The next morning.
Shinichi had just opened the Hatake Clan's front gate when he saw a bowl-cut man dressed entirely in green, giving him a thumbs-up and flashing his trademark cheerful grin.
With such a conspicuous outfit and such a blast of hot-blooded enthusiasm, who else could it have been but Might Guy, Konoha's Blue Beast of the Hidden Leaf?
"Good morning, Shinichi!"
As passionate as ever, Guy struck all sorts of strange poses as he greeted him. "We must never let our youth go to waste!"
"Oh, Guy. Here to see Kakashi? He just left on a mission."
Shinichi looked utterly helpless, his voice listless.
Honestly, he was terrible at dealing with people as fired up as Guy.
"What a shame!"
Disappointment crossed Guy's face, but a moment later, he was brimming with energy again. "But that's all right! My youth is still burning! Kakashi, my eternal rival, I will never fall behind you! Today, I'll run two thousand laps around the village!"
"Wait!"
Seeing all that enthusiasm seemed to give Shinichi an idea, and he suddenly stopped him. "Guy, would you be interested in training with me?"
"Of course! My youth burns for the sake of training!"
A training fanatic like Guy would naturally never refuse such a request.
He did find it a little strange that Shinichi had actually taken the initiative to ask him to train. After all, in his eyes, Shinichi was just a lazy Chunin with mediocre abilities and no ambition.
But Guy couldn't be bothered to worry about that. All he knew was that having someone willing to train with him was a good thing. He welcomed anyone!
I was just worrying about finding someone to practice Taijutsu with. How could I let him get away when he's delivered himself to my door?
That was what Shinichi thought.
With his sage body, the intensity of his training was enough to put even Kakashi to shame.
Across all of Konoha, Might Guy was unquestionably number one when it came to Taijutsu. In the original story, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, his Night Guy kick had nearly kicked the story straight into its finale. The title of Emperor Guy wasn't just for show.
Konoha Back Mountain.
"Shinichi, how are we going to burn our youth today?"
Guy gave him a thumbs-up and struck another strange pose.
What he meant was to ask what kind of training Shinichi wanted to do.
"Taijutsu training, of course."
Shinichi chuckled. "As for how, it's simple! We'll spar using nothing but Taijutsu until we drop. Oh, and you don't have to hold back. I can take a beating."
"All right! Looks like your youth is pretty amazing too, Shinichi!"
Such a simple, brutal training method was right up Guy's alley, and he couldn't help praising him.
It was worth mentioning that, before they officially began sparring, Shinichi shamelessly tricked Guy into believing he had a few gray hairs. The oblivious fellow got quite a fright, thinking he was aging before his time.
Then a certain shameless fellow had the perfect excuse to pluck a few of those so-called "gray hairs" from his bowl-cut head.
"It's nothing. I just saw wrong."
Shinichi continued feeding him nonsense. "You're in such great shape, Guy, and you burn with youth every day. How could you possibly have gray hairs? Out of everyone in Konoha, it's your youth I admire most!"
"Shinichi, I'm so touched! Thank you!"
Guy was instantly moved to tears, taking that shameless scoundrel for a true kindred spirit.
See? He even has to thank me!
[System has detected Might Guy's biological information. Would the host like to extract it?]
Extract it immediately!
[Ding! Congratulations to the host on successfully extracting biological information and obtaining the talent trait: "Taijutsu Supreme (Purple)."] [Taijutsu Supreme: You are the one and only Taijutsu supreme. No one can defeat you in Taijutsu. Train your Taijutsu with everything you have, and let the world witness the tremendous power contained within your body!] [Physical attributes +500%! Recovery +500%! Taijutsu training efficiency +2000%! Bonus: Combat Intuition.]
Holy crap!
It's actually purple!
Emperor Guy really is Emperor Guy. Now that's impressive!
Shinichi was secretly astonished.
He had originally thought he could only obtain a red talent trait from Guy. He hadn't expected such a huge surprise!
[Combat Intuition: Your talent for battle is unmatched. Your enemies' defenses might as well not exist, and your attacks always strike home effectively. You are the brightest star on the battlefield!]
Another incredibly useful bonus ability, and exactly what Shinichi needed most right now!
Next, Shinichi and Guy launched into a ferocious bout of hand-to-hand Taijutsu combat.
There was no Ninjutsu and no genjutsu, only the flesh-pounding clashes of Taijutsu!
Guy had originally intended to hold back, but the longer they fought, the more shocked he became. He had never imagined Shinichi would be so much stronger than he had expected!
Whether it was strength, speed, or even keen combat instincts, Shinichi was every bit a match for a Taijutsu fanatic like him! Only his various fighting techniques were far too clumsy to impress Guy.
Even so, the speed at which Shinichi improved during combat left Guy speechless.
He had never seen anyone improve so quickly. Those clumsy, immature fighting techniques became incredibly polished at a visibly astonishing rate, and soon Shinichi was even keeping pace with him!
Shinichi is actually this strong?!
Guy was deeply shaken. Just what I'd expect from the older brother of Kakashi, my eternal rival! Now that's youth!
Before they knew it, the sky had grown dark.
Dragging his utterly exhausted body along, Shinichi barely managed to make it home with Guy's support.
The next day, Shinichi was back at full strength and sought Guy out for another round of sparring!
The third day, the fourth day...
Somehow, over a month passed like that.
Guy suddenly realized that Shinichi's combat talent wasn't the only terrifying thing about him. His physical attributes and recovery were downright monstrous! No matter how many times Guy knocked him down, Shinichi would be back at full strength the next day.
Even if Shinichi couldn't beat him, it seemed he could still wear him down to death!
And, in fact, Guy seemed to be getting close to losing!
"Shinichi, my youth can't burn anymore..."
At last, Guy, sporting dark circles beneath both eyes, could no longer bear the strain and collapsed wearily to the ground.
No one's body could withstand an entire month of nonstop combat training at that intensity!
"Ah, to be young. He can fall asleep the moment he lies down!"
Shinichi couldn't help marveling.
Feeling the abundant strength surging through his body, he was thoroughly satisfied. This month of hellish training hadn't been wasted. At the very least, his fighting skills had undergone a complete transformation.
After taking the exhausted Guy, who had fallen asleep on the ground, back home, an ANBU member suddenly appeared before Shinichi.
"Lord Hokage wants to see you."
ANBU members were always this brief and direct when delivering orders.
"Oh?"
Shinichi raised an eyebrow slightly.
Why would the Third Hokage suddenly want to see me now?
Could those old fossils Danzo, Mito, and Koharu be stirring up trouble, trying to strip me of Naruto's custody again?
Whatever.
I, Hatake Washing Machine, am not the man I used to be. Do you really think I'm still that worthless Chunin with pathetic combat strength? Push me too far, and I'll pin your Konoha F4 to the ground and beat you senseless!
Before you continue