"Four hundred thirty-one... four thirty-two... four thirty-three..."
Thud!
Might Guy collapsed limply onto the ground.
Beneath him, sweat had already soaked the entire patch of land.
"That's enough for now, Guy," Mirai Uchiha tossed a bottle of water toward Might Guy. "Let's stop here temporarily."
"Mirai, I'm really jealous of you. Even though I've worked this hard, it still feels like you're out of reach."
Might Guy looked at Mirai Uchiha with admiration.
His mindset was strong, but during this period of training together, he still felt somewhat outmatched.
The goals he struggled to achieve were easily reached by the other party.
This gap made him doubt his father's words for the first time.
Could he... truly keep up with these geniuses?
"Guy, as long as you persist in anything, there will always be rewards."
Mirai Uchiha said comfortingly.
"Haha... I definitely will!" Might Guy chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "Besides continuous physical training, I don't have anything else I can do."
He hadn't even mastered the Three Body Techniques yet, let alone other ninjutsu.
"By the way, I think you could push yourself even harder, Mirai. That way your strength would improve faster."
"I know my own body well enough. This training intensity is already sufficient."
Mirai Uchiha shook his head.
His goal was simply to better control the power of his body, so he would stop immediately when approaching his limit during each training session.
Otherwise, accumulated over time, it would certainly leave hidden injuries.
Thinking about this, Mirai couldn't help but wonder.
Who knows what kind of physique this guy Guy has? He tortures his body like this every day without any problems.
Sometimes he'd even pass out from exhaustion, yet the next day he'd still start a new day of training full of energy.
One could only say... wasn't this also a kind of talent?
An ordinary person would probably have killed themselves long ago.
"I just remembered something, Mirai."
"Today, Father mentioned he wants to pass on a powerful secret technique to you: [Eight Gates]."
Might Guy suddenly said.
"Huh?"
Mirai Uchiha raised his eyebrows in surprise.
[Eight Gates]. No matter who used it, it was a powerful, last-resort secret technique.
In a world like the *Hokage*, which emphasized inheritance, such a precious secret technique was usually passed down only between father and son or master and apprentice.
He trained alongside Might Guy, only hoping to acquire the Eight Gates via the System during their sparring matches, never expecting that Might Duy would willingly pass them down to him.
"Mirai, even though Father is just a Genin, the Eight Gates are formidable techniques. Please don't look down on them."
Seeing the astonished expression on Mirai Uchiha's face, Might Guy quickly explained.
Since his body wasn't up to standard yet, even his father hadn't agreed to teach them to him.
"Tch… I really don't know what to do with you two."
Mirai Uchiha rubbed his nose, feeling warmth rising in his heart.
Without saying much more, noticing Guy seemed somewhat depressed, Mirai waved at Might Guy and said, "Come on, get up. Let me push you a little."
"Eh?"
Ten minutes later.
Might Guy was sitting on the ground with bruises all over his face and asked, "I guess I'm still not good enough..."
[Ding! Congratulations, Master! Obtained reward: Physique +1!]
Ignoring the System notification echoing in his mind, Mirai looked at the still-depressed Might Guy with some surprise.
In the past after every match, Guy would always enthusiastically declare his intention to catch up with him.
Why wasn't that happening this time?
Had he actually been discouraged?
Right then, Might Duy suddenly appeared before the two of them.
Seeing Guy's condition, Might Duy frowned slightly, "Guy, what happened to you?"
"Youth must never be so disheartened!"
Might Guy lifted his head and pouted, "Father, can I really become an excellent ninja?"
"Compared to Mirai, I'm practically nothing."
Hearing Guy's words, for a moment, Might Duy didn't know what to say.
During this period, he too had been shocked by Mirai Uchiha's talent.
Faced with reality, anything he said felt powerless and pale.
Seeing the atmosphere turn somewhat silent, Mirai Uchiha sighed and decided to take action, "Guy, do you know why I train with you?"
"Why?"
"Because you're a genius too."
Upon hearing Mirai's words, both Might Guy and Might Duy were stunned.
Originally, Might Guy thought Mirai was joking about him, but seeing the serious expression on the other's face, Guy helplessly smiled bitterly, "Mirai, there's no need to comfort me."
"What kind of genius can someone like me be, who can't even learn Ninjutsu?"
"No," Mirai walked up to Might Guy, "Why must talent be defined only by Ninjutsu?"
"In my eyes, you're unmatched."
Under Mirai Uchiha's sincere gaze, Might Guy and Might Duy, who had always considered themselves as utterly talentless failures, both felt shaken.
Could it really be that Guy was actually a genius?
"These past few days of training have clearly shown me your talent."
"No one could have trained as hard as you did."
Mirai Uchiha's voice gradually rose, "Guy, you're a genius through sheer effort!"
"Among all the ninja I've met, no one has ever matched your hard work."
"I acknowledge you!"
Mirai Uchiha's words left Might Guy and Might Duy standing there with their mouths wide open.
A genius through sheer effort?
Hmm...
What an unusual perspective.
Although it sounded quite unconventional, why did it feel strangely convincing?
Might Duy regained his composure first. He heavily slapped his hands on Might Guy's shoulders, "Guy, did you hear that?"
"You've been acknowledged by Mirai!"
"You've gained recognition from Konoha's top prodigy ninja!"
"Mirai was absolutely right. Ninja talent isn't everything—you're a genius forged through effort!"
The more Might Duy spoke, the more excited he became. He'd never heard anything so inspiring before. Just thinking about it made him feel like his body was filled with energy.
Might Guy snapped out of it and stared blankly at Mirai Uchiha, "Future... did I really earn your recognition?"
"That's right," Mirai Uchiha replied solemnly. "Keep this up, and the future you will surely amaze everyone."
"Waaahhh~~~"
"Father!"
"Guy!"
Might Guy tightly embraced Might Duy and burst into tears.
All this time, this was the first time he had received acknowledgment from someone other than his father.
And that person was none other than the acknowledged genius ninja—Mirai Uchiha!
Might Guy felt as if another brilliant ray of light had entered his life.
"So… to repay this recognition."
"Guy! Strive to become stronger! Never relax for even a moment!"
"I will! This is youth!"
Seeing the two men crying in each other's arms without showing any sign of stopping, Mirai Uchiha frowned slightly and stepped aside.
He really didn't fit into this kind of atmosphere.
After a while,
Might Duy walked over and stood beside Mirai Uchiha, his eyes filled with gratitude.
"Future, thank you for comforting Guy."
Without Mirai Uchiha's reassurance, Guy might have completely lost his motivation.
In other words, it wouldn't be an overstatement to say Mirai Uchiha had saved Guy's entire life.
"I simply spoke from my heart," Mirai Uchiha replied calmly.
He wasn't making things up either.
Later on, Guy would nearly single-handedly fight his way to the end of the great war using nothing but his taijutsu... earning himself the title "Emperor Guy" from countless people.
Who else would that be if not a genius?
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Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!