"I didn't expect to become teammates with you, Guy. I'm really lucky." On the way to the training ground, Shiranui Genma said to Might Guy, whom he met by chance.
Compared to the ordinary classmates, Shiranui Genma naturally wanted to become teammates with strong individuals like Obito and Might Guy.
On one hand, it's to have a reliable teammate during missions, and on the other hand, it's to have someone to consult with during daily training.
"Can I consult with you about Taijutsu in the future?" Shiranui Genma asked with a smile.
"Of course, that's no problem." Might Guy replied with a thumbs-up; he's someone who loves to share.
Then the two arrived at the training ground and saw Ebisu waiting there.
"Good morning, Ebisu." Shiranui Genma waved to his old acquaintance Ebisu.
Ebisu also responded to Shiranui Genma.
"Strange, where's our instructor? The gathering spot should be here." Shiranui Genma looked around, puzzled.
"The gathering spot is indeed here, maybe something held them up." Ebisu nodded and answered.
"Youth should seize every minute and every second; let's train while waiting." Might Guy started to do one-finger push-ups and invited Shiranui Genma and Ebisu to join him.
"Haha, I'll pass. My stamina isn't as strong as yours, Guy. I'll wait for the instructor to see what's up first." Shiranui Genma politely declined Might Guy's suggestion.
Although there's nothing wrong with training, since it's the first time meeting the instructor and they don't know what kind of training will be involved, he thought it best to conserve his energy.
Ebisu shared a similar thought with Shiranui Genma, so he also declined Might Guy's invitation and waited on the spot.
About five minutes later, a middle-aged man wearing a yellow sports jacket and yellow tight pants appeared in their vision, slowly walking towards them while eating a rice ball.
"Are you Shiranui Genma, Ebisu, Might Guy?" When he got in front of them, the middle-aged man almost finished eating the rice ball in his hand and asked.
"I'm Shiranui Genma."
"I am Ebisu."
"I'm Might Guy!" Guy did a somersault and answered with a big smile showing his white teeth.
"Do you guys know each other?" The middle-aged man asked again.
The three nodded, they considered each other friends.
"Then let's skip the introductions. I'm Chen Long. You can call me Teacher Chen. I won't say much because if you can't pass my training, you'll have to go back to the Ninja Academy." Teacher Chen said directly.
"Huh, go back to the Ninja Academy for retraining?" Shiranui Genma was dumbfounded. The homeroom teacher didn't say anything about such training upon graduation, and how could officially graduated Genin restart their training?
"Teacher Chen?" Ebisu suddenly thought of something, surprised behind his sunglasses.
Unlike other students, although Ebisu was a student, he liked to pay attention to things outside school, and if he remembered correctly, there was a Teacher Chen who was called the strongest in Konoha Taijutsu.
"It must be that Teacher Chen. If it is, we absolutely have to pass the training!" Ebisu was somewhat excited.
He believed that birth could greatly determine one's strength, and having a good teacher could influence future prospects. Though it was only Taijutsu, it was still much better than an ordinary teacher.
"That's right, if you can't pass my training, I will cancel your ninja status and send you back to the Ninja Academy. That's within my rights as an instructor." Teacher Chen said calmly.
He hadn't been a guidance instructor for a long time; he would only occasionally take on a disciple for teaching to prevent his Taijutsu from having no one to inherit.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen said that this time a Taijutsu prodigy appeared in the Ninja Academy, which is why he agreed to be an instructor again.
Teacher Chen wasn't some young guy anymore. Although Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke nicely, he wanted to personally test this so-called Taijutsu prodigy to see what level he was at. If he wasn't satisfied, he would send him back to the Ninja Academy and resign from being an instructor.
"What kind of training is it?" Might Guy asked calmly.
He had full confidence in his ability; even his best friend who had long become a Chunin had been defeated by him, so the training for Genin wouldn't be a problem for him.
"Snatch the bell: as long as one of you can snatch the bell from my hand, then all of you pass. If you haven't snatched it by dark, then prepare for another year at the Ninja Academy." Teacher Chen took out a bell as he said this.
He was too lazy to play scary tricks; as long as they showed a performance that satisfied him, he would consider them qualified. If not, they would all need to repeat their training.
"You're free to use any means to attack me, but let me warn you not to attack casually. I'm best at Taijutsu, and it hurts when I hit." Teacher Chen said leisurely after sitting down.
After speaking, Teacher Chen took out a book with a cover featuring a scantily dressed lady and started reading.
Shiranui Genma pulled Ebisu and Might Guy aside to discuss their plan.
"What should we do? He doesn't seem to be joking; if we don't complete this, we might really lose our ninja status and return to the Ninja Academy." Shiranui Genma said seriously.
Although Teacher Chen spoke with a relaxed and casual demeanor, Shiranui Genma felt that Teacher Chen would indeed act as he said.
"Do your best to complete it. If we can become Teacher Chen's disciples, we won't need to worry about our future. He's known as the strongest taijutsu ninja in Konoha," Ebisu revealed the information he knew to the two.
"Ah, the strongest taijutsu ninja?" Shiranui Genma looked at Teacher Chen, who was not far away, chuckling to himself while reading a book, and showed a doubtful expression.
He thought Teacher Chen didn't quite look like a taijutsu ninja. For one, his height wasn't much taller than their nine-year-old selves, appearing only about 1.5 meters tall, and he didn't have the muscles to fill out clothes.
"Konoha's strongest in taijutsu!" Unlike Shiranui Genma, Might Guy's face immediately revealed an excited expression upon hearing this. His dream was to become the strongest in the ninja world in taijutsu, and since Teacher Chen was the strongest in Konoha, his taijutsu must be extraordinary.
Ebisu adjusted his sunglasses with his finger and said, "It's true. They call him Teacher Chen, and he claims to be skilled in taijutsu."
"Wouldn't that be worse, then? If he truly is Konoha's strongest taijutsu ninja, how can we snatch the bell from his hands?" Shiranui Genma said with a troubled face.
Though having a strong instructor is good, in this case, it might not be favorable.
"Just fight with all your strength, and even if we fail, it only means we haven't tried hard enough, and the flame of youth hasn't burned brightly enough," Might Guy encouraged with a thumbs up.
After glancing at Might Guy, Shiranui Genma regained some confidence. Even though the instructor was strong, they had an extraordinary companion on their side.
"That's true, but shouldn't we come up with some kind of strategy?" Shiranui Genma thought and said.
"Let's set some traps to lure him over, and then Guy will be the main attacker, with us assisting him in battle," Ebisu suggested after thinking it over for a moment.
He knew well that this training relied on Guy. Although Shiranui Genma was stronger than him, the gap wasn't vast. Might Guy, on the other hand, had the ability to overpower them, making him the undeniable powerhouse in this training.
The group set traps while discussing their abilities. Shiranui Genma excelled at using ninja tools and Instant Body Jutsu, Ebisu was well-rounded, with all skills about average, and Might Guy specialized in taijutsu.
Once they were ready, the three of them went to draw Teacher Chen into the trap zone.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!
Ebisu and Shiranui Genma each took out shuriken and threw them at Teacher Chen.
"Finally ready. It did take a while," Teacher Chen commented leisurely, closing his book just as the shuriken were about to reach him. He swiftly dodged them with a burst of speed.
"Such speed," Shiranui Genma began to believe that this seemingly slight middle-aged man was truly Konoha's strongest in taijutsu.
"Run!" Ebisu's pupils contracted as he quickly shouted.
He worried that Teacher Chen's speed was so fast that he might catch up with them before they reached the trap zone.
Might Guy, although eager to test Teacher Chen's strength, knew this training was important, so he didn't act rashly. He left with Ebisu, but kept Teacher Chen in his peripheral vision.
He could accept not becoming a ninja himself, but if he caused a teammate to lose their ninja status by acting impulsively, that wouldn't be acceptable to Might Guy.
"Let me see what tricks you have prepared," Teacher Chen didn't chase them with full speed; instead, he maintained a subtle distance and followed.
Upon reaching the location, Ebisu immediately activated the traps, releasing a barrage of shuriken at Teacher Chen.
Teacher Chen ignored the incoming shuriken, scanned the area, and looked slightly disappointed.
"Is this all?"
"Konoha Dragon God!"
Teacher Chen unleashed chakra from all over his body, spinning at high speed. A huge whirlwind materialized, gradually forming a large green dragon.
Under the tremendous power of the dragon-shaped tornado, the shuriken traps set by Might Guy and the others were easily neutralized. The massive whirlwind continued to rampage, quickly destroying all the traps in the area.
Clatter!
Shiranui Genma's kunai fell to the ground. He looked at the chaotic trap zone in shock.
"What is this? How can we possibly get the bell like this..." Shiranui Genma prepared to explain to his former juniors his reasons for returning to the Ninja Academy, eyes fixed on the giant green dragon over 20 meters in size.
He didn't think he could break through the terrifying gale with a single needle or kunai to retrieve Teacher Chen's bell, not even Might Guy could manage that.
"So this is the power of Konoha's strongest in taijutsu," Ebisu stared in awe at the fearsome tornado. He had never witnessed such a spectacle before.
"Such strong taijutsu! Indeed, the strongest in Konoha!" Might Guy was also surprised but even more excited, eagerly anticipating the upcoming battle.
Might Guy silently adjusted his breathing, focusing it to its utmost concentration.
"Since the traps didn't work, it's time for the taijutsu beast to make an appearance!" With fighting spirit on his face, Might Guy readied himself to act.