"Oh?! Good, good! Your fundamentals are rock solid! Your stance is very stable!"
Guy's eyes lit up. He easily neutralized the attacks with the smallest possible blocks and evasions, offering his assessment in a booming voice. "But your intentions are too obvious, and you don't adapt enough!"
Shira gritted his teeth, his attacks growing fiercer. He incorporated both his understanding of how to apply force with the body, gained from observing Chiyo's puppet manipulation, and techniques he had developed himself. His movements began to grow tricky.
"Very good. You know how to use your body's momentum. Your techniques for applying force show real thought!" Guy continued his assessment, still handling him with ease. "But your transitions aren't smooth enough. Breathing-watch your breathing rhythm! Holding your breath while attacking is a major mistake!"
The two exchanged blows rapidly in the forest clearing, their figures crossing as their fists and feet collided with muffled thuds.
Shira gave it his all, pushing his Taijutsu to its limit in his normal state, but Guy was like an insurmountable mountain. No matter how Shira attacked, he couldn't shake him in the slightest.
In the blink of an eye, nearly a hundred moves had passed.
Shira's breathing grew ragged, and sweat soaked his clothes. He knew he had reached his limit in his normal state and couldn't draw out Guy's true assessment at all.
It's time!
He abruptly sprang back a step and drew a deep breath, his gaze suddenly turning savage!
"Mr. Guy! Please be careful. My next move is one I created myself!"
"Hmm?"
Guy sensed the sudden change in Shira's aura. The eye that had been half-lidded all this time finally opened fully, revealing genuine surprise and intense interest.
"Seven Heavens Breathing Method-First Activation, open!"
Boom!
A burst of scorching steam erupted from Shira's body!
His speed, strength, and reflexes shot up a level in an instant! The ground beneath his feet cracked as he pushed off, and he became a blur, charging at Guy again at a speed far beyond what he had shown before!
"Oh ho ho!!! What's this?!" Guy was finally moved. He no longer merely blocked, but made a small evasive movement for the first time.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With Seven Heavens Breathing Method: First Activation unleashed, Shira's attacks came like a raging storm!
Fists, feet, elbows, knees... Every part of his body became a deadly weapon. The frequency and power of his attacks made him seem like an entirely different person.
"An interesting technique!"
Guy precisely blocked or dodged every attack as he voiced his admiration in a booming voice. His gaze grew more excited, and his assessment hit the nail on the head:
"But it's too crude. It puts an enormous strain on your body! You can't sustain it!"
"Your explosive power is too wild, and you lack control. You're wasting a huge amount of stamina!"
"The breathing method and your basic forms don't work smoothly together. Look! Because your breathing was disrupted, that punch lost at least thirty percent of its power!"
Even with the activation open, Shira still couldn't touch the hem of Guy's clothes.
But he gritted his teeth and held on, maintaining that explosive state for more than ten breaths and displaying everything he could currently control to the fullest.
At last, he reached his limit. The steam quickly dissipated, and his face turned pale in an instant. He staggered back several steps, braced his hands on his knees, and gasped for breath, the muscles throughout his body trembling slightly beyond his control.
Guy stopped and looked at the nearly exhausted Shira, his eyes filled with unprecedented admiration and a trace of shock.
"Purple-haired youth-no, Shira! I'll remember your name!"
Guy's tone turned utterly serious. "Your basic Taijutsu foundation is rock solid! What's even more remarkable is that you managed to develop this unique 'forbidden technique' on your own! Though it's full of flaws and extremely crude, the direction you've taken in developing your body and that determination of yours are filled with the radiance of youth!"
He walked over to Shira and said solemnly, "Listen! What you need most right now isn't to continue exploring the deeper levels of your breathing method, but to go back! Temper your basic forms and the rhythm of your breathing method together a hundred thousand, a million times."
"Make breathing an extension of your power, not a burden. Let every basic straight punch and side kick deliver a hundred percent, even a hundred and twenty percent of its power with the aid of your breathing method."
"You must never be like you are now, with nothing but speed and no refined control!"
"If the foundation isn't firm, the tower will fall! Until you've completely mastered the perfect integration of First Activation and your basic forms, never attempt to open a deeper level of activation! That would only destroy you! Do you understand?!"
Guy's words were like thunder, instantly cleaving through the fog that had lingered in Shira's heart for so long.
He had long been troubled by the difficulty of further development, never imagining that the root of the problem lay in the most basic elements of "control" and "integration."
"Yes! I'll remember! Thank you very much for your guidance, Mr. Guy!"
Shira used all his strength to bow deeply once again. This time, it was a bow of heartfelt, immense gratitude. Guy's few words had saved him countless hours he might have spent on detours.
"Yosh! Then that's that! Hot-blooded youth, I look forward to seeing your youth shine even brighter in the future!" Guy gave Shira a thumbs-up and flashed a gleaming smile.
Shira knew time was short and said no more. After thanking him again, he turned and raced toward the market as fast as he could.
Watching Shira's retreating figure quickly disappear, Guy's smile slowly faded, and his gaze grew thoughtful.
"So Sunagakure has produced such an interesting Taijutsu prospect? That breathing method has astonishing potential. Looks like I can't slack off either! I'll double today's training! A thousand laps around Konoha on my hands! This is youth!!! Hahaha!"
His blood instantly boiled with passion again, and he charged at astonishing speed toward the woods on the outskirts of the village, running on his hands.
Meanwhile, as Shira raced back, he engraved every word of Guy's guidance firmly in his heart.
Integrating the basics and breathing, control, a million repetitions...
This sparring match between opponents of unequal strength had pointed him in the most correct and solid direction for the long road of cultivation ahead.
He had gained far more than he expected.