Sarutobi Asuma finally made his move.
He took a step back at extreme speed, dodging Might Guy's descending kick.
Immediately after, Might Guy threw a punch from below, aiming straight for Sarutobi Asuma's chin.
But Sarutobi Asuma was faster, throwing out a punch of his own.
Might Guy's expression changed; he retracted his fist and crossed his arms.
Bang!
The air exploded, and Might Guy was sent flying backward.
Sarutobi Asuma strode forward, breaking the sound barrier in pursuit.
Might Guy was shocked, "He's not even using Chakra yet!"
Boom!
Bang!
The ground exploded again and again, the air crackled with sound repeatedly.
Sarutobi Asuma and Might Guy exchanged blows with blinding speed. Yūhi Kurenai, watching from the sidelines, couldn't keep up with their movements. Each time, she could only see the exploding ground and rings of white air.
At this moment, Might Guy was completely at a disadvantage.
Having already opened five Gates, his strength and speed were not inferior to Sarutobi Asuma.
However, his neural reflexes were far inferior to Sarutobi Asuma's, causing him to always be a step behind.
"My training isn't enough!"
After being sent flying by Sarutobi Asuma's punch once more, Might Guy realized his deficiency. He let out a roar and instantly opened the sixth Gate, the View Gate.
Brilliant green light appeared again, followed by an explosion of white light. The airwaves pushed outward, and Might Guy, who had been flying backward, stopped his momentum.
Yūhi Kurenai's eyes widened as she watched. "Truly… truly astonishing!"
"Youth, burn bright!"
Might Guy instantly appeared before Sarutobi Asuma and threw a punch, flames appearing around it.
Bang!
Sarutobi Asuma blocked the punch and was sent flying backward with a boom.
"It seems I'm only slightly superior to Gai after opening five Gates."
Sarutobi Asuma watched as Gai lunged at him with high speed. Chakra surged within him, followed by an explosion of air. In the nick of time, he dodged Might Guy's charge.
He had finally used Chakra.
"Morning Peacock!"
"Ah-dah!"
Might Guy attacked, throwing punches at Sarutobi Asuma with furious speed. His fists rubbed against the air, generating flames, resembling a peacock spreading its tail feathers.
Yūhi Kurenai, watching from the side, was speechless.
Generating flames by friction with the air – this was something the human body could do!
Sarutobi Asuma was also throwing punches. Purple lightning surged around him, and combined with his unique burst technique of Monster Strength, his power surpassed Might Guy's.
The flames, resembling a peacock's display, were shattered by his punches. The purple lightning spread outward, engulfing Might Guy.
"This is bad, my body is going numb…"
Might Guy's expression changed drastically.
Sarutobi Asuma grabbed Might Guy by the front of his gi and, with a boom, slammed him into the ground from above.
KO!
The lightning on his body dispersed. Sarutobi Asuma smiled and said, "Gai, you have all the makings of a Jonin. Congratulations!"
Might Guy lay in the crater, exhausted but smiling happily. "Thank you, Asuma!"
"Although I lost, I've realized my shortcomings."
"After this, I will challenge myself and follow in your footsteps!"
Might Guy's passion was still burning. He said, "Asuma, how about we have another match a year from now?"
"Of course, no problem!"
Sarutobi Asuma readily agreed and then crouched down to treat the beast's injuries.
The spar had only resulted in minor injuries, but after such a long period of training, Might Guy inevitably had some hidden internal injuries.
These hidden injuries were difficult for ordinary medical ninjas to detect, but under Sarutobi Asuma's Electromagnetic Eye, they were clearly visible.
He decided to heal all of Might Guy's hidden injuries and restore his stamina.
"As expected of a medical ninja like Lady Tsunade, my stamina is fully restored, and my body feels even more invigorated."
Might Guy got up from the ground, stretching his limbs with pleasant surprise.
"Asuma, I'm going back to training!"
"Since I lost to you today, I have to run 1,000 laps doing a handstand!"
With that, Might Guy re-strapped his weights and proceeded to depart, upside down.
Yūhi Kurenai walked over, watching Might Guy train with such passion, and couldn't help but remark, "He's such a peculiar person. No wonder he can achieve such astonishing feats!"
Sarutobi Asuma nodded and said, "Among our genin peers, the one I have the highest hopes for is Gai!"
Yūhi Kurenai was surprised, "Is he even more talented than Kakashi?"
Sarutobi Asuma shook his head, "They each have their own strengths!"
"Gai is a true Taijutsu genius."
"Although Kakashi is a genius, when it comes to his potential ceiling, I doubt it can compare to Gai's!"
According to the original story, Kakashi's ceiling was limited to what Uchiha Obito could provide him with the experience card.
But even a fully powered Susanoo, could it withstand Night Guy?
No, it couldn't!
The speed was too immense; even the Mangekyo's Kamui couldn't lock onto it.
At most, it could achieve an unassailable position.
Without the experience card, it was even less of a comparison.
There was no need for Night Guy; Might Guy could easily crush Kakashi.
And now...
The Mangekyo Sharingan, overall, was hindering Kakashi's growth.
The inability to close his Sharingan put immense pressure on him, although it had its pros and cons.
If Uchiha Obito were to be saved and the Sharingan returned, then what would Kakashi's potential ceiling be?
Another Konoha's White Fang.
Or perhaps mastering his Lightning Style Chakra Mode and becoming the next Fourth Raikage.
That might just be Kakashi's ultimate potential.
Yūhi Kurenai hadn't expected Sarutobi Asuma to have such a high evaluation of Might Guy. She shifted her gaze away from Might Guy and said earnestly, "It seems my past efforts are still far from enough!"
"Asuma, I'm going to train!"
With that, Yūhi Kurenai turned to continue her training.
Sarutobi Asuma quickly followed, smiling, "I'll accompany you!"
An hour later, their morning training concluded, and the two returned home together for breakfast.
After breakfast, Yūhi Kurenai left to carry out a mission, while Sarutobi Asuma's attention shifted to the Eight Inner Gates formation.
His spar with Gai that morning had given him a clearer understanding of his own physical constitution.
Without even using Chakra, he could rival Might Guy who had opened five gates. If he were to open all eight gates, what kind of power would he unleash?
"Even 15 years from now, Gai's physique and potential won't surpass mine today."
"And the special training for the Eight Inner Gates depends on individual cultivation. The stronger the physique, the greater the potential, and the stronger the power that can be unleashed."
"The Eight Inner Gates formation can indeed serve as one of my trump cards."
Sarutobi Asuma mused to himself, changing his previous perspective.
When he first obtained the Eight Inner Gates, he hadn't paid it much mind.
Now, however, he felt it was necessary to research it.
And as he researched, he discovered that his understanding of the Eight Inner Gates might have been slightly off.
Opening all eight gates wasn't necessarily fatal; they could still be closed.
It would just cause terrible damage to the body.
"The reason Gai was on the brink of death in the original story was that he used Night Guy in the end, burning all his life force."
"If it weren't for Night Guy, he would have at most been crippled, but that's pretty much the same as being dead."
"But if it were me..."
Sarutobi Asuma re-examined the Eight Inner Gates formation with a serious expression.
He not only surpassed Gai physically but was also half a Sage.
His cells could directly absorb Natural Energy to replenish his consumption.
Coupled with his powerful Yang Release regeneration and the Truth-Seeking Ball.
As long as he didn't desperately burn his life force, he could recover.
Might Guy in the original story possessed the power to fight against Six Paths level beings after opening the eight gates. If he were to open them, he would undoubtedly surpass that!
Times change and circumstances shift!
Immediately, Sarutobi Asuma used the Flying Thunder God Technique to disappear from the room and reappear before the waterfall.
He took a deep breath.
Sarutobi Asuma channeled the Chakra within his meridians and activated the Eight Inner Gates.
Opening Gate, open!
At this moment, Sarutobi Asuma felt something extraordinary.
He could effortlessly extract all of his physical strength and refine it into Chakra.
This was the human body's own limitation!
Just like when pain becomes too great, a person will simply pass out; this is the body protecting itself.
Next, he opened the Resting Gate, further releasing his potential and allowing his stamina to recover abnormally.
"Huh?"
Sarutobi Asuma sensed something unusual.
-----------
Machine Translation by: beta.randomtranslator.com
Read 1400+ original & fanfic translations and Translate for Free at: www.randomtranslator.com