Chapter 118: Taijutsu
The Back Hills of Konoha.
A gentle, invisible breeze drifted between the numerous mountain peaks.
Below, the iconic bowl-cut hair swayed in the wind. Guy looked at the Tonbo Tobitake standing opposite him with a level of seriousness he had never shown before. Kakashi set aside his book and glanced up at the giant hawk and the two children flying in the sky.
"Many years have passed. I wonder how far Tonbo Tobitake has grown in these last two years?"
This man was becoming increasingly powerful.
Boom!
As a single leaf fell to the ground, two figures collided with a sharp "shua" sound. Tonbo Tobitake and Guy locked arms, grinning at each other face-to-face.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
In the blink of an eye, they exchanged several rounds of blows. Both were masters of Taijutsu, utilizing Body Flicker, Konoha-style combat, and self-created techniques. For a moment, they were evenly matched.
"Guy, I'm going to get serious now. Watch out!" Tonbo executed a back-spin whirlwind kick to force Guy back, creating a small distance between them as he performed a one-handed seal.
Whirr!
Tonbo's right arm turned black at a speed visible to the naked eye. He flexed his fingers, not forgetting to warn Guy—after all, this power was no joke. This was just a spar, and it wouldn't be good to injure one of the village's vital combat assets.
"Bring it on! I didn't expect a Genjutsu-type ninja like you to train your Taijutsu to such a degree! Gate of Opening, Open! Gate of Healing, Open! Gate of Life, Open!"
Guy's blood was boiling. Looking at Tonbo's blackened hand, he knew it was a type of ninjutsu that amplified physical strength. Since Tonbo had said before the fight that he would only use Taijutsu, Guy's experience as a Jonin allowed him to immediately gauge the nature of the ability.
Taijutsu is a ninja's most direct method of attack. Guy judged that he absolutely could not let himself be hit by that move—the crater on the nearby mountain wall was clearly a result of that technique. Therefore, he stopped holding back and revealed his trump card, opening directly to the Third Gate.
Blue chakra displaced the air around his body, forming a sharp contrast with Tonbo's pitch-black arm.
Whoosh!
In the sky, the two children pulled out bags of melon seeds and began munching on them while watching the battle. Not being ninjas yet, they naturally couldn't track the duo's full speed, but they could see the rubble flying from the ground and the tiny pauses created when the two collided.
Rumble!
Even for Guy, facing the power of Iron Body while the Third Gate was open required him to keep his distance. Every time Tonbo threw a punch, a crater formed in the ground.
Not only that, Tonbo was using this move as if it were a basic attack, never pausing for a second. Guy was forced to use the speed of the Eight Inner Gates just to maneuver around him.
And it was only maneuvering. Tonbo was a sensory ninja; his reaction speed was naturally high. His Body Flicker technique, while not his specialty, was superior to that of an average Jonin, leaving Guy constantly restricted.
"Dad is so cool! With just two punches, he put a huge hole in that mountain!" Tianyu watched the commotion below, his eyes filled with adoration.
Maki felt the same: "That bowl-cut guy isn't bad either; he manages to dodge Dad's attacks every time. But if he gets hit, he'll definitely be black and blue, just like the marks we got on our legs, right?"
"That move is so cool. When I grow up, I'll have Dad teach me Taijutsu. I want to be that cool too." Tianyu cracked a melon seed, feeling a sense of longing for the future. The thought of creating a crater with a single punch felt amazing.
"Then I want to learn it too," Maki declared.
"You? You're a girl. You should learn Dad's 'Lifestyle Ninjutsu.' That's the best. Just one jutsu and you don't have to wash dishes, mop the floor, or cook. How great is that?"
"No way! I want to smash big rocks with one punch!"
"I suggest you stick to Lifestyle Ninjutsu. Otherwise, just like when Dad goes out, Grandpa and Mom have to wash everything by hand. It's such a hassle!"
The two children fantasized about the future, finding the Taijutsu battle below incredibly stylish.
"Whoa! The bowl-cut weirdo changed again! His body turned red and he makes such loud noises when he runs!"
Below, finding himself unable to win after a long struggle, Guy had opened the Fifth Gate—the Gate of Limit. His spirit was soaring. With the Fifth Gate open, the sonic booms from his movements tore up the ground. Tonbo finally fell a step behind in terms of speed and was forced into a defensive counter-attack. He used his attack speed to compensate for his lack of movement speed.
The Fifth Gate? Truly a desperate technique. But it damages the body... he's getting impulsive, Tonbo analyzed inwardly. Sensing Guy's extreme speed, he relied entirely on his sensory abilities to defend and counter.
To prevent Guy from getting carried away, Tonbo decided to use the results of his last two years of training in Phantasmal Taijutsu. While not yet fully perfected, the core framework was complete and could be applied to any type of combat.
As Guy closed in, unleashing a Leaf Strong Whirlwind followed by a barrage of Konoha Strong Fists, Tonbo acted.
"Phantasmal Taijutsu: Instant Release!"
Sizzle~
The black hue on his arm faded into his skin. Tonbo's entire body erupted with an intense aura, and he vanished instantly from in front of the Fifth-Gate Guy. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind him, opened his palm, and flicked Guy's back with his finger.
Guy broke into a cold sweat. He wanted to pull away, but it was too late. The finger flick landed on his back.
Swoosh!
There was no devastating impact. Instead, it felt like Gentle Fist—a surge of force pushed him forward, causing him to roll several times on the ground.
Finally, Guy lay there with his eyes rolling back: "Dammit... to lose in Taijutsu... when I get back, I'm running ten laps around the village..."
Tonbo deactivated his Phantasmal Taijutsu and walked over to him. Looking at the battle-hungry Guy, he could only think: As expected of you, Guy-sensei. He pulled a special medicinal pill from his ninja pouch and popped it into Guy's mouth. Then, he used one of his commonly used recovery-type genjutsu.
As stamina was restored, Guy's body developed an intense desire for absorption, taking in the nutrients from the pill to maintain his health. Tonbo's own physical talent allowed his Taijutsu to keep up with a freak like Guy precisely because of this jutsu. It was incredibly useful, had zero side effects, and only consumed chakra.
After a short while, Guy felt the difference. His stamina was recovering rapidly, and the fatigue from opening the Eight Gates was gradually fading.
"Is this... medical ninjutsu?"
This technique reminded him of the day his father died. On that day, Tonbo Tobitake had also used a jutsu that allowed his physical stamina to recover, even if the body entered a state of exhaustion after the jutsu wore off. He hadn't expected Tonbo to know medical ninjutsu as well; it was truly remarkable.
"Yeah. How is it? Feeling better?" Tonbo smiled.
Understanding the human absorption system for this jutsu had been quite difficult. Furthermore, the meridian and absorption systems varied between individuals. Fortunately, he was a sensory ninja. He didn't need to use chakra or instruments to probe bit by bit. Additionally, as the head of the Analysis Division, his understanding of human anatomy was top-tier. Combined, this led to the birth of a super "hexagonal" ninja.
"Great! It's fantastic! Can you teach this jutsu to me? For a Taijutsu ninja, this is simply incredible!"
A jutsu that could restore stamina and heal injuries was far too attractive to Guy. He had tried learning medical ninjutsu before, but there was too much knowledge required, making it impossible. Seeing how easily Tonbo used it, he felt it shouldn't be too hard.
Tonbo scratched his head. "You... you should probably forget about it. This isn't just 'regular' hard to learn."
Just understanding the theoretical knowledge of the absorption system and the impact of meridians on the body had taken Tonbo a full month of deep study. The actual implementation of the jutsu was even harder; it took him half a year to develop it. Moreover, this technique was a derivative of Genjutsu—it was even more impossible for Guy to learn.
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