Recovery training

"Whew!"

Asami Ri finished his last set of weighted sprints and slowly came to a stop.

His skin was flushed, and sweat dripped from his chin onto the hot, yellow earth, spreading into small dark patches.

Rather than collapsing to the ground, he remained standing as he steadied his heartbeat, picking up a bottle of lightly salted water and replenishing his fluids with small, even sips.

[Training complete. A 12-hour rest is recommended.]

For a civilian ninja like him, with no inherited clan secret techniques, training in Taijutsu was the best path.

Besides, his recent experiments had revealed that Celestial Pivot could do far more than simply analyze chakra.

Whenever his form slipped during practice or he applied force at the wrong angle, Celestial Pivot used electrical stimulation to guide his muscles precisely. This real-time correction spared him wasted effort during training.

"My strength... it's back."

Asami Ri felt the strength coursing through his body, joy shining in his eyes.

Under Celestial Pivot's scientific regimen, his body had not only recovered completely, but even seemed to have grown a little stronger.

"345, 346..."

Might Guy entered the training ground on his hands, supporting his entire weight on just two fingers.

His face was red from the rush of blood, and sweat ran backward into his thick eyebrows.

When he spotted Asami Ri, his eyes lit up.

He pushed hard with both arms, performed a backflip in midair, and landed in a ring of dust.

"Ri, I can feel your burning passion! Let's have a showdown of youth!"

"Sure, Guy. My body's pretty much recovered now. But get some rest first."

Barely ten minutes had passed before Might Guy sprang up, unable to contain himself any longer.

They stood five paces apart, holding their breath as they faced each other.

The air seemed to freeze. Only a withered yellow leaf moved, spiraling slowly down between them.

The instant the edge of the leaf touched the ground, the silence shattered!

Boom!

Two fists slammed head-on into each other without a hint of flourish.

The force of the collision rippled outward like something tangible, kicking up a ring of dust around them.

Asami Ri's gaze remained steady. Using the recoil to step back, he twisted his body and lashed his right leg through the air like a whip, sweeping toward Might Guy's neck with a piercing whistle.

"That's the spirit!"

Might Guy roared, the muscles of his left arm instantly tightening as he raised it like a bar of cast iron to block.

Thud! The heavy impact of bone and muscle set teeth on edge.

Asami Ri used Konoha Style: Taijutsu, the most widely practiced style in Konoha, moving nimbly and balancing attack with defense in every move.

Every heavy punch Might Guy threw, however, embodied Strong Fist. He discarded all elaborate variations and concentrated his entire body's strength into a single point. It was pure violence.

Their fists and feet crossed, trailing afterimages.

Rather than giving ground after taking the heavy blow, Might Guy drove his forearm forward with the momentum, his right fist shooting straight toward Asami Ri's centerline like a cannonball.

The rush of air struck his face, and Asami Ri's pupils narrowed.

He chose not to retreat or dodge. That would let Guy's relentless assault pin him down completely and rob him of the initiative.

He drove the toes of his left foot into the earth like steel spikes. Pivoting on them, he twisted his waist and hips like a spring compressed to its limit. Power rose from his heel, traveled through his spine, and gathered in his right leg.

Whoosh! His right leg left a blurred afterimage in the air, accompanied by the shrill, piercing sound of air being torn apart.

Another dull impact rang out as Asami Ri's sweeping kick struck Might Guy squarely in the side of his abdomen.

But it sounded less like a kick landing on a person than a heavy iron rod slamming into tough cowhide.

The force sent Might Guy skidding sideways several steps, his feet plowing two furrows into the ground.

Yet when he steadied himself, his face, flushed with excitement, showed no trace of pain. Instead, it radiated an almost frenzied desire to fight.

"Is that your 'youth'? Harder! Faster!"

During the brief standoff, Asami Ri quietly adjusted his breathing, easing the slight numbness left by their head-on clashes.

Guy's about equal to me in raw physical strength, but his body's resilience... he can take one hell of a beating.

Asami Ri's gaze swept swiftly over Guy.

He knew perfectly well that Might Guy was still nowhere near his limit. The Eight Gates Formation lay dormant beneath that powerful body, waiting to erupt like a volcano.

Before he could devise a safer counter, the green figure opposite him was already closing in again!

"Konoha Whirlwind!"

Guy let out an exhilarated battle cry. Like a dark green tornado spinning at high speed, he pivoted at the waist and channeled his entire body's centrifugal force into his right leg, sweeping it toward Ri in a crescent arc with a howling rush of air.

Before the kick even reached him, the wild pressure sent the loose hair over Asami Ri's forehead whipping about.

Facing that powerful blow, Asami Ri's pupils contracted sharply. All the responses racing through his mind were suddenly scattered by an inexplicable surge of fighting spirit.

Why think so much...?

A smile curved Asami Ri's lips without him even realizing it.

If this is a showdown of youth, then let's burn all the way!

With his blood pumping faster, he stomped forward. No longer trying to dodge, he charged straight into that raging whirlwind!

Another brutal collision sent a heavy, muffled impact echoing across the empty training ground.

The tremendous recoil sent both of them sliding backward, their feet carving deep grooves several meters long through the dirt.

"Ri! Your youth is blazing now... and my blood is starting to boil!"

Might Guy planted his feet and held his clenched fists at his waist. The muscles throughout his body began twitching unnaturally all at once.

He drew a deep breath, even his breathing growing as heavy as a bellows.

"Eight Gates Formation, first gate, Gate of Opening—open!"

With a hum, an invisible wave of pressure erupted around Guy.

His face flushed, and sweat broke out all over his body.

"Ri, the Gate of Opening removes the brain's limits on the muscles' potential." Guy's eyes sharpened, and even his voice grew a little hoarse. "I'm going to move fast now. Be careful!"

Feeling the gale rushing toward him, Asami Ri's thoughts raced.

It removes the brain's limits...?

He swiftly compared the two in his mind. The principle behind the first gate is pretty similar to Overclock Mode. But Overclock Mode removes the brain's limits far more drastically. It even blocks pain and pushes neural response speed to the limit.

Before those thoughts had faded, a green afterimage was already growing rapidly in his vision!

So fast!

Asami Ri instinctively raised his arm to protect the side of his face.

Bang!

The next second, a force even greater than before poured through his arm.

Asami Ri's arm went numb in an instant, and the blow shoved him a full three steps sideways.

That explosive power... it's increased by at least 50%.

Asami Ri shook out his numb arm, but excitement tugged at the corners of his mouth. "A forbidden technique, all right. That's just unfair."

"But you have your Eight Gates Formation, and I have my Celestial Pivot."

He took a deep breath, and a glimmer seemed to flash through his dark eyes.

"Celestial Pivot, activate motion tracking. Mark Might Guy's movement paths."

[Command confirmed.]

[Target locked: Might Guy.]

In Asami Ri's vision, the world seemed to enter a high-frame-rate realm.

Might Guy's lightning-fast movements were no longer blurred afterimages. Instead, countless red dotted lines crisscrossed the air.

"Come on, Guy!"

Asami Ri lunged forward, charging fearlessly into the streak of green light.