Thump! Thump! Thump!
The heavy, rhythmic handstand push-ups continued, each one like a hammer blow to the heart.
The setting sun edged the inverted green figure with a ring of burning gold, its black hair stubbornly pointing to the ground, and its taut body lines exuding a powerful sense of strength.
Rock Lee was completely stunned, remaining in a half-sitting position with his mouth agape and his eyes wide open, as if he had witnessed some profound truth of martial arts, or as if he had been utterly shocked by that inhuman perseverance and strength.
Naruto, on the other hand, had a completely bewildered expression, thinking, "What is this? Is this even possible? Oh my god!" He subconsciously tried to imitate the upside-down posture by tilting his head, almost twisting his neck in the process.
Shira's heart was still pounding, but he forced himself to calm down from the initial shock, his gaze fixed on that figure.
This workout routine, hmm... it's very Might Guy.
Perhaps startled by the gazes from this side, or perhaps having just finished a set of exercises, the "thump, thump" sound abruptly stopped.
The inverted figure remained perfectly straight for a moment, then suddenly exerted force with its muscular arms supporting it on the ground!
"Hey--whoosh!"
With a short, powerful exhale, the green figure completed a clean and crisp backflip in mid-air with an unconventional yet powerful and beautiful posture, before landing firmly on its feet with a "thud," kicking up a small circle of dust.
He casually dusted off his hands before turning around to look at the three people in the center of the training field.
Thick, dark eyebrows; a face with strong lines yet a cheerful smile; a set of White Fang that gleamed even in the twilight; and a tight-fitting green bodysuit that seemed to penetrate to the very soul.
It was Might Guy! His face was still flushed and sweaty from the intense exercise, but his eyes were surprisingly bright and full of vitality.
"Wow! At this hour, there are still people on the training field pouring out their youthful passion and sweat!"
Kai's gaze swept across the field, landing on Rock Lee, who was slumped on the ground exhausted, Shira, who was standing and drinking water, and Naruto, who looked on with curiosity. A big, infectious smile immediately appeared on his face, and his white teeth seemed to flash with a "ding".
"And they're three energetic young men! That's really great!"
His voice was loud and full of enthusiasm, instantly breaking the solemnity brought about by the previous image of a "master".
As if activated by the voice and smile, Rock Lee sprang to his feet, ignoring his injured arm. He stood ramrod straight, his face flushed with excitement and admiration, and shouted back:
"Yes! We are conducting Taijutsu training, senior!"
Naruto was startled by the loud voice and instinctively straightened up, blinking his blue eyes as he curiously sized up the seemingly strong but uniquely dressed man in green.
Kai smiled and nodded, his gaze sweeping over the three of them, clearly pleased to have encountered such hardworking juniors. His gaze first passed over the excited Rock Lee, then looked at Naruto, whose face clearly said, "This guy is interesting," and finally settled on Shira.
Shira looked at him calmly and nodded slightly in greeting.
Kai's smile paused almost imperceptibly the moment his gaze fell on Shira's face.
His eyes, which were always full of enthusiasm and smiles, narrowed slightly, like a focusing lens, scrutinizing Shira from head to toe.
His thick, dark eyebrows slowly rose, and his mouth opened slightly, revealing a somewhat comical expression, as if his brain had suddenly "clicked" and frozen.
He maintained that expression, staring at Shira for a good two or three seconds, his eyes filled with the meaning of "Have I seen this person somewhere before?" and "She seems kind of familiar?"
Rock Lee and Naruto looked at each other, puzzled, as Guy suddenly seemed to freeze up.
Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, Kai slapped his shiny bald head hard, making a crisp "smack" sound that startled Rock Lee and Naruto beside him.
"Oh--!!!"
He let out a drawn-out exclamation of sudden realization, his eyes widening as he pointed at Shira, his finger trembling slightly with excitement.
"It's you! The one from Sunagakure! That... that..." He stammered, clearly not remembering the name, but that didn't stop him from recognizing the person.
He dashed to Shira in a single stride, his speed so fast that he left only a green afterimage in his wake.
What happened next left Rock Lee and Naruto speechless.
Kai circled around Shira at an extremely fast speed, getting closer and closer until his face was almost touching Shira. His nose twitched suspiciously, like some kind of large dog identifying a scent.
He would squat down to look at Shira's legs, then stand up and stare into Shira eyes, muttering to himself:
"Hmm... you seem to have grown a little taller? Your muscles are more defined... oh! That posture! That center of gravity! So stable, like you're rooted to the spot! Not bad, not bad!"
"Eyes... um? Wait a minute..."
"Breath..."
He slowed down his circling and finally stopped directly in front of Shira Shira. He bent down, his face almost touching hers. His usually enthusiastic eyes were now unusually focused, even scrutinizing, staring intently into the depths of Shira's pupils, as if trying to see through the surface to understand something deeper.
Shira felt a little uncomfortable at his sudden and unapproachable observation, but she forced herself not to move and simply looked back at him calmly.
He could sense that beneath Kaina's seemingly comical actions lay an extremely keen perception of "qi" and "momentum," characteristic of a top-tier Taijutsu expert.
The excitement and playful expression on Kai's face at discovering an acquaintance gradually faded.
His thick, dark eyebrows furrowed slightly as he slowly straightened up, crossed his arms, and continued to stare intently at Shira. The wind on the training field seemed to have calmed down.
"You..."
Kai's voice was no longer as loud and clear as before, but rather lowered, carrying a rare, almost solemn, sense of doubt, "The way you smell... is different from last time."
He wasn't smelling it with his nose, but rather with a more mysterious, martial arts intuition honed to its extreme through countless life-and-death battles.
"It's heavier now. A bit hard. And it still has a lingering coolness that I can't wash off."
He tried to describe the feeling, his vocabulary was somewhat limited, but the meaning was conveyed accurately.
That wasn't exactly murderous intent, but it could be considered a very subtle yet indelible mark left deep within one's spirit after experiencing a true life-or-death struggle and personally ending a life.
Like the unique texture left after iron is quenched, or the internal cracks in jade after tectonic shifts. Very faint, so faint as to be almost imperceptible.
But for someone like Might Guy, who has honed his Taijutsu and bodily awareness to the pinnacle of human potential, it was like a single ink dot on a blank sheet of paper, clearly discernible.
Might Guy recalled that when he last met this Sunagakure boy, the boy only possessed a stubborn fierceness; although he was hardworking, it was like "unsharpened, blunt iron."
And now, this piece of iron seems to have truly... seen blood and been tempered by fire.
Kai's eyes became complicated, containing surprise, confirmation, and a hint of the indescribable complex emotions a Taijutsu senior feels when witnessing a junior's rapid growth, yet not entirely in the sunlight.
He dropped all his playful expressions, looked at the boy before him—shorter than himself, with a still-childish face but eyes that held a certain depth—and remained silent for a moment before slowly asking in a tone that was a mixture of doubt and understanding:
"You... have become a ninja?"