"Are you planning to take revenge?" Might Guy put down his chopsticks and ran to Might Duy's side, ignoring his meal.
"What are you planning to do?" Might Guy cautiously stared at the two and asked.
If the two showed any signs of aggression, he would immediately enter the Breath of Rock state to protect his father.
"Guy, do you know them?" Might Duy asked, puzzled.
The tall, skinny ninja and the slightly chubby ninja stood together and took a step forward.
Seeing this, Might Guy quickly adjusted his breathing rhythm, looking for a good attack direction, but he couldn't damage his family's house.
However, what happened next surprised Might Guy.
The two of them bowed neatly and said, "We're sorry!"
Might Guy silently retracted his ready-to-kick leg and returned to normal breathing.
"Guy, what's going on? Why did they suddenly apologize?" Might Duy was still unclear why two unknown ninjas suddenly apologized.
"We shouldn't have mocked you for being a perennial Genin. As fellow Konoha ninja, we should respect each other," the slightly chubby ninja apologized.
"Also, I shouldn't have acted against a Ninja School student as a ninja," the tall, skinny ninja also apologized.
After Might Guy left, they soon came to their senses. At the time, in their anger, they didn't think they did anything wrong and even felt defiant.
But later, they gradually calmed down.
Because the strength displayed by Might Guy was truly extraordinary. Even though they didn't use ninjutsu or any sinister taijutsu, Might Guy knocked them out despite them being Chunin, which was quite exaggerated.
Even if they underestimated Might Guy and didn't use their full strength, they were still Chunin, not freshly graduated Genin.
After inquiring about the latest news about Might Guy, they realized that the rumor they heard about him being the last in his class was outdated. Might Guy had long since turned the tables and become the top of his grade at the Ninja School.
The two discussed the situation for a while and ultimately decided to apologize at Might Guy's home.
Might Guy now had such prowess that, in a few years, beating them wouldn't be a problem. Although fellow village ninjas wouldn't kill each other, sneaking in a beating wasn't a big deal.
They felt it unnecessary to offend someone who might become a strong figure in the future over a minor thing like trash-talking.
"These are for our apology. Please accept them," the tall, skinny ninja said, handing over some supplements and a large bag of various foods.
"And here's some money for medical expenses," the slightly chubby ninja took out some cash and said.
Might Duy looked towards Might Guy, as he wasn't aware of the full story, leaving it up to Might Guy to decide.
"We'll accept the goods, but you can keep the money. I wasn't injured, so I don't need medical treatment," Might Guy accepted the supplements and the bag of food but refused the money.
Might Guy believed that he had already settled the score for them insulting his father by hitting back, and the supplements and food could be compensation for their disrespect, but he definitely wouldn't take the money.
Even though he knew they weren't wealthy, he knew his father would certainly not accept such money.
"Please accept it; it's not much, just twenty thousand ryo," the tall, skinny ninja persuaded.
"Admitting one's mistakes and correcting them is also a sign of youth, but take the money back," Might Duy firmly refused.
Since Might Guy had already decided, Might Duy was even less inclined to accept it.
Finally, the slightly chubby and tall, skinny ninja looked at each other and had no choice but to take it back.
At this moment, they were already somewhat impressed with Might Guy and Might Duy. Even though they have to bargain even for a piece of meat, if it's not their money, they wouldn't take it.
While eating, Might Guy couldn't hide it anymore, so he told Might Duy the whole story.
"If people are gossiping behind your back, it just means you live far more splendidly than they do.
Mockery is a tribute to your excellence, and idle chatter is applause for your brilliance, singing the song of your victory. Because, I'm living not to please you," Might Duy said earnestly.
He maintained this mindset. No matter what others said, Might Duy didn't care and took it as a form of support because those were not the people he cared about.
Might Guy didn't respond to Might Duy's words. Although he could endure being called a loser, he couldn't accept his father being insulted or looked down upon by others.
"But getting an advantage in a fight with official ninjas means your youth is thriving!" Might Duy gave a thumbs-up.
"You've already grown to this level. It seems it's time to officially teach you that," Might Duy said.
Although Might Duy was a perennial Genin, he believed Might Guy's future would be different. Guy was better than him, and he had been intending to teach Might Guy the Eight Gates.
However, because the Eight Gates are incredibly dangerous, Might Duy planned to wait until Might Guy became a ninja to teach him. Now he felt Might Guy was ready to formally undergo the Eight Gates training.
"What is 'that'?" Might Guy asked, puzzled.
"You'll know tonight," Might Duy replied.
In the evening, Might Duy brought Might Guy to the place where he trained and solemnly said to Might Guy:
"What I'm about to teach you is the Eight Gates, not an ordinary taijutsu, but one of the Kinjutsu!"
"Kinjutsu!" Might Guy was a bit surprised.
Mokgetsu had told them that their breathing technique could be considered a secret technique or even a Kinjutsu.
Might Guy was aware of the power of the breathing technique. Even though he hadn't successfully cultivated it yet, it had significantly improved his strength and enhanced his training results.
He was surprised that his father might have mastered a taijutsu on par with the Breath of Rock because he knew his father was a ninja who couldn't even advance to Chunin.
"That's right, I spent a full twenty years mastering the Eight Gates, and it's the only taijutsu I can teach you," Might Duy continued.
"Opening Gate, Open! Life Gate, Open! ... View Gate, Open!"
In one breath, Might Duy opened six gates, unleashing an extremely powerful chakra. The intense green energy enveloped his entire body, and the sudden surge in aura caused the surrounding grass to bend and the leaves to rustle loudly.
"So strong!" Might Guy sensed Might Duy's terrifying aura, his eyes widened with awe.
"This Kinjutsu is powerful but also dangerous, which is why I'm only teaching it to you now," Might Duy said seriously.
The Eight Gates were too dangerous, and he had to make this clear to Might Guy.
That night, Might Guy had a bit of trouble sleeping.
That day, Might Duy had greatly shocked Might Guy.
Although he always liked and respected his father, he hadn't thought his father was particularly strong. When the two ninjas came to their door, Might Guy had deliberately stood in front of Might Duy.
He hadn't expected his Genin father to unleash such a terrifying strength, and Might Guy was both thrilled and delighted.
However, it wasn't without concerns. The night before, he'd spent all night learning the Eight Gates and found it no simpler than the Breath of Rock, which his father had spent twenty years mastering.
Might Guy worried that cultivating the Eight Gates and the Breath of Rock together might slow his progress and disappoint Mokgetsu.
Might Guy was a man of action. The next morning, he told Mokgetsu about it.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, I'm sorry, my progress with the breathing technique might be slower from now on," Might Guy said.
"Not necessarily; maybe the collision of two Kinjutsu will produce a beneficial effect," Mokgetsu said with a smile.
"The Eight Gates require a strong body, while the Breath of Rock is the strongest for training the body."
"By the way, I also know a bit about the Eight Gates. If you have any questions while training, feel free to ask me."
"Teacher, you also know the Eight Gates!" Might Guy was very surprised. He remembered Mokgetsu was not even twenty years old but had mastered several Kinjutsu.