Early in the morning, Kakashi got up quickly, completed his wash-up routine, made a simple breakfast, and then headed to the Southern Border Forest for training after eating.
"Kakashi."
While walking on the road, Kakashi was suddenly called upon. He turned back to find several unfamiliar ninjas.
"Thanks to you and your teammates last time in the Land of Grass; otherwise, we probably wouldn't have made it back." A Konoha Ninja said gratefully with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Kakashi understood. During a war mission in the Land of Grass, they had indeed saved some ninjas.
"I heard before that there's a ninja called Kakashi who is heartless and disregards his comrades. I suppose it must be a rumor, right?" The Konoha Ninja continued.
Kakashi became silent. This wasn't actually a rumor because, at that time, he did indeed neglect his teammates during missions, which led to their injuries.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but that's actually true." Kakashi thought for a moment and said.
No matter what he did during that time, he was still Hatake Kakashi; he didn't want to deny it and felt there was no need to.
"Huh?" The Konoha Ninjas looked at Kakashi in surprise, somewhat unable to understand.
They were speaking up for Kakashi, but Kakashi's response seemed like he was contradicting himself.
"Back then, I didn't have a clear understanding of myself, which led to some mistakes." Kakashi continued.
After coming out of the fog, he could face his past actions, so Kakashi felt indifferent about it.
The Konoha Ninjas all gave Kakashi a thumbs-up. Although they were somewhat older than Kakashi, they felt that Kakashi was more mature than them.
"No matter how you were before, the Hatake Kakashi I know is a ninja who cherishes his comrades and is extraordinarily talented." One of the Konoha Ninjas said earnestly.
Before being saved by Kakashi, he completely didn't know Kakashi. Those rumors were something he only learned after inquiring about Kakashi later. In his view, Kakashi was a reliable comrade.
The other Konoha Ninjas also expressed their gratitude.
Kakashi showed a faint smile and then bid farewell: "Goodbye, it's about time for my training."
At this moment, he was in a very good mood, not because of the compliments, but because he felt he was on a right path that he liked.
"Goodbye. Oh, by the way, I saw the Chunin Examination — your kenjutsu is really strong. If there's a chance, can I seek your guidance sometime?" A Konoha Ninja waved goodbye.
Kakashi paused his steps and replied, "If there's time, sure."
If he had enough free time, he wouldn't mind giving others some pointers.
"I'm Shiraki Ryoichi." Shiraki Ryoichi, seeing Kakashi agree, excitedly told Kakashi his name.
Kakashi nodded slightly and continued walking toward the Southern Border Forest.
Since Kakashi woke up relatively early, even though he was delayed a little on the road, he wasn't late.
"Yo, Kakashi, let's have a battle full of youthful passion." As soon as Kakashi walked over, Might Guy immediately flashed in front of Kakashi, shouting excitedly.
His Konoha Dragon God had become much more skilled, and his body was stronger than before.
"A battle, now?" Kakashi showed a pensive expression.
"That's right, right now." Might Guy gave Kakashi a thumbs-up, revealing two rows of shining white teeth.
"Alright." Kakashi accepted Might Guy's battle request because he had also been diligently training for quite some time and felt he could use the battle to test his progress.
Obito was originally ready to start his training, but seeing that Might Guy and Kakashi were about to battle, he immediately came over to watch.
"Go, Guy! I believe you can do it." Obito was extremely hopeful that Might Guy would give Kakashi a good thrashing.
Even though it wasn't a victory by his own hands, seeing Kakashi get beaten by others also had a unique kind of appeal.
Shisui also put down what he was doing and walked over, wanting to assess the distance between himself, Kakashi, and Might Guy through their battle.
"Let's not train for now, and watch their battle." Mokgetsu stopped Shizune, who was about to start practicing the Breathing Technique.
Might Guy and Kakashi's taijutsu were both excellent, and watching might offer Shizune some insights.
Shizune obediently nodded and went over with Mokgetsu.
Both of them were very familiar with the battle process, creating some distance and forming the Seal of Opposition with each other.
Seeing that both were ready, Mokgetsu, acting as referee, shouted: "Start the battle!"
"Breath of Thunder, Full Concentration!"
As soon as Mokgetsu's words fell, Kakashi immediately focused his breathing to enhance his physical power.
"Breath of Rock, Full Concentration! Eight Gates, Opening Gate... Life Gate, open!"
Might Guy directly pushed his state to the max, not only focusing his breathing to the extreme but also opening the first three gates of the Eight Gates.
At this moment, the momentum around Might Guy was immense, a terrifying pressure causing nearby fallen leaves to move without wind, making the air solemn.
During the Chunin Examination, due to the distance, Shizune hadn't felt it too strongly, but now at this close range, Shizune deeply felt the power of Might Guy in this state.
"Opening directly to the third gate?" Feeling Might Guy's current aura, Kakashi's expression became more serious.
Swoosh!
Might Guy laughed heartily and charged at Kakashi at high speed.
Kakashi, without a bit of hesitation, went out to meet him.
Bam bam!!
After clashing, the two engaged in a rapid exchange of blows, making it hard to tell who had the upper hand.