Chapter 18: The Dragon God of Konoha
Nan remembered someone named Chen from the original story, but the man had only appeared in a single episode and wasn't important to the plot, so he couldn't recall what he looked like at all.
Still, based on the time and location, there was no doubt this had to be Chen . He just hadn't expected him to be such a strange-looking old man.
Not only was he short and scrawny, but he also sported a pair of long, catfish-like whiskers and wore sunglasses that looked entirely unnecessary. The whole appearance was just... odd.
He looked nothing like the powerful taijutsu master Nan had imagined. But appearances could be deceiving.
As Nan stared at the man, memories from the original series started surfacing. The more he looked, the more certain he became—this was indeed the Chen .
Standing beside him, Guy looked like he had just seen a ghost.
Nan raised an eyebrow. "Guy, do you know Chen ?"
He couldn't recall any mention in the original story of Guy knowing Chen personally, but judging by his reaction, it seemed he did.
That wouldn't do. It didn't fit Nan's plans at all.
Thinking quickly, he decided to redirect the situation.
Nan suddenly made a dramatic expression. With a trembling hand, he pointed at Chen and shouted in righteous indignation:
"You! You're the one who's been stealing the offerings every day! I can't believe you had the audacity to use the Transformation Jutsu to impersonate the late Master Chen and deceive his family! I've never seen someone so shameless!"
His voice was full of conviction, his tone powerful, and his gestures exaggerated—an Oscar-worthy performance that completely fooled Guy.
Guy, who had been stunned speechless by seeing his late idol apparently alive and well, was now filled with righteous fury.
So that's it! he thought. A thief using the Transformation Jutsu to sully Master Chen's name? Unforgivable!
Meanwhile, Chen —either unaware or simply unconcerned—had already wandered off to grab some rice balls.
Seeing this only added fuel to Guy's fire. A thief acting so arrogantly?
Without another word, he launched into action.
"Konoha Whirlwind!" Guy roared, unleashing one of his signature moves. If the thief was a shinobi capable of transformation, then there was no need to hold back.
"What the hell?" Chen had no idea who this brat was or why he was suddenly attacking him.
But Chen wasn't just any old man—he was known as Konoha's strongest taijutsu user. Even when caught off guard, he reacted swiftly.
With a sudden burst of movement, he countered with the same move—Konoha Whirlwind—meeting Guy head-on.
Guy was stunned. He's using my move? Was this man also a taijutsu specialist?
That only made things worse. For a taijutsu user to disgrace the master they all admired—unforgivable!
Fueled by anger, Guy pushed himself harder, and his kicks became even more intense.
But no matter how fierce his attacks, the man in front of him deflected each one effortlessly, reading his movements with ease.
Of course. Konoha Whirlwind was Chen's original technique. He knew all its weaknesses inside and out.
Sure enough, after a few more exchanges, Chen caught an opening in Guy's stance and sent him flying with a perfectly timed counter.
Then, he followed up with a technique Guy didn't know—Konoha Rising Wind—spinning mid-air and launching a fierce kick that sent Guy tumbling across the ground, leaving a long groove in the dirt.
Clutching his aching body, Guy muttered in awe, "So strong…"
But something didn't sit right. How could someone this powerful be a petty thief?
Before he could finish that thought, Nan chimed in again, fanning the flames.
"Guy, look! He's about to eat Master Chen's rice ball!"
Guy looked up—sure enough, the man had picked up a rice ball and was just about to take a bite.
No way! Guy couldn't stand by and let someone desecrate a tribute to his idol. He had no more room for doubt. He had to act—now.
"Heh… Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain—OPEN!"
With a low growl, Guy unleashed the Fourth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates, surging forward with terrifying speed.
Chen hadn't expected such a sudden boost in speed. He nearly got hit.
Still, his experience kicked in at the last moment, allowing him to narrowly dodge.
But the dodge came with a cost. Reacting purely on instinct, he failed to notice the rice ball in his hand slipping from his fingers and smashing to the ground.
"AAAAARGHH!!"
Chen let out a roar of rage as he stared at the shattered remains of the rice ball.
"You… You destroyed the only joy I had left in life… Unforgivable! Witness the wrath of the Dragon God of Leaf!"
His body began spinning rapidly, creating a vortex of air around him like a miniature tornado.
Guy, seeing this display of terrifying power, finally realized something was very wrong.
Wait… I think I might've made a mistake… This guy really might be the real Chen-sensei…
"Wait—hold on!" Guy panicked, scrambling to stop the coming storm. "This is all a big misunderstanding!"
But by now, Chen had already lost all reason—there was no way he could hear Guy's explanation. And with the Dragon God of Leaf fully unleashed, standing at the eye of his own tornado-like technique, Chen couldn't hear a thing Guy said even if he wanted to.
The swirling vortex roared toward Guy like a colossal dragon. Under normal circumstances, even if Guy couldn't dodge in time, he would at least have the strength to counter it—after all, he was still under the effects of the Eight Gates Release Technique.
But the sheer pressure radiating from the Dragon God overwhelmed him.
For the first time in his life, Guy froze in fear.
The blast hit him square on. He was launched nearly twenty meters through the air before crashing to the ground, unconscious.
Fortunately, Chen had held back.
If he had used the same force he would on an enemy, Guy wouldn't have just passed out—he'd have been torn to shreds on the spot.
Unlike the battered Guy, Nan—who had been prepared for all of this—was completely unharmed. He had hidden far away, watching the entire battle unfold from a safe distance.
Because, in truth, everything had gone exactly according to Nan's plan.
Nan didn't know Chen personally, nor was he confident he could persuade the legendary taijutsu master to train him.
But then he remembered the original story: how Lee used to visit Chen 's grave to pay his respects, and what followed afterward. From there, an idea struck him.
If he couldn't convince Chen to teach him directly—why not steal the knowledge instead?
His entire scheme had been built to provoke a fight between Guy and Chen , giving him the perfect opportunity to observe from up close. He hoped to uncover the secrets behind Chen-sensei's legendary taijutsu techniques.
Of course, for the average person, hoping to learn advanced taijutsu just by watching a battle from the sidelines would be pure fantasy.
But Nan wasn't average—he possessed the Sharingan.
And not just any Sharingan, but an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan with extraordinary visual prowess. Even in its base form with three tomoe, his Sharingan was far more powerful than most.
The greatest strength of the Sharingan, after all, was copying techniques.
Sasuke had once copied Lee's taijutsu with just a standard Sharingan. There was no reason Nan couldn't do the same—or better.
Even if Chen 's taijutsu was far more refined and difficult to grasp, Nan believed that with his eyes, he could at least decode part of it.
The moment Guy and Chen first clashed, Nan had activated his Sharingan and started analyzing every movement. He witnessed the entire fight from start to finish, dissecting it frame by frame.
Unfortunately, the fight ended too quickly. The gap in power between the two was simply too wide. Nan hadn't been able to observe as much as he wanted.
Still, Guy's use of the Eight Gates had pushed Chen into revealing his trump card: the Dragon God of Konoha.
That alone made it all worth it.
Techniques like Konoha Whirlwind and Konoha Rising Wind—Nan had studied them thoroughly. He was confident that with a bit of lightning release chakra to supplement his physical strength, he could replicate them himself.
It was a bit disappointing, though. Just like how complex ninjutsu was difficult to replicate without deep understanding, the Dragon God technique had proven too intricate for Nan to fully decipher in such a short time.
Still, the idea of giving up never even crossed his mind.
By the time Guy dragged himself back to his feet, Chen was already gone.
His entire body felt like it had been shattered, every muscle screaming in pain—but even so, Guy could only mutter in awe:
"The Dragon God of Leaf… absolutely incredible…"
Despite his battered body, there was a strange, burning light in his eyes.
Nan noticed it and smiled.
He knew that someone as obsessed with taijutsu as Guy would never give up after witnessing such overwhelming power. After seeing the might of the Dragon God, Guy would do whatever it took to make Chen teach him that technique.
Just as Nan had planned.