At this moment, Tenten began to truly believe in Natsuki's assessment.
So, you really can't judge a book by its cover. Despite Guy-sensei's bizarre appearance, his strength and conviction were absolutely no joke.
She added, "Natsuki said the same thing. He also said that the current Guy-sensei is way stronger than Duy-senpai was back then. With Six Gates open, you could probably fight a Kage. With Seven Gates, you'd be a Super Kage. And if you opened the Death Gate… you might even kick the Sage of Six Paths into oblivion!"
Okay, that was getting a bit exaggerated.
Was it really that insane?
Neither Neji nor Lee believed it, but Lee couldn't help getting fired up.
He'd always wanted to prove that even without ninjutsu, one could become a powerful ninja. Guy-sensei and his father were living proof of that.
Now it was Rock Lee's turn to carry that legacy forward!
So—he had to learn the Eight Gates!
Might Guy, hearing all this, instinctively struck what he thought was a cool pose and laughed loudly. "Tenten, your boyfriend's got a sharp eye! Even if what he said is over the top, I'll keep striving toward that! I, Might Guy, Konoha's Proud Blue Beast, will one day be the strongest in the shinobi world!"
"So, Guy-sensei, can I learn the Eight Gates?" Tenten went straight to the point.
"Huh? Oh—of course," Guy replied, still catching up.
"Then… can I teach them to my boyfriend?"
"Ah… well, um…" Guy paused, then grew serious. "Tenten, the Eight Gates isn't something just anyone can train in. I'm willing to teach you because you're my student, and I'll be guiding you personally to reach the stage of opening the gates. But as for your boyfriend, I'd have to meet him first to determine if he's even suitable."
Tenten was confident. "Then I'll introduce you when I get the chance. He's way stronger than I am—maybe even stronger than you."
Natsuki was about to graduate, so he didn't need to keep hiding his strength anymore. Tenten didn't mind letting a few secrets slip.
But Guy clearly didn't believe it. "Hahaha! Stronger than me? That's not possible! But sure, bring him over sometime—I'll check his physical condition. If he's able, I wouldn't mind teaching him."
Guy wasn't like some elite clans with rigid traditions.
In fact, even in the original story, though he only taught Lee, he likely gave some guidance to Neji and Tenten as well.
It's just that Neji had his own clan techniques, and Tenten's body wasn't suited for it. Learning the Eight Gates wasn't easy—even a genius like Kakashi had a hard time mastering the first gate.
But since Guy had agreed to teach, Natsuki's path to learning the Eight Gates was now clear.
Tenten was overjoyed and couldn't wait to get back to Natsuki for praise and kisses.
"Guy-sensei, I want to learn too!" Lee shouted, hand raised.
"Hahaha! As long as you're willing to train hard, I'll teach you all. But I'll warn you—the Eight Gates is no walk in the park."
"I'm not afraid of hard work!"
"Good! That's the spirit! Now let me test your current strength!"
After that, Guy brought the three students to the training field to conduct one-on-one matches. He wanted to assess their skills so he could tailor his teaching accordingly.
First up was Lee—he lost in just a few moves.
Second was Neji—his Byakugan and Gentle Fist were impressive. Probably chūnin-level.
Finally, it was Tenten's turn.
Tenten took a deep breath and tightened her forehead protector. This would be her first battle against a real ninja—and her opponent was an elite jōnin. The pressure was immense, but she was confident in herself. Thanks to all the help from Natsuki and Shino, she had grown tremendously. Even if she lost, it wouldn't be by much.
"Come, Tenten. Show me everything you've got!" Guy readied his stance.
Tenten pulled out two scrolls and rapidly summoned ninja tools. A storm of kunai and shuriken rained down on Guy.
He was shocked and quickly got serious, dodging and deflecting with precision—he wasn't hit at all.
But he now realized he had to take Tenten seriously.
To be able to summon so many ninja tools so smoothly right after graduating… with that barrage alone, she could take down a squad of average genin.
What a surprise! His team had a hidden gem.
Lee was already sweating. He'd never seen Tenten use this move at school—he always thought she was average. Clearly, she was anything but.
Neji was already analyzing how he would respond to that attack. Likely, he'd have to use Kaiten. Dodging wouldn't be easy.
Tenten wasn't surprised that Guy came out unscathed. She followed up by tossing a special shuriken.
Guy instinctively blocked it with a kunai, but to his surprise, it exploded into mist, enveloping him in a cloud. He only inhaled a little before realizing something was wrong and immediately held his breath.
"What kind of shuriken is that? Totally unpredictable!"
Then more shuriken dropped around him, embedding deep into the ground. With a clack clack sound, hooks sprang out, sending wires that latched onto his tight-fitting jumpsuit—he was momentarily entangled.
This was the moment Tenten had been waiting for. She pulled out another scroll and quickly formed hand seals.
"Take this—Falling Boulder!"
A massive boulder the size of a house suddenly appeared above Guy's head. In a panic, he tore himself free and struck upward with full force, shattering the rock.
Still unfazed, Tenten charged forward with a kunai and clashed with Guy in a blade lock. Then, from her gloves, four wires shot straight toward Guy's face.
"Whoa! A sneak attack too?!"
Guy bent backward into a bridge to dodge the wires—but Tenten seized the opportunity and landed a kick to his stomach, sending him tumbling.
Lee was dumbfounded. Neji grew more serious. Tenten's performance was beyond expectations.
Guy looked disheveled but wasn't really hurt. He stood up and gave Tenten a thumbs-up. "Tenten, you've got chūnin-level strength. Well done!"
Tenten didn't gloat. "How much of your strength were you using?"
Guy chuckled but didn't answer directly. "Let's just say I wasn't using my full power. But I can confidently say you're definitely chūnin-level. As for jōnin… probably not yet. But if it came to running away—you'd stand a chance."
"I see. So I've still got a long way to go."
Tenten wasn't satisfied.
But she wasn't discouraged either—because she hadn't even used her trump cards. If just her tricks could reach chūnin level, then using her full power might make her a match for a jōnin. With more time, she'd definitely become an elite jōnin.
Guy was very pleased with his students. "You're all doing great! It's getting late—let me treat you to some barbecue! Starting tomorrow, we begin missions!"
Neji, however, gave Tenten a serious look. He was certain—Tenten was a formidable rival. He'd have to find time to challenge her one day.
(End of Chapter)
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