Having learned a profound lesson from last time,
Yatsuhashi acted in one swift, decisive push this time.
Not only did he extract several vials of First Hokage Cell Serum from the recovered First Cell culture,
he also diluted it several times over.
And, to guard against Uchiha Fugaku,
he even used Inuzuka Yuka's lab equipment to extract something special.
The reason First Hokage Cells caused the recipient's body to collapse after transplantation
was the rejection caused by immunosuppression.
Even Orochimaru and Yatsuhashi hadn't chosen to reveal that fact.
All it took was a simple reversal of the process,
and Yatsuhashi had a vial of lethal First Hokage Cell Serum in his hands.
Unless the First came back from the dead,
Yatsuhashi was sure no one could survive it.
The training grounds in Konoha were filled with the scent of fresh grass.
At the sight of that familiar green jumpsuit and bowl cut,
Yatsuhashi knew Might Guy had returned from his mission.
The two leaned against a wooden post, eating the Okonomiyaki Yatsuhashi had brought from a restaurant.
"It's been a while. Why do I feel like you've gotten stronger?"
Might Guy leaned closer to Yatsuhashi.
Beneath his thick eyebrows, his eyes seemed to peer right through him.
"Is this the transformation of youth?!"
Yatsuhashi smiled. "I have you to thank for that."
With that, he returned the Eight Inner Gates scroll Guy had given him last time.
The village's ninjutsu included not only the techniques in the archives,
but also the secret techniques passed down within each clan.
The village didn't restrict or prohibit the circulation of these techniques.
On the contrary, if a clan was willing to share its secrets with other shinobi in the village,
the village wouldn't oppose it. It would actively support them.
Might Guy put away the scroll and gave Yatsuhashi a hearty slap on the shoulder.
"I knew I was right about you!"
He wolfed down the rest of his Okonomiyaki. "Come on, Yatsuhashi. Let me see how much you've grown!"
"Huh?" Yatsuhashi was taken aback. That was quite a sudden change of pace.
Seeing Might Guy already assume a fighting stance,
Yatsuhashi reluctantly set down his Okonomiyaki.
"Very well, then. Let's have at it."
"Hahaha! Bring it on!"
They stood facing each other, their auras clashing in an instant.
Yatsuhashi didn't activate his Sharingan, and Might Guy didn't use the Eight Inner Gates.
There were no flashy techniques between them,
just a pure contest of strength and speed.
"Thud!"
Their fists collided, sending a wave of air rolling outward.
Guy's Taijutsu was broad and forceful, brimming with explosive power.
Every strike carried the passion of someone determined to burn through his youth.
Yatsuhashi, by contrast, was calmer. He could always use softness to overcome force and deflect Guy's fiercest attacks.
"Good! This is great!"
The longer they fought, the more fired up Guy became. Yatsuhashi's "softness overcoming force" had completely ignited his spirit.
"Yatsuhashi, I can feel you speaking to me through Taijutsu!"
"This is what youth is all about!"
Two figures clashed across the training ground, their fists and kicks blurring together,
as they drenched the earth in the sweat of their youth.
After quite some time,
they finally collapsed onto the grass, panting.
"Yatsuhashi..."
Guy gazed at the sky and suddenly spoke with uncharacteristic seriousness.
"From this day forward, you're one of my rivals, Might Guy's!"
Yatsuhashi wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Beside him, Guy was so guileless that Yatsuhashi found himself relaxing completely.
"Yatsuhashi! Let's fight another three hundred rounds..."
Might Guy sprang to his feet from the grass in a kip-up.
He struck a passionate pose, his thick eyebrows gleaming in the sunlight.
"Some other time, Guy."
Yatsuhashi lay sprawled on the grass, unwilling to move.
"Well, look at that. You're both here."
A lazy voice came from the wooden post nearby.
Kakashi was leaning against it. His manga rustled as he flipped through the pages.
His eye swept over the panting Guy, then the sprawled-out Yatsuhashi, and his voice carried a hint of teasing.
"Kakashi!"
Guy pointed at Kakashi and shouted, "Take Yatsuhashi's place and accept my fiery challenge of youth!"
Kakashi scratched his silver hair.
"Not today."
His expression turned serious. "The Hokage wants to see you two. There's a new mission."
"A mission?" Yatsuhashi sat up at once and brushed the grass from his clothes.
Guy's thick eyebrows rose, and a fervent light flashed in his eyes. "Oh? Have we finally got a proper mission?
"Kakashi, I absolutely won't lose to you this time!"
"Get ready, then come with me to see the Hokage. Especially you, Acorn Guy."
Guy flushed. "You jerk, Kakashi!"
But then he suddenly froze in place,
before striking an exaggerated runner's stance.
"Let's have another contest! We'll see which of the three of us gets to the Hokage Office first!"
Before he'd even finished speaking, Guy shot off like a green whirlwind toward the Hokage's building.
"This really isn't the time for this sort of thing..."
That was what Kakashi said, but he raced after Guy like a silver bolt of lightning.
Watching them, Yatsuhashi's mouth twitched.
Those quarrelsome friends were even more childish than he'd imagined.
The next moment, Yatsuhashi vanished from where he stood.
At first, Yatsuhashi hadn't cared about winning or losing.
He'd simply wanted to keep up with them.
But Guy and Kakashi were holding each other back as they fought, slowing their progress.
Without meaning to, Yatsuhashi ended up taking the lead.
That made Kakashi and Guy realize that Yatsuhashi's Taijutsu was every bit as good as theirs.
The two exchanged a glance and silently stopped fighting.
Then they took off after Yatsuhashi.
"Yatsuhashi—!"
Guy shouted sharply to him from behind.
Yatsuhashi reflexively looked back.
In that split second, Guy's large hand, curved like an eagle's talon, reached for Yatsuhashi's chest.
"Heh."
Yatsuhashi had been ready for it. He shifted slightly to the side and easily dodged Guy's sneak attack.
But just as his old momentum ran out and he hadn't yet gathered new force,
a manga came flying straight at his face.
Yatsuhashi had no choice but to reach out and catch it,
which slowed him for an instant.
That moment was all Kakashi needed to overtake them both.
"Captain Kakashi!"
Yatsuhashi laughed helplessly, gripping the manga tightly in his hand.
"Damn it!"
Guy roared and took off after him again.
Yatsuhashi had no choice but to pick up the pace as well.
The three of them became streaks of light, racing through Konoha's streets.
By the time they reached the Hokage Office,
Yatsuhashi was leaning against the doorframe, watching the two arrive late after all their bickering.
In the end, he'd just barely won.
"Yatsuhashi!"
Guy braced his hands on his knees and panted heavily, but still stubbornly gave a thumbs-up.
"You win this round, but you won't win the next one!"
"If it weren't for you, the winner still wouldn't be decided!"
Kakashi retorted for once,
clearly having been pestered by Guy the whole way.
Yatsuhashi's lips curled into a slight smile. He was in a great mood.
He tossed the dog-eared manga back to Kakashi.
"Then next time, let's see what happens!"
Before you continue