The Forest of Death.
Two figures were locked in combat, moving so fast that their features were impossible to make out.
Kitazawa came to a stop, surprise flashing across his face.
His original purpose for leaving the academy was to meet Might Guy. Bringing Hyuga Hinata along was simply to give her some additional special training along the way.
He didn't step forward. Instead, he stood where he was, quietly appreciating this one-on-one clash between two men.
He knew both combatants.
One was Might Guy, dressed in his trademark green jumpsuit, his overall appearance unmistakably… unique.
The other was Hatake Kakashi, whose white hair and black mask—revealing only his right eye—were just as eye-catching.
Kitazawa's gaze remained fixed on Might Guy.
Soon enough, he saw him use Leaf Great Whirlwind.
With nothing else to do, Kitazawa carefully memorized the movements.
But movements alone weren't enough. For taijutsu, the most critical aspect was how force was applied.
Unless one possessed the Sharingan, proper instruction was still necessary.
Bang!
The two fighters separated at the same time.
"That's enough for today,"Hatake Kakashi said after a brief pause, his expression flat."Kitazawa's here. He probably has something to discuss."
"Then we'll continue next time,"Might Guy said, clearly unsatisfied.
"Guy,"Kitazawa walked over and greeted them."Kakashi."
"What brings you here at this hour?"Kakashi asked, glancing at Hyuga Hinata, who was hiding behind Kitazawa.
"I just finished class and had some free time,"Kitazawa said, then introduced her."This is my student, Hyuga Hinata."
"I'm very interested in the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist,"Might Guy said, his eyes lighting up.
"She's still just a child,"Kakashi reminded him calmly.
Might Guy scratched his head at that.
The Hyuga clan had a decent reputation, but like the Uchiha, they weren't easy to deal with.
The Uchiha were difficult because of their pride; the Hyuga because of their endless rules.
"Guy, I came to ask you for a favor,"Kitazawa said, getting straight to the point.
"In that case, I'll head back to ANBU,"Kakashi said before either of them could respond, vanishing from the spot.
Kitazawa twitched the corner of his mouth.
He suspected Kakashi had left so quickly because he was afraid of getting tangled up with Guy.
In the original story, Might Guy regarded Kakashi as his lifelong rival and constantly sought him out for matches, to the point of driving him mad.
It was the classic case of even a good man fears a persistent man.
"Can you teach me Leaf Great Whirlwind?"Kitazawa asked directly.
"Of course!"Might Guy gave a thumbs-up, his teeth gleaming."Fiery youth should be spent learning taijutsu together and sweating it out!"
In the original story, he had even taught Kakashi the forbidden technique Eight Gates.
Compared to that, Leaf Great Whirlwind was an extremely basic taijutsu.
"Thank you,"Kitazawa said, then suddenly thought of something."Do you know Rock Lee?"
He was the type who repaid kindness with kindness.
Might Guy was powerful, but his eccentric personality left him with few friends.
Rock Lee, on the other hand, was practically his mirror image.
In the original story, the two became teacher and student, bonded like kindred spirits.
That wouldn't happen until six years later—but Kitazawa could help make it happen sooner.
"I don't,"Might Guy thought for a few seconds, then shook his head.
Kitazawa wasn't surprised.
At this point, Rock Lee was only in second grade.
"Rock Lee is a student in Second-Year Class A,"Kitazawa explained."If you have time, you should meet him."
"Why?"Might Guy asked, puzzled.
"I think he has the potential of youth,"Kitazawa said with a smile."He's perfectly suited to your taijutsu."
"Really?"
Might Guy instantly became excited.
In the ninja world, the teacher–student relationship was both common and profoundly important.
Most shinobi hoped to find a student who could inherit their techniques.
Might Guy was no exception.
But finding a suitable student was especially difficult for him, since the Eight Gates were brutally hard to learn.
"You'll know the moment you see him,"Kitazawa said confidently."He won't disappoint you."
"That's wonderful!"Might Guy froze for a moment, then his body trembled as tears streamed down his face."This must be the power of youth!"
Four words surfaced in Kitazawa's mind: utterly astonishing.
Meanwhile, Hinata stared in stunned silence.
What is going on…? Such a strange adult…
"Excellent!"Might Guy wiped away his tears."Let's begin a lesson of youth right now!"
"Hinata, since you're already here, you should learn too,"Kitazawa said as he followed behind Guy.
"O-okay,"Hinata snapped out of it and nodded.
"Watch closely!"Might Guy stopped in front of a tree and shouted,"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
He kicked low, his shin striking the trunk, then spun his body, turning the low kick into a high kick.
Boom!
The tree shook violently. Leaves rained down, and a deep dent appeared in the trunk.
"That's terrifying power,"Kitazawa couldn't help clicking his tongue.
But thinking about it, it made sense.
In the original story, Might Guy's effort was unmatched.
Without exaggeration, aside from eating and sleeping, he trained nonstop.
"Your turn,"Might Guy stepped aside.
Kitazawa walked forward and copied the technique, executing Leaf Great Whirlwind.
"That's amazing!"Hinata exclaimed when she saw him master it in one try.
"Have you learned this before?"Might Guy asked, staring at his flawless form.
"No,"Kitazawa shook his head.
He hadn't learned Leaf Great Whirlwind before—but he already possessed mastery-level proficiency in Leaf Whirlwind.
"Kitazawa, learn taijutsu from me!"Might Guy said eagerly, his expression serious.
"I don't have that much time to train,"Kitazawa coughed lightly and declined."And we're classmates. Turning this into a teacher–student relationship would mess up the hierarchy."
Learning the Eight Gates meant a lifetime of hardship.
Now that he finally had a system, couldn't he enjoy life a little?
By noon, after two full hours of practice, Kitazawa had completely mastered Leaf Great Whirlwind.
[Current Task: Master a C-rank technique faster than Uchiha Sasuke.][Task Reward: Manipulated Shuriken Technique.][Task completed. Reward distributed.]
Manipulated Shuriken Technique was both a ninjutsu and a throwing technique.
In simple terms, it involved controlling shuriken with transparent wires to create unexpected attack trajectories.
"Guy, thanks for today. I'll treat you to lunch,"Kitazawa wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked,"What would you like to eat?"
"Ichiraku Ramen,"Might Guy said after a moment of thought.
"Hinata, how are you holding up?"Kitazawa turned to her.
Her fair cheeks were flushed from exertion, and her once-neat hair was now slightly messy.
"I… I'm fine,"Hinata said, catching her breath.
"Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen,"Kitazawa said, already thinking about her second phase of special training.