Graduation

Only Neji knew that the leader of their Team 3 would definitely be Might Guy, and no one else.

Their compatibility made it inevitable. Rock Lee could not use ninjutsu, Tenten focused on ninja tools, which also had ties to taijutsu, and Neji specialized in Gentle Fist, making him a taijutsu-oriented ninja as well.

Might Guy himself was a powerful Jonin who specialized in taijutsu. The village had no reason to assign him another team, because it would be hard to find teammates as perfectly suited to him as Team 3.

Nothing unexpected happened.

An oversized Rock Lee appeared, sporting a kappa haircut, thick eyebrows, and a green bodysuit. Unlike Rock Lee, Might Guy also wore a Konoha Jonin vest.

The moment he entered the classroom, Might Guy's gaze settled on Neji. After giving him a few discreet looks, he called out, "Team 3, follow me!"

The three followed Might Guy to a corner of the school grounds.

"My name is Might Guy, a Konoha Jonin! I like taijutsu, hate anything lacking drive, and dream of defeating my eternal rival, Kakashi!" Brimming with energy, Might Guy finished speaking and struck his signature pose.

He raised his thumb and flashed a gleaming mouthful of white teeth.

Tenten's face darkened as she grumbled inwardly, This thick-browed teacher doesn't look anything like a powerful Jonin... My future looks bleak...

And are they really not father and son? Tenten glanced curiously from one to the other.

"Neji Hyuga. I specialize in Gentle Fist. There's nothing I particularly like or dislike. As for dreams..." Neji paused. "I don't have any dreams, either."

This child... Might Guy sighed inwardly. Of course he knew about the Hyuga Clan's "fine" traditions.

"My name is Tenten. I specialize in using ninja tools. What I like is..." A little shy, Tenten stole a glance at Neji before continuing, "There's nothing I particularly dislike. My dream is to become a powerful kunoichi like Lady Tsunade."

"Teacher, my name is Rock Lee! Like you, I specialize in taijutsu. My dream is to show everyone through my own hard work that effort can surpass genius!" Rock Lee was practically a younger version of Might Guy.

Even their gestures were identical.

"Lee! That dream of yours is truly magnificent!"

"Teacher Guy!"

The two green-clad kappas, one big and one small, embraced and shed tears of excitement.

Neji watched the scene. Though his expression remained unchanged, his eyelid could not help twitching.

Tenten quietly took two steps back, moving a little closer to Neji.

This is my Jonin leader? A team like this... Tenten stared at the scene with lifeless eyes.

All the anticipation she had felt before graduation vanished, leaving only doubts about the future.

After clinging to each other and crying for a short while, the two green-clad kappas returned to their energetic selves.

Might Guy declared, "Let's begin Team 3's very first mission!"

"Uh..." Tenten raised her hand. "Teacher Guy, isn't there some special test or something? I heard that after graduation, a lot of Jonin leaders give their own unique tests."

"Oh!" Understanding dawned on Might Guy's face. "You don't need a test. Before coming here, I went to Lord Hokage and got your information."

"Not every Jonin leader gives a test. Only a few set up their own, like Kakashi, who used his test to send the graduates back to school last year," Might Guy explained.

Tenten suddenly felt rather fortunate. Being assigned to that Jonin, Kakashi, would have been awful. She might even have ended up repeating a year at the Ninja Academy.

The four chatted intermittently and soon arrived at Konoha's mission hall.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, apparently had little else to do that day. He sat behind the desk in the hall, handing out missions to the ninja who came to collect them.

"Ah, Guy." Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled when he saw Might Guy.

"Lord Hokage!" After paying his respects, Might Guy said, "Lord Hokage, I've brought these energetic subordinates to take on a few missions. Their youth has nowhere to find an outlet!"

"Guy, I happen to have a few D-rank missions here. You've come at just the right time." With a chuckle, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out several mission slips.

Guy picked up the slips on the desk and read them. "Wild boars damaging farmland. Capture requested. Clearing a river... We'll take these."

Might Guy pulled out two slips and handed them to Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Lord Hokage, Team 3 will take these two missions this time!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not mind whether they took one mission or two. He simply accepted the slips and swiftly registered them.

"Neji, Tenten, Lee, let's catch the wild boars first," Might Guy suggested, looking at them.

Neji said, "I don't mind either way. You can decide, Teacher Guy."

The type of mission made little difference to him. At this stage, his main priority was waiting for his eyes to finish transforming.

"Great! This is the perfect chance to train my taijutsu. Wild boars have thick hides, so they must be able to take plenty of hits." Rock Lee grew more excited as he spoke.

Tenten trailed listlessly behind them. She really did not want anything to do with wild boars. Why should a perfectly respectable young lady go around catching them?

"All right!" Might Guy began jogging in place. "My dear subordinates, let's see who reaches the mission site first!"

"Teacher Guy!" Rock Lee's eyes widened, his face full of excitement. "My youth is about to overflow! I can't wait any longer, Teacher Guy!"

"Lee!"

"Teacher Guy!"

As their words fell, the two green-clad kappas kicked up clouds of dust and disappeared from Neji and Tenten's sight.

"Tenten, let's go." Neji waved a hand in front of Tenten's eyes as she stood there staring.

"Oh, right." Coming back to her senses, Tenten hurried to keep up with Neji.

By the time the two arrived at the mission site, Might Guy and Rock Lee had already begun.

"Neji, Tenten, that isn't the speed of youth!" Might Guy looked at them sternly.

"Teacher Guy, give Tenten a break. Her stamina isn't that good," Neji said.

"Ah... Haha..." Might Guy laughed awkwardly.

"Teacher Guy..." Tenten looked at him speechlessly.

"Tenten, it definitely won't happen again." Might Guy immediately promised her.

Neji shook his head. It would be a miracle if Might Guy remembered.

"There's a wild boar at nine o'clock, five hundred and thirty meters away. Another at three o'clock, nine hundred meters away..." Using his Byakugan, Neji called out the boars' locations.

Rock Lee charged into the woods with a yell. Before long, he appeared in front of Neji and the others, chasing a huge wild boar that looked to weigh a good two hundred and fifty to three hundred kilograms.

"This boar's hide really is thick! I've already kicked it so many times!" Rock Lee looked as though he had no idea how to deal with it.

It seemed he had yet to formally receive Might Guy's true teachings. At least, he was not wearing any weights yet.

Neji activated his Byakugan, then sharply jabbed the boar twice. It collapsed on the spot.