Might Guy burst out from the crowd, tears streaming down his face, fists clenched like his whole youth depended on it."Seiji-kun! This is it—this is your blazing youth!"
"Please forgive me… I was so blind before, thinking you'd lost your will to be a shinobi. But you've been training in silence all this time, polishing your strength to this level—so humble, so steady…"
"And me? I got drunk off a few shallow victories, even thought about applying for early graduation this year… But you, Seiji-kun—you spent five years in the academy, refining yourself, even resisting the illusion of the Sharingan with sheer willpower!"
"Seiji-kun, fight me with everything you have! Let me feel your strength, your conviction, your youth!!"
Guy's expression was an absurd cocktail—excitement, guilt, thrill, shame—all splashed across his crying face.
Umino Ikkaku quietly dragged the unconscious Obito to the side, giving Guy a strangely proud look.
After Seiji's dazzling Water Release technique… after his bold declaration to challenge a third opponent… everyone in the arena had instinctively backed off. Their gazes skittered away, too afraid to meet his eyes.
Everyone except Guy.
He had seen Seiji's power. Shocked? Of course. But more than that, he was fired up. Excited. And in the end, he was the only one who had the guts to step forward.
"No need for all that, Guy."
Seiji's smile faded. His expression turned sharp, cutting through Guy's tears."Everyone walks their own training path. Maybe you think my quiet approach is better. But the truth is…"
"Every time I saw you pushing yourself to the limit, I was inspired to train harder too."
"My quietness is just who I am—but me? I actually prefer your fire, Guy. Your existence gives hope to classmates who would've given up, who stop worrying about talent and just push to be their best."
"Guy, I owe you thanks—for pushing me, just by being you."
"So today—let's have a fight worth remembering!"
Seiji's stance shifted, his body lowering into the opening form of Senju-style taijutsu.
Guy froze for half a second, then tears burst forth like a dam breaking. His heart swelled so hard it ached.
He'd walked through ridicule, endured whispers behind his back, clung to his father Might Duy's encouragement to survive the grind.
And now—Uchiha Seiji, the prodigy who had just steamrolled everyone—was saying that Guy's burning effort had inspired him? That his "flames of youth" had mattered?
That was recognition. From an Uchiha genius, no less.
"Seiji-kun… you—" Guy's words dissolved into sobs. He remembered every time Seiji had cheered for him, never once mocking his ridiculous jumpsuits or over-the-top poses. Always giving him a thumbs-up.
So all this time… I was encouraging him too?
A strange warmth surged in Guy's chest, filling him with a sense of fate.
"Come, Guy! Our first real fight—give it everything you've got!" Seiji's voice rose, fierce but full of encouragement.
"Y-Yes! I will!" Guy scrubbed the tears from his face, forcing himself to grin. He slid into the Konoha-ryū taijutsu stance. "I'll fight with all my strength, Seiji!"
Seiji nodded once.
And then—he moved. Power rippled through his frame, propelling him forward like a bullet.
Guy charged to meet him, his body honed by endless self-discipline and training.
"Boom!"
Their legs smashed together in mid-air, the impact echoing like thunder. The ground trembled, the air cracked like a silent shockwave.
Guy's eyes widened.
He prided himself on being the "genius of hard work," convinced that no peer in Konoha could match his strength. But in that instant—Guy had to admit it. Seiji's power was greater.
The gift of Uchiha blood. The remnants of Tobirama Senju's incomplete Sage Body. Years of stolen taijutsu knowledge fused into his flesh.
Guy snapped his leg back, folding his body low. Using Seiji's momentum, he slipped under the strike and countered with a lightning-fast low kick.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
Seiji's dark pupils spun into the twin tomoe of the Sharingan, the world slowing to a crawl. Guy's twisting movements became sluggish in his eyes.
Anticipating the strike, Seiji leapt high, chakra flooding into his arm. He came crashing down with a brutal overhead punch aimed at Guy's skull.
Guy's beast-like instincts roared—he rolled wildly, dirt and sweat flying, just barely dodging.
"Boom!"
Seiji's fist cratered the stone floor, blasting up shards and dust.
The watching students froze, numb with disbelief.Why hasn't this monster already graduated? Why is he still in the academy?
That punch—if it landed on a body, it would split someone in two!
And then, every gaze shifted toward Kakashi.
Could even Konoha's "number one genius" stand against Uchiha Seiji?
Seiji smirked, chakra fading from his fists, as he slipped fluidly into Senju taijutsu again. He and Guy clashed head-on, trading blows with relentless intensity.
Fist to fist, kick to kick. Each impact rattled bones, each exchange brimming with raw joy.
From the sidelines, Umino Ikkaku could only marvel. An experienced chūnin himself, yet these two kids outclassed him in taijutsu.
Kakashi, meanwhile, frowned. The dead-last who once trailed behind him—now stood at a level he couldn't even gauge.
Seiji had left the other geniuses in the dust. And for the first time in a long while, Kakashi's dormant pride stirred, whispering: I want to surpass him.
But the duel was brutal. After one last fierce kick, Guy staggered back, clutching his thigh. His legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, cramping.
He'd burned his muscles dry to keep pace with Seiji. At seven years old, no matter how much sweat he poured into training, he couldn't outmatch the sheer advantage of Seiji's hybrid body.
"Seiji-kun…" Guy panted.
"Just Seiji."
Seiji's smile was gentle now, his hands glowing with green light. He pressed chakra into Guy's thigh, soothing the cramped muscle.