SWNOVELXO Chapter 25: Guy vs Kakashi.
Morning came as usual. I got up early, cleaned up, and got ready for another day at the Academy. When I arrived, our instructor stood before the class with a rare sense of seriousness.
"There will be a written exam tomorrow," he announced.
Some students groaned. Others panicked. I simply leaned back in my seat, arms crossed, a small smile forming. Written exams weren't a problem for me. With my enhanced memory and prior-life knowledge, I could probably ace the entire syllabus without even revising. I didn't worry about such things.
Once classes ended, the instructor dismissed us for the day. As the students started heading home in their usual groups, I noticed something interesting—Kakashi and Guy were walking together.
Curious.
With nothing better to do and my instincts tingling with the promise of something useful, I activated Mayfly and began following them undetected. My body melded with the environment, my chakra completely masked by the natural energy clinging to me.
They walked deep into a quiet, forested area on the outskirts of the village—completely secluded. A perfect training ground.
That's when Guy did something interesting—he activated the First Gate.
"Hmm. So he's already reached the First Gate…"
In the anime, Guy had only reached the Second Gate during his academy days. Maybe their constant sparring was speeding up his progress in this timeline.
I watched silently from a distance as Guy dashed forward toward Kakashi. Kakashi, calm and composed as ever, quickly formed hand seals and created multiple clones, scattering them across the training field. Guy reached the first and shattered it with a powerful strike. He pivoted and eliminated the second clone effortlessly.
Only the real Kakashi remained now.
Guy charged at him with explosive speed, and Kakashi responded by raising an Earth Wall between them. Then, in a move that made me smirk, Kakashi left a clone behind the wall and used Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique to burrow underground alongside his real self.
Guy, unaware, smashed through the wall and destroyed the decoy waiting behind it. He immediately entered a defensive stance, sensing something was off. Right on cue, one of Kakashi's clones erupted from the earth for a surprise attack. Guy dodged swiftly and retaliated, but it was just another clone.
The real Kakashi tried to ambush him from behind, leaping out of the shadows—but Guy was ready. With a spinning motion, he unleashed a circular Leaf Hurricane, destroying the last clone and forcing Kakashi to use Substitution Jutsu with a wooden log.
I tracked Kakashi's movement to a nearby tree, where he was silently observing, waiting for Guy to lower his guard. But Guy, after deactivating the First Gate, simply sat down, panting.
"I lost again," Guy muttered between breaths.
Kakashi appeared in a flicker and looked at him. "Don't worry. You were definitely better than yesterday."
Guy grinned, and the two got up, agreeing to continue with some light exercises.
At that point, I stepped out from behind a tree.
They both immediately froze, alert and cautious. I walked toward them, and they relaxed only when they recognized me.
Even then, their expressions showed surprise. They hadn't sensed me at all—not even a flicker of chakra.
They couldn't, of course. I'd coated myself with natural energy so subtly that even a Kage wouldn't notice unless they had perfect Sage Mode perception.
"Hey Guy, hey Kakashi," I greeted casually. "I didn't know you two were so close that you trained together out here."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "You followed us just to say that?"
I shrugged. "Not really. I saw you heading this way and got curious. But then I noticed you two were sparring, so I waited until it ended."
Kakashi stared for a second longer, then answered. "This place… it's where my father used to train me."
I blinked. "Sorry. I didn't know."
He waved it off. "No worries."
I decided to shift the topic. "You both ready for tomorrow's written exam?"
Kakashi gave a simple nod. "Yes."
Guy raised a fist. "I'll start studying after I finish today's training! Ren, why don't you join us?"
I shook my head politely. "You two carry on. I've got some work to do."
With that, I vanished using the Body Flicker Technique, leaving only dust behind.
As I moved swiftly back toward the Senju compound, I reflected on the brief encounter.
"Kakashi's affinity is clearly Earth and Lightning. His strategy and battlefield awareness are sharp—even now. And he's already mastered the basic techniques like clones, substitution, and flicker."
"As for Guy… He's a pure taijutsu monster, as expected. But he's definitely stronger than I remember him being at this point in the timeline. Must be the relentless sparring with Kakashi. Iron sharpens iron."
When I arrived home, I went straight to my room and resumed working on genjutsu. Just like the night before, I summoned the scrolls and began absorbing their contents. Page after page, scroll after scroll, I devoured everything.
I didn't want to simply learn genjutsu—I wanted to create one. My own. One that would work even against the toughest foes. Something subtle… deceptive… and deadly.
Time passed unnoticed, and by the time I lifted my head, it was already dark.
Tsunade and I had dinner as usual. Afterward, I channeled some nature energy into her—more than the previous day. Her body accepted it easily. Her recovery had become faster. Her transformation was well underway.
Finally, I returned to my room. I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, thoughts swirling around my head—strategy, genjutsu theory, chakra flow, natural energy integration. So many pieces. So many ideas.
Eventually, sleep overtook me.
Tomorrow would bring the exam.
But tonight... tonight belonged to the dream of illusions.