Chapter 39 – Kakashi's Taste of Luxury [Part 2]
On Sakura's side, aside from the Root operatives being held off by Kakashi and Guy, a few others had broken through and were charging in her direction. But Shisui wasn't one to be underestimated.
Without even dodging, he effortlessly intercepted them using only a short blade—blocking and countering with ease. In fact, up to this point, he hadn't even used a single jutsu.
"Behind you—!"
Still locked in a clash with several enemies, Shisui's figure suddenly flickered. With one sweeping motion, he forced them back. Then, with his left hand, he drew a kunai and hurled it past Sakura.
The kunai grazed her hair and struck dead-center into the forehead of a Root ninja who had just emerged from underground, aiming to launch a sneak attack. He collapsed without a sound.
"You don't need to worry about me, Shisui-nii. They're not strong enough to hurt me."
Seeing how Shisui stayed defensively close instead of attacking, Sakura let out a helpless sigh.
"I really think you should just take them out directly. The longer you hold back, the greater the risk. Sooner or later, you might get hurt!"
"Their target is you. I must ensure your absolute safety."
Shisui's voice was calm and resolute.
His mission was to protect Sakura, not eliminate enemies. No matter how persuasive she sounded, he had no intention of straying from his post.
While Shisui flawlessly guarded Sakura's surroundings, on the other side of the battlefield, Might Guy had already defeated several opponents—and had now opened the Sixth Gate. His body blazed with blue chakra flames, and his speed took another massive leap.
In the blink of an eye, two more enemies were kicked away violently—their necks grotesquely twisted upon impact. Survival was unlikely.
"They're far enough from Sakura now—I don't need to worry about collateral damage.
In that case… I'll end this in one move.
Secret Technique: Morning Peacock!"
Guy launched high into the air, both fists striking out in a flurry.
Within just a few seconds, he had thrown over a hundred punches.
Each high-speed strike generated fiery shockwaves that burst into a fan-shaped wall of flame, engulfing the area in front of him.
The Root shinobi he'd been fighting were all within the blast zone. Worse yet, his speed was so overwhelming that even if they wanted to dodge, they couldn't.
"Water Style — Water Formation Wall!"
With no way to escape, several of the Root ninja performed hand seals simultaneously. Jets of water surged from their mouths, forming a defensive wall midair to shield them.
The flame-laced shockwaves pounded relentlessly against the watery barrier.
Though the wall trembled and shuddered under pressure, it miraculously held firm, completely blocking the power of Morning Peacock.
"Huff… Huff… The Sixth Gate… still not enough to finish it?
This is going to be a problem…"
Guy landed heavily, breathing hard.
At this age, he was still far from reaching his future peak.
Even just using the Sixth Gate had already pushed his body to its limits.
The Eight Gates granted incredible power—but at a great cost.
His body was now under extreme stress. If he didn't shut the technique down soon, at best he'd suffer permanent internal damage; at worst, it could kill him.
"Damn it… Even if it leaves scars, I'll take the risk!"
Guy clenched his teeth.
He was fully prepared to endure lifelong injury.
If he deactivated the Eight Gates now, he'd be helpless against the Root ninja—and they wouldn't show mercy.
But just as he was about to force his battered body into continuing the fight, something unexpected happened.
A green symbol on his right wrist suddenly lit up with a glow.
"Did… the strain force me out of that state automatically?"
The Root shinobi breathed a collective sigh of relief when they saw the blue chakra flames vanish from around Guy's body.
That prior state had been terrifying.
It must've been some kind of explosive secret technique—it couldn't last long.
"Wait… this feeling…"
But Guy looked shocked—then delighted.
He realized that somehow, his body had recovered—as if it had returned to the state it was in at the start of the battle.
All the muscle strain, micro-tears, and internal damage from the Eight Gates… were gone.
In other words—he could use the Sixth Gate again.
As soon as Guy's body recovered, a rush of memories followed—making his brow furrow slightly.
They were memories of the battle just moments ago, seemingly force-fed into his brain all at once.
The overlap of two sets of identical memories left him feeling momentarily disoriented, but the sensation passed quickly and didn't cause any lasting issues.
"So this is what Sakura meant earlier... No need to worry about injuries, and no matter how much I expend, I'll recover instantly.
The fires of youth—I can barely contain them now!"
Guy's eyes burned with unshakable determination.
The greatest flaw of the Eight Gates technique was the immense damage it inflicted on the user.
But now, with the rune Sakura gave him, that drawback had vanished entirely.
No matter how serious the injury—he'd recover in an instant.
And if that was the case… then why not take this opportunity to break through into a whole new realm?
"Eight Gates Released Formation…"
Guy crossed his arms over his chest.
His chakra surged violently, swirling through his body like a tidal wave.
"Seventh Gate – Gate of Shock… OPEN!"
"W-What? That's impossible! He's even stronger than before?!"
The Root ninja were in disbelief.
Just moments ago, they had assumed Guy was completely exhausted and no longer a threat.
But now—he had unleashed a power even greater than before.
"It has to be some kind of burst-type secret technique. Stall him—don't engage directly!
As long as we outlast him, we'll win—"
Before the Root shinobi could even finish the sentence, Guy—now wreathed in blazing blue chakra flames—had already closed the distance.
He appeared among them in a blur, as if he had teleported.
The sheer pressure from the searing heat, his explosive chakra, and even the sweat turned to vapor had created a fierce aura around him.
"Secret Technique: Daytime Tiger!"
Forming a strange hand seal, Guy compressed the air around him in an instant—then released it in a single, deafening explosion.
The shockwave took the shape of a massive tiger's head, roaring outward from his position and engulfing the surrounding Root ninja in its path.
"That's… Daytime Tiger?!
Uncle Guy really doesn't hold back, huh…"
Watching the familiar tiger-shaped blast, Sakura couldn't help but mutter a half-joking complaint.
After all, the Seventh Gate placed an enormous burden on the user's body.
Given Guy's current strength, if this attack didn't finish the enemy, then he'd likely be left wide open—helpless before a counterattack.
But thankfully, Sakura had already placed Temporal Rewind on him.
Once it activated, all damage Guy took would be erased, as if time itself rewound around his body.
There was no need to worry.