Might Guy had always admired Kakashi.
His duel challenges were famously unpredictable.
First it was rock-paper-scissors.
Now, this time… it was getting hit.
Stone-faced, Guy turned toward Kakashi, then to Garou, flexed his muscles, and said, "Come, young man! Show me the fruit of your training!"
"Guy-sensei, please be careful. Use chakra to guard your body, cover every inch if you can," Garou warned, his tone sincere and measured.
"Don't worry!" Guy gave his signature thumbs-up, his smile bursting across his face like a chakra flare. "The Blue Beast of Konoha isn't so easily knocked down!"
Nearby, Kitayama and Hyakusa observed with tired expressions and half-lidded eyes.
Blue Beast of Konoha…
Whether or not the world acknowledged the nickname, the medical division certainly did. Guy had become a familiar sight, especially since they'd developed a new recovery bath formula tailored for high-impact injuries.
So yes, they knew him well.
But this whole situation? It sure looked like Kakashi had just pulled a fast one, again.
They said nothing, but the judgment in their eyes was deafening.
Garou frowned slightly. This was about to become a problem. He stepped forward, calmly channeling chakra into his hand. With precision, he delivered a gentle palm strike to Guy's thigh, light, almost effortless.
No brute force. Just control.
And yet, the result was immediate.
Chakra spiraled into Guy's body like invisible drills, cutting into tissue, disrupting muscles, and igniting nerve clusters.
Guy's eyes widened, and his tanned face turned pale.
Beads of sweat broke across his forehead.
One second.
Two.
Then he dropped like a tree, collapsing sideways without a sound.
"Emergency! Someone help!" Kitayama rushed forward, immediately assessing the situation.
She didn't need a full diagnosis to understand that the jutsu had worked.
She lifted his pant leg, inspecting the impact point.
'What the hell…'
A spiral-shaped bruise pulsed across his thigh, deep, unnatural, like chakra had been carved inward with surgical violence.
Silence fell.
"Kitayama, please… check the internal trauma carefully," Garou said, his tone calm but urgent.
"Get the stretcher. Let's move."
"W-wait!"
To everyone's shock, Guy stirred.
He was conscious. Barely, but still awake. A testament to sheer will.
He blinked slowly, grimacing through the pain. "Kakashi… your turn."
"…"
Kakashi stared at Garou, his single visible eye unreadable.
Then, with deadpan sincerity, he said, "Guy, I yield. You win this round."
"...."
Guy's expression twisted.
"You coward! I have to train Neji and the others today! How could you betray me like this?!"
"It's just a bruise, right? You'll be fine," Kakashi replied blandly, hands in his pockets, voice full of false concern.
Then he turned to Garou.
Yes, he'd absolutely lured Guy here to avoid being the target himself.
But if not for Guy, it would've been him on the stretcher.
He cleared his throat. "Guy, take this time to recover. The village needs your strength. I could never fill your role."
"Mm…" Guy grit his teeth, but strangely, he seemed more lucid than usual.
Something clicked.
He'd been tricked.
But that wasn't what shocked him the most.
It was Garou's strike.
A soft palm with the impact of a collapsing building. His entire nervous system had gone into survival mode.
Even through the pain, Guy's eyes gleamed with admiration.
"Garou," he declared hoarsely, "that technique… has the essence of the Gentle Fist! You hit me so hard I need a week off! That makes you responsible for my recovery!"
"…Excuse me?" Garou blinked. "Guy-sensei, I'm really busy."
"Exactly! Busyness is the fire of youth! I believe in you!"
And with that, Guy slumped back on the stretcher and blacked out.
Garou stared, dumbfounded.
Kitayama and the other med-nin carried Guy away while Garou turned slowly toward Kakashi.
"Kakashi-sensei," he said coolly, "you've corrupted a pure-hearted man like Guy-sensei into resorting to cheap tactics."
His voice brimmed with exaggerated disappointment.
"He was gonna put me on that stretcher," Kakashi muttered truthfully.
Some instinct maybe gut, maybe the wisdom of surviving countless wars, had warned him the moment Garou mentioned "testing."
Shinobi intuition at its finest.
But he couldn't admit that outright.
So he changed the subject.
"Guy's students are currently without a teacher. Why don't you help train them for a bit? Give them some pointers."
Then he vanished in a puff of smoke.
Gone. No warning. No backup plan.
Garou sighed.
No scapegoat in sight, he resigned himself to fate.
After all, he had just hospitalized Guy.
And he understood why Guy had helped. Neji should've been refining Gentle Fist techniques by now, but he had refused. Too proud. Too focused on fate and legacy.
And Guy, despite his brilliance, didn't know Gentle Fist.
So when Garou's point-strike technique showed promise, Guy had seen opportunity.
Garou exhaled. But first, he had to write a report.
Midway through the notes, he paused.
Better to speak with Neji directly.
He was a full-blooded Hyūga. Even if he couldn't teach Garou clan techniques, just verifying chakra point mechanics could accelerate his development significantly.
Tracking them wouldn't be difficult.
He focused, summoned a polished mirror, and honed in on Lee's chakra signature.
All three of them were together.
Garou smiled faintly. 'Guess I'll multitask, barrier theory while I'm at it.'
—
Noon. Forest of Death.
"This is weird. Guy-sensei's never late…" Nami muttered, sprawled out on the grass.
"Maybe something came up?" Lee offered, wiping his forehead.
"Guy-sensei should stay away from Kakashi-san," Neji said coldly.
The tension in the air was heavy.
Hidden in the shade of the canopy, Garou debated turning back.
But no, this had to be addressed now.
With a breath, he stepped forward and flickered into view.
A gust of wind swept through.
A figure appeared in front of them, robes shifting lightly in the breeze.
"Ahem. Sorry I'm late. Ran into someone who needed treatment on the way here."
"…"
Neji froze.
His pale eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Garou? Why is he here?
And from that line… was he implying he'd replaced Guy?
"Garou? Whoa! Pull up a seat!" Lee beamed. "We've been waiting for Guy-sensei, but he's still not here."
"Wait…" Nami narrowed her eyes. "Garou-kun came here for us, right?"
Her intuition was sharp. She caught on instantly.
Garou's tone hadn't been casual. He was here for a reason.
"Huh?" Lee turned to him, clearly confused.
"Ahem." Garou cleared his throat. "Guy-sensei had a… training accident. He's recovering. So I'll be filling in for now."
"Injured?" Neji's brows furrowed.
Guy-sensei? Injured? That doesn't make sense… unless...
"It was my fault," Garou admitted. "He was helping me test a new jutsu. Nothing life-threatening. You can visit him afterward if you want."
"I see! Then let's begin training!" Lee stood, fired up. "It's been forever since we worked together. My youth is blazing!"
"Alright," Garou nodded. "Time to train. Neji, come with me. I need to speak with you."
"Me? What for?"
"In private."
Garou turned and began walking toward the forest. Neji hesitated… then followed.
Nami watched them disappear into the trees, thoughtful.
'Weird… we all forgot Garou was late the moment he arrived.'
No wonder he was Kakashi-sensei's student.
______________________
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