Guidance

"Kakashi, I got three incredible students, so let's celebrate at Yakiniku Q. Coming?" Might Guy seized the chance to change the subject.

Kakashi looked the three of them over. Recognition flashed through his visible eye and across his face, but he waved a hand. "I'll pass, Guy. I've still got something to take care of."

"What a shame, Kakashi. You have no idea how talented they are!" Might Guy sounded just a little smug.

"I'm sure I've won our contest when it comes to taking on students," Might Guy declared proudly.

Kakashi raised his head slightly, his visible eye looking as deadpan as ever. "Isn't it a little early to claim victory, Guy?"

Might Guy gave Neji a thumbs-up. "At Neji's current level, he'll become a full-fledged Jonin in three years at most."

"Oh?" This time, Kakashi studied Neji carefully. After a long look, he said, "You've found yourself a good student, Guy."

"Haha! Of course I have. You're probably going to lose, Kakashi." Delighted to have scored a point, Might Guy grinned.

"Nothing's certain until the end, Guy." Kakashi waved and turned to leave.

"Come on. Kakashi just won't admit it, but he's bound to lose this time. He sent his students back to the Ninja Academy again, after all." Might Guy was in high spirits.

Neji understood now. Might Guy and Kakashi had an ongoing contest: whoever's student became a Jonin first would win.

It'll be a long, long time before that contest is settled. If it ever is, Neji thought.

At ten the next morning, Team 3 gathered at Konoha's Training Ground and began their day's training.

Might Guy first drew up a physical training plan for Tenten. Then he led all three students to a pond within the Training Ground. "Tenten, Lee, start by practicing Water Walking here. Once you've mastered it, move on to a flowing river."

He then explained several principles of Chakra control to the three of them.

Though Neji already had excellent control over his Chakra, he listened closely. What Guy had learned might differ from what Neji had discovered on his own.

"All right, Teacher Guy! If I can't master Water Walking today, I'll do two thousand extra push-ups!" Rock Lee shouted, brimming with energy, and stepped into the pond.

Predictably, he sank straight under.

Beside him, Tenten pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.

"Lee! That's the spirit of youth! Keep at it!" Might Guy cheered.

"Neji, come spar with me over here." Might Guy walked some distance away from the pond.

"Okay, Teacher Guy." Without another word, Neji took his place opposite Might Guy and settled into the classic Gentle Fist stance.

"Come at me, Neji!" Chakra surged beneath Might Guy's feet, and he appeared in front of Neji in a flash.

"Hah! Take this!" Guy always got into the swing of things quickly.

A fist cut through the air toward his face. Neji activated his Byakugan and focused entirely on fending off Might Guy's attacks.

Thud!

Their fists and feet collided again and again. Neji met Might Guy's lightning-fast Strong Fist with the Gentle Fist.

The Strong Fist struck with tremendous force. With every clash, Neji had to use the Gentle Fist's special method of redirecting force to absorb part of the impact.

The Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm is still too slow against him. Some of Neji's Gentle Fist moves were poorly suited to this fight.

Against a Taijutsu expert like Might Guy, the windup for some of Neji's techniques was simply too long.

Neji found himself in a bind. The so-called domain of the Gentle Fist's Eight Trigrams could not contain Might Guy at all. Guy moved through it freely, swift as the wind, and every blow landed with crushing force.

Then I'll strike with the Gentle Fist like it's the Strong Fist! Neji changed his style. What had been yielding force suddenly became power that only looked soft on the surface.

He applied the force-delivery methods of One-Hit Body and Mountain-Breaking Strike to every Gentle Fist move he used.

The Gentle Fist normally focused on striking pressure points and dealing penetrating damage. Neji's version now resembled the Strong Fist instead. His Byakugan and this hard-edged variation of the Gentle Fist still gave it a penetrating effect, but its main strength was explosive power.

"Hah!" Neji gave a low shout and attacked with the Body Flicker Technique.

Thud! Might Guy's expression shifted. He had sensed the change within Neji's moves.

It still looked like the Gentle Fist, but at its core it had become an aggressive form of the Strong Fist.

The Gentle Fist's penetrating damage is still there... Might Guy grew a little more serious. If Neji lands too many hits, I'll be in trouble.

Might Guy abruptly picked up his pace.

He flashed around Neji, attacking from every direction. With his nearly 360-degree field of vision, Neji either dodged each strike or raised his hands to block it.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"

"Air-Breaking Strike!"

Neji raised a hand and fired a blast of Chakra from his palm at Might Guy's heel. A violent rush of air burst outward.

Neji knocked the kick off course. The moment Might Guy landed, he flickered forward and launched a Mighty Whirlwind Kick.

It was a spinning back kick. Neji turned in an instant, Chakra surging through his hand.

"Air-Breaking Strike!"

With a bang, Might Guy's kick scattered the Chakra shockwave Neji had unleashed.

"Didn't expect that, did you, Neji? My foot's protected!" Might Guy said with a grin.

Neji did not hesitate. He immediately used the Main Family's Flesh Cluster Secret Technique, Rotation.

"Rotation!"

Neji spun, releasing torrents of Chakra from all over his body. In an instant, it formed a whirling shield around him.

Might Guy's kick continued straight into the blue Rotation.

Boom! The impact sent Might Guy flying high into the air.

In midair, Might Guy twisted to stop his spin and landed steadily on his feet.

Neji's Rotation stopped at the same moment. Chakra burst beneath his feet, and he flickered forward.

He could not let too much distance open between them. At close range, Might Guy would have no room to use his most powerful Taijutsu moves.

Thud! Thud!

The two traded blows beside the pond at a speed ordinary people could barely follow.

Nearby, Tenten and Rock Lee had stopped their Water Walking practice and were staring.

So this is how strong Neji is!? Tenten watched the dizzying exchange, hardly able to believe her eyes.

Neji was holding his own against a Jonin!

"So that's what a genius can do..." Rock Lee murmured. Helplessness welled up inside him. Can hard work really surpass genius?

If hard work can't surpass genius, then I just haven't worked hard enough! His fiery determination quickly returned.

Rock Lee turned back to his training.

Neji and Might Guy sparred for a full hour. With Guy deliberately giving him chances to practice his moves, Neji felt he had learned a tremendous amount.

As noon approached, Might Guy stopped attacking and looked at Neji. "That's about enough for today. Without using that forbidden technique, this is as far as I can go in my current state."

"Thank you, Teacher Guy." Drenched in sweat, Neji thanked him earnestly.

Might Guy wiped the sweat from his forehead. "No need to be so formal, Neji. I'm glad we could fight at this level. You've let me feel the power of youth!"