By the river at sunset, Sora looked at the girl with slightly reddened cheeks, was momentarily stunned, and felt somewhat moved inside.
Looking up at the distant Hokage Rock, Sora's thoughts drifted away. 'In the original story, weren't Guy and Rock Lee the ones who reached the peak through pure taijutsu? And Guy's father, Might Duy, as the eternal genin, during the Third Great Ninja War, single-handedly turned the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into the Lucky Three Treasures!'
"Sora, what are you thinking about?" Kurenai, seeing Sora spacing out, waved her hand in front of his eyes.
Sora withdrew his gaze and said with a firm tone, "I was thinking that I need to work even harder from now on."
Kurenai tilted her head and asked, "But aren't you already ranked first in taijutsu in your year?"
"I am ranked third. And that's only within the school."
'Because you always hold back.' Kurenai rolled her eyes.
"The ninja world is vast, with countless strong individuals. Uchiha Ryota is just a kid. If his older brother or a jonin from his clan took action, I wouldn't even be able to withstand a single move."
'Then I'm just a kid too.' Kurenai silently grumbled to herself.
Then she clenched her small fist and said seriously, "Then I need to redouble my efforts too! From now on, let's grow stronger together and protect the important people!"
Sora, seeing Kurenai's serious expression, couldn't help but rub her hair. "Okay, let's grow stronger together."
...
By the quiet little river, Kurenai carefully applied ointment to Sora.
Sora leaned against a large tree by the riverbank and rested with his eyes closed.
"Guy! Five hundred squats before you can eat!"
"Yes, Father! This is the essence of youth!"
Suddenly, several deafening shouts came from the opposite bank of the river. Sora opened his eyes and looked across the river, was stunned for a moment, then the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
Good grief, weren't that pair in green spandex suits on the opposite bank Might Guy and Might Duy?
Kurenai followed Sora's gaze and chuckled. "Those two eccentrics again. I heard that the kid with the bowl cut failed the Ninja Academy entrance exam for two consecutive years, yet he still shouts every day about becoming Hokage."
"Guy! Push harder! Youth does not permit giving up!" Might Duy on the opposite bank loudly encouraged.
"Yes, Father!" Guy's voice, though tired, was full of fighting spirit.
Sora quietly watched this father and son pair. He remembered that in the original story, Might Duy was an eternal genin, but he made a name for himself in the Third Great Ninja War by using the Eight Inner Gates technique, single-handedly turning the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into the Lucky Three Treasures!
"The Eight Inner Gates technique..." Sora felt a bit envious in his heart. 'If I could learn this, combined with the power of the Azure Dragon Fruit, my strength would reach a terrifying level.'
The Eight Inner Gates technique is a secret art that can unlock eight special points within the human body that restrain chakra.
Once activated, it can release power far exceeding normal limits. However, obtaining this power often comes with a great price.
These eight gates, in order, are the Gate of Opening, the Gate of Healing, the Gate of Life, the Gate of Pain, the Gate of Limit, the Gate of View, the Gate of Wonder, and the Gate of Death. Opening all eight gates is called the Eight Gates Released Formation!
Sora privately guessed that the Eight Inner Gates technique was probably a secret art passed down within Might Guy's family. Apart from that, Konoha village likely also possessed a copy.
After all, when Konoha was founded, there was a clear requirement for each clan to contribute some of their secret arts and ninjutsu. This was to gather the strengths of all families and make the village's power stronger.
Yet in the original story's plot, only a handful of people like Guy and Rock Lee could use the Eight Inner Gates technique.
Sora speculated that the root cause behind this was likely the extremely high risks and the harsh, nearly cruel training conditions required for the Eight Inner Gates technique.
Just like Might Duy, who spent over twenty years fully mastering this secret art, yet ultimately burned through his life by opening the Eight Gates Released Formation, a brilliance as brief as a flash. Even someone like Might Guy, hailed as a 'genius of hard work,' had to undergo decades of relentless training to be able to open the Gate of Death.
Sora understood clearly in his heart. It wasn't that Konoha didn't value a powerful taijutsu secret art like the Eight Inner Gates. It was just that there were too few people who could grit their teeth and persist in training it.
After thinking for a moment, Sora suddenly stood up. "Kurenai, you go back first. I'm going over to say hello."
"Ah? Do you know them?"
"I'm going to get to know them now." Sora grinned, took a few steps, and jumped across the river surface.
As soon as he landed, he heard Might Duy's vigorous shout. Duy gave Sora a thumbs up, revealing a mouthful of bright white teeth. "Young man! Are you training too? Do you want to burn with youth together?"
Sora was taken aback, then smiled. "Okay, but I might hold you back."
"There's no such thing as holding back in youth!" Might Duy waved his hand grandly. "As long as you work hard, that is victory!"
Guy also stopped and looked at Sora curiously. "You're a student at the Ninja Academy, right? I've seen you. The last one on the enrollment list!"
"..."
'If you know how to talk, maybe don't say that.'
"My name is Sora. Nice to meet you."
"I am Might Guy!" Guy said excitedly. "Father says if I work hard, I will definitely pass the entrance test next year!"
Might Duy patted Guy's shoulder and said proudly, "Guy's goal is to become the strongest taijutsu ninja! Right, son?"
"Yes, Father!" Guy answered loudly.
"..."
Sora looked at this eccentric father and son pair in their green spandex suits, just hoping they wouldn't try to get him into a set too.
"Sora, do you want to have a taijutsu spar?" Guy suddenly proposed, battle intent burning in his eyes.
"Guy! Don't challenge people randomly!" Might Duy hurriedly stopped him.
Sora, however, smiled. "It's fine. I was just thinking of moving around a bit too."
Might Duy looked at Sora, then at Guy, and finally nodded. "Alright, but stop at the appropriate point!"
The two distanced themselves and assumed fighting stances. Guy's eyes instantly became focused, completely unlike the hot-blooded idiot he seemed during training just moments ago.
"Begin!" Might Duy shouted.
Thump!
Guy instantly charged over. A large cloud of dust rose under his feet, showing how great his instantaneous explosive power was. His speed was also faster than Sora had anticipated.
Guy threw a swift straight punch aimed directly at Sora's face, the fist wind carrying a whistling sound.
Seeing this, Sora quickly sidestepped and spun away from the punch's trajectory. Simultaneously, he gathered power in his elbow and launched a sharp counter-elbow strike.
Guy displayed excellent combat sense, swiftly retreating to avoid the attack. Immediately after, he used the force from his waist to deliver a powerful sweeping kick aimed at Sora.
Their movements became faster and faster. The sound of fists and feet connecting echoed through the woods.
Might Duy watched from the side, nodding repeatedly. "Not bad. Both are promising seedlings!"
Several minutes later, Guy, exhausted from his long training session, clearly began to tire. His movements started to slow. Sora seized the opportunity, darted around to his back, and lightly tapped his shoulder. "You lose."
Guy gasped for breath but showed not a trace of dejection. Instead, he revealed his bright white teeth and said excitedly, "Sora, you're really strong! I will definitely defeat you someday!"
Sora smiled. "I'll be waiting."
Might Duy walked over and patted both their shoulders. "Today's match was very exciting! This fiery passion is what youth is all about!"