Chapter 20

Turning his head, Hyuga Kagami saw that the green figure clutching a large calico cat was none other than his former classmate and peer, Might Guy.

At the moment, Guy was fumbling with the cat, trying to hand it over to the mission center staff—clearly turning in a mission.

Seeing this, Hyuga Kagami couldn't help but smile.

In Kagami's previous life memories, Guy was a powerful elite jonin, a symbol of Konoha's Strong Fist Taijutsu style, and later, even one of the village's greatest pillars.

But in this life, Guy seemed like a complete underdog, constantly vying with Obito for last place in the academy.

At first, Kagami had assumed that his transmigration had altered the timeline somehow.

However, as his own strength and experience grew, he came to understand that there had been no distortion. This seemingly ridiculous green-clad boy was simply a late bloomer.

The reason was simple—Strong Fist Taijutsu relies heavily on physical strength. Without speed and power, the style is like a flower without roots. During childhood, the body hasn't yet matured, making Taijutsu users seem much weaker compared to Ninjutsu specialists. It's just nature—not a matter of talent.

But once maturity hits and the body fully develops, Taijutsu practitioners reach their peak and rapidly catch up to, or even surpass, their peers who specialized in ninjutsu.

More importantly, Guy had the family secret technique: the Eight Gates. With age and training, this once hopeless student was destined to become the powerhouse Kagami remembered.

Thinking about the Eight Gates made Kagami's heart stir with desire.

That secret technique was usually passed only from father to son, master to student, or between trusted friends. Perhaps the village archives had a copy, but with Kagami's current standing, accessing it was impossible. That made Guy his best shot at learning it.

And making friends with Guy? That was the easy part. The perfect blueprint was Kakashi.

All Kagami had to do was make himself Guy's eternal rival, and he wouldn't need to do anything else—Guy would pursue him all on his own.

With his plan set, Kagami walked up to Guy, his tone laced with mockery. "You're a chunin already, right? So why are you still running errand missions like finding cats and dogs? That's genin-level work."

Guy recognized Kagami immediately and scratched his head awkwardly. "Ahaha… I just found it while I was training and thought I'd turn it in."

Kagami chuckled as he glanced at the claw marks the cat had left on Guy's face. "Let me guess—no one wants to team up with you, so you can't take higher-level missions?"

Guy's shoulders slumped, and he looked down in defeat. "Yeah… everyone thinks I'm useless because I can't use ninjutsu. No one wants me on their team."

"Thought so," Kagami sneered. "That's why Strong Fist is a dead-end."

Guy suddenly straightened, his eyes blazing with passion. "I'll prove them wrong! Even if I can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, a Taijutsu user can still be a true ninja!"

"So naive," Kagami scoffed. "I guess I need to give you a reality check. Come with me—I'll show you that the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist is the true essence of Taijutsu."

Guy was stunned. He hadn't expected Kagami to challenge him to a spar.

After graduating from the academy, ninjas rarely sparred unless they were close friends or clanmates. Sparring meant revealing your fighting style, and that could be fatal if the information fell into enemy hands.

Still, Guy followed Kagami to a secluded grove—the same place Kagami had trained his Rotation technique earlier that day.

"Here's good enough," Kagami said, stopping.

Excited, Guy beamed, flashing a bright grin and giving a thumbs-up. "Kagami! This is the youthful passion I live for!"

Kagami remained expressionless and waved him forward, signaling the match had begun.

Guy needed no further prompting. He vanished in a blur.

*Thud!*

Their fists collided with a deep, muffled boom.

"Fast!" Kagami thought.

That punch was both quick and heavy. Without the Rinnegan, he would've been caught off guard.

He immediately dropped his nonchalant attitude and focused entirely.

*Thud, thud, thud!*

They clashed back and forth in the grove, exchanging blows.

Strong Fist focused on three principles: speed, precision, and power. Without enhanced perception, most ninja couldn't keep up.

The Chunin Exams spar between Sasuke and Lee was a textbook example of this.

But Kagami was no Sasuke, and the Rinnegan far outclassed the Sharingan. No matter how fast Guy moved, Kagami adapted quickly.

Beneath his dark visor, Kagami's sapphire-colored Rinnegan gleamed.

He could see the flow of chakra in Guy's body, every flex of muscle, every shifting stone his foot dislodged. Nothing escaped his vision.

In fact, Guy's speed now seemed slow to Kagami—as though they moved through time at different rates.

As the fight went on, Kagami looked increasingly relaxed.

But inwardly, he was struggling.

He hadn't expected Guy's strength to increase so dramatically in just a few years. Blocking his attacks was starting to wear him down.

And once Guy got into combat mode, all his goofiness vanished. His movements were sharp and precise, radiating natural intensity.

After pushing Kagami back with a flurry of attacks, Guy shouted, "Leaf Hurricane!"

He spun like a green whirlwind, launching a fierce kick.

With no room to dodge, Kagami gathered chakra and countered with Gentle Fist.

*BOOM!*

Guy was sent flying and crashed into the ground.

Unlike ninjutsu battles filled with flashy techniques, Taijutsu duels were brutal and compact. Every inch mattered.

If Kagami hadn't sealed several chakra points in Guy's leg mid-attack, disabling his chakra flow, he might have been the one lying on the ground.

His arms trembled and his heartbeat pounded, but he kept his face stoic. "Looks like you haven't improved much in two years."

Guy, unfazed by the jab, simply grinned and said sincerely, "Kagami, you're amazing!"