This was another weapon classified with a three-star difficulty level, requiring a significant number of materials to forge.
Fortunately, the required materials were not particularly rare or difficult to obtain. Within just a few days, Kazuki had successfully gathered all of them.
Having previously forged a three-star difficulty Sun Blade, Kazuki was already well-versed in the process. Now, when it came to creating a three-star difficulty mask, he found the forging techniques to be far less challenging.
At the same time, Kazuki did not neglect his fundamental training. In addition to smithing ninja tools, he diligently practiced his physical conditioning, the Grass Cutter Sword (Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi), and traditional Kenjutsu techniques.
A week later, Kazuki had taken his first step into mastering the Breath of Water technique. He had successfully grasped the fundamentals and could now perform First Form: Water Surface Slash (壱ノ型 水面斬り, Ichi no Kata: Minamo Giri).
With this progress, his actual combat abilities had reached a new level. The results of his training left Kazuki highly satisfied.
Konoha Training Grounds
Kazuki had completed a major stage of his physical training. The weights strapped to his legs had reached an astonishing 150 pounds, yet he continued to move with increasing agility.
"Kazuki, you've made excellent progress during this time," Might Guy said, patting Kazuki's shoulder with pride. "You haven't slacked off even after growing stronger. You truly embody the spirit of youth!"
Guy grinned widely, his signature white teeth gleaming.
"But I have an important mission coming up. I'll be extremely busy and won't have time to supervise your training for a while."
"I'm giving you a short break—use this time to rest and recover!"
Although Might Guy's explanation was vague, Kazuki quickly pieced things together.
The Uchiha clan had been behaving strangely as of late. He had heard from Uchiha Itachi that the clan's internal meetings and ritual gatherings were becoming more frequent. It was a sign—the day of their rebellion was drawing near.
The Hokage had undoubtedly begun reinforcing Konoha's defenses. Not only were all shinobi on high alert, but patrol teams had also doubled in number.
"I understand, Guy-sensei," Kazuki nodded.
"Of course," Guy suddenly grinned again, "before you take a break, there's one last thing we need to do."
Kazuki noticed the excitement in his teacher's eyes.
"A very important test!" Guy announced, striking his usual confident pose.
"If you pass, you'll be rewarded generously!"
"What kind of test?" Kazuki asked.
Might Guy placed his hands on his hips and laughed heartily.
"You'll fight me—one-on-one. This will be an evaluation of your actual combat ability."
Kazuki's eyes lit up. A direct battle against Might Guy?
Interesting.
A smile appeared on his lips.
For a long time, he had focused solely on foundational physical training, with very few opportunities for real combat. The last true battle he had experienced was against Neji Hyuga at the Ninja Academy.
However, that match had ended in an instant—he had defeated Neji with a single move. It had barely felt like a fight.
But now...
His opponent was Might Guy.
This was different.
Kazuki's heart surged with anticipation. He was eager to test how much he had improved after all this training.
"I'm looking forward to it," Kazuki nodded.
"Haha! That's the spirit!" Might Guy nodded approvingly. "This time, I won't be using a Shadow Clone—I'll be facing you personally."
"You don't need to defeat me. The test is simple: last ten minutes against me. If you can do that, you pass."
"I won't use the Eight Inner Gates, but I will be fighting seriously, without holding back. So, Kazuki—don't take this lightly. Show me your true strength!"
Kazuki's expression turned serious.
"Understood."
Might Guy nodded, then took his fighting stance.
"Alright—let the test begin!"
In an instant, Kazuki leaped into the air, his body moving with newfound speed.
"Sensei, here I come!"
Between the fingers of both hands, shuriken, kunai, and explosive tags were already prepared.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Like arrows, the projectiles shot toward Might Guy.
Boom! Boom!
Several explosions erupted in succession as the explosive tags attached to the kunai detonated, sending thick black smoke billowing into the air.
"Haaah!"
From within the dense smoke, a green blur shot forward. It was Might Guy, his figure flickering as he swiftly maneuvered through the barrage of shuriken and kunai, effortlessly evading them as he charged toward Kazuki.
"Kazuki, take this!"
With a loud shout, Might Guy twisted his body, executing a whirlwind-like kick aimed directly at Kazuki.
Bang!
A dull impact rang out—
But in the next instant, Kazuki's figure dissipated into a puff of white smoke. A kunai clattered to the ground where he had been standing.
"A substitution technique?"
Might Guy was momentarily stunned but quickly pieced it together.
Kazuki had known from the start that the explosive tags wouldn't pose a real threat to him. Their purpose wasn't to inflict damage but to create a smokescreen, obscuring his vision.
In that brief moment, Kazuki had skillfully interspersed his own kunai among ordinary ones, scattering them across the battlefield to create a visual misdirection.
That was his true strategy!
What an ingenious plan—so much so that even Might Guy had been caught off guard.
Kazuki's mastery over ninja tools had become even more refined!
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
At that moment, the real Kazuki silently appeared behind Might Guy.
Executing the exact same technique, the white-clad Kazuki spun into a powerful kick, a white whirlwind crashing toward Might Guy.
"Konoha Rising Rock!"
Might Guy reacted instantly.
He knew he couldn't dodge in time, so instead, he raised his forearm to meet Kazuki's incoming right leg.
Bang!
Another dull impact—
Both fighters staggered backward, momentarily separating from each other.
"As expected of you, Guy-sensei. You actually blocked my Konoha Whirlwind with just your forearm," Kazuki remarked, a glimmer of surprise in his eyes as he steadied himself.
He had thought his taijutsu was well-honed, yet in a head-on clash with a true taijutsu master like Might Guy, he found no clear advantage.
Even though he had anticipated this outcome, experiencing it firsthand was something else entirely.
On the other hand, Might Guy was far more shocked than Kazuki.
His forearm throbbed with a numb pain—
That level of impact...
He had never encountered anyone else who could generate such force through pure taijutsu alone.
Not even Kakashi, his eternal rival, had ever left such an impression on him in a physical battle!
To have reached this level of taijutsu—
At this moment, in Konoha, perhaps only he and Kazuki stood at the peak of hand-to-hand combat!
For Kazuki to have honed his physical skills to this degree in such a short period...
A taijutsu genius!
"Let's go again! Hahaha!"
Might Guy burst into laughter before launching a rapid counterattack.
"Konoha Great Whirlwind!"
Blue chakra instantly surged around his calf and foot as he unleashed another devastating kick, its force whistling through the air as it barreled toward Kazuki.
This time—
Might Guy was going all out.
Faced with such a powerful strike, Kazuki knew he couldn't take it lightly.
A silver gleam flashed in his hand—
The Kusanagi Blade had already appeared.
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