"Hey, Minato." The Nine-Tails, who had been observing the outside world, suddenly spoke up. "Do you remember Might Guy?"
"Guy? Is he Kakashi's friend?" Minato, busy preparing for lessons, looked up in confusion. "What happened to him?"
"…Well, it's nothing." The Nine-Tails flicked its tail, recalling how Naruto had told him about Might Guy, who had once dealt a significant blow to Uchiha Madara, a figure nearly invincible after absorbing the Ten-Tails. It was a pity that he had not seen it firsthand.
What he had seen afterward was only a crippled Might Guy, and he could hardly feel the power that once rivaled that of Sage of Six Paths.
"Perhaps this is a good opportunity." The Nine-Tails focused intently. There weren't many ninjas in the world capable of battling the Ōtsutsuki clan.
"So, how is this place compared to the previous training ground?" Might Guy laughed heartily as he spoke to the group behind him. "This is the training ground assigned to me after I became a jōnin. Even compared to your Hyuga clan's training area, it's not lacking! Though I'm still used to training at my old spot after missions, it's a pity I couldn't maintain that place lately due to my excitement; it's temporarily out of commission."
Naruto looked around excitedly; this training ground was several times larger than the previous public one in the village. The targets and various mechanisms set up within were abundant, and even the dense forest above had been intentionally arranged. The bizarre paths were perfect for practicing the Body Flicker Technique!
"Not just not lacking," Hyuga Hengzuo replied with a sigh, pulling back his gaze. "This is an exclusive training ground for jōnin; there isn't a better place in the entire village."
"But I'm sorry, Guy," another Hyuga clan member said to Might Guy. "Although your intentions are good, the secret techniques of the Hyuga clan aren't to be practiced in public. We can't perform them here."
"Huh? You know me?" Guy looked puzzled at the mention of his name. "Ah, your face seems familiar…"
"What's the matter? Don't you recognize an old classmate?"
"Old classmate… Ah, you're Hyuga… Hyuga..." Guy squinted, awkwardly scanning the man up and down. In truth, he had recognized him earlier, but he couldn't remember the name and pretended not to know him.
"It's Hyuga Itachi." Hyuga Itachi introduced himself helplessly, as if he were used to Guy's forgetfulness. "You're still the same as before; you can't remember anyone except for Kakashi."
"Ahh, Itachi! How could I forget your name? It's been so long since I last saw you, you've become handsome!" Guy laughed loudly to cover his embarrassment, then patted Itachi on the shoulder. "Since we haven't seen each other for so long, how about we sweat it out and enjoy our youth with fifty frog jumps around the village?"
"Thanks, but no thanks. As I said earlier, we're just here to protect the lady. We won't participate in anything else." Itachi pointed to his companion Hengzuo. "We're both jōnin, so this kind of training is..."
"Don't say that, old classmate." Hearing the second half of Itachi's statement, Guy's expression suddenly turned serious. His hand that was resting on Itachi's shoulder squeezed tightly, causing the latter to wince in pain. "The war just ended, and you're already slacking off? If I were to..."
Both Itachi and Hengzuo were taken aback as Might Guy nearly instantaneously appeared beside the unaware Hinata, his fist poised to strike her small head.
His movement was so swift that it seemed impossible for him to stop, and Hinata had no idea what was happening!
"Stop!"
The two Hyuga clan members rushed forward to intervene, but their speed was far inferior to Might Guy's, and they didn't even get close…
"The Hyuga clan is a prominent clan in the village; I didn't expect their members to be so careless. They can't even stop me from scaring them? It seems they need to be taught a lesson."
Guy was not completely reckless; while his nature was cheerful, he was also quite perceptive.
Both the Hyuga and Uchiha clans were major families in Konoha. As a jōnin, Guy was well aware of the ongoing tensions within the Uchiha clan, and he didn't want the Hyuga clan to fall into a similar situation. Especially after Itachi's earlier comment—having jōnin-level strength but only acting as a guard for the clan was a dangerous mindset.
As for his upcoming action, Guy could control his body movements with astounding precision, having honed his taijutsu skills to an extraordinary level.
Even if his punch appeared unstoppable, he could still control the force to ensure Hinata remained unscathed.
But before Guy could pull back, Hinata's figure unexpectedly vanished beneath his fist!
"Ah?" Guy stood there, his punch missing its target, as both Itachi and Hengzuo were equally stunned. Then a soft voice rang out.
"What are you trying to do, big-browed uncle?"
Naruto stood three meters away from Guy, holding Hinata protectively, his eyes narrowed dangerously at him.
Oh no, a misunderstanding. Realizing this, Guy straightened up, instinctively preparing to apologize and explain. But suddenly, a thought crossed his mind—
How did he just do that?
"Remarkable... Body Flicker Technique?" Guy pondered, surprised that even they hadn't noticed it. The two Hyuga bodyguards, now alarmed, quickly positioned themselves between Guy and Naruto and Hinata, adopting a defensive stance. They had failed in their duty before, and now they had to be on high alert!
"Ah... Naruto-kun?" Hinata finally noticed she was being held by Naruto and instinctively spoke up.
Her small face flushed, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere around them.
"Hinata, go stand by those two white-eyed uncles." However, Naruto did not continue to joke around. He remained focused on Guy, his expression far too serious for his age. "It's dangerous."
This is a problem; if I don't explain, his hostility is unmistakable.
Guy observed Naruto's attitude, feeling a sense of unease.
But despite his confusion, he ultimately chose to remain silent.
"Hengzuo, take Hinata away," Itachi suddenly instructed his companion. "I don't know what's gotten into Guy, but if anything happens to the lady, it would be troublesome."
"Ah, right." Hengzuo glanced at Hinata, who still seemed dazed, then looked at the silent Guy. Not understanding why the situation had suddenly escalated, he swallowed hard, grabbed Hinata, and prepared to leave.
"Whoosh!"
A green figure reappeared beside Hengzuo in a flash, swinging his fist towards the little girl once more. But this time—his gaze was locked solely on Naruto.
Yet...
Guy's rapid punch once again missed its target.
"Run!" Naruto shouted to his companions, who were now sweating nervously, "He's serious!"
What's happening? Itachi stared at the spot where he and Hinata had been standing moments ago, now distanced from the imminent danger.
Hengzuo was equally shocked; he seemed to realize what had occurred just before they reached the Hyuga compound.
"Hmph, serious?" The Nine-Tails heard Naruto's remark and couldn't help but feel exasperated. "Hey, Minato, it seems you need to teach Naruto how to read other people's intentions. This test is so obvious; he's almost revealed all his cards to him. Yet the other side doesn't have any killing intent or even hostility."
"…After all, Naruto is only five," Minato, now connected to the Nine-Tails' chakra, also focused on Naruto. Though helpless, he felt a sense of pride. "It seems the jōnin of Konoha are getting stronger. Such a simple test on Naruto's abilities means his Flying Thunder God Technique can't stay hidden for much longer."
At that moment, Guy looked at Naruto, an incredible aura emanating from him.
This intense presence made everyone swallow nervously, cold sweat forming on their backs.
"Impressive..." Guy murmured, then suddenly, his eyes lit up as he looked at Naruto. He raised his thumb and exclaimed loudly, "I couldn't even perceive your Body Flicker Technique after watching it twice! How did you practice it? Teach me!"
"…Huh?" Naruto, the Nine-Tails, and Minato all stared in shock.
"Is he an idiot?" The Nine-Tails scoffed without mercy.