Chapter 58: I Admit Defeat, This Time You Win

Might Guy greatly admired Kakashi.

The dueling themes Kakashi came up with were always unexpected, filled with novelty and excitement.

The previous game of rock-paper-scissors was like that, and this time...

Getting beaten up was the same way.

He looked solemnly at Kakashi, then at Chiba, flexed his muscles, and said, "Come on, kid, let me see your progress!"

"Guy-sensei, you must be careful. Make sure to use chakra for defense, preferably covering your entire body with it."

"Don't worry, Konoha's Splendid Green Beast is not so easily knocked down!"

Might Guy gave a thumbs-up, flashing his familiar, blinding white teeth.

Nearby, Kitayama绪 (Kitayama Shu) and the medical ninja Sozen (Souzen) narrowed their eyes, speechless and helpless.

Konoha's Splendid Green Beast...

Whether outsiders acknowledged it or not, they as the medical squad certainly had heard of it. Especially during the period after the medicinal bath was developed, Guy came by practically every day.

Because of this, they understood his personality to varying degrees.

However.

No matter how you looked at it, Jounin Kakashi was just looking for a scapegoat, right?

They remained speechless.

Chiba thought for a moment and decided to hold back his strength as much as possible. He walked up in front of Might Guy, gathered his chakra, and delivered a gentle palm strike aimed at a non-fatal spot.

The force wasn't great, but the chakra was sharp like needles and blades, directly piercing through the defense.

The next instant—

Might Guy's expression changed abruptly. He widened his large, thick-browed eyes and stared at Chiba as cold sweat poured down his forehead.

After a second, he collapsed sideways onto the ground.

"Quick, medical rescue!"

Kitayama Shu's expression changed drastically.

She didn't know what had happened, but Chiba's jutsu had definitely worked.

She ran over and pulled up his trouser leg.

Good grief, there was a red, whirlpool-like blood seal underneath, looking bizarre and terrifying.

This injury...

"Kitayama-sensei, please check him carefully."

Chiba pleaded with an earnest expression.

"Alright, get a stretcher, carry him away."

"Wait, wait!"

Might Guy wasn't actually unconscious yet, which showed the strength of his willpower.

He sat up, his forehead covered in sweat.

"Kakashi, it's your turn!"

"..."

Kakashi shifted his gaze from Guy to Chiba, remaining silent for a moment, not knowing what to say.

After a second, he said sincerely, "Guy, I concede. You win this time."

"???"

Might Guy tilted his head, looking utterly aggrieved, and glared furiously at Kakashi.

"Damn it, I'm supposed to teach Neji and the others taijutsu today, you know! You tricked me!"

"An injury of this level will heal just by treating it."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes.

Then, he looked at Chiba.

Even though he was the one who had lured Guy here, if it weren't for Guy, the one lying on the stretcher right now would be him.

After pondering for a moment, he offered words of comfort, "Guy, get well soon. Konoha needs a genius like you. Your responsibility is heavy, and I cannot replace you."

"Mn..."

Although in pain, Guy actually felt increasingly clear-headed at this moment.

He was uncharacteristically clever.

Kakashi, that bastard, had set him up!

Still, this kid Chiba was truly ruthless. That soft-looking palm strike had hit straight into his bones; it would probably take a while for him to recover.

Guy clicked his teeth, his eyes suddenly lighting up as he said, "Chiba, your jutsu has a bit of the Gentle Fist feel to it! Since this strike of yours put me in the hospital, you have to take responsibility!"

???

Chiba was dumbfounded, then said, "Guy-sensei, I'm very busy."

"Kid, being busy is what youth is all about! I have high hopes for you!"

With that, Guy lay back down on the stretcher and promptly passed out.

Chiba looked at him in bewilderment, watching as Kitayama Shu carried Guy into the medical ward, and then turned his gaze toward his own teacher.

"Kakashi-sensei, look at what you've done to Guy-sensei."

Chiba looked heartbroken.

Such a pure person like Guy-sensei had now learned how to frame others.

He was still just a child!

"If I hadn't set him up, I'd be the one lying down there."

Kakashi thought to himself.

He had felt something was amiss earlier, and upon closer reflection, perhaps this was a ninja's sixth sense for danger!

Naturally, he couldn't show any weakness in front of Chiba.

"Since Guy temporarily entrusted his disciples to you, go and help out. If you're busy, just occasionally offer some guidance."

"I have things to do, see you later!"

Kakashi bolted. With no one else to shift the blame to, Chiba had no choice but to go himself.

After all, he had injured Might Guy, and he understood Guy-sensei's good intentions.

Neji should have been practicing the Gentle Fist.

That child was stubborn, and since Guy didn't know the Gentle Fist, seeing a glimmer of hope now, how could he not think of his disciple?

Chiba sighed lightly in his heart.

Before that, however, he needed to write a report.

Halfway through writing, Chiba paused to think and felt it was better to seek out Neji first.

The other party was a legitimate member of the Hyuga clan.

Even if teaching him the Gentle Fist and tenketsu-striking was out of the question, he wouldn't need to go through the trouble of finding test subjects just to verify the tenketsu points.

Chiba got up and walked outside.

Finding them wouldn't take long.

He remembered Lee's chakra signature, so he could just use a mirror as a medium to locate him.

Ah, all three of them were training, so he could just study barrier ninjutsu a bit more afterward.

Chiba instantly stopped feeling rushed.

By noon.

The Forest of Death.

"So slow. Why is Guy-sensei late today?"

Maki lay flat on the ground.

Lee scratched his head and said, "Maybe he was delayed by something?"

"The teacher should stay far away from Jounin Kakashi."

Neji muttered coldly.

The atmosphere was extremely heavy.

Hiding in the shadows, Chiba debated whether he should come back in the afternoon, but after thinking about it, a meeting was inevitable.

He sighed softly and used Body Flicker to move forward.

Whoosh!

A gentle breeze swept past, and a figure appeared before the three of them.

"Ahem, sorry, I ran into a patient on the way, which delayed me a bit."

"..."

Neji raised his head stiffly, his expression filled with disbelief.

Uchiha Chiba? (Note: Translating his surname correctly based on context, or keeping his name as Chiba)

Why was he here, and judging by his words, it sounded like he was looking for them specifically.

Where was Guy?

"Chiba? Why are you here! Sit, sit, sit, we're waiting for Guy-sensei. Wonder why he hasn't arrived yet."

Lee cheerfully invited Chiba to sit down.

"Wait, Lee. Chiba-kun seems to be here for us."

Maki noticed something was off.

After all, girls tended to be more sensitive. Judging by Chiba's implication, it seemed as though he was replacing Guy-sensei?

"Huh?"

Lee looked at Chiba in complete bewilderment.

"Ahem, Guy-sensei was hospitalized due to an accident, so, uh-hem, I'm filling in for him temporarily."

Chiba gave a simplified explanation.

"Hospitalized?"

Neji frowned.

Given Might Guy's capabilities, how could he end up in the hospital when not on a mission? This was...

Far too unreasonable!

"He helped me test a jutsu, so he got injured. Anyway, that's the current situation. You can go visit him after you finish training."

Chiba said, "He should be discharged soon."

"Is that so? Then let's train together! Awesome, it's been so long since I trained with Chiba, my youthful blood is boiling!"

Lee jumped up excitedly.

"Well then, let's all train together. Neji, I have something to discuss with you."

"What do you want with me?"

Neji looked puzzled.

"You two keep training, I'll talk to Neji alone."

Chiba headed deeper into the woods, and Neji followed closely behind.

Maki looked thoughtful.

It seemed...

Everyone had very naturally forgotten about Chiba being late.

As expected of Jounin Kakashi's disciple!