Might Guy had actually been waiting here for a while.
As soon as he heard the Third Hokage say he had found a very suitable disciple for him, he rushed over without stopping.
Then, hiding in the small grove, he exercised while observing Naruto.
Watching Naruto do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats in continuous cycles, Might Guy felt his soul of youth ignite completely.
'This isn't just my disciple!'
'This is burning youth!'
'Sweat dripping down is the radiance of youth!'
Might Guy jumped out immediately.
"So… so cool!", Seeing Might Guy perform a spinning movement in midair, Naruto instinctively let out an exclamation of admiration.
This, in turn, stunned Might Guy, who had just jumped out. It was the first time he had encountered such praise.
Tears welled up in his eyes, flowing out like a breached dam, "Young man, what is your name?"
Because he had come in a hurry, Might Guy didn't even know Naruto's name or identity.
"Naruto! My name is Uzumaki Naruto. Who are you, old man?", Naruto raised his hand and shouted loudly.
"I am Might Guy, the proud Blue Beast of Konoha, Crazy Guy!", Might Guy struck a very strange pose, leaving Ino, Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata, who were watching from behind, completely dumbfounded.
Naruto was also momentarily stunned.
"Very well, Naruto, tell me, why do you want to become strong?", Might Guy's expression suddenly shifted from his previous goofy look to one of seriousness as he stared intently at Naruto.
For some reason, Naruto also became nervous. He instinctively felt that this question was very important.
If it were before, he would have answered immediately that he wanted to become Hokage and gain everyone's recognition.
But one day, someone had told him that there was no need to strive for the approval of people who had nothing to do with him.
Two thoughts seemed to be clashing inside his mind.
He felt his brain tremble.
Might Guy also saw the confusion in Naruto's eyes, but he wasn't surprised. Kids at this age were all confused, which was why they needed a teacher to guide them.
Might Guy placed his hand on Naruto's head, and Naruto snapped out of it, looking up at him.
"If you feel lost, just think about what you want to do the most right now!"
"The thing I want to do the most right now?"
Naruto thought for a moment and answered seriously.
"I want to defeat Sasuke and protect Aoba!", The moment he said this, the ones who reacted the most were not Might Guy but Tenten, Ino, Sakura, and Hinata. [T/N: Geh]
They looked at Naruto with eyes full of vigilance and moved closer to Aoba, surrounding him.
'Beware of Konoha's Southern Bolt!'
'Aoba (kun) has our protection!'
Might Guy burst into laughter and patted Naruto's head approvingly.
"Hahaha! Young man, it seems you've already found the true meaning of becoming strong. True strength isn't about defeating powerful foes but protecting what's most important to you."
"However, having a rival is just as important. A rival gives you motivation to become even stronger. I also have a rival who is my best friend at the same time."
"He is a true genius. To defeat him, I've been training in an extremely powerful taijutsu. Do you want to train with me?", Might Guy extended an invitation to Naruto.
Naruto's expression became curious.
"Old man, are you really strong? Sasuke is pretty amazing."
"Of course! I am one of Konoha's rare taijutsu Jonin! When it comes to youth, I won't lose to anyone!", Might Guy flashed his dazzling white teeth again.
"So strong!", Naruto's eyes lit up slightly, but then he looked back at Aoba.
As if seeking his opinion.
Aoba, seeing Might Guy's sudden appearance and remembering that Naruto had said he couldn't learn ninjutsu, quickly guessed that this might have been arranged by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
He nodded, signaling Naruto to accept. Besides, Might Guy was no weakling—he was already one of Konoha's top-tier Jonin.
Seeing Aoba's response, Naruto's gaze became incredibly sincere, "Guy-sensei! I want to learn taijutsu!"
"Haha! Very well! From now on, I will train you properly. Let's defeat our rivals together!"
Might Guy was equally overjoyed and didn't mind Naruto seeking others' opinions. He admired kids with perseverance the most, so he was very satisfied with Naruto.
He needed to properly thank Lord Third.
"Young men! It looks like I'll be disturbing you all for a while!", Might Guy directed these words at Aoba's group.
They quickly nodded, indicating they had no objections.
"Well then, Naruto, follow my steps closely! Let me see your limits!"
"Yes, sir! Guy-sensei!"
"Aoba! I'll do my best!"
And so, under the setting sun, the two of them burned with passion.
Watching their sweating silhouettes, everyone except Aoba was still in a daze.
"Aoba… is this really okay? That old man seems kind of weird," Sasuke couldn't help but whisper into Aoba's ear.
Though he didn't like Naruto much, he was still worried that Naruto might be tricked by a strange old man.
Aoba shook his head and said, "It should be fine. My uncle told me that old man is a very powerful taijutsu ninja. He's just a bit eccentric in his behavior, but he's actually a really good person."
Then, his tone suddenly became serious.
"Sasuke, Naruto now has a very strong teacher. Maybe soon, you won't be his match anymore. You'd better work hard too," After saying that, he patted Sasuke's shoulder as encouragement.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"I have my brother to help me! My brother is definitely stronger than that guy!"
Sasuke glared at Aoba, feeling like he was belittling his brother, Uchiha Itachi, and the entire Uchiha clan.
"I don't know about that. But as far as I've heard, that old man's strength is on par with Konoha's strongest Jonin, Hatake Kakashi. What will you do if you actually lose?"
'T-That strong?', Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief. He hadn't expected that weird old man to be so powerful. And Aoba didn't look like he was lying.
He fell silent and walked off to the side, deciding to train even harder.
He had already lost to Aoba. If he lost to Naruto too, then there'd be no one left for him to defeat. The Uchiha clan's reputation would be ruined.
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