Hinata did not dare meet Zhou Cheng's eyes and could only lower her head to stare at the ground.
Two little voices were fighting inside her.
"Of course I should help Neji. He's my cousin, my own flesh and blood."
"Besides, Uncle Hizashi died so young. Neji has had it so hard."
"No, I have to help Zhou Cheng. He's always looked after me ever since the day we met."
"He walks me home every day, always so gentle and thoughtful."
"And he teaches me the ninjutsu I'm not good at."
After wrestling with herself for a long time, she finally raised her head and looked at Zhou Cheng apologetically.
"Zhou Cheng, I can agree to that, but I won't use my clan's secret techniques."
"I'll only spar with you using the basic moves of Gentle Fist."
Zhou Cheng smiled gently, without the slightest hint of dissatisfaction.
"Thank you, Hinata!"
"That's already more than enough!"
In truth, Zhou Cheng had not held out much hope.
They were blood relatives, after all. It was only natural for her to help her cousin.
He was already very pleased that Hinata was willing to help him.
Learning the basic moves of Gentle Fist was good enough.
Who opened a fight with their strongest move for no reason? Did they have too much chakra to spare?
Then Zhou Cheng and Hinata walked to the middle of the courtyard.
They stood opposite each other and took their fighting stances.
"Hinata, watch out!"
Zhou Cheng attacked first.
He used a brand-new style of taijutsu, formed by combining Kai's techniques with his own understanding.
The two were soon trading blows.
They used only pure taijutsu, without chakra.
After several dozen exchanges, Zhou Cheng realized that Gentle Fist was very similar to Tai Chi.
It overcame strength with softness while also possessing tremendous explosive power.
However, it was the Byakugan that brought out Gentle Fist's greatest advantages.
The Byakugan could see through objects and provided a 360-degree field of vision.
Its user could locate an enemy's acupoints with the Byakugan, then use Gentle Fist to inject chakra into them, rendering the enemy unable to move.
None of those in the courtyard noticed the man in a Frog Green Outfit standing on a nearby rooftop.
With those incredibly thick eyebrows, who else could he be but Might Guy?
He had originally intended to visit Zhou Cheng at home, hoping to persuade him to reconsider and become his student.
Before he arrived, he spotted Zhou Cheng sparring with Hinata.
The longer he watched, the more astonished and excited he became.
"There's a trace of my style in Zhou Cheng's taijutsu!"
"Did he learn this from watching me teach Rock Lee this morning?"
He sucked in a sharp breath.
"This talent is terrifying!"
"If he focused exclusively on taijutsu, he would definitely become the greatest taijutsu fighter in the Shinobi World."
Might Guy was deeply shaken.
Just by watching others spar from the sidelines, Zhou Cheng could learn their techniques.
He could memorize someone else's taijutsu, then combine it with his own understanding to create a style uniquely his own.
And he had done all that in just one day.
Might Guy had trained in taijutsu for over twenty years to reach his current level.
By comparison, he felt like a firefly beside the radiant moon.
Talent like that could no longer be called monstrous.
It was monstrous even among monsters.
"No, I have to beg the Third Generation to let me have this student!"
With that thought, Might Guy turned and leaped into the night.
In less than ten minutes, he reached the Hokage Building.
The Hokage Office was brightly lit; clearly, the Hokage was still handling village affairs.
The ANBU all knew Might Guy, so no one came out to stop him.
He walked to the Hokage Office and knocked on the door.
"Come in!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged voice came from behind the door.
"Third-sama!"
"Oh, it's you, Might Guy. What brings you here so late? Is something urgent?"
The Third Generation covered the Crystal Ball with a cloth. He could not let his subordinates see it.
Otherwise, he would lose every shred of his dignity as a Kage-level shinobi.
He looked at Kai without any urgency.
If something serious had happened, the ANBU would certainly have informed him immediately.
Since Kai had come alone, he must have a personal favor to ask.
In that case, he would have to squeeze as much value out of Kai as he could.
"Third-sama, I ask that you give up the idea of taking Zhou Cheng as your student."
Kai looked so earnest that he was on the verge of pleading through tears.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression instantly turned serious.
No one besides him and Danzo knew about his intention to take Zhou Cheng as his student.
How did Kai know?
Did Danzo tell him?
No, Danzo wouldn't do something like that.
Then the only explanation was that Zhou Cheng had told him.
What was that brat Zhou Cheng up to?
"Kai, what happened with Zhou Cheng?"
"Why would you say that?"
Despite the many questions in his mind, Hiruzen Sarutobi maintained a gentle demeanor as he asked.
"Here's what happened!"
Kai gave him a detailed account of the day's events.
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened in stunned disbelief.
"Third-sama, Zhou Cheng's talent for taijutsu is so extraordinary that, if he specializes in it, he'll definitely become a Kage-level fighter through taijutsu alone."
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not respond for a long time-not because he did not want to, but because he had yet to recover from his shock.
He developed his own unique taijutsu in a single day, just by watching Kai teach Rock Lee?
Had this not come from Might Guy, who was always straightforward and would never lie,
Hiruzen Sarutobi would never have believed it.
A single day! Did he realize what that meant?
If word got out, it would scare countless people out of their wits.
Kai's current achievements in taijutsu came from twenty years of relentless training, countless hardships, and countless injuries.
Only then had he reached his present strength.
Then what if Zhou Cheng had twenty years?
How far could he grow?
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not even dare imagine it.
Stronger than the First?
How could that be? The First was the God of Shinobi, an invincible existence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was just about to speak.
The purple-haired Uzuki Yugao appeared in the Hokage Office and dropped to one knee.
"Third-sama, I've come to report on the past month's surveillance."
Only then did Hiruzen Sarutobi take two puffs from his pipe to clear his head.
"Go ahead."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gestured for her to report without worrying about Kai's presence.
After all, the person Uzuki Yugao had been monitoring was Zhou Cheng.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted Kai to hear about Zhou Cheng's talent for ninjutsu.
"Yes!"
"Over the past month, we've found that Zhou Cheng's talent for ninjutsu is monstrous."
"No matter what the ninjutsu is, as long as he has its scroll, he can successfully perform it after reading it once."
"Moreover, its power, range, and duration are all perfect for what someone at his level can achieve."
"Not only that, but he also has an exceptional understanding of ninjutsu. He has already reduced the Water Dragon Bullet Technique from forty-four hand seals to forty."
"And its power hasn't diminished in the slightest."
"Furthermore, he has simplified every ninjutsu he has learned."
As Uzuki Yugao spoke, the expressions on Hiruzen Sarutobi's and Might Guy's faces grew increasingly vivid.
As veteran shinobi, they both understood the implications of her words.
Uzuki Yugao paused briefly before continuing.
"This morning, he watched Jonin Might Guy's taijutsu."
"After returning home, his taijutsu skills began improving at an astonishing rate."
"Before I came here to report, my personal assessment was that his taijutsu had already reached Chunin level!"
"Zhou Cheng might actually win tomorrow's match."
At those words, both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kai widened their eyes.
Surpass the top genius of the Hyuga Clan, renowned for its taijutsu, in taijutsu?
Make up a seven-year gap in a single day?