The next morning.
When Might Guy saw Katsumi Kei again—and saw Hayate—his eyes widened.
"Kei... you've gotten stronger again!"
His gaze shifted. "And Hayate... he's evolved again?!"
"Is there no limit to your bloodline limit?!"
His exclamation startled Tenten and Naruto. Both turned to Kei in astonishment.
In just a few days, he had grown even stronger? And Hayate had evolved again?
Kei simply smiled. "I recently awakened my bloodline limit, so I'm experiencing a burst growth period. My strength is increasing rapidly... for now."
He added, calmly, "It will slow down eventually. Evolution materials will get rarer. That will temper my pace."
It wasn't an excuse.
Simple evolution materials could be bought or gathered. But high-tier ones? They required power, influence, or time. Kei would eventually hit that wall.
Well.
'Only a little,' he thought to himself. 'If I recover and evolve more beasts, the power curve climbs again.'
The real gains came from multiple evolutions. Low-level summons could boost strength in numbers—but only high-level summons had truly powerful talents.
Might Guy mulled over Kei's words.
"How long will this burst period last?"
Kei shrugged. "Not sure. Probably not long."
Guy sighed, then looked to Hayate. "So? What changed with Hayate?"
Tenten and Naruto leaned in.
Hayate's eyes now glowed faintly with blue light—like swirling storms trapped in canine form.
"If you really want to see," Kei said, grinning slightly, "why not spar?"
This time, he was the one issuing the challenge.
Guy laughed. "You're speaking my language. Alright. Let's test him."
They moved to the side field. Kei stood by with Shadow on his shoulder. Tenten watched from his left. Naruto held his new pup, Kanemaru, on his right.
"Hayate. Begin."
"Woof!!!"
Hayate launched forward.
With a rush of wind, a storm flared around him—a swirling aura of pressure and power. The storm suit cloaked his form like armor. It gleamed with compressed motion.
His speed surged.
Guy's eyes narrowed. "This speed... it's nearly on par with Kakashi's Chidori."
Reacting instantly, chakra flared around his leg.
"Excited Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
His kick tore through the air with a sonic scream.
But Hayate twisted mid-step, claws sweeping.
Four wind blades erupted, slicing forward in a claw pattern.
Guy didn't want to use the Eight Gates in a spar—but his raw body couldn't block those wind blades. Not safely.
He blurred back and whipped out his nunchaku.
Blue chakra coated them instantly.
"Double Attack Fangs!"
The nunchaku spun like twin blurs, colliding with the incoming blades. One by one, they shattered into vapor.
But Hayate was relentless.
Another swipe. More wind claws.
Then his maw opened—and storm-forged wind bullets burst forth.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each one struck like a miniature explosion. Dust flew. Wind howled.
Tenten's eyes sparkled. "Hayate's so cool now! It's like he became a Wind General!"
Naruto watched in awe. Even Kanemaru yipped excitedly.
Kei said nothing, but a small smile curved his lips.
Hayate wasn't just strong.
He was fighting Guy to a standstill.
...
"How long has it been? Hayate's become so much stronger! This is really shocking!" Might Guy grunted as he smashed through another wave of wind blades and wind cannons with his spinning nunchaku.
He could hardly believe it. Just days ago, Hayate had been a promising ninja dog—fast, sharp, coordinated. But now? Now, he was a storm incarnate. A summon capable of suppressing Guy in open combat.
The speed of Kei and Hayate's progression was terrifying.
But Guy didn't intend to back down. He'd been forged in countless battles. This was where he thrived.
Hayate was strong, but young—his combat instincts sharp, yet raw.
Guy's expression shifted. Time to adapt.
He loosened his stance, began mixing in feints—subtle missteps, deceptive angles.
Bang! Bang!
The nunchaku smashed through two wind cannons.
"Clone Technique!" Guy barked.
A puff of smoke. Two Guy clones appeared—then wind blades shredded them immediately.
Shadow clone deception? Not today.
Hayate's eyes narrowed.
He didn't need sight. He had the wind.
He knew exactly where the real Guy was.
The air told him.
His jaw opened. Storm pressure condensed. Compressed winds gathered in his mouth, spinning violently.
Kei's brows twitched. He could already see it: Hayate preparing a large-scale wind cannon.
But something wasn't right.
Hayate wasn't reading between the lines.
Kei stayed silent.
Because while Hayate had become powerful—Guy had experience.
Sure enough, the smoke cleared.
Guy shot in from Hayate's left.
Hayate twisted his head—wind cannon already charging.
Fwooom!!
The blast erupted—raw, shrieking air pressure crashing forward.
Guy vanished.
Boom!
A stake exploded into splinters.
"Body Replacement," Kei murmured. 'Of course.'
Hayate blinked in disbelief.
But no panic.
Behind him—Guy attacked.
Nunchaku spun down with precision.
This time, he was going for a clean takedown.
It never landed.
Guy's eyes widened.
His nunchaku hit nothing.
Only a swirl of breeze.
Hayate had elementalized.
He was gone.
"Wha—?!"
Before Guy could reposition, Hayate's form surged from the air behind him, crashing into Guy's back.
Bang!
Guy tumbled, caught himself, rolled upright.
Kei's voice rang out: "That's enough, Hayate."
The storm receded. Hayate returned to flesh and blood.
He trotted to Kei, tail wagging.
Tenten and Naruto stared wide-eyed.
"That was so cool!" Naruto gasped.
"Hayate's like a wind warlord!" Tenten said, eyes sparkling.
Hayate reached Kei, barking excitedly. "Woof! Woof!!"
Kei reached down, scratching his head.
"Good work."
Naruto and Tenten both turned to Kei with new admiration in their eyes.
Guy approached, laughing. "Incredible. That was a proper test. Hayate's abilities are beyond what I expected."
There was no bitterness in his voice—only pride.
Might Guy had known defeat many times in his life. He'd faced overwhelming odds, lost to rivals, fallen short again and again. But his YOUTH had never given up. Each setback had only sharpened his spirit.
This was simply another one of those times. And both Kei and Guy knew he hadn't gone all out; the blue beast unleashed was an entirely different creature.
But nonetheless, Guy acknowledged he had underestimated Hayate.
"You've raised a strong partner, Kei. And he fights like you. Precise. Relentless. Smart."
Kei bowed slightly. "We still have a lot to learn."
Guy nodded.
"Then let's keep pushing forward. All of us."
.......
Daily power stone goal:
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These are chapters I've already written and saved up just for this!
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Every 100 Power Stones total (all-time cumulative) = 1 bonus chapter unlocked (no limit!)
These cumulative power stones might not help with the story's rankings, but I've decided to include it to thank y'all for sticking with the story after a 5 month absence.
Cumulative total: 77/100 (as of 6/18/2025)
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