This is youth!

The weekend always passed quickly.

"All students in Class 1-A, assemble! Report to me. We'll divide you into groups."

On the training ground, Sarutobi Ichino shouted, still holding the notebook he never put down.

The students, who had already eaten lunch, immediately gathered at his call, all looking at Sarutobi Ichino expectantly, because... their afternoon lesson was practical combat!

"You all seem eager for the next lesson. Well then, our fifth practical combat lesson officially begins! Everyone whose name I call, get ready. First pair, Uchiha... er, Obito Uchiha versus Might Guy. Second pair, Rin Nohara versus..."

Looking at their expectant faces, Sarutobi Ichino smiled faintly and began reading names from his notebook, assigning the pairs one by one and laying everything out clearly.

"Now, everyone, move back a little. Give Obito and Guy enough room."

Once he had arranged the matchups, Sarutobi Ichino clapped his hands, signaling for everyone to spread out.

A moment later.

In the clearing at the center of the training ground.

Obito Uchiha stood with his arms folded, facing Might Guy.

"Hey, youth guy, don't go begging for mercy later. I've mastered some incredible Fire Release Ninjutsu."

Obito Uchiha spoke with a confident look.

"Don't worry, Obitoe. I'll give it everything I've got!"

Looking at Obito Uchiha's confident face and folded arms, Might Guy spoke with utter seriousness.

"...Hey! You bastard!!! How are you still getting my name wrong?!"

The moment Might Guy said that, Obito Uchiha lost his composure and roared.

"Huh? I got your name wrong? It's fine, Obika! Give it everything you've got! There's no holding back in a showdown of youth!!"

Guy's clear shout rang across the training ground. Before his words had faded, he suddenly vanished from his spot.

Without any preliminary hand seals or buildup, his sheer physical speed broke through the wind resistance, whipping up a violent gust as his forceful push sent yellow sand flying in every direction.

Obito's pupils contracted sharply at Guy's sudden opening move. He rapidly pushed off the ground to retreat, his hands flying through hand seals as scorching chakra surged madly toward his mouth. His throat bulged slightly before he abruptly opened his mouth and bellowed.

"You bastard, the teacher hasn't even said to start! And... my name isn't Obika! Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

As he roared, a blazing, dazzling crimson fireball erupted from his mouth. Carrying waves of searing heat, it rapidly expanded in midair into a torrent of flame half a person's size, hurtling straight toward the charging Guy with the force to burn everything in its path.

Wherever the flames passed, the air warped and heated under their scorching heat. The newly sprouted grass around the training ground was instantly ignited and charred by the residual heat, little flames springing up.

Facing the towering blaze rushing toward him, Might Guy remained composed, without a trace of panic.

"Konoha... Knuckle Cutter."

With a quiet utterance, Might Guy opened his fist into a palm mid-sprint, pressed his five fingers together, and thrust straight into the great fireball!

Hiss!!!

The fireball split in two and exploded in midair!

Among the crowd, Uchiha Gen merely watched the scene quietly.

Mm, just catching Fire Release Ninjutsu with his hand. Perfectly normal.

Obito Uchiha's expression changed in shock as his fire release was shattered, and he abruptly pulled back.

But Guy was faster, already cutting him off.

Lowering his center of gravity, he turned and drove his hips around, whipping out a beautiful spinning back kick.

"Konoha... Whirlwind!"

Boom!

The kick, wrapped in a powerful gust, slammed into...

A wooden log that had suddenly appeared?!

Wood chips scattered, and Obito Uchiha's voice instantly sounded behind Might Guy.

"That was the Substitution Technique. For some reason, it only took me a day or two to learn it. Oh my~ maybe this is what being a genius means."

The Substitution Technique, one of the three basic techniques, could only be learned in this Shinobi World after learning the Summoning Technique. Its effects already qualified it as a form of pseudo-Space-Time Ninjutsu.

Yet while Obito Uchiha was showing off, Might Guy twisted his body, swiftly swinging that kick back around!

"Konoha... Whirlwind, second stage!!"

This kick was even faster, carrying a fierce gust as it slammed into Obito Uchiha.

The tremendous force knocked Obito Uchiha straight to the ground, where he grimaced in pain, his face contorted.

After kicking Obito Uchiha away, Guy stood on one leg, striking a flashy pose.

"Want to keep going, Obika?"

Obito struggled to his feet, gritting his teeth.

"Of course I do! You jerk, attacking me by surprise... holy crap!"

Obito Uchiha had only just stood up when he saw Guy's next attack already coming. The moment Obito Uchiha shouted that he wanted to continue, Might Guy took it to mean the fight wasn't over and immediately went on the offensive.

This time, Might Guy unleashed speed far beyond what he had shown before, his figure like a fierce bolt of green lightning as he forcibly broke through the dust kicked up when Obito Uchiha was sent flying.

The instant he closed in, the muscles in his right leg tensed and swelled, gathering the strength of his entire body into a fierce, overpowering spinning kick aimed straight at Obito's chest. Its biting gust whipped Obito's hair into a wild frenzy.

Obito reacted extremely quickly, pushing hard off the ground with both feet and shooting back half an inch, narrowly avoiding the spinning kick by the slimmest of margins.

The fierce wind from the kick swept past his ear and struck the ground beside him hard, and Obito Uchiha raised both arms to block.

Mm, kicking up wind, and that wind actually dealing damage. Normal.

Having avoided the attack, Obito Uchiha landed and steadied himself. His gaze on Might Guy grew increasingly grave, and he no longer underestimated him.

His hands began forming hand seals, their speed abruptly increasing.

"Fire Release: Flame Stream Song!"

This time, the flames were no longer a massive spherical attack. Instead, they condensed into several slender, vicious fire snakes, faster and more piercing. With shrill whistles as they tore through the air, they darted at cunning angles toward the vital points on Guy's chest, precisely cutting off every angle of escape at the same time.

Facing the streaming fire snakes, Guy neither dodged nor evaded. His eyes focused, every muscle in his body tensed to its limit, and his hands instantly crossed in front of his chest to block.

The scorching fire snakes slammed into his arms. Billowing flames instantly engulfed his body, their searing heat rushing over him.

Using the force of the flames' impact, Might Guy flipped backward to dissipate it, negating most of the damage from this Fire Release Ninjutsu. The instant he landed, he pushed off and immediately burst through the flames. Only a small portion of his training clothes had been blackened, and his skin had suffered only minor burns.

"Hahahaha, this is youth!!"

Ignoring his burns, Might Guy roared and darted forward once more. Before his shout had faded, he had already closed right up to Obito Uchiha.

The next moment, a chain of Taijutsu attacks poured forth.