Another One!

The two of them clashed again! As soon as they exchanged blows, Koki sensed Might Guy's overwhelming aura, as though it would destroy everything in its path.

When Might Guy got serious, he was truly terrifying!

Might Guy had always trained hard, and his body was already incredibly tough. Now that he had taken off his weights, he was even more formidable!

Might Guy's speed soared, and his strength was even more astonishing. Every blow had the power to split mountains and shatter stone.

Koki couldn't adjust at first. Guy's speed and strength overwhelmed him in every way.

They had barely been fighting for long before Koki took several heavy blows!

Outmatched, Koki struggled to withstand Guy's assault. If this continued, his defeat was certain.

Left with no choice, Koki revealed his trump card!

Sharingan, activate!

In an instant, Koki's eyes changed dramatically. Three Tomoe slowly rotated in their blood-red depths.

"Sharingan?" Guy cried out in surprise.

"Sharingan?" Might Duy exclaimed in shock.

Who didn't know the symbol of the Uchiha Clan? Guy recognized Koki's Three-Tomoe Sharingan at a glance! But he couldn't help feeling for the boy. What had he been through to awaken the Sharingan at such a young age?

With his Sharingan, Koki finally had room to breathe. He could see Guy's next move in advance, and everything before him seemed to move in slow motion.

Even so, Koki could still only barely dodge Guy's attacks. That showed just how fast Guy was!

The change in Koki after he activated his Sharingan didn't disrupt Guy, who continued attacking methodically. Guy might usually seem like a hot-blooded idiot, but he stayed calm enough in battle. His father had taught him that, and Guy had always kept it in mind.

Faced with Koki's sudden use of the Sharingan, he responded calmly, countering each move while constantly looking for an opening to attack.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!" Guy spun and leaped, hanging in midair before bringing his foot crashing down with thunderous force!

Koki dodged at top speed, narrowly avoiding Guy's deadly blow in a sorry state. He quickly got to his feet and braced himself.

Boom!!

The ground caved in instantly, leaving a large crater.

Mikoto was terrified. She covered her eyes, unable to watch.

But Itachi, nestled in her arms, stared at the battlefield, his eyes never leaving Koki.

"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!" After his first attack missed, Guy caught Koki off guard. As soon as he landed, he swiftly followed up with a spinning back kick of astonishing power and speed.

This is bad!

Though Koki could see Guy's move, he was exhausted and no longer had the strength to dodge. He resigned himself to it and closed his eyes, hoping desperately that no bones would be broken.

This is bad! The moment Guy saw Koki close his eyes, his heart lurched. He didn't want to hurt the only child who had ever encouraged him. He tried to pull back his strength and stop the attack, but it was too late!

At the critical moment, Might Duy quickly darted forward and stepped in front of Koki!

Bang!

Even so, Koki was still struck hard. His frail body flew like a drifting wisp of cotton before he landed facedown on the ground.

"Koki!"

"Big brother!"

Everything happened in a flash. Mikoto and Itachi screamed and tried to rush forward and stop it, but it was already too late. They could only watch helplessly as Koki was sent flying.

"Koki, are you all right?" Mikoto gently helped Koki up, tears streaming down her face. Beside her, Itachi clenched his fists and glared angrily at Might Guy.

Guy caught sight of Itachi's angry glare and stopped in the middle of walking toward Koki. He stood there, at a loss, looking as though he might fall apart.

Might Guy stood nearby with tears in his eyes. Had he done something wrong? He hadn't wanted to hurt Koki either, but it had been a long time since he'd had such an exhilarating fight. Koki had forced him to use his full strength, and he had become so caught up in the battle that, by the time he tried to pull his kick back, it was too late.

Koki lay on the ground, his face pale and his frail body trembling slightly. Might Guy wanted to apologize to him, but he couldn't bring himself to speak.

"Mom, I'm fine." Koki coughed a few times and forced himself to endure the pain throughout his body as he reassured Mikoto and Itachi.

"Itachi, I'm fine. Look." With that, Koki picked Itachi up and spun around twice, though he secretly sucked in a sharp breath and grimaced.

"Mm." Itachi pressed his face against his brother's.

Koki put his younger brother down, then walked over to Might Duy and bowed, thanking him earnestly. "Uncle Might Duy, thank you."

If Might Duy hadn't stepped in front of him without regard for his own safety, he would surely have suffered more than just pain all over. His bones might already have been broken!

"Kid, you're someone who possesses true youth!" Might Duy hurriedly helped Koki straighten up, his eyes full of admiration.

After glancing at the dejected Guy, Koki walked over to comfort him.

"Koki!" Seeing the boy standing in front of him, Might Guy gathered his courage and shouted, his voice full of worry and self-reproach. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Koki burst out laughing, then said, "Senior Guy, why are you apologizing? I was the one who wanted to match Taijutsu with you in the first place. Besides, I learned a lot from you this time. You're the true pinnacle of Taijutsu in Konoha." Koki gave him a thumbs-up.

He had always known how powerful Guy would become later on, but after actually fighting him, Koki felt he had still underestimated Guy at this point. Although Guy wasn't very good at Ninjutsu, his Taijutsu alone was enough to put him far beyond the reach of many people.

Given how thoroughly he had been outmatched physically, Koki was already quite satisfied that he had lasted so long. He could spar with Guy more often in the future to get the most out of his training. After all, only real combat could improve his skills!

"Koki..." Guy's voice choked up, and tears streamed down his face. He opened his arms and pulled Koki into a bear hug, sobbing and sniffling as he spoke. "I actually lost. I know you didn't use Ninjutsu."

Koki smiled and said, "It was a Taijutsu match in the first place. Why would I use Ninjutsu? If you insist on putting it that way, I even used my Sharingan!"

Hearing that, Guy hugged Koki even tighter, tears bursting from his eyes.

Koki gave Guy a discreet push, but couldn't budge him. What's going on? How many people have hugged me and cried now?

"All right, all right, Senior Guy. I'm hungry."

Guy finally let Koki go, though he was still rather downcast.

Koki couldn't bear seeing Guy like this, so he turned to Mikoto and said, "Mom, I want to try the Akimichi Clan's barbecue. You two go wait for me at the restaurant."

Itachi scrunched up his adorable little face, and Koki added with a smile, "Don't forget to buy some three-color dango for Itachi." Only then did Itachi beam with delight.

"All right. What are you going to do?" Mikoto asked, a little puzzled.

"Me? I'm going to have another match with Senior Guy." Koki had seen that the Hokage Building was not far away, and when he saw the downcast Guy, an idea gradually formed in his mind.