After the father and son finished their emotional moment, they finally remembered that there was still a guest present.
Might Duy covered his mouth with a fist and coughed lightly, then said,
"Guiding you in taijutsu is naturally no problem—we're all shinobi of Konoha.
But I'm not sure what exactly it is you want to learn."
"Leg techniques and kicking methods," Uchiha Mai answered honestly.
"I want to create my own taijutsu style, but most of what I've learned so far lacks kicking techniques. The system isn't complete."
In Shippuden, Might Guy—and Lee… well, without the 'son'—used moves like the Leaf Whirlwind and Leaf Great Whirlwind.
Those spinning kicks were stylish, brutal, flashy, and surprisingly powerful.
In ordinary combat, spinning kicks easily caused loss of balance and were highly impractical.
But this was the Naruto world.
Those Leaf-style winds were companion techniques to the early Gates of the Eight Inner Gates.
They were anything but ordinary.
According to the usual overused novel logic, the Eight Gates were the Might family's secret art.
Compared to that, the various Leaf Whirlwinds were merely the box that held the luminous pearl—not the pearl itself.
Who walks in and immediately asks to learn a family secret technique?
Learning the Leaf Whirlwinds was more than enough.
"Sō desu ne~"
Might Duy rested his chin on one hand and nodded.
"I do have some insights regarding leg techniques. Teaching you won't be a problem.
However, your goal is to create your own taijutsu style. Learning kicks is only to complete your system.
So what I teach you requires careful consideration.
If possible, could you show me the taijutsu you've already developed?"
When a little kid claimed he wanted to create his own taijutsu style, Might Duy didn't doubt him at all.
Wasn't that standard behavior for an Uchiha genius?
Copy Ninja Kakashi was said to have learned over a thousand jutsu.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was known as the Professor, capable of using thousands as well.
Yet in Shippuden, the two of them kept using the same few techniques.
Why?
Because those "thousands of jutsu" had tricks to the count.
Take the Great Fireball Technique for example.
This C-rank Fire Release originated with the Uchiha, then spread throughout Konoha and eventually the shinobi world.
High power. Few hand seals. Power adjustable based on chakra output.
Its only flaw was that it rarely hit anyone.
But alongside it existed Fireball, Large Fireball, Twin Fireball, Fireball: Special Edition, and countless nearly identical variants with the same difficulty and structure.
Among all these overlapping techniques, none had better balance than the Great Fireball.
Thus, it stood out.
That's how "a thousand jutsu" were born.
Taijutsu worked the same way.
If one truly wanted to create a style, the difficulty wasn't that high—
Only the power and universality were uncertain.
Seeing Uchiha Mai's taijutsu?
Might Guy's eyes instantly lit up.
"I'll do it!"
He raised his arm eagerly.
"Taijutsu only shows its true power in battle! Let me fight Mai!
Dad, you observe his taijutsu characteristics from the side!"
Might Duy nodded slightly.
That made sense.
Taijutsu wasn't a performance art—without an opponent, it was impossible to see its essence.
Since meeting Kakashi, Guy had trained relentlessly and grown rapidly.
In pure taijutsu, he was already far from weak.
"No problem," Uchiha Mai said with a smile.
Guy was the perfect opponent.
And perhaps—he might even farm a few points.
Last time, he'd beaten the Hokage's son in front of the Hokage himself.
Today, he'd beat Guy in front of Might Duy.
This moment mirrored that one perfectly.
The biggest difference was that there were fewer spectators.
He should still be able to harvest some Fashion Points… probably.
The Might family's courtyard was cramped, unsuitable for a proper fight.
Fortunately, their home was located near the outskirts of Konoha, not far from the river.
Might Duy led the two boys to an open riverside clearing.
After watching them form the Sign of Confrontation, he stepped back and began observing carefully.
"Mai, I've been waiting for this day for a long time!"
Guy's blood boiled as he roared and charged forward.
"This is the second opponent I've ever truly wanted to challenge! Witness my youth and passion!"
He opened with a leaping high whip kick aimed straight at Uchiha Mai's side of the face.
The wind howled from the strike.
Mai immediately lowered his head and threw a hook punch straight toward Guy's inner thigh—fast, precise, and vicious.
You exposed it yourself.
Don't blame me for being ruthless.
Guy had only kicked halfway when he realized something was very wrong with Mai's punch trajectory.
His face turned pale instantly.
Even without knowing that stuff, any taijutsu practitioner understood that area was a critical weakness.
And unfortunately—
Guy did know that stuff.
He had once followed Kakashi relentlessly, pestering him for duels—even sticking around when Kakashi went to the bathroom.
That was when he discovered that his Little Guy wasn't as mighty as Kakashi's Little Kakashi.
He'd even fallen into depression for a time.
It was already small—
If he took a punch there and ended up with eggs scrambled, wouldn't that be catastrophic?
Guy immediately abandoned all thoughts of balance, forcibly changing his movement midair.
Both hands flew down to protect Little Guy with everything he had.
Uchiha Mai smiled.
Now!
Compared to punches, kicks had larger movements, made balance easier to lose, and were far harder to adjust—especially aerial side kicks and spinning kicks.
If the opponent lacked eyesight or speed, failing to catch the exposed opening wouldn't be an issue.
But Mai was an Uchiha.
He dreamed daily of awakening the Mangekyō and had always protected his eyesight carefully.
And after learning Lightning Five-Strike Whip, his upper-body speed and flexibility had increased significantly.
Truly—keen eyes and swift hands.
His striking speed was already fast.
His opponent was using leg techniques.
By comparison, Mai could adapt far more easily.
Seeing Guy retract his leg to protect his groin, his posture fully deformed and unable to change again—
Mai immediately withdrew his punch, leapt forward lightly, and raised his arms.
Hands clasped.
Left arm bracing the right.
As he descended, he brought his right elbow crashing down toward the top of Guy's head.
Mai Style · Ancient Martial Arts · Outer Form · Iron Pestle!
Don't ask why the move name was so long.
Long names sounded cooler, more mysterious—
And were perfect for farming Fashion Points.
By integrating boxing, grappling, and traditional martial arts, Uchiha Mai produced an effect eerily similar to the Yagami-style Ancient Martial Arts from The King of Fighters.
Please call me—
Konoha's Yagami Iori.
Guy couldn't evade in time.
His head took the Iron Pestle head-on.
With a loud thud, he collapsed to the ground, dizzy and dazed.
Watching from the side, Might Duy's lips twitched slightly.
Wasn't this supposed to be a test of Mai's taijutsu traits?
Shouldn't there at least have been a back-and-forth?
Why was he taken down in a single move?
Still—
From that single exchange alone, Might Duy could already tell:
This Uchiha child truly possessed his own understanding of taijutsu.
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