Might Guy stood on the water, soaked through.
His head hung low, his shoulders heaving.
That last exchange had made one thing clear to him.
Genya was holding back.
Not because he looked down on him, but because Genya had yet to feel that he absolutely had to give it his all.
Guy raised his head, the corners of his mouth lifting, his eyes reddening.
It wasn't hurt. It was excitement.
He had waited far too long for this day.
He had been waiting ever since that boy shattered the Four Violet Flames Formation with a single slash during the Konoha Crush Plan.
He had been waiting ever since Genya summoned the Perfect Susanoo at the New Year's Gala.
He had been waiting ever since Genya and Madara fought outside Amegakure, their battle darkening the skies.
Waiting for a chance to burn through his youth without holding anything back.
Today, that chance had finally come!
"Genya!"
Guy's voice echoed through the canyon, drowning out the roar of the waterfall.
"I've finally lived to see this day! The strongest in the Shinobi World!"
He gave a thumbs-up, his teeth gleaming through the red steam.
That raised thumb wasn't an acknowledgment of his opponent. It was a sentence he passed on himself.
"Eight Gates Released Formation! Gate of Death! Open!"
Red steam erupted from Guy's body.
Red as blood, as fire, as lava.
The Eight Gates Released Formation. The Gate of Death.
The human body's final shackle shattered completely at that moment.
Guy's skin turned from red to scarlet. His blood boiled, his muscles burned, and his heart pounded at an inhuman rate.
His hair stood on end, his eyes were bloodshot, and every inch of his skin radiated red light.
The ground beneath Konoha trembled.
Shisui's pen pierced the paper as