nothing else, only these two moves.

But he had practiced those two moves two hundred thousand times!

Every kick split the air, and every jab hurt like hell.

White Fang retreated.

Then retreated again.

When he retreated for the third time, he realized he had already been forced to the edge of the training grounds.

Guy's right hand grabbed for his wrist.

The gripping power of Diamond Finger!

White Fang's wrist was caught, and for a moment, he could not break free.

At the same time, Guy's leg swept toward his supporting leg.

Leaf Hurricane!

Whoosh!

White Fang's eyes lit up.

Bang!

Smoke burst forth.

Substitution Technique.

A wooden post dropped to the ground, shattered to pieces by Might Guy's kick.

Guy lowered his leg and stood where he was, panting.

White Fang stood three meters away, wood chips clinging to him.

He looked at Guy, the corners of his mouth slowly curling upward.

"Enough."

The assessment was suspended.

White Fang walked aside and quietly said a few words to the examiner.

The examiner nodded and turned to leave.

Guy stood there, unsure what he was supposed to do.

Dai ran over and wrapped him in a fierce hug.

"Guy!!! You're incredible!!! You forced Senior White Fang to use the Substitution Technique!!!"

Dai squeezed him so tightly he could barely breathe. "Dad... let go... Senior White Fang is watching..."

Dai hurriedly released him and stood off to the side, not knowing where to put his hands.

After a while, a figure walked in from outside the training grounds.

He had a pipe in his mouth and wore the Hokage's hat.

The Third Hokage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Might Guy froze.

The Third Hokage walked over to White Fang.

"Well?"

White Fang looked at Might Guy and slowly spoke.

"His chakra control is practically nonexistent."

Dai's face went pale.

"His talent for ninjutsu is very poor."

Dai's hands began to shake.

"His resistance to genjutsu is unknown—we didn't test it today."

Tears were already welling in Dai's eyes.

White Fang paused.

"But the strength of his taijutsu—"

He looked at Might Guy, his gaze serious.

"Has already reached genin level."

Dai was stunned.

Tears still hung on his face, his mouth open as he did not know whether to cry or laugh.

The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe.

"White Fang, what is your conclusion?"

White Fang smiled.

It was a very gentle smile, completely unlike the sharpness he had displayed during the assessment.

"Lord Third, let him enroll."

He said it plainly.

"Konoha needs children like him."

The Third Hokage nodded.

"Good."

He looked at Guy, admiration in his eyes.

"Might Guy, wait for the notice tomorrow."

With that, he turned and left.

White Fang picked up his short blade, walked over to Guy, and crouched down.

"When your father teamed up with me back then, he was the weakest one."

Guy looked at him.

"But he never gave up."

White Fang patted his shoulder.

"You have more talent than he did. Train hard."

He stood and turned to leave.

After taking two steps, he looked back.

"Oh, right. That move just now—the Leaf Hurricane—did your father teach you that?"

Might Guy nodded.

White Fang smiled.

"That kick was very good."

Then he left.

Might Guy stood where he was, his mind a little dazed.

Then—

"Guy!!!!!"

Dai rushed over, scooped him up, and spun him around in place.

"We did it!!! We did it!!! You're going to school!!! The Ninja Academy!!!"

His tears and snot started flowing again, smearing all over Guy's face.

"Dad... let go..."

"No!!! Today is the happiest day of my life!!!"

Guy rolled his eyes helplessly.

The next day.

In front of the Ninja Academy's bulletin board.

A group of children gathered there, looking at the newly posted list of accepted replacements.

"Koshigaya Busui... Togakushi Hinode... and..."

Guy stood outside the crowd without squeezing in.

Dai had already pushed his way inside.

Then a loud roar came from within the crowd:

"MIGHT GUY!!!! Guy, your name's on it!!! It's on there!!!"

Dai rushed out and wrapped Guy in a hug.

Even though he had already learned the news yesterday,

he was still wildly excited.

He cried his eyes out.

"Guy!!! We did it!!! We did it!!!"

Everyone around them was watching.

Guy's face turned a little red.

"Let go first... There are so many people..."

"No!!! Dad's too happy!!!"

[System Notification: Main Enrollment Assessment completed.]

[Obtained: Monk Points +100]

[Obtained: Random Basic Gift Pack ×1]

[Open?]

"Open."

[Obtained: School Uniform: Youth Edition (Green) ×1]

[Attributes: Defense +5, Durability +100%, resistant to wear.]

Guy looked at the bright green school uniform in his system inventory.

...Was it any different from what he was wearing now?

It seemed a little greener?

Forget it. Green was green anyway.

Dai finally let him go, wiped away his tears and snot, gave a thumbs-up, and flashed a shining grin.

"Guy! To celebrate! I've decided! Extra training today!"

Guy froze for a moment.

"Extra training?"

Dai's eyes gleamed so brightly it was frightening.

"Youth must burn even brighter when there's something to celebrate!!!"

Guy fell silent for three seconds.

Then he smiled.

He gave a thumbs-up, revealing his White Fang-like grin.

"Okay!"

The two green figures, one large and one small, high-fived again in front of the bulletin board.

Smack!

Then they ran side by side toward the back mountain.

Sunlight fell across them, and their Green Spandex Suits gleamed.

Behind them, on the bulletin board,

the three words "Might Guy" lay quietly on the list.

His path as a ninja officially began today.