In the bamboo forest, the moonlight was obscured by dark clouds, and only the wind whimpered.
Might Dai's figure, with indomitable determination, charged towards the figure standing in the darkness.
His strength was heavier than any previous attempt.
Gathering all his power in his right leg, his body spun at high speed in mid-air, creating an afterimage, and his leg swept fiercely towards the black shadow's head.
This strike was enough to shatter boulders.
However, facing this powerful blow, the black shadow only made an extremely simple movement.
Slightly turning sideways and raising his left hand, he used the outer edge of his palm to meet Dai's kicking ankle, neither lightly nor heavily.
The timing, angle, and force were as precise as a textbook example.
Thump!
A soft sound.
Might Dai only felt that his kick, which was strong enough to split stone, seemed to hit a ball of slippery cotton.
All the force was deflected and unloaded by a clever force the moment of contact, and then, in an even stranger way, rebounded back.
He lost his balance in mid-air and spun clumsily several times before barely landing.
Before he could stand firm, the black shadow had already stuck to him like a shadow.
There were no storm-like attacks, nor world-destroying ninjutsu.
There was only a punch, a kick, an elbow, a knee.
Every movement was simple and direct, yet contained some supreme principle of taijutsu.
Might Dai felt like an infant who had just learned to walk, being brutally fed moves by a taijutsu grandmaster in the most basic way.
Every block by the opponent hit the weak point of his exertion just right, making his subsequent combos unsustainable.
Every counterattack pointed precisely to the gaps in his defense, forcing him into a flurry.
His proud strength seemed clumsy and crude in front of the opponent.
This was not an equal battle at all.
It was a... crushing lesson.
Gradually, Might Dai felt something was wrong.
Might Dai discovered that although every attack from the opponent left him in a sorry state, there was no killing intent.
For example, that hand chop just now could have easily severed his throat, but it only hit the shoulder well point, instantly numbing half of his body.
And that knee strike didn't shatter his ribs, but hit his abdomen, making him lose his breath and stalling his offensive.
Is... is he... guiding me?
An absurd thought rose in Might Dai's mind.
He couldn't figure it out.
How could anyone in this world guide others in this way?
This was even crueler than his daily self-training.
"Focus!"
A steady voice sounded in his ear.
Might Dai jolted and came back to his senses, only to find a whip kick from the opponent already sweeping towards his face.
Without thinking, he immediately leaned back, dodging it by a hair's breadth with an iron bridge move.
The attack followed like a shadow.
The whip kick missed, and with the momentum, it turned into a powerful axe kick, chopping straight at his chest.
Might Dai rolled on the ground, dodging clumsily, and then immediately bounced up.
In an instant, he made a decision.
"Ahhh—!"
"Burn—youth should not retreat!"
Might Dai let out a roar, mobilizing all the chakra in his body, the muscles under his tight suit bulging suddenly.
A smile of approval appeared on the black shadow's face.
In the bamboo forest.
Two figures collided fiercely again.
Fists and feet met, making dull roars.
Might Dai's offensive was like a violent storm.
While the opponent's defense was like a rock, remaining steadfast despite the wind and rain.
In every exchange, Might Dai could clearly feel that a certain movement of his, a deficiency in his exertion technique, was pointed out by the opponent.
He felt like a piece of stubborn iron, being repeatedly beaten and tempered by an invisible giant hammer.
Although the process was incredibly painful, he could feel that he was... rapidly becoming stronger!
Fist met fist again.
"Bang—!"
Might Dai's body flew backward again, crashing into the edge of the bamboo forest, snapping a row of bamboos at the waist.
"Cough cough—"
His consciousness began to blur.
So strong...
Is this... a true powerhouse...
Might Dai lay on the ground, watching the figure slowly walking out of the darkness, feeling his eyelids getting heavier and heavier.
After repelling Might Dai, Sarutobi Hiruzen also slowly retracted his arm, a little surprised in his heart.
He thought that strike just now would directly knock this young man unconscious.
Unexpectedly, the other party actually withstood it at the last moment.
This willpower, this courage not to retreat in a desperate situation... was praiseworthy.
He crouched down and placed his hand on Might Dai's chest.
A warm and pure chakra slowly flowed into his body.
It was medical ninjutsu.
Although not as exquisite as Tsunade's, the effect was also good.
Looking down at the young man before him, his eyes were a little complex.
Is this... the future Eight Gates Released Formation?
Just then, the dark clouds obscuring the moon slowly dispersed.
The bright moonlight sprinkled over the earth again, illuminating the true face of the black shadow.
It was a face etched with the vicissitudes of life, yet incredibly familiar, a face that hung high on the Hokage Rock.
The Third Hokage of Konoha—
Sarutobi Hiruzen.
——————
Might Dai felt like he had a very long dream.
In the dream, he was running in the darkness, with countless mocking voices chasing him from behind.
"Hey, look, it's that genin again."
"Wearing that ridiculous green tight suit every day, doesn't he feel ashamed?"
"I heard he can't even perform a few decent ninjutsu, only foolish taijutsu."
"..."
These voices were like needles pricking his heart.
He wanted to refute, wanted to tell them loudly that his efforts were not meaningless.
But no matter how he shouted, he couldn't make any sound.
He could only run and run until he was exhausted and fell to the ground.
Just when Might Dai thought he was going to be completely swallowed by the darkness.
A beam of light descended from the sky and illuminated him.
That light was very warm, dispelling all the cold and darkness.
A tall figure appeared in the light. Against the light, Dai couldn't see the other person's face clearly.
He only heard a gentle voice ringing in his ear.
"Your youth is not in vain."
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