This was the biggest reason why he had not protected his teacher's son.
Might Guy patted his shoulder. "Kakashi, you know I'm not good with words. However, we have all experienced the pain of separation and death, but life is long, and we can't live in pain forever. It is precisely because of the trust and expectations placed in us by those who died that we should cheer up! Those who died can no longer be brought back. All we can do is protect those who can still be protected!"
Hatake Kakashi understood this truth very well. But reason alone could not help him live a good life. He knew that Might Guy was thinking of his own father. In order to protect Guy, his father, Might Dai, had sacrificed himself and passed on his will. Now, Guy had also seen that will in Rock Lee. But… what about himself?
Hatake Kakashi shook his head. "Guy, I appreciate your good intentions, but… let me walk this path by myself. Don't worry, I will obey the orders of the Hokage and continue to be a jonin leader. However, what kind of disciples I can find will depend on my own luck."
Might Guy looked at Hatake Kakashi's departing back and wanted to say something, but he slowly let go of the hand he had extended to keep him there. "Kakashi…" He shook his head, knowing that getting his lifelong rival and friend to move on was still not an easy task. Originally, Might Guy had wanted to use Naruto to motivate Kakashi. But judging by his performance, he seemed indifferent. However, it was hard to say; Kakashi wasn't the type to express his emotions. Perhaps his heart had already been in turmoil.
…
Might Guy had guessed right. At this moment, Hatake Kakashi was still pacing, seemingly watching his book, *Icha Icha Paradise*, at a leisurely pace. In fact, his heart was full of ups and downs. He had finally met his mentor's son again: Uzumaki Naruto.
Hatake Kakashi's feelings towards Naruto were very complicated. Logically speaking, both his sensei and his wife had passed away, and his two companions had also passed away. Naruto, the orphan they had left behind, should have been taken care of by him. But he had been immersed in darkness and had no such ability, and he had even thought that he was not qualified to take care of Naruto. However, because of his pessimistic and negative thinking, Naruto had ended up suffering more loneliness and pain, which made Kakashi feel extremely guilty.
Only… if he were to face Naruto, he would have to face all the pain deep within his own heart again. Even the famous Copy Ninja of the ninja world, Hatake Kakashi with the Sharingan, would feel extremely terrified.
"Naruto… I'm sorry… But…" Hatake Kakashi closed the book, and the image of Naruto whom he had just met appeared in his mind again. "Although you've experienced loneliness and pain, it has made you stronger and more hardworking. You are the real strong one. And I'm just a coward."
Hatake Kakashi smiled. That smile was full of sarcasm and bitterness. He walked towards that direction again with a practiced ease: the Memorial Stone.
Looking at the back of Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy could only sigh. He knew that it would take time to free Kakashi from the darkness. But… he would do it one day. Might Guy smiled brightly again. He scratched his head, looked back, and prepared to go check on those two boys again. By the time he approached the training ground, Rock Lee and Naruto had already begun their training with roars in their voices. Hyuga Neji's previous provocation had actually become the biggest motivation for them. Now, both of them were working hard, almost risking their lives.
"Konoha Whirlwind…"
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
*Bang—*
*Bang, bang, bang!*
Not only did the two of them kick the wooden stakes madly, but they also practiced against each other every once in a while. It was not just a fixed routine; they also focused on actual combat practice. Might Guy's blood boiled as he watched. He nodded repeatedly and couldn't help but shout out, "Good! This is real youth!"
Naruto and Rock Lee were overjoyed when they heard his voice and shouted in unison, "Guy-sensei!" "Thick-Eyebrows-sensei!"
Might Guy laughed loudly, jumped up, fell from the sky neatly, and appeared next to the two of them. "You two are pretty good! Your Konoha Whirlwind is also training well! But to be able to achieve this level in just one week is truly amazing. Maybe you two are both geniuses in taijutsu!"
Naruto and Rock Lee looked at each other, their eyes shining. "Really?!" What these two desired most was recognition and praise from others, and Might Guy's words were exactly what they wanted to hear.
Might Guy gave a thumbs-up. "I, Might Guy, never lie!" He smiled a healthy smile, his teeth shining white.
Naruto and Rock Lee couldn't help but high-five each other. "That's great!"
Might Guy was indeed observing the two of them's practice carefully. "Lee, although you are not good at ninjutsu, your persistence and hard work in taijutsu are better than anyone else! Your taijutsu is powerful and vigorous, with wide movements and openings. It can be said that through hard training, you have achieved the ultimate perfection, without the slightest flaw!"
Rock Lee was overjoyed. "Thank you, Guy-sensei!"
Might Guy changed the subject. "But… that's your problem too. You're just too rigid, completely imitating the movements I taught you! Although taijutsu techniques are fixed, they can't be so straightforward when used against an enemy. They require more variety!"
Rock Lee nodded and quickly took out his notebook to write it down. "I understand, Guy-sensei! I will keep working hard!" *Swish, swish—* He carefully wrote down every word that Might Guy said.
Might Guy nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Naruto. "Naruto, you learned taijutsu faster than Lee! That means you're very talented in it! Also, you have great physical strength! Your whole body is filled with a vigorous vitality! Besides that, you have a huge amount of chakra, and your mastery of chakra usage far exceeds Lee's! More importantly, you can adapt to the situation during a battle, which is much better than Lee!"
Naruto couldn't help but rub his nose, feeling very proud. "Hehe, I really am a genius!"
Might Guy said, "However, what you lack is Lee's completely focused and precise power! Lee has achieved this kind of perfection but lacks variety. You haven't even reached your goal yet, but you're already learning from it. While that's commendable, you should still reach the pinnacle and master it perfectly before you can adapt to the enemy!"
Naruto didn't quite understand what he had heard, but he roughly understood what Might Guy meant. "Okay! I'll learn this from Lee!"
"Hahahahaha, that's right. You two should learn from each other! This is what we call a bond!"
"Yeah!" Naruto and Rock Lee also started to burn with passion.
"Well, then, Thick-Eyebrows-sensei… can you teach us more taijutsu today?" Naruto clasped his hands together and looked at Might Guy expectantly. Rock Lee also longed for it.
"A new move?"
"Hahaha, it's not impossible, but you can't be too impatient! Okay, I'll teach you two moves today, but you can't chew off more than you can handle. You still have to practice step by step!"
Might Guy suddenly burst out with his own chakra and strength, roaring like a beast, and his violent momentum instantly shook the earth and raised a cloud of dust