Chapter 44 - Kai, What Is True Victory?

"Go for it, I believe you can do it!"

Tsunade nodded, offering more encouragement.

Might Guy was overcome with excitement, immediately declaring that he would strive and never disappoint Tsunade’s expectations.

Then, he dashed off, disappearing from view.

Tsunade stood in silence for a few seconds, then turned her head. "Has he always been like this?"

"He's a bit unpredictable, but once you get used to him, you'll see he's a hardworking and talented ninja," Kyōen spoke in defense of Guy.

Tsunade nodded.

Of course, she knew Guy was a good person, someone who worked hard. Otherwise, she wouldn't have offered him her support.

Tsunade and Orochimaru arrived so quickly—was it a coincidence, or have they been keeping an eye on her?

Kyōen observed, his mind turning the possibilities over.

Then...

He asked, "Tsunade-sama, have you overcome that thing yet?"

"Not so easily," Tsunade shook her head.

She had been researching and looking for related information, trying to find a suitable medicine, but Konoha had no records on that, and the field was completely blank.

On the bright side, this meant that the medical field had huge room for advancement, and there were many directions she could explore.

She chuckled softly.

"I was just discussing with Orochimaru whether there is any specific neural reaction after the hydration technique of the Ghost Lantern Clan."

"That..." Kyōen couldn't offer an answer.

Tsunade smiled sharply.

"Don’t worry about it, I’m Tsunade, a minor issue like that won’t stop me. If I can’t find the medicine now, it just means there’s nothing available yet."

She walked forward but suddenly paused.

"By the way, Jiraiya has been out of the village. Have I told you about the Chūnin Exams?"

"No, but Guy mentioned it to me just now," Kyōen replied.

Tsunade slapped her forehead.

"I’ve been so caught up in research, I forgot to mention it!"

She then explained the situation regarding the Chūnin Exams.

It was mostly the same as what Guy had said.

However, Tsunade touched on more in-depth matters.

The situation in the Land of Waves was similar to what Kyōen had anticipated.

At the national level...

Nobles from various countries were gathering in the Land of Waves to discuss maritime rules and policies to prevent commercial companies from monopolizing the sea trade.

At the level of the hidden villages, Konoha had formed alliances with the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Hot Water Village to force the Hidden Mist Village to declare that they would not secretly support Kado and would not interfere in the internal affairs of the Land of Waves.

Konoha was also the same.

Jiraiya had attended the meeting as a representative.

The Chūnin Exams were merely a side event to this meeting; in essence, everyone wanted to know how the villages had recovered from the war.

The location for the event was set in the Hidden Hot Water Village.

"Everyone still has small-scale conflicts and skirmishes on the side, so no one feels safe. We decided to hold it in the neutral Hot Water Village. This is a very special exam, and the village is being cautious about selecting participants."

Tsunade glanced at Kyōen. "You and Kurenai are among them."

Kyōen asked, "Can Kakashi participate?"

Tsunade shook her head.

Kakashi was already a Chūnin, and participating in such a joint exam might lead to unnecessary gossip.

"Even if you and Kurenai participate, you'll still need a temporary team member. Any candidates?"

"What about Guy and the others?"

"They’re not strong enough. As for Might Guy..."

Tsunade pondered briefly over the information.

Putting aside ninjutsu and academics, Might Guy was not weak. His two teammates, however, didn't quite meet the standards, but forming a temporary team for the exam was possible.

She had planned to ask Kyōen about it.

But then, remembering Guy’s earlier behavior, Tsunade's lips twitched. She discarded the idea of asking him again anytime soon.

"I’ll ask Kurenai for you. As for Might Guy, you should ask him directly to avoid misunderstandings. If you’re both set on participating, there’s a month left for training."

"Got it!"

Since Guy had mentioned it earlier, Kyōen had no doubts he was willing to participate.

...

After saying goodbye to Tsunade, Kyōen found Might Guy outside the village.

Guy was training while wiping away tears.

Kyōen hesitated for a moment, then walked up to him.

"Guy, I need to ask you something important. Who from your team is participating in the Chūnin Exams? If you're the only one, our team might be short one member."

Might Guy blinked, then his expression lit up with joy.

"Really?"

"I’ve always believed in you, or did you think I was just comforting you?"

"Kyōen!"

Guy immediately hugged Kyōen.

Then, he quickly let go and said excitedly, "I’ll train harder! I won’t be a burden to you! I’ll run five hundred more laps today. If I can’t do it, I’ll—"

"I’ll train with you!" Kyōen cut him off.

"Great!" Guy grinned widely.

...

That night, both were exhausted, but Kyōen still insisted on walking Guy to his doorstep.

"Guy, is he the new friend you mentioned?"

"Yes, this is Kyōen, the one I talked about," Guy replied.

Guy hesitated for a moment, then said, "Father, he invited me to join the Chūnin Exams too!"

Might Guy paused for a moment, then reached out and ruffled his son’s hair.

After a brief pause, Might Guy said, "Guy, do you remember what I told you about what true victory for a ninja is?"

"To protect what’s most important to you, even at the cost of your life."

"Yes, today I’ll teach you a technique. It’s not fully perfected, but—during this Chūnin Exam, you’ll need to protect your teammates."

Might Guy suddenly unleashed a huge amount of chakra.

At that moment, Guy stood frozen.

Though he had stopped hating his father's "youth" sayings and even unconsciously learned some, he never imagined his father possessed such incredible power.

"This technique can only be used to protect teammates. I will train you to master it."

"Yes!" Guy replied eagerly.

...

The next day, at the agreed-upon training field outside the village.

"You two?" Kurenai asked, noticing the exhausted expressions.

"We won’t hold you back!" Kyōen and Guy answered in unison.

Kurenai frowned.

It was obvious these two had been training for a long time and didn’t seem in peak condition.

Kyōen was a bit tired, but it shouldn’t affect today’s training.

As for Might Guy...

He was in bad shape. Clearly, he hadn’t rested the night before.

Kurenai stared at him.

Guy immediately shrank back. "I... I didn’t mean to..."

A moment later, the fourth person arrived.

Though covered up, Kurenai could clearly tell Kakashi was badly bruised.

She sighed.

"You guys! Let me treat you first. My skills may not be the best, but I can handle these injuries."

"No need, it won’t affect the fight," Kakashi replied coldly.

Kyōen added, "Kurenai, don’t blame us. You didn’t get much rest either, did you?"

Kurenai fell silent.

Everyone wanted to grow stronger, so how could she rest?

After a while, the fifth and sixth arrived.

Kagero, Hinata, and Ebisu were in much better condition, clearly well-rested.

But when they saw the other four...

It was clear that each of them had been training relentlessly.

Compared to them, Kagero and Ebisu felt embarrassed.

Before, they had only compared themselves to Guy, thinking his average talent didn’t warrant such intense effort.

But now...

Kakashi, Kurenai, and Kyōen?

They were all Jiraiya's disciples!

And yet, they were training as intensely as Guy!

"Let’s begin. Today’s training will focus on improving teamwork to prepare for the joint Chūnin Exam. As for the three of us..."

Kakashi glanced at Kagero and Ebisu.

He instinctively wanted to complain, but suppressed the urge rationally.

"We’ll just focus on our own training."

After all, even Kakashi knew that without a straightforward weapon fight, he might not be Kyōen’s match.