"Guy-sensei, why are you here?" Hyuga Neji asked helplessly.
Standing before him was a strange middle-aged man in a green jumpsuit, with thick eyebrows, big round eyes, a bowl haircut, and an endless enthusiasm for shouting about youth.
Especially that shiny bowl cut and those prominent front teeth—they practically gleamed under the sunlight!
That's right—this was Konoha's Blue Beast, Might Guy!
An extraordinarily powerful jonin who maintained terrifying combat strength from start to finish throughout the Naruto era.
To be honest, Might Guy's battle power was downright frightening. He was the man who nearly kicked Uchiha Madara to death.
In the late stages of Naruto, when monsters were everywhere, a ninja with no bloodline limits rose like a king through sheer effort—his strength spoke for itself.
Back to the present.
His current outfit, however, was truly painful to look at.
Worse still, there were people around watching. Neji genuinely felt like he couldn't lift his head.
But Might Guy clearly didn't notice any of that.
"Neji! The time for a challenge has come!" Guy grinned broadly, flashing his bright white teeth.
For a moment, Neji even thought he saw a glint of reflected light at the corner of Guy's mouth.
"A challenge? What challenge?" Neji asked, confused.
"Hahaha! I just accepted a mission. Tomorrow morning we'll assemble at the village gates and go burn our~ youth together!"
Might Guy laughed loudly, making Neji's eyelid twitch.
He was indeed energetic—but that very passion was also why his team was so powerful.
Whether it was himself, Rock Lee, or Tenten, every one of them was formidable.
"Well? Do you feel your blood boiling? Your passion igniting?!" Guy asked excitedly.
"…Are we leaving the village?" Neji asked.
"Oh!" Guy gave him a big thumbs-up.
"Alright, I understand."
"Haha! Then it's settled!" As he spoke, Might Guy cast a knowing glance at Hyuga Hinata, who stood beside Neji.
"Oho! Neji, how youthful of you!" Guy patted Neji on the shoulder—and vanished in a flash.
He came in a hurry and left just as quickly.
Hearing Guy's words, Hinata's face immediately turned bright red.
"Neji-nii-san… he is…?" Hinata asked softly, her cheeks burning.
"My instructor—Might Guy," Neji replied, rubbing his temples.
"A jonin…" Hinata murmured with admiration.
"Oh, right!" Hinata looked at him again. "Neji-nii-san, are you going out of the village on a mission?"
"Yes."
"That's amazing…" Hinata said enviously. She was still only doing D-rank missions herself.
"As long as you keep working hard, you'll get there too," Neji encouraged.
---
"System, open my status panel."
[Host: Hyuga Neji]
Age: 13
Chakra Natures: Fire, Earth, Water, Wind, Lightning
Bloodline Limit: Byakugan (Pure)
Taijutsu: Gentle Fist; Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation; Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms; Eight Trigrams Empty Palm; Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists
Ninjutsu: Three Basic Techniques (Transformation, Substitution, Clone); Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique; Mystical Palm Technique
Overall Strength: Elite Chunin
For someone his age, this was already an exceptional profile.
---
Early the next morning, Neji arrived at the village gates.
Dawn had just broken, and the streets were still quiet. From a distance, he spotted his two teammates.
Tenten, dressed in her usual Chinese-style outfit, looked quite pretty—there really were no ugly kunoichi in Naruto.
And beside her…
Rock Lee—who looked almost exactly like Might Guy.
At times, Neji honestly wondered whether Rock Lee might actually be Guy's biological son.
"Good morning, Neji," Tenten greeted him with a smile.
"Morning," Neji replied lazily, then stepped aside and closed his eyes to rest.
"Neji! Let us have a showdown!" Rock Lee suddenly shouted.
"Rock Lee, calm down," Tenten scolded.
"But Guy-sensei isn't here yet…" Lee protested.
"You still shouldn't fight," Tenten snapped.
Neji opened his eyes and stood up calmly. "Since Sensei isn't here yet, I'll keep you company."
He had nothing better to do—and this was a good chance to test his current strength.
He'd use Rock Lee as a measuring stick.
"Hehe! Then I'm coming, Neji!" Rock Lee said excitedly.
"Hey, you two—" Tenten tried to intervene.
"Don't worry. It'll be over quickly," Neji said calmly.
Tenten rubbed her forehead. These two really fought every time they met.
About thirty moves, she thought, stepping aside to watch.
"Haha! Here I come!" Rock Lee launched himself forward, instantly closing the distance.
Neji's pupils shrank. Fast!
That speed was already close to chunin-level.
Rock Lee, who had climbed step by step through sheer effort, was truly impressive.
Unfortunately, Neji had… advantages.
Their fists collided, and both were knocked back.
"That's impossible!" Tenten exclaimed. "Neji's raw strength shouldn't be weaker than Rock Lee's!"
Sensing Neji's fighting spirit, Rock Lee grinned and unleashed a spinning roundhouse kick.
Neji raised one arm to block while his other hand seized Rock Lee's ankle, slamming him into the ground.
In the next instant, Rock Lee's other leg snapped upward toward Neji's chin.
Neji was briefly startled.
Leaf Shadow Dance!
Rock Lee's reaction speed exceeded Neji's expectations.
"This is troublesome," Neji admitted seriously.
"I've got him!" Rock Lee shouted.
Even Tenten was shocked. "At that distance, he can't dodge—!"
Thump!
Neji was kicked into the air.
Rock Lee immediately followed up—but just as he attacked, Neji turned into a puff of smoke and vanished.
"Clone Jutsu?!" Rock Lee and Tenten cried in unison. "When did Neji—?!"
They scanned the area, but Neji was nowhere to be seen.
"Rock Lee—where are you looking?"
Neji's voice came from above.
A single punch sent Rock Lee flying.
Landing lightly, Neji said calmly, "Looks like I win again."
"Amazing…" Tenten murmured, completely stunned.
Moments later, Rock Lee sprang back up, eyes blazing.
"Neji! You truly are my lifelong rival! I will train even harder!"
Watching Lee burn with renewed determination, Neji sighed inwardly.
As expected—Rock Lee only grows stronger with every setback.
From the shadows nearby, Might Guy had been observing the entire fight.
"He didn't even activate the Byakugan… didn't rely on taijutsu…"
"And he defeated Rock Lee with nothing but a clone."
"This kid truly is a genius."
"So youthful!"
Guy stretched and smiled broadly. "Well then—it's time for me to make my entrance. After all, this mission is quite urgent."