Ever since Itō Yuying had learned the Destructo Disc, he had been in an extraordinarily good mood. Even his chats with Might Duy brimmed with youthful vigor. Seeing how happy he was, Might Duy said, "Yuying, how about a clash of youth? We haven't really sparred before!" The more he spoke, the more excited he became. "Come on, Yuying! My youth won't let me keep wasting away like this! Come on, my lifelong rival!"
Seeing how motivated he was, Itō Yuying thought it over and agreed. The two went to Training Ground Two. As soon as they took their positions, Might Duy said impatiently, "Here I come, Yuying!" Then, with a cry of "Youth!", he charged at Itō Yuying. "All right." Itō Yuying sank into a slight crouch. Might Duy's speed suddenly increased, and he kicked toward Itō Yuying's abdomen. Just as Might Duy thought he was about to succeed and a victorious smile slowly spread across his face, a pair of hands caught his kicking leg. Itō Yuying gave him a sinister chuckle, then spun rapidly on the spot and hurled him away, watching him tumble along the ground like a rolling gourd.
Itō Yuying vanished from his spot and instantly appeared beside Might Duy, then kicked him into the sky. His body vanished again, and a figure appeared above the rising Might Duy-it was Itō Yuying. "Watch my final strike!" He kicked Might Duy in the rear. The tremendous force, combined with the downward momentum, sent Might Duy hurtling toward the ground. If he landed like this, he would definitely be seriously injured; he could forget about getting out of bed for six months. The watching classmates were so shocked that they covered their eyes, and some of the more timid girls cried out.
Just as Might Duy was about to hit the ground and end up partially paralyzed, a figure appeared below and caught him, spinning twice on the spot to dissipate the downward force. It was none other than Itō Yuying. Might Duy was still completely dazed, staring at Itō Yuying through swollen, unfocused eyes.
"Yu... Yuying, I have no regrets in my life. I remember running beneath the setting sun that year. That was my departed youth." Watching Itō Yuying hold Might Duy as the two gazed deeply into each other's eyes, the spectators shuddered in disgust. One student ran off, shouting as he went, "Oh my goodness! This is bad! Yuying and Duy have gotten together!" The surrounding classmates immediately broke into chatter, casting suggestive looks at Itō Yuying and Might Duy.
Hearing those words, Itō Yuying flung Might Duy away, then quickly turned to leave. Just then, he heard another shout. "Oh my! Yuying's embarrassed! He's abandoned Duy and run away!" Itō Yuying was so angry that he was ready to find the gossip and beat him to a pulp. But when he turned around, the person had already disappeared.
When he returned to the classroom, everyone looked at Itō Yuying strangely. Even Xinchang Yishui glanced at the two of them from time to time during class. Might Duy grinned foolishly, utterly unconcerned. "It must be nice to be so carefree," Itō Yuying sighed.
Then he heard Might Duy say, "Yuying, we train together and use the same training methods. Why are you so strong that I couldn't even touch the hem of your clothes? I don't think I spend any less time training than you do." Itō Yuying smiled. "Our training might look the same, but that's only on the surface. It's like when you activate the Eight Gates: your speed, strength, and perception all increase tremendously, surpassing your usual self."
"The Ki I cultivate works the same way. As soon as I use it, my strength and speed rise rapidly. Although we usually work out together, exercise lets me increase the Ki inside my body. The harder I train, the more Ki I have, and the greater the power I can unleash. But you haven't mastered cultivating Ki. No matter how hard you train, although you can improve your speed and strength, there's still a limit. It's like when you use the Eight Gates: opening one gate only lasts a few minutes, and the side effects are severe. You use your powerful physique to support the power of opening the Eight Gates. The strength you have now is all the result of your hard training. Without a powerful body, you couldn't activate the Eight Gates at all, nor could you withstand their backlash. In other words, without a good supplementary Taijutsu training method, even working hard every day still won't let your body withstand the side effects of the Eight Gates and the hidden injuries that can't heal."
Itō Yuying thought of how Might Duy had opened the final gate, the Gate of Death, to defeat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and protect the retreat of his son's Team Guy. Although his moment had been brief, it had made the Shinobi World remember this eternal Genin. And then there was his son, Might Duy Guy, who had nearly kicked the story straight to its ending and was even more unforgettable.
Coming back to his senses, Itō Yuying continued, "But my Ki has no upper limit. I can keep cultivating it and keep growing. Finally, when I reach the utmost limit, the cells in my body will rearrange and recombine, creating a new, different state. I call it 'Transformation'-surpassing the body's limits and changing into another form."
Might Duy said, "Yuying, what does Transformation mean?" Itō Yuying replied, "Your body is like a cup, and the water is the Ki you cultivate. The more water there is, the stronger you become. Everyone's body has a limit. Some people can only cultivate one full cup of water, but others can change themselves, turning from a cup into a water vat. That way, they can cultivate a lot more water."
Might Duy looked utterly bewildered. Just then, a voice spoke up. "Simply put, before you transform, your body is like a cup and can only hold so much water. When you transform, your cup gets upgraded into a vat. It can hold more water, so you become stronger and stronger."
Might Duy nodded thoughtfully. Then the two turned their heads at the same time and saw Uchiha Hanyue there, eavesdropping with an arrogant look on his face. Itō Yuying was speechless. Eavesdropping was one thing, but he was even acting so arrogant about it.
"How long have you been eavesdropping?" Itō Yuying asked. Uchiha Hanyue held up one finger. Might Duy said, "Oh, only a minute? That's fine, then." Uchiha Hanyue shook his head. "I've been listening the whole time." Itō Yuying was completely speechless. Then Uchiha Hanyue moved closer and asked, "Yuying, is that 'Ki' you were talking about really that powerful?"
Itō Yuying rolled his eyes. "Want to learn?" Uchiha Hanyue immediately raised his proud head and puffed out his chest like a little rooster. He said disdainfully, "I'm a member of the Uchiha Clan. How could I possibly learn anything else? Our clan has plenty of techniques to learn." Uchiha Hanyue was still boasting away when he lowered his head and saw that Itō Yuying and Might Duy had long since left their seats.
Uchiha Hanyue gritted his teeth in anger and said bitterly, "I'll definitely defeat you."
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