Neji's strength

"Amazing! That's a genius for you!" Rock Lee stared at the fallen boar, his eyes burning with eagerness to fight.

"Lee, you've still got a long way to go compared to Neji!" Might Guy said.

"Teacher Guy, I'll work harder! I'm increasing today's training by a third!" Rock Lee was as enthusiastic as ever, not the least bit discouraged.

"Lee!"

"Teacher Guy!"

Watching the two hug yet again, Neji didn't even know how to feel.

"Ugh!" Neji sighed helplessly, thinking, What did I do to deserve being on a team with these two oddballs?

Although going on missions with the two oddballs was exasperating, the mission to capture the boar had ended successfully.

When they reached the blocked riverbed, Might Guy studied the river clogged with silt and fallen rocks, stroking his chin as he pondered something.

Beside him, Neji frowned almost imperceptibly at the river, which was blocked as though by a dam.

"With a blockage this bad, we'll need specialists to clear it!" Tenten looked at the river in dismay.

"Teacher Guy, leave this to me! My youthful passion is already itching for action!" Rock Lee declared, brimming with fighting spirit.

"Neji, do you have a solution?" Might Guy gave Neji an appraising look.

Neji thought for a moment, then said, "Teacher Guy, you can leave it to me."

A smile appeared on Might Guy's face at his words. "Neji, you really are a true genius."

"Teacher Guy, this is nothing. Your rival, Jonin Kakashi, is the real genius. He was already a Jonin of the village at my age. My little skills are nothing compared to that." Neji shook his head.

"What?" Tenten was stunned. "He became a Jonin at Neji's age? Doesn't that mean he was a Jonin at twelve?"

"So that's what a true genius is?" Rock Lee clenched his fists, his face full of determination.

"Kakashi..." Might Guy murmured his name, sinking into his memories for a moment. "That guy really is a true genius, but you shouldn't sell yourself short either, Neji. The fact that Kakashi became a Jonin at twelve had a lot to do with the war going on at the time. With your talent, I believe you'll become a Jonin within three years at most."

"Teacher Guy, who can say for sure?" Neji smiled and stepped straight onto the river.

"Just as I thought!" Might Guy nodded as he watched Neji walk across the water as though it were solid ground.

As a member of the Hyuga Clan, Neji was already skilled enough that Guy didn't need to give him special training in chakra control. In Guy's eyes, Neji was capable of far more than this.

Might Guy turned to Tenten and Rock Lee. "See what Neji's doing? That's your training assignment: walking on water!"

As for tree walking, he skipped it altogether. In his view, anyone who could walk on water could naturally walk up trees as well.

"Yes, Teacher Guy!" they both answered.

Out on the river, Neji had already activated his Byakugan. He intended to use some of the Gentle Fist's secret techniques to shatter the obstacles blocking the river.

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

Neji walked up to the dam-like obstruction, then abruptly raised his hand and thrust his palm forward.

In an instant, he gathered a large amount of chakra in his palm, then compressed it together with a vast volume of air and fired it as an air cannon.

Boom!

A thick column of water shot into the sky, showering the surrounding area with a heavy downpour.

The three on the riverbank only saw Neji raise his hand and send a streak of blue light toward the blockage, before a hole exploded open in it.

Neji took a deep breath and gathered even more chakra in his palm.

By now, his entire arm was enveloped in an immense amount of chakra.

"Sky-Breaking Palm!"

With a low shout, Neji thrust his palm forward, sending streaks of blue light hurtling ahead.

These were chakra air cannons formed by compressing chakra and air, drawing to some extent on the principles behind the Rasengan.

Boom...

In an instant, the river ahead erupted. Neji's palm strike had blasted the channel clear.

"Neji..." Tenten's mouth fell open in shock. She had known he was strong, but she had never imagined he was this strong.

"So this is a genius's strength? Teacher Guy, I'll have to work even harder to keep up with Neji!" Rock Lee stared at Neji out on the river, his fighting spirit undiminished.

That ninjutsu... As a master of taijutsu, Might Guy naturally noticed a few clues. Was it developed as a variation of that Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm he used earlier?

With that kind of power, an ordinary Chunin probably wouldn't survive even a single exchange. What an outstanding ninja! Might Guy marveled inwardly.

Unfortunately, I practice the Strong Fist Style, and Neji already has his clan's teachings. I'm afraid there isn't much I can teach him. Might Guy felt a little regretful. His student was so exceptionally gifted, yet as his teacher, he couldn't teach him much more.

"Teacher Guy, it's done." Neji returned to the bank with a Body Flicker Technique.

"All right!" Might Guy gave him a thumbs-up and flashed his gleaming teeth. "Let's go. That's it for today. We won't take any missions tomorrow. I'll give you some taijutsu instruction."

He turned to Tenten. "Tenten, even though you're a girl, you still have to master taijutsu. If you want to become a ninja as powerful as Lady Tsunade, you can't do it without a strong physique."

"Lee, that goes for you too. If you want to catch up to a genius, you still aren't working hard enough!" He turned to Rock Lee as he spoke.

"Teacher Guy! I'll work twice as hard!" Rock Lee's fighting spirit was as fiery as ever.

Finally, Might Guy turned to Neji. "Neji, you've already forged your own path. There isn't much I can teach you in taijutsu, so I can only pass on some of my experience fighting enemies."

"Thank you, Teacher Guy!" Neji thanked him sincerely.

Might Guy waved a hand. "Teaching a genius like you is more than I could ask for, Neji. It's also my responsibility as your teacher and the Jonin leading your team."

"Teacher Guy!" Beside him, Rock Lee was already moved to tears.

"Haha!" Might Guy suddenly burst out laughing. "Let's go! To celebrate the formation of Team 3, we're going to Yakiniku Q today!"

With a grand wave of his hand, Might Guy led the three toward Konoha's most famous barbecue restaurant.

"Hey, Kakashi!" Suddenly, Might Guy stopped up ahead and waved to someone on the street.

It was a silver-haired man wearing a Jonin vest and a black mask. His forehead protector had been deliberately pulled down to cover one eye, and he looked thoroughly listless, without a trace of energy.

The silver-haired man had one hand in his pocket and held a small book in the other, reading as he walked down the street as though no one else existed.

"Guy." Kakashi looked up and gave a flat acknowledgment.

"This is Kakashi, the genius who became a Jonin at twelve, and my lifelong rival!" Might Guy enthusiastically introduced him to Neji and the others.

Neji knew just how to respond and greeted him politely. "Hello, Kakashi."

"Hello, Kakashi!" the other two echoed.

Tenten and Rock Lee greeted him as well.

"Hey, hey. Hello!" Kakashi pulled a hand free and waved at them.

"Kakashi, where are your students?" Might Guy looked around curiously, but couldn't find who he was looking for.

"Huh? Them? They didn't pass my test, so I sent them all back to the Ninja Academy." Kakashi sounded utterly unconcerned.