Although Kakashi had no idea what Guy was rambling about, he didn't dare relax against a Guy who had opened the Fifth Gate. He pushed his Sharingan to its limit, tracking every twitch of Guy's muscles.
A sharp crack split the air Guy vanished.
Kakashi's instincts screamed. He spun to guard, but Guy's chakra-cloaked kick slammed into him before he could fully react, launching him straight into a tree trunk.
He hit hard and stared at Guy in disbelief.
His Sharingan had clearly read the movement, so why hadn't his body kept up?
Has Guy really gotten this strong…?
A memory surfaced. The first time his father, Sakumo Hatake, met Might Guy, he'd casually remarked that the loud, bowl-cut kid might one day surpass him.
At the time, Kakashi had scoffed. Guy had nearly failed the Academy entrance exam, how could he ever catch up?
But Guy had kept challenging him. And every time, he came back stronger.
At first, Kakashi could end their sparring matches in seconds. Then Guy managed to last a few exchanges. Later, Kakashi had to fight seriously in pure taijutsu just to stay even.
Now?
In hand-to-hand combat, Kakashi was clearly at a disadvantage. Even with ninjutsu, victory was never guaranteed, they traded wins more often than not.
A quiet realization settled in his chest. If this continued, Guy might truly surpass him.
Kakashi pushed himself upright, eyes sharpening. His hands blurred through seals.
Lightning crackled to life.
As your lifelong rival, he thought, I can't let you pull ahead that easily.
Outwardly, he often acted annoyed by Guy's over-the-top enthusiasm. But deep down, he had long since accepted him as his closest friend.
"Chidori, huh? Perfect!" Guy grinned, teeth flashing. "I was hoping you'd bring out your ace!"
He inhaled deeply, muscles trembling with power.
"This technique's still a work in progress but it packs a punch. Better watch out, Kakashi!"
"Morning Peacock!"
A surge of chakra exploded outward, flattening the grass across the training field. Guy leapt into the air and unleashed a barrage of blindingly fast punches. Each strike ignited the air itself
Dozens of flaming bursts bloomed outward like fireworks on the Fourth of July, raining down toward Kakashi in a blazing storm.
When he landed, Guy staggered slightly, arms red and trembling.
The principle behind Morning Peacock was brutally simple: by unlocking the Gates, he pushed his speed and strength to superhuman levels. His punches struck the air so violently they generated shockwaves and flames, turning raw taijutsu into a devastating area attack.
But the Fifth Gate wasn't enough to bring out its full potential. In his mind, only the Sixth Gate could unleash its true power and forcing that open right now might cost him his life.
The sky above the training ground glowed red as fireballs descended in waves.
Blue lightning illuminated Kakashi's face. His expression was eerily calm.
Blocking head-on would be suicide.
Weaving through the barrage with Sharingan alone was impossible, the fireballs were too dense.
He glanced at the lightning dancing in his palm.
When he used Chidori, lightning chakra stimulated his cells, drastically increasing his speed. That had once been its fatal flaw; he moved so fast his eyes couldn't track his own charge, leaving him vulnerable.
But with the Sharingan, that weakness became an advantage.
And now, he had mastered that high-speed movement technique, Shave.
If he combined Shave with Chidori, his short-range burst speed would skyrocket.
He had only learned it yesterday. There was no guarantee he could blend them smoothly.
But there was no time to hesitate.
As the firestorm descended, Kakashi became a streak of blue light, vanishing from the bombardment zone.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions rippled across the training field. When the smoke cleared, the once-flat ground was cratered and scorched black.
"You lose."
The lightning faded from Kakashi's hand. His fist lightly tapped Guy's chest.
Guy didn't look upset in the slightest. He burst out laughing, scratching the back of his head.
"As expected of my eternal rival, Kakashi! You dismantled my masterpiece like it was nothing. But hey, it's only the beta version. Once I perfect it, it'll be on a whole different level!"
Kakashi gave a wry smile.
Like it was nothing? His left hand burned behind his back, throbbing where he had barely deflected one stray fireburst. His first attempt at combining Shave and Chidori hadn't been seamless; he hadn't fully cleared the blast radius.
"I'm sure it will," he replied sincerely.
"What a battle!" Guy pumped his fist. "I can feel the power of youth blazing again! Losing this badly just means I've got to double my training starting tomorrow!"
Watching from a distance, Aaron turned and left.
Kakashi had mastered Shave and could already integrate it with Chidori. That was enough.
He still had one technique left to refine, Paper Drawing. Once that was complete, he could hand over the remaining five forms together during their next mission.
…
Two days later.
ANBU Headquarters.
Aaron reviewed the operation details one final time before looking at the three masked shinobi in front of him.
"This is an S-rank mission," he said evenly. "High risk. If anyone wants to back out, now's the time. No hard feelings."
All three shook their heads.
He had briefed them three days ago. Anyone who intended to withdraw would've done so already.
Besides, the ninja world wasn't a Saturday morning cartoon. Aside from simple D-rank chores assigned to fresh Academy grads, every mission carried danger, some just more than others.
They trusted Aaron's strength.
And their own.
Stealing intelligence from a minor hidden village was one thing. If it were one of the Five Great Nations, they might have reconsidered.
Aaron nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Good."
He pulled on his ANBU mask.
"ANBU Squad Seven, move out."
The four figures vanished from headquarters in a blur, masks in place, sprinting beyond the village gates and heading northwest
Toward the borders of the Land of Grass.
---
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