Konoha's Tatsuya

On a street in Konoha, Tatsuya, having parted ways with Shisui, walked on with a furrowed brow and lowered head. The news that Shisui was about to join the ANBU made him uneasy.

After interacting with Shisui during their six-month mission, Tatsuya had come to know him quite well. In the original storyline, Shisui was one of the characters Tatsuya had always liked. Shisui's talent and strength were undoubtedly among the very best in all of Konoha, but his thinking and awareness were extremely immature for his age.

He still harbored unrealistic fantasies and naiveté towards the Third, Danzo, and the other village leaders, as well as towards the members of the Uchiha clan. He thought he could mend the rift between his clan and the village with his own efforts. He didn't realize that only strength and balance were the keys to maintaining the current delicate relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village leadership.

In the original story, Shisui's fate was sealed the moment he revealed the secrets of his Mangekyo Sharingan and Kotoamatsukami to the Third and the others. When others learn that a person possesses the power to manipulate their will at any time, regardless of that person's past conduct and achievements, it will inevitably arouse their suspicion and greed. Shisui, however, completely lacked a clear understanding of this. Otherwise, even with Danzo possessing the secret technique Izanagi, he wouldn't have been able to easily steal Shisui's eye in a one-on-one fight.

People's hearts are made of flesh and blood. After spending so much time together, Tatsuya didn't want to see Shisui walk down that tragic path. If Shisui could survive, it would be a great asset to both himself and the village.

Was there any way to help Shisui escape this fate? Tatsuya couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Lost in thought, he continued walking towards the secluded training ground outside the village where his shadow clones were training. Ever since he'd fully developed the Fujinhoin, Tatsuya had sufficient chakra and stamina to use shadow clones for his daily training. This secluded training ground outside the village was where Tatsuya had recently been assigning his shadow clones to practice taijutsu, shurikenjutsu, and kunai throwing.

This morning, while he was still studying in the Sealing Corps, one of his shadow clones had dispelled due to exhausting its chakra and stamina, so Tatsuya planned to take some time to create a new clone. He had come here in person to avoid attracting attention.

"Kakashi, let's have a match full of youthful passion!"

Before Tatsuya even reached the training ground, a robust voice from within the dense forest interrupted his thoughts. The voice came from the direction of the area where Tatsuya usually trained.

Tatsuya leaped onto a large tree and looked down, immediately spotting Might Guy, dressed in his green jumpsuit, flashing a toothy grin and giving Kakashi, who was standing opposite him, a thumbs-up. It was a typical, over-the-top scene Tatsuya had witnessed before.

Opposite Might Guy, the white-haired Kakashi stood lazily with his hands in his pockets, looking at the energetic Might Guy with listless eyes, not responding, with an expression that said he didn't care about anything.

Might Guy, however, didn't seem discouraged. He immediately threw a punch, dashing towards Kakashi.

Thud, thud, thud!

Instantly, a series of sounds of colliding fists and feet echoed through the forest as the two figures moved back and forth across the clearing with lightning speed.

Seeing the two engaged in intense combat below, Tatsuya, who had originally planned to find another place, couldn't help but stop and watch. He hadn't expected to run into Guy and Kakashi here! He'd trained here many times before, but this was the first time he'd encountered them.

Throughout the entire Naruto story, the "bromance" between Guy and Kakashi was a constant theme. Kakashi and Might Duy were the same age, and their bond was forged before they even entered the Ninja Academy.

As children, Kakashi was an outstanding student, a genius of Konoha, while Might Guy was a "dud" who could only use taijutsu. However, Might Guy wasn't discouraged by the ridicule he received; instead, he used it as motivation to work even harder.

Moreover, Might Guy set his sights on the genius Kakashi as his goal, viewing Kakashi as his lifelong rival. When Might Guy decided to make Kakashi his lifelong rival, their fates became intertwined. It was this bond that spurred Might Guy to become the "Might Guy" who nearly kicked the story to its conclusion with one kick. It was also Guy's constant pestering and challenges that rescued Kakashi from the darkness of his childhood. By the time of the Fourth Shinobi World War, both had grown to become true pillars of Konoha. Their friendship and bond were truly enviable.

At the same time, watching the two spar, Tatsuya couldn't help but compare them to himself. Judging from the intensity of their exchange, Tatsuya was definitely no match for either of them in taijutsu. Although the Fujinhoin and the Body Activation Secret Technique had greatly improved his physical stats, he had only been training with them for a short time. He was still no match for their years of dedicated training, and his combat skills and experience were also far inferior.

In terms of ninjutsu, Kakashi, known as a genius, was definitely someone Tatsuya couldn't compare to. And while Might Guy wasn't proficient in ninjutsu, he possessed the Eight Gates, a nin-taijutsu technique that allowed him to stack buffs. Both of their current overall individual strengths were definitely far superior to his own. At least, without summoning Seiryu, Tatsuya estimated that he could only last a few rounds against them.

It seemed he still had a long way to go! Tatsuya couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Just as Tatsuya was lamenting, the fight between the two in the distance reached a crucial point.

"Gate of Opening, open!"

"Gate of Healing, open!"

"Gate of Life, open!"

Might Guy, who had been knocked back by a punch from Kakashi, shouted three times in succession, directly opening the first three of the Eight Gates. Instantly, Might Guy's body began to turn red, and he was enveloped in a green energy. With the Gate of Life open, his speed and attack power skyrocketed.

"Hidden Lotus!"

With a roar, Might Guy's body shot towards Kakashi like a green streak of light. While still in mid-air, Might Guy's fists and feet struck at Kakashi with lightning speed, his attacks relentless and continuous.

Kakashi, meanwhile, had a serious expression on his face. The eye-covering on his left eye had long since been removed, revealing a crimson Sharingan with three tomoe, closely tracking Might Guy's every move. His hands struggled to block Might Guy's continuous attacks.

Boom!

After dozens of exchanges, Kakashi's body finally couldn't withstand Might Guy's fierce onslaught. He was sent flying by a kick from Might Guy, his body flying dozens of meters before stopping at the base of a large tree.

After kicking Kakashi away, Might Guy didn't continue his pursuit. He still stood energetically in place, the green energy on his body slowly dissipating as the Eight Gates state was released.

In the distance, Kakashi stood up from the base of the tree. Although he looked quite battered, he hadn't suffered any serious injuries. He looked at Might Guy and said with a sigh, "Guy, your strength has increased again!"

The two had grown up together since childhood, and Kakashi had personally witnessed how Might Guy had gradually grown from a ninjutsu-less "dud". The hardships involved were something that ordinary people could not endure.

"Kakashi, you truly are my lifelong rival! You were able to perfectly evade my attacks! Let's rest for a while and then have another round!" Might Guy stared at Kakashi, who hadn't suffered much damage, his eyes shining brightly, his voice full of fighting spirit.

Kakashi was instantly speechless. Although Might Guy was still only a Chunin, his true strength was not necessarily inferior to his own. Moreover, the key point was that this guy was a stamina monster. Without using his ultimate moves, Kakashi had a hard time gaining the upper hand.

"Guy, someone's here," Kakashi said, diverting the topic, not wanting to waste any more energy.

As he spoke, both Kakashi and Might Guy turned their gazes towards Tatsuya's location. They had both sensed Tatsuya's arrival during their fight.

"Sorry, you two. I usually train here. I just happened to see your amazing fight, and I couldn't resist watching," Tatsuya said, jumping down from the tree branch and spreading his hands.

"You're Akimichi Tatsuya?" Seeing Tatsuya, Might Guy's eyes immediately filled with fiery enthusiasm, and he looked ready to pounce.

Ever since Seiryu had been revealed, Tatsuya's reputation had spread among the younger generation of Konoha ninja.

"Uh..." Tatsuya's mouth twitched, feeling a bit overwhelmed by Might Guy's enthusiasm.

"Guy, let's go!" Beside him, Kakashi, with his usual listless eyes, gave Tatsuya a once-over and then spoke. Without waiting for Might Guy's reaction, Kakashi put his hands in his pockets and walked away.

"Bye-bye!" Might Guy quickly waved to Tatsuya and then followed.

"Bye..." Tatsuya didn't feel offended. He gave Might Guy a bright smile in return and silently watched them leave. Tatsuya knew that Kakashi was just someone who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, not someone who was easy to get close to.

After the two left, Tatsuya performed some basic exercises on the spot and then left a shadow clone behind, returning to the Sealing Corps himself. With Minato Namikaze's death, their one-year agreement was null and void, and Tatsuya naturally continued to stay in the Sealing Corps.

Unlike other combat squads, the Sealing Corps had very few daily outside missions. The relatively stable environment was more conducive to Tatsuya's research. Anyway, with the huge sum of money he had extorted from Yoshida Jin, Tatsuya didn't have to worry about training expenses for a short period of time, and wasting a lot of time on dangerous missions wasn't worth it.

There had been no progress on Senjutsu for the time being, so Tatsuya's research was currently focused on two areas. The first was to spend a lot of effort researching soldier pills and the clan's secret three-colored food pills. This was the "wealth code" that Tatsuya was urgently trying to crack.

In the future, money would be essential for Tatsuya's training. He couldn't rely solely on missions to support himself. If he could develop a superior version of the soldier pill or the three-colored food pills, making money would be much easier. Whether he sold it to the clan or sold it independently, it would be a stable source of wealth. With the success of the Fujinhoin as a precedent, Tatsuya had more confidence in his research.

The second was to develop a "knock-off" version of the Strength of a Hundred Seal.