Forest of Death.
Two figures were locked in combat, moving so fast their appearances blurred into indistinguishable streaks.
Kitazawa stopped, a look of surprise on his face.
His goal in leaving the school was to find Might Guy. Bringing Hinata along was to give her special training.
Kitazawa didn't approach immediately. Instead, he stood quietly, admiring the one-on-one duel between men.
He knew both combatants well.
Might Guy, clad in his signature green jumpsuit, had a style that was... unique.
But Kakashi Hatake on the other side was equally striking, with his gravity-defying silver hair and the black mask that covered everything but his right eye.
Kitazawa stared intently at Might Guy.
Soon, he saw him unleash the Leaf Great Whirlwind .
Since he was idle, Kitazawa memorized the movements.
But movements alone weren't enough; the most critical aspect of Taijutsu was the technique of applying force.
Unless one possessed the Sharingan, one still needed a teacher to truly master it.
Boom!
A loud collision echoed, and the two separated instantly.
"That's enough for today."
Kakashi paused, his expression hidden but his voice flat. "Kitazawa is here. He must have something important."
"Then we shall continue next time!"
Might Guy shouted, clearly still wanting more.
"Might Guy."
Seeing the break in the action, Kitazawa stepped forward and greeted them. "Kakashi."
"Why come looking for us at this time?"
Kakashi glanced at Hinata hiding behind Kitazawa and asked.
"Just finished class, had nothing to do."
Kitazawa introduced her. "This is my student, Hinata Hyūga."
"I'm very interested in the Hyūga Clan's Gentle Fist!"
Might Guy's eyes lit up as he spoke.
"She's just a child."
Kakashi reminded him dryly.
Hearing this, Might Guy scratched his head sheepishly.
Although the Hyūga Clan, like the Uchiha, had a prestigious reputation, they weren't easy to approach.
The Uchiha's decline was due to their arrogance, while the Hyūga's isolation was entirely due to their myriad of strict rules.
"Guy, I came to ask for your help."
Kitazawa said directly.
"Then you two talk. I'm heading back to the ANBU."
Kakashi left the scene without waiting for a reply.
Kitazawa's mouth twitched.
He suspected Kakashi ran away so fast because he was afraid of being entangled by Guy again.
In the original story, Guy considered Kakashi his lifelong rival and constantly tried to spar with him in various ridiculous ways, often testing Kakashi's patience.
This was probably a case of a good person being afraid of a persistent one.
"Can you teach me the Leaf Great Whirlwind?"
Kitazawa asked straight out.
"Of course!"
Might Guy gave a thumbs-up, his teeth flashing with a blinding sparkle. "Fiery youth means everyone should learn Taijutsu and sweat together!"
In the original story, he had even taught Kakashi the Eight Inner Gates, a forbidden jutsu.
Compared to that, the Leaf Great Whirlwind was just an extremely ordinary C-rank Taijutsu.
"Thanks."
Kitazawa suddenly had an idea and asked, "Do you know Rock Lee?"
He always returned kindness with kindness.
Although Might Guy was powerful, his eccentric behavior meant he didn't have many friends.
However, Rock Lee was different; he was practically the same species as Guy.
In the canon, they became master and student, closer than family.
But that was supposed to be a year from now; Kitazawa might be able to help them meet earlier.
"No, I don't."
Might Guy thought for a few seconds, then shook his head.
Kitazawa wasn't surprised. After all, Rock Lee was currently only a second-year student.
"Rock Lee. He's a student in Class 2-A."
Kitazawa explained. "If you have time, try to get to know him."
"Why?"
Might Guy asked, looking confused.
"I think he has great potential."
Kitazawa smiled. "He is perfectly suited to learn your Taijutsu."
"Really?!"
Might Guy suddenly became excited.
In the ninja world, the master-student relationship was common and extremely important. Most ninja hoped to find a student capable of inheriting their nindō (ninja way).
Might Guy was no exception.
But finding a successor for him was exceptionally difficult because the Eight Inner Gates were brutally hard to learn.
"You'll know when you see him."
Kitazawa said confidently. "He won't disappoint you."
"That's wonderful!"
Might Guy froze, his body trembling, and tears began streaming down his cheeks like waterfalls. "This must be the power of YOUTH!"
The word "Awesome" floated through Kitazawa's mind.
Hinata, meanwhile, was dumbfounded.
What is happening? What a strange adult.
"Very good!"
Might Guy wiped his tears and shouted, "Now, let us have a lesson of YOUTH!"
"Hinata, since you're here, you can learn too."
Kitazawa said, following Guy.
"O... Okay."
Hinata snapped out of her daze and nodded.
"Watch closely!"
Might Guy stopped in front of a tree and yelled, "Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
He lashed out a kick. A low sweep struck the trunk, and then his body spun in mid-air, the momentum carrying into a powerful high kick.
Crash!
The tree before them shook violently. A massive shower of leaves rained down, and a deep indentation appeared on the trunk.
"What terrifying power."
Kitazawa couldn't help but click his tongue.
But thinking about it, it was normal; Might Guy's performance in the original story was truly unrivaled. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that aside from eating and sleeping, he was always training.
"You try it."
Guy stepped aside.
Kitazawa stepped forward, mimicking the movements, and executed the Leaf Great Whirlwind.
"Amazing!"
Hinata blurted out, seeing him master the skill in one go.
"Have you learned this before?"
Might Guy asked, watching Kitazawa's extremely standard form.
"No."
Kitazawa shook his head.
He had indeed never learned the Leaf Great Whirlwind, but he had mastered the Leaf Whirlwind thanks to the System. The foundation was already there.
"Kitazawa, come learn Taijutsu with me!"
Might Guy immediately put on an expectant expression, his tone serious.
"I don't have that much time to cultivate."
Kitazawa coughed lightly, declining. "Besides, we are classmates; if we become master and student now, it would mess up the seniority."
Learning the Eight Inner Gates was too bitter. It would be a lifetime of suffering.
He had struggled to get this System; couldn't he just enjoy life a little?
Time ticked to noon.
After two hours of learning, Kitazawa successfully mastered the Leaf Great Whirlwind.
[Current Mission: Master a C-rank difficulty Ninjutsu faster than Sasuke Uchiha.]
[Mission Reward: Shuriken Manipulation Technique.]
[Host has completed the task. Rewards have been distributed.]
Shuriken Manipulation Technique was both a ninjutsu and a throwing skill. Simply put, it used transparent wire strings to control shuriken for unexpected angles and attacks.
"Guy, thanks for your help today. I'll treat you to lunch."
Kitazawa wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked, "What do you want to eat?"
"Ichiraku Ramen!"
Might Guy said after a moment's thought.
"Hinata, how about you?"
Kitazawa looked at Hinata.
Her pale face was soaked with sweat and flushed red, her usually neat hair messy.
"I... I'm fine."
Hinata took a deep breath.
"Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen."
Kitazawa looked at her and remembered the second part of her special training.