After school that day, Uchiha Maí was stopped once again by Might Guy. To be honest, Maí had found it a little surprising that Guy hadn't stubbornly continued challenging him over the past few days.
- Maí, fight me! - Guy declared, wearing his usual eccentric outfit. He raised his thick eyebrows and pointed his thumb at himself, brimming with excitement. - I actually wanted to challenge you days ago, but my dad rarely gets time off from missions, so I spent several days training with him instead.
He paused, clearly energized.
- When my dad heard that there's a young Uchiha genius who also takes taijutsu seriously, he was really encouraged - just like me!
Guy's father?
Wasn't that Might Dai, the man who once kicked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into becoming a joke of "lucky mascots"?
Maí's interest was instantly piqued.
- Is your father still in the village? - he asked.
- Yeah, he is. Why? - Guy scratched his head, confused.
- Nothing serious. I've run into some issues in my taijutsu training lately and wanted to consult a true expert - Maí replied.
Most of what he had gained from Mayweather-style boxing was related to power generation in punches and psychological tactics, while jiu-jitsu focused mainly on grapples and locks. But there was an old saying: arms can't overpower legs. The strength of the legs far surpassed that of fists and palms.
In modern boxing, kicking techniques were rare due to scoring rules and the high risk of losing balance in close combat. In contrast, the ninja world was different. With their incredible agility, shinobi didn't need to worry much about balance, and most taijutsu styles across the great villages revolved around kicks.
Konoha's Strong Fist style and Kumogakure's ninja body techniques were prime examples.
Maí urgently needed to learn the hardest and most stylish kicking techniques in the ninja world to compensate for the shortcomings in his own system.
And really, what was strange about a fist-based style learning leg techniques? Even the Strong Fist was packed with kicks.
When Guy heard that an Uchiha wanted to learn taijutsu from his father, he grew even more excited and immediately burst into tears again.
- If my dad finds out that a Uchiha genius wants to learn taijutsu from him, he'll be so happy! I'll take you to him right now! My dad is the strongest taijutsu ninja in Konoha - no, in the entire ninja world! You'll definitely learn a lot!
Without waiting for a response, Guy completely forgot about the challenge and grabbed Maí, dragging him straight toward his house.
Maí was momentarily stunned. He had underestimated the influence of the Uchiha surname.
Even in an era when the flames of war had yet to fully die out, the name Uchiha carried an unparalleled deterrent force in the ninja world, rivaled only by the Senju.
Leaving aside the three-tomoe Sharingan, any Uchiha who awakened their eyes would, upon reaching adulthood, almost certainly possess at least two tomoe. With some experience and refinement, paired with the Sharingan, becoming a jōnin was practically guaranteed.
A jōnin was the backbone of a village. Even at Konoha's peak, the number of jōnin never exceeded three hundred.
Within the Uchiha clan alone, as far as Maí knew, there were at least forty ninjas with two or three tomoe - meaning thirty to forty potential jōnin.
Most of them didn't even have official ninja registration numbers.
Only ninjas who graduated from the Academy received a number. That was why, although Konoha's ninja IDs barely exceeded ten thousand, the Five Great Villages were able to assemble an Allied Shinobi Force of seventy thousand during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Thirty to forty jōnin amounted to more than one-tenth of Konoha's elite combat power. For comparison, Sunagakure - one of the weaker great villages - barely had over a hundred jōnin.
That was the foundation of a clan that once stood alongside the Senju as the strongest in the ninja world.
The Uchiha were the aristocracy among ninjas. So noble, in fact, that even when Sasuke's early talent seemed rather ordinary, he was still the center of attention during the Chūnin Exams.
In the ninja world, the Uchiha fan crest worked better than any symbol of status.
Now, as for Might Guy and Might Dai -
Because they were nearly incapable of using ninjutsu, father and son could only devote themselves to taijutsu. As a result, they never earned recognition from other ninjas and were subjected to countless looks of disdain.
Living at the bottom of Konoha's hierarchy, they desperately longed for acknowledgment.
For a young Uchiha - member of one of the most powerful clans in the ninja world - to hear that Dai's taijutsu was formidable and seek guidance from him, a mere genin… did that count as recognition?
It absolutely did.
The Uchiha themselves practiced taijutsu as well. Otherwise, how would Uchiha Madara have earned the title "Rose of the Battlefield" in the past?
Guy dragged Maí all the way home at a full sprint, not stopping for a single moment. He pushed open the door and shouted:
- Dad, I'm back!
In the somewhat rundown courtyard, Might Dai - who looked very much like an older version of Guy - sat on a small stool under the shade of a tree, sewing weighted leg bands for his son.
Hearing Guy's voice, he put down the needle and looked up in confusion.
- You're back early today. Didn't you say you were going to challenge a classmate? - Then he noticed Maí. - Uh… and who is this?
Why did he bring someone home?
Dai took another look, and when he noticed the fan-shaped crest on Maí's clothing, his pupils contracted slightly.
- Mr. Dai, nice to meet you. I'm Uchiha Maí, Guy's classmate - Maí said, bowing politely.
Dai was even more shocked.
Since when were Uchiha this courteous? Was this some kind of fake Uchiha?
The ones he usually saw all walked around with their noses in the air, looking down on everyone else.
Still, since Maí was here to ask for help, basic courtesy was only natural.
Guy pulled Maí closer to his father and introduced him enthusiastically:
- Dad, he's the Uchiha I told you about - the one who's really interested in taijutsu and is very strong. He said he's run into some problems in his training and wants advice from a ninja who truly understands taijutsu.
- B-but… I'm just a genin… - Dai said hesitantly, suddenly lacking confidence. The name Uchiha was still intimidating.
Maí smiled and lied without hesitation.
- I've heard about you from some elders in my clan. They said that although you're only a genin, your strength is remarkable, especially your understanding and mastery of taijutsu, which ranks among the best in Konoha. If it weren't for your inability to master the basic techniques, you would have long since been promoted to chūnin.
W-what…?
An Uchiha speaking so highly of me?
Might Dai froze for a moment. Then, all of a sudden, he burst into tears and hugged his son tightly.
- My taijutsu… my taijutsu has finally been recognized by the village! I, Might Dai, am not useless! I'm also a strong ninja!
- Of course you are, Dad! Taijutsu isn't something only useless people train! - Guy replied, just as emotional.
Father and son clung to each other, pouring out years of bitterness and hardship, completely ignoring Maí's presence.
Uchiha Maí: "..."
Could it be that this tendency to cry easily and openly display emotions had already been present since the father's generation?
He just hoped he wouldn't be influenced by it. Learning the hardest and most stylish kicking techniques in the ninja world would mean nothing if he ended up turning into an emotional goofball and could no longer farm style points.
(End of the chapter)