During sparring class.
"I challenge Might Guy!"
Ibiki Morino had been hospitalized, so no one could interrupt Uchiha Ling's challenge anymore.
Teacher Yamano nodded. He also wanted to see just what level the two strongest taijutsu users in the class were at.
Nara Saku asked, "What about Ibiki Morino? Where did he go?"
Yamano explained, "Ibiki is hospitalized and has taken a week's leave."
A disappointed look appeared on Nara Saku's face, and he asked again, "Teacher, did Uchiha Ling give Ibiki Morino hidden injuries yesterday?"
Various sounds of people sucking in a cold breath rang out among the students.
During yesterday's sparring class, Ibiki had shouted something about making him feel pain, and then received a vicious beating from Uchiha Ling.
By the end, the students could not bear to watch any longer and turned their heads away one after another.
They guessed that Uchiha Ling's punches and kicks must have injured Ibiki's internal organs. Otherwise, there was no way Ibiki could have been beaten into the hospital.
Uchiha Ling stared at Nara Saku, his eyes full of displeasure. "Nara Saku, are you questioning Teacher Yamano's judgment?
"If I could beat Ibiki Morino into the hospital, wouldn't Teacher Yamano have stopped me?
"Are you saying Teacher Yamano neglected his duty? Why don't you take over as teacher, then? We might as well persuade Teacher Yamano to resign."
Nara Saku froze and looked at Teacher Yamano worriedly.
Students were naturally afraid of teachers. Yamano had been able to lead this class packed with elite students, so his strength was still very convincing.
Teacher Yamano also looked somewhat displeased as he said:
"I heard some of the details, but I can't say anything. I don't want Ibiki to become caught up in unpleasant rumors.
"But just as Uchiha Ling said, Ibiki Morino didn't get into trouble at school. It happened after he went home. Don't ask about anything else."
A biological father had beaten his own son badly enough to require emergency treatment. Although Uchiha Ling had dealt the first two beatings, it was still horrifying enough when spoken aloud.
Yamano protected Ibiki, so he would not reveal the truth.
After hearing this, Nara Saku hurriedly shut his mouth and stopped asking questions.
Uchiha Ling and Might Guy entered the Training Ground.
The two exchanged a glance and tacitly removed some of their weights.
The weights on their arms and lower legs slowed them down, but they also made their punches and kicks more powerful, making it easy to injure someone.
Uchiha Ling lifted his clothes and indicated that the weights around his waist did not need to be removed.
Once everything was ready, the two formed the Opposing Hands Seal.
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
Might Guy charged over at astonishing speed. On his final step, he suddenly exerted force, spun in midair, and unleashed a whirling kick.
Everyone said Might Guy's legs were incredibly heavy, so Uchiha Ling decided to test just how powerful they were.
He raised his arm and blocked beside his face.
Bang!
A tremendous force came through. His arm hurt, of course, but the impact even made his shoulder ache.
That test had turned out to be a little too powerful.
Might Guy changed his move in midair. He exerted force through his waist and forcibly kicked out with his other leg.
Uchiha Ling hurriedly retreated.
He looked as though nothing had happened, but in reality, his arm was throbbing with agonizing pain.
Could he cry out just because it hurt? He had to endure it. He had to keep up appearances.
"Might Guy, you still haven't learned the Transformation Technique. You'd better train your taijutsu properly. Without taijutsu, you'd truly be useless."
Might Guy was immune to Uchiha Ling's mild trash talk, but the moment he saw Uchiha Ling's next move, he immediately became cautious.
"Next, I'll demonstrate what a ninja's battle looks like. Shadow Clone Technique!"
His current Chakra amounted to 0.8 cards. After splitting off half, the shadow clone still had 0.4 cards—more than everyone else's Chakra in the class.
After a cloud of white smoke, a shadow clone appeared beside Uchiha Ling.
Might Guy became exceptionally serious. He had to be careful not to be caught between them.
At that moment, the shadow clone suddenly let out a loud cry. He bent sideways, hissed sharply as he sucked in breaths, and rubbed the spot where Might Guy had just kicked him.
"Hiss! Ah! It hurts, it hurts so much! Main body, are you sick? Couldn't you dodge? Do you think you can block Might Guy's full-power kick?"
Uchiha Ling coughed awkwardly. "It wasn't that painful, was it? Shadow clone, you're overacting."
In reality, he was in terrible pain too. He simply could not show weakness in front of his classmates. How embarrassing would that be?
"Even if you wanted to clash head-on, you shouldn't have used your forearm to block his heel! The heel and elbow are the hardest parts of the human body, and they don't even feel pain. Might Guy is completely fine, while you're hurting like a beaten dog. Ow, it hurts so much."
Uchiha Ling raised a hand and rubbed his nose, hiding his embarrassment.
Shadow clones came with risks. Their use required caution.
"Stop talking nonsense. Shadow clone, get to work!"
The shadow clone shook out his hand, then he and Uchiha Ling moved together, circling Might Guy from the left and right in two wide arcs.
Might Guy did not hurry. His eyes shifted from side to side as he observed Uchiha Ling's movements.
The shadow clone said arrogantly, "Might Guy! The reason the main body made a shadow clone is because he thinks half his Chakra is enough to deal with you!"
Might Guy noticed that after Uchiha Ling's main body reached the area, he began circling around him, while the shadow clone charged forward to fight him.
The shadow clone and Might Guy continuously traded punches and kicks. Maintaining his physical form consumed a large amount of Chakra.
Uchiha Ling saw Might Guy kick the shadow clone into the air again. Seizing the opportunity, he moved in and kicked Might Guy in his soft flank.
The kick immediately brought a pained expression to Might Guy's face.
Although Might Guy smashed the shadow clone, he himself was sent flying and crashed to the ground.
Teacher Yamano nodded repeatedly. Uchiha Ling's tactics were excellent, and the Shadow Clone Technique was very suitable for luring out an enemy.
Might Guy and Uchiha Ling continued fighting. From then on, Uchiha Ling was able to suppress Might Guy.
In the end, neither could knock the other down, so it counted as a draw.
Uchiha Ling said, "Might Guy, I fought you to a satisfying finish using half my Chakra. Very good. Keep working hard."
Might Guy curled his lips and said, "Don't get cocky. My taijutsu talent far surpasses yours. At the very least, I can tell that your bone density is far below mine.
"Bone density and muscular strength are the keys to my taijutsu surpassing everyone else's."
Bone density? Uchiha Ling thought. So that's how it is. Every time we clashed, I could clearly feel my bones vibrating. Now my skeleton feels like it's about to fall apart. It turns out that's because Might Guy's bone density is abnormal.
This was an innate talent. It was difficult to train it after birth.
After working hard, you would eventually discover that talent and luck were the most crucial things. If you had them, you had them; if you did not, you did not.
Might Guy said, "Uchiha Ling, if you didn't know the Shadow Clone Technique, and I hadn't been ambushed by your main body, I definitely would have defeated you."
Uchiha Ling said, "Oh? Is that what you think?
"I've decided to follow you for two weeks and completely replicate your training. After two weeks, I'll prove that even without the Shadow Clone Technique, you're still no match for me."
It was time to break Might Guy's composure. He wanted Might Guy's taijutsu talent.
Before you continue