Might Guy's words confirmed Uchiha Yun's suspicion, long-term, excessive training strengthened not only the body but also the willpower of the one training.
Only by possessing the will to endure such pain could one break through the body's limits and launch attacks against an enemy.
In his memories, during the final battle, Guy's leg bones had already fractured after just two opening moves.
Yet under such agony, he still endured and, with a single Night Guy kick, sent Six Paths Madara flying.
At this moment, Guy's gaze toward Uchiha Yun grew equally serious. In truth, even he hadn't expected Yun, after truly opening the Eight Gates, to reach such a level.
This degree of strength proved that even without opening the fourth gate, Uchiha Yun's body was terrifying.
'So this is… what they call a genius?'
Guy suddenly recalled his father's words: the dead-last could surpass geniuses through hard work, but what if a genius also worked just as hard?
Shaking his head to drive away such frightening thoughts, Guy looked down at Yun.
"That's enough, Yun. The fourth gate should already be your limit."
But Yun shook his head slightly. In the next instant, a surge of overwhelming power burst forth, tilting all the surrounding trees.
"Gate of Pain, open!"
Feeling the strength surging within his body, Yun glanced at his right hand.
"Front Lotus Fist!"
He struck out at extreme speed, compressing the air before him in an instant, forming the principle of an air cannon.
Boom!
A deafening sound erupted as a row of trees was obliterated by that punch.
Yet this kind of compressed-air power should not appear until the fifth gate.
Guy was dumbfounded. With such a foundation, Yun was practically a monster!
But the next second-
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out. Yun fell to one knee, the five gates he had opened shutting one by one as the green energy dispersed into the air.
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Lying flat on the ground, Yun panted heavily. Was the Gate of Pain truly his current limit?
Still, with his physical foundation, perhaps his Gate of Death might even surpass Guy's.
Whoosh!
Guy came to Yun's side, examined his arm, and said, "This time you went too far. Your arm is broken. I'll take you to the hospital."
Yun shook his head with a smile and asked, "Do you know why I wanted to learn the Eight Gates? For me, this forbidden technique has almost no side effects."
'Secret Art, Restore!'
In an instant, before Guy's eyes, Yun's fractured arm mended itself, and even the muscle damage caused by opening five gates was completely healed.
With a flip, Yun stood up and said:
"A special ability. I can only use it once a day, but no matter how severe the injury, it heals instantly."
"Now, do you understand why I had to master the Eight Gates?"
As soon as he finished, Might Guy's eyes widened. He leapt up and clutched Yun's shoulders.
"Yun! Teach me!"
"This powerful recovery ninjutsu, you must teach me! If I learn it, I'll no longer be Konoha's Blue Beast. I'll be Konoha's Strongest Beast!"
"No matter how strong the enemy, under the power of the Strongest Beast, I'll defeat them all!"
Watching Guy shake him so fervently, Yun sighed helplessly and activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Pointing at his eyes, he said:
"This is a special ability of my eyes. Do you want to be like Kakashi, a 'real man' who can only last three seconds? And these eyes don't only have one ability."
"Uh…"
Guy didn't fully understand, but he got the gist. This was Yun's unique power, not some medical ninjutsu.
"Fine then. Looks like the Strongest Beast of Konoha won't be happening."
Yun patted his shoulder. "Still, if we go on missions together, I can use this ability on you, too. By the way, can you open the Gate of Death now?"
That question made Guy freeze. Could he? He seemed… just a little short.
Realizing this, Guy brightened and said firmly:
"Though I'm not quite there yet, from today on, you're my best partner!"
"Lifelong rival and best partner?"
Yun twitched at the corner of his mouth. Was this guy really going to pester him every day starting now?
Just then, Guy slapped his forehead.
"Oh, right, I originally came here to tell you I found myself a great student. Want to come see?"
"Great student?"
'Lee?'
Based on what Ino and Sakura had said about enrolling next year, Neji, Tenten, and Lee should already be in their first year at the academy.
"Let's go. I'll tell you, this kid is just like me, the same hard work, the same passion for YOUTH!"
"And he has something even geniuses lack: diligence!"
…
Chattering all the way, Guy led Yun to the ninja academy.
It was almost dismissal time, and Yun spotted one of the future Twelve, Rock Lee.
Smack!
A child shoved Lee, followed by several others piling on.
"If you can't use ninjutsu, why even come to the academy? Are you here as a joke?"
"You'll never be a ninja like this. Go home and farm."
"He doesn't even have land, and no parents either, right?"
"So you're an orphan… that makes it even more impossible for you to become a ninja."
…
Yun glanced at Guy and asked, "Your illegitimate son is being bullied, aren't you going to intervene?"
Guy blinked, utterly confused. "That kid may resemble me, but he's not my son!"
Yun scratched his head. "No blood relation at all? How can he look so much like you? He's practically your miniature, especially those thick brows, they're identical."
Guy ignored the teasing and instead watched Lee seriously.
"What he's going through, I've been through too. Only by experiencing this will he learn how to maintain his confidence."
"So I won't step in. Because only by taking every insult as encouragement can people like us, the dead-last, keep going day after day, and ultimately surpass geniuses."
Just then, a white-eyed child came out of the building and casually shoved the taunters aside, walking past without a glance.
Clearly, Neji had already built his authority through strength, and no one dared provoke him.
But as he passed Lee, he muttered:
"Even if you resist, you must accept your fate. You'll never become a ninja. That is your destiny."