Chapter 91: The Second B-rank Trait
The reason Hanekawa suggested they spar tomorrow was to train together.
After a sufficient amount of rest, Might Duy began teaching them taijutsu. Hanekawa openly learned from him, and he didn't mind. After all, that was just the personality of Might Duy and Might Guy.
In the original story, Kakashi Hatake's good relationship with Might Guy even allowed him to learn the Eight Inner Gates. Although his body could only support him opening the first gate.
Might Duy taught them the Leaf Great Whirlwind, one of the Leaf's Whirlwind series of techniques. Hanekawa had learned taijutsu before, but it was limited to just the Strength of a Hundred Seal. The Leaf Great Whirlwind was perfect for complementing his weakness.
"The Leaf Great Whirlwind is, in simple terms, a reverse roundhouse kick," Might Duy said, standing in front of Might Guy and Hanekawa. "I'll demonstrate it for you." He took a deep breath, rotated his upper body to the right, planted his right foot, kicked backward, and landed.
"You two try it," Might Duy looked at Might Guy and Hanekawa.
"Okay," Hanekawa looked at Might Guy and, seeing him looking back, walked forward. He copied Might Duy, turning, kicking, and then rotating to kick.
"Hanekawa, you truly are the top student at the Academy," Might Duy couldn't help but praise him. "You've already got the hang of it after just one try."
"Thank you, Uncle Duy," Hanekawa said with a sincere expression.
Ordinary taijutsu wasn't too difficult; the main thing was controlling your body and mastering your strength and speed. He had been training his body for a long time, especially with the Lightning Release Chakra Activation training, which fulfilled the conditions for learning taijutsu.
"It's my turn!" Might Guy said, looking excited. "A match against Hanekawa makes my blood boil!" In the original story, he and Kakashi Hatake had their bizarre matches in all sorts of strange places. Learning taijutsu seemed rather normal in comparison. But Hanekawa still felt the need to complain.
Might Guy immediately performed the Leaf Great Whirlwind once. His movements were more standard than Hanekawa's, but his control over strength and speed wasn't as strong.
"Guy!" Might Duy's body trembled. Hanekawa had a premonition of what was to come and was rendered speechless.
"Your hard work has paid off!" Might Duy hugged Might Guy, tears streaming down his face. "You're not that much worse than Hanekawa!"
Hanekawa let out a long sigh. It wasn't until the two of them had finished crying that they were able to continue training.
Time quickly flew by until dusk. Hanekawa let out a breath. He had gained a new trait: the Leaf Great Whirlwind. After performing it perfectly once, the technique's proficiency automatically reached the proficient level. Based on his previous experience, he could become a taijutsu Genin after learning three taijutsu techniques. He was just one away, as the Strength of a Hundred Seal also counted as a taijutsu technique.
"I'm treating today. How about we go to Ichiraku Ramen?" Hanekawa looked at the father and son. Although he could get the Leaf Great Whirlwind scroll through Tsunade, self-learning was never as good as having a teacher.
"Guy!" Might Duy immediately said gleefully, "Let's race from here to Ichiraku Ramen!" "Yes, Dad!" Might Guy immediately replied.
Hanekawa couldn't help but feel emotional. He considered himself diligent, but compared to them, he was nothing. On the other hand, it also showed how harsh the conditions for learning the Eight Inner Gates were. Besides, the side effects of the Eight Inner Gates were too strong.
It was basically a one-for-one trade. Otherwise, the entire Hidden Leaf would not have only Might Guy and his father being able to use it. And from the original story, it seemed there were differences even between those who had mastered the Eight Inner Gates. Might Guy's performance was much stronger than Might Duy's.
Hanekawa's goal wasn't high. He just wanted to get the 'Chunin Taijutsu' trait for now.
The three of them quickly ran to the Ichiraku Ramen shop. Ever since Ichiraku Ramen opened, business had always been good. It was now dinner time, and it was full.
"Kakashi!" Might Guy suddenly spotted a familiar figure and shouted.
Kakashi Hatake felt an urge to turn and run, but he noticed Hanekawa and suppressed the urge. "Kakashi," Hanekawa walked up and greeted him. Just then, some customers finished their meal and left, giving them a place to sit. After all, it didn't take long to eat a bowl of ramen.
"Why are you here alone?" Hanekawa asked, a little confused.
"Asuma and Shisui went home after training," Kakashi Hatake said casually. "My father is out on a mission and hasn't returned, so I came to Ichiraku Ramen."
"I see," Hanekawa nodded slightly.
"Why are you with them?" Kakashi Hatake glanced at Might Guy and asked.
"I'm training with them," Hanekawa explained.
"Impressive!" Kakashi Hatake couldn't help but give him a thumbs up. With the art style of Might Guy and his father, it took a special person to be able to withstand it. He himself sometimes couldn't take it, and the fact that Hanekawa could train with them truly made him admire him.
Hanekawa wanted to say something but held his tongue. Might Guy and his father were good people and worth befriending, but their art style was too unique. He suspected the reason Might Duy was a perpetual Genin was that no one was willing to be on a team with him. After all, Genin couldn't take on missions alone. And to participate in the Chunin Exams, they needed to be in a team and have a certain number of missions completed.
A new day began.
Training Ground 3.
Hanekawa and Might Guy stood facing each other. Might Duy stood on the sidelines, eagerly watching the two of them about to start their match.
"Leaf Whirlwind!" Might Guy couldn't hold back, or rather, he didn't even try to hold back. After making the Confrontation Seal, he charged forward.
It was the first time Hanekawa had seen someone shout out the name of their jutsu. In anime, they would shout it out for the audience's convenience. In the real ninja world, who would shout out the name of their jutsu during a fight? Wasn't that just a warning to the enemy? No wonder Might Guy was rejected from joining the Anbu and the Foundation. With his unique art style, even Danzō Shimura would be suppressed.
The sound of rushing wind filled the air. Might Guy's kick created a strong gust of wind as it swept toward Hanekawa. Hanekawa didn't use his ninja sword. Instead, he crossed his arms and blocked the kick. The immense force caused his body to stagger. Thankfully, the trait boost allowed him to withstand the kick.
Might Guy wasn't surprised but instead overjoyed. It was the first time he had met someone his age who could defend against his Leaf Whirlwind like this. He had encountered Hanekawa before in the practical exams, but at that time, they were using sword techniques and ninjutsu.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!" Might Guy retreated, placed one hand on the ground, and performed a spinning kick. The incredible speed and power created a powerful gust of wind. The area was too large, so Hanekawa didn't retreat.
Leaf Great Whirlwind! He spun around and delivered a kick. A dull thud echoed. Their two legs collided in mid-air, creating a visible shockwave. Hanekawa and Might Guy were locked in a stalemate for a second before they both retreated.
"This proficiency?!" Might Duy, who was watching, couldn't help but exclaim. In just one day, Hanekawa had completely mastered the Leaf Great Whirlwind. It was truly terrifying. He really was a genius among geniuses to be the top student at the Ninja Academy.
"Leaf Rising Rock!" Might Guy didn't notice Hanekawa's terrifying proficiency, or perhaps he was too immersed in the fight. He leaped forward, moving at an incredible speed toward Hanekawa, then raised his right arm and delivered a powerful elbow strike.
Bang! Hanekawa blocked with his arms again.
Leaf Great Whirlwind! He stabilized his body and performed another spinning kick.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!" Might Guy, seeing this, did the same. Their legs crossed, and a visible shockwave formed. The immense force caused them to retreat again.
"Again!" Might Guy looked excited, getting closer, his hands balled into fists. Hanekawa went to meet him. But he hadn't learned many taijutsu techniques, so he mostly focused on blocking, occasionally counter-attacking with the Leaf Great Whirlwind. Thanks to the trait boost, he was able to fight evenly with Might Guy.
"Terrifying!" Might Duy could see that Hanekawa still had plenty of energy left. And as Tsunade's student, he hadn't even used the Strength of a Hundred Seal yet. Might Duy fell into deep thought. Although the Eight Inner Gates wasn't meant to be used on allies, Might Guy could only open the first gate at the moment, so it wouldn't cause too much damage.
"Guy!" Might Duy thought for a moment and shouted, "I give you permission! Use that move!" "Yes, Dad!" Might Guy strategically retreated. "Eight Inner Gates! First Gate, Open!"
A surge of chakra shot into the sky, but its power wasn't very great. The First Gate of the Eight Inner Gates mainly unlocked the body's subconscious limitations. In simple terms, it made him faster and his reactions quicker, but his stamina and strength didn't increase.
"Front Lotus!" Might Guy kicked toward Hanekawa, and at the same time, he unraveled the bandages on his hand.
Body Flicker Jutsu! Hanekawa naturally knew what the Front Lotus was. He accelerated and easily dodged the terrifying kick. As they passed each other, he raised his hand and threw a punch.
Strength of a Hundred Seal! The terrifying force created a gust of wind. It felt as if sounds were exploding around his fist. Might Guy was sent flying backward.
"Don't move," Hanekawa walked over to him. "The match ends here for today. I'll heal you." He had held back, so the damage caused by the Strength of a Hundred Seal wasn't severe.
Mystical Palm Technique! Hanekawa held out his hand, and a light green chakra covered Might Guy. A moment later, he finished the treatment.
"You're so strong, Hanekawa!" Might Guy got up, full of energy, without a hint of disappointment from being defeated.
"The Eight Inner Gates is very strong. If you could open a few more gates, I would definitely not be your opponent," Hanekawa said, shaking his head. "Once I master the Eight Inner Gates, we'll decide the winner then!" Might Guy said, looking excited.
Hey, that's not what I meant! Hanekawa's mouth twitched. He could already imagine Might Guy's lines in the future. "Hanekawa! I was saving this move for you!" Hanekawa couldn't help but complain to himself. Just save it for Kakashi instead. But at least his objective was complete.
[D-Rank Trait: Youthful Regret.]
[Trigger Condition: Defeat a younger Might Guy.]
[Effect: Taijutsu talent increases by 30% from its original base.]
Perhaps because Might Guy had used the Eight Inner Gates, he was able to get a D-rank trait directly, which saved Hanekawa a lot of time.
"This is youth!" Might Duy said, deeply moved. "Let's start training! We'll do a hundred extra laps today!"
"Dad, you forgot something," Might Guy suddenly remembered something and reminded him.
"Oh, right," Might Duy slapped his forehead, took out a green jumpsuit, and said, "Hanekawa, this is a gift for you!"
For the first time, Hanekawa wanted to refuse a gift from someone. But seeing the expectant expressions of Might Duy and Might Guy, he couldn't say no. Fine, fine. Just think of it as the price you have to pay to learn taijutsu. Hanekawa took the green jumpsuit.
"Guy! He accepts us!" Might Duy said, his eyes sparkling. "Yes, Dad!" Might Guy also shouted excitedly. "Finally, a third person is wearing this suit!" With that, he and Might Duy hugged each other, crying.
Hanekawa felt an urge to die. His sacrifice was too great.
Two months passed in a flash. Hanekawa felt a little embarrassed at first to train with Might Guy and his father, but as time went on, his heart became as cold as a knife that had been cleaning fish for ten years.
Thankfully, his efforts had paid off. The C-rank traits 'Chunin Taijutsu' and 'Chunin Lightning Release' were successfully acquired. Their effects were the same as the previous Chunin series, a 50% boost. With the acquisition of these two traits, a higher-level trait was synthesized.
[B-Rank Ninjutsu Trait: Lightning Release Body.]
[Trigger Condition: Synthesized from the C-rank trait 'Chunin Taijutsu' and the C-rank trait 'Chunin Lightning Release'.]
[Effect: Body strength increases by 100% from its original base, including defense, attack, and speed.]
It was worth mentioning that 'Lightning Release Body' and 'Lightning Release Chakra Activation' were both ninjutsu traits. Ninjutsu traits had to be used to receive a boost, making them active traits. Talent traits were passive.
But what puzzled Hanekawa was that it didn't have a synthesis or advancement path. After a moment of thought, he understood. It wasn't that it didn't have one; it was that he hadn't acquired it yet. Since it was a ninjutsu trait, its advancement path had to be the Fourth Raikage's signature ninjutsu, the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
Although he couldn't learn it for now, the effect of 'Lightning Release Body' was enough to make Hanekawa very satisfied. He was practically a superhero!
"Hanekawa!" Kurenai's voice brought Hanekawa back to reality. He subconsciously looked up and saw her. "Look! Am I not amazing?" Kurenai was standing in front of a pool of water. As she controlled it, a water person appeared that looked about 50-60% like Hanekawa.
"Amazing!" Hanekawa sincerely praised her.
Kurenai wasn't just messing around. She was following Kosuke Maruboshi's instructions to practice chakra control and the nature transformation of her Water Style. Water was both formless and had form.
The fact that she could use water to create a statue of Hanekawa showed that her control had improved significantly. Of course, she was still just starting, so she couldn't fully replicate Hanekawa's expressions and appearance.
"Let's stop here. We should head to the school. Today's registration, so don't be late," Hanekawa walked forward and said. "Okay," Kurenai dispersed the water person and said, "Let's go! I haven't seen Rin and the others in a long time!"
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