All eyes were on the battlefield.
When the Third Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, and the others saw Might Guy open three gates of the Eight Gates, their perception of Raiden completely changed.
At this moment, Raiden was still airborne.
Under everyone's gaze, he threw a straight punch.
As the punch swept forward, the air itself seemed to explode, producing a chain reaction of pressure waves that echoed across the training ground.
Might Guy crossed his arms and braced for impact.
"BOOM!"
The punch collided with his guard, and the entire training ground trembled slightly.
A circular crater, one meter wide and twenty centimeters deep, formed beneath Might Guy's feet. Even with three gates open, he was forced back seven or eight steps before stabilizing himself, each step leaving a deep footprint in the ground.
The sheer force of that single blow was evident.
"..."
Asuma's cigarette slipped from his lips and fell to the ground.
Kurenai Yuhi widened her eyes in disbelief. If it hadn't been Might Guy, none of them could have taken that punch head-on—they would have been sent flying instantly.
"So this is the 'monstrous strength' Guy was talking about…"
Kakashi's Sharingan trembled slightly.
He had never imagined that the survivor he had brought back—a boy who claimed to have only practiced basic combat—could push Konoha's Blue Beast back several steps.
"This child… what kind of talent is this?"
Even the Third Hokage, a man who had seen countless prodigies, was completely shaken. His pipe nearly fell from his mouth.
"And he doesn't even have chakra…"
—
After forcing Guy back, Raiden sensed the shock from everyone around him and felt a bit conflicted.
"Did I… use too much strength?"
He frowned internally.
"That shouldn't be the case… according to my calculations, this level should be within what they can handle."
After all, with his newly achieved microscopic control, he had already suppressed his strength to an extremely low level—
Yet it still stunned everyone.
—
"It's not over!"
Might Guy shouted as Raiden paused.
"In a fight, don't lose focus!"
His aura surged once again, and the air around him seemed to tighten under immense pressure.
"Eight Gates—Fourth Gate, Open!"
The moment the Fourth Gate activated, his speed skyrocketed.
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Raiden.
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
With incredible speed and power, he unleashed a spinning kick.
"Is Guy serious right now?"
"He's already going beyond a normal test."
Asuma and Kurenai exchanged glances, growing concerned.
This was supposed to be an evaluation, yet the level of force was escalating dangerously.
—
The attack came.
Under normal circumstances, Raiden wouldn't even bother blocking—this level of force was nothing more than a breeze to him.
But he knew he had to keep things low-key.
"Alright… I'll block it."
He raised one arm casually.
"BANG!"
The kick landed—
And Raiden didn't move an inch.
He had blocked it effortlessly.
—
The Third Hokage's pupils shrank.
"He blocked it… head-on? His physical strength alone is this high?"
Even before he could process it—
Raiden's arm shot forward like lightning, aiming to grab Might Guy's leg and throw him.
—
At that moment, Might Guy broke into a cold sweat.
"This is bad… if he grabs me, I'm finished!"
"As the examiner, I can't lose to a student!"
Without hesitation, he pushed further.
"Fifth Gate—Open!"
The Fifth Gate activated instantly.
His speed and power surged once again, allowing him to narrowly evade Raiden's grasp.
—
"Hmm… he got stronger again."
Raiden observed calmly.
"Using a method that damages the body to force out more power… he's really going all out."
—
Kakashi was visibly shaken.
"He opened the Fifth Gate…"
"This isn't just seriousness anymore—he's going all-in!"
Asuma and Kurenai were now completely absorbed in the battle, unable to look away.
"His speed increased again… Raiden probably won't be able to keep up now."
Asuma muttered, concern creeping into his voice.
"Wait… at this level, Raiden might actually get hurt."
The Third Hokage stepped forward slightly, intending to intervene—
But it was too late.
—
In that instant, after evading Raiden's grab, Might Guy repositioned and struck again.
This time, his leg was wrapped in intense blue chakra, his movements flawless and precise.
No wasted motion.
The attack was already in motion.
"Ultimate—Leaf Vajra Whirlwind!"
An even more powerful kick came crashing down, the ground beneath him cracking under the force.
"BOOM!"
Everyone held their breath.
—
Blocked.
Again.
—
"My god…"
Kakashi's heart shook.
Even with the Sharingan, keeping up with Guy's speed was difficult—but Raiden had reacted perfectly and blocked the attack.
"With one arm… he blocked that?"
The Third Hokage was truly stunned now.
The pipe fell from his mouth and hit the ground.
—
At that moment, Raiden realized something.
He had gone a bit too far.
Remembering this was just a test, he deliberately didn't counterattack after blocking. Instead, he put on a strained expression, as if the attack had pushed him to his limit.
Might Guy seized the opportunity and retreated immediately.
"That was close…"
He exhaled heavily.
"I pushed too far… my body is already starting to lose control."
"If he had countered just now… I'd probably be in the hospital for months."
Might Guy felt lingering fear.
—
What he didn't know—
Was that Raiden had already held back.
Even after achieving microscopic control…
He was still overwhelmingly strong.