Cid finally gets a 'conversation' he deserves.

Also development of chakra-based martial art.

What was the Eight Battle Style?

To be fair, it was quite literally just CQC (Close Quarters Combat) that was polished to perfection. Why was it Eight, though?…

Well, you see, back when Seven Shades, his future closest subordinates (and friends (and something more)), just formed, they didn't know anything about actually fighting… A given, considering that youngest was close to 13 years old, while oldest was almost 15 at the time the last one was saved from Magic Overload.

It was up to Cid to teach them important survival skills and other stuff. And at first it went quite well! Alpha, the first saved, turned out to be very talented in the way of the sword, which Cid at that moment was developing diligently due to his fascination with stuff he deemed cool, and so each training session with her was a bliss; sometimes he even secretly picked up some stuff he found suitable for his roleplay needs. Then Beta, second saved, came in, and while she was not as talented with sword as Cid hoped her to be, she was still sharp enough to understand most of the stuff. Really, the only problem with her that Cid had was the fact that she was easily scared and feared blood too much; that problem, however, was fixed after Cid played psychologist for some time. After that Beta became a good fighter, albeit she preferred long-range weapons like bows more, but still was proficient enough in sword.

And then Gamma and Delta came.

You can't make it up: while Gamma's intelligence sometimes scared even Cid himself, she was… Absolute mess in body department. Trip on the absolutely straight floor three times in ten seconds and get multiple nosebleeds because of that? Why, yes! Use sword as a freaking stick because even after years of training because she does not have any battle reflexes whatsoever? Happened multiple times! At some point Gamma herself realized that and with tears in her eyes came up to him. Well, Cid just advised to focus on her strong point, intelligence. That advice went way too well, considered that it was her who created the world-controlling economical giant… Yeah…

In short, she used big fucking sword, as big as her body and almost as thick- Uh, he means it was really large… Anyway, she just used a freaking stick. That's pretty much it.

Delta? Well, she was a therianthrope, or beastwoman. She did not bother with any weapon or technique and purely relied on her raw power and claws. Brute force approach, in short. After Delta Cid completely lost any motivation to train the newcomers and let Alpha and Beta teach them, though they did manage to create mechanical claws for her.

Epsilon preferred a scythe, for some reason… Though scythe did look cool, that he had to admit. She also was one of the few people in the world who actually trained magic to no end, with the other ones being Cid himself and Demon Diablos…

Zeta liked chakrams. And kunais. Yes, the head of espionage was, in fact, somewhat of a shinobi herself. Pretty funny, considering who she also was…

And Eta could've been another contender for magic research if not for the fact that she simply researched for the sake of research; after she got what she wanted the result would be placed in the corner and successfully forgotten about. She was so lazy that she didn't even bother to pick up a weapon for herself, instead using slime suit to mass spam multiple weapons; rarely she would pick up a large wrench and wave it around.

Why is he talking about that? Well, as you can see, despite having a lot of possible weapons to use, no one in his organization bothered with mastering CQC, except him. He finds it a bit sad, if he's being honest…

However, now he has a disciple that wants to become a martial artist! And martial art is what? Right! CQC! That's why it's Eight Battle Style: the previous seven are what Seven Shades used.

However, instead of just opting with using effective, but boring attacks Cid wanted to create something… flashy. Don't get him wrong, he still advocates for effectiveness over effects, but considering that he can combine both without much damage to either? You bet he is gonna do it!

Alright, he needs to make a basic stance first… Let's see… Hmm, considering that Rock Lee can't properly use his chakra (or whatever replaced it), Cid needs to do something that would make up for it… Creating taijutsu that would allow using ninjutsu? Seems like a cool idea! How does he do that, though?

Hmm, hand seals actually serve the same purpose, don't they? He means, forcing the chakra to flow in a certain way to make technique creation simpler? Yeah, seems like it…

So Cid can use his studies on hand seals and how they affect chakra system in order to create a taijutsu style that would mimic the effects of ninjutsu! Now he is motivated!

Imagine doing a strike and creating fire! Or taking a stance and making your skin as hard as steel! That's, like, martial arts that everyone pictures when reading certain novels! And now he has a way to actually make it true! Ah, yiss!

It has been a month since Spider-sensei has taken Lee under his wings.

True to his words, the training that young boy endured was harsh, way too harsh as some might say… But Rock Lee was joyful. He could feel the result of his training; previously immovable dummy has been destroyed in few strikes. Still didn't compare to Spider-sensei's palm strike, however Lee was positive that someday he could reach this level too.

His training partner was young, a year or two younger than Lee himself, kid named Uzumaki Naruto. Honestly, Lee has heard village's rumors about the kid, but upon meeting him in person he concluded that they were all false. Like, really? He is incarnation of a demon? He is the sweetest person Lee has ever met! Always positive just like Lee himself, full of smiles, and equally invested in training. Naruto, however, could use chakra like other people, so he was more focused on cool techniques than somewhat boring and taxing taijutsu. Lee couldn't blame him, but wouldn't mind if Uzumaki paid a bit more effort in exercises…

At some point Academy teachers noticed the progress of young boy and have sent a request to Academy's officials. Apparently, sometimes cases like his emerged, where a student would be bad at one field, but excellent at others… His case was unique, however: it was the second time the only available field was taijutsu. Nonetheless, considering his achievements in taijutsu, officials decided that he was more than ready to become shinobi after the third year passes; shinobi deciding to focus on one specific field was actually pretty much a standard scenario, it's just that in Lee's case he would not be able to study any other field even if he wanted to.

Nonetheless, boy did not despair; in fact, it only proved that the path he took was right! He could become an awesome shinobi through taijutsu! The first step is taken!

Elated, he continued his training. Seven punches, and the training dummy falls down. Another seven, another dummy. He continued to polish his skills; it has come to the point where the punches didn't hurt anymore, instead only being mildly painful. Spider-sensei continued granting knowledge to him, however he said the Eight Battle Style was still a bit outside of Lee's reach. By his estimations, though, after a month or two of diligent training Lee will be able to study the First Stance. Lee couldn't wait…

"All in training, young man?" a voice interrupted him, "Not bad, not bad. Diligent as always, aren't you?"

"Ah, greetings!… Uh…" the adult man in front of him was not quite familiar to him… Though Lee himself noticed how ridiculously similar they were with their black hair and black eyes.

"Might Guy! The one and only eternal rival of Kakashi Hatake!" the man took a cool guy pose and did a thumbs up with closed eye, "Also a follower of Power of Youth! And Konoha's jonin!"

"Guy-san! Greetings!" Lee did a quick bow, "And what did you mean, 'as always'?"

"Ah, I have noticed you a few weeks ago, but didn't want to interrupt your training. Now, however, I have noticed that you actually started to develop a style…" Guy's smile didn't falter in the least, "And so I wanted to know who is such an outstanding individual that could develop or inherit such an interesting style which he is now teaching you, young man!"

"Oh, that would Spider-sensei, Guy-san," Lee spoke the name with pride.

"Spider?… Ah, Anbu, I see. Do you think he's free right now?" jonin questioned.

"No," boy shook his head, "He gave me instructions an hour ago as usual and then left. He comes in the morning for taijutsu classes in academy, then stays for an hour and half after the studying hours to give a training for everyone who wishes… Though I am the only one after all the time," Lee sighed sadly.

Yeah, everyone else left shortly after applying for taijutsu extra courses. While in Academy, Spider-sensei somewhat held himself back, staying in Academy's guidelines, but on extra training he was extra strict, to the point where even if student was on the verge of collapse, he just applied some kind of jutsu to restore their stamina and let them back on the training. Lee could understand why most would rather leave…

"I see… So, tomorrow I can meet him in the academy…" Guy rubbed his chin.

"You want to fight him?" Lee asked straightforward.

And, contrary to his expectations, jonin only laughed at his question.

"Why, of course! It isn't every day I meet someone with a good style! Ah, I can feel the Power of Youth within me!…" did Lee just imagine it, or was there really a setting sun behind the jonin despite the sun still being near zenith?

He, however, could somewhat understand the older man.

"I see! Then, Guy-san, I would wish to see it happen! Spider-sensei also said it was a long time since he last had a conversation with skilled opponent!"

For some reason, it made jonin stop.

"'Conversation'?…" he clenched his fist and shot it to the sky, "Ha-ha! Great! I shall wait for that!"

On the next day, as promised, Might Guy appeared near the training field while Spider-sensei was granting knowledge to the students. However, instead of interfering in the process, he simply leaned on a tree and started listening.

"…Remember," Spider continued his deceivingly soft speech, "The moment you engage in physical combat, it is all decided by whether or not you can read your opponent's moves. Can you understand which move they want to execute now? Can you understand that they understand that you understand? A battle between newbies is whoever can strike harder, as they do not have the technique to back their power. The battle between experts is whoever can use the flashier technique, and it all would be decided on whether or not the technique is more powerful. However, masters only use technique as means of quick combat, as reflex; battle between masters is a deep, intimate conversation. They can stand in one place for minutes, reacting to minute changes in each other's bodies with their own changes, yet to a naked eye it would seem that no one does anything. At this level, all techniques but the most simple are too slow to for master's reaction. The moment someone tries to execute them without prior preparation, they become an easy target for their opponent."

Might Guy nodded in agreement. Indeed, while his techniques were certainly powerful and could be a battle finisher, in order to actually use them he has to create a moment first. If he tries to do it head-on, he would most likely find himself in peril.

"This is why most masters opt to come back to their roots, to the most basic moves. In their hands, a blade of grass becomes a sword; with their experience, even a press of palm becomes deadlier than a punch. Of course, they can leave their heritage, the techniques they developed along the way, so new generation can study them and create their own…" Spider looked at the sky, "This is the major advantage we have. With each passing generation, the fire that we carry only becomes stronger."

As if moved by his speech, the environment itself shifted: wind started blowing weakly, making Spider's clothes flutter in the wind, and sun rays fell down on his frame, enveloping him in beautiful halo.

"And that is why I am teaching you. I wish to see yet another master that could make a worthy conversation. I wish to see yet another master that, just like me, would pass down their teachings in hopes to allow another master to emerge. Yes, I only taught three people to become a master…" he paused briefly as his eye passages flashed red, "But these three each will teach another three, making nine. And these nine will teach more, and more…"

He went silent and turned around, to meet jonin's approving gaze.

"What do you say about that?" he whispered, yet his whisper was more audible than thunder.

Might Guy smiled.

"I want to 'converse' with you," he started, stretching his hands, "No chakra. Only pure taijutsu."

Spider simply smiled and took a stance.

The most basic stance that he taught Lee back when their first training concluded.

Guy scrutinized his opponent.

The most basic stance possible, one that isn't even included in taijutsu… And yet, despite how basic it is, Guy could not find a single true opening. Oh, yes, there were so many openings that he couldn't even count them… But they were all traps. The moment he falls for them would be a finish for him.

This is why he decided to take a position first. Spider's smile grew larger. Jonin didn't know from which Anbu branch Spider came from, but he could tell taijutsu style used by his opponent was unlike anything he has ever seen. Even masters of taijutsu still decided to stick to somewhat powerful stances, and yet this one used the most basic one possible. Is this 'coming back to their roots' he mentioned?

Nonetheless, at some point Spider nodded.

And then Guy had to defend himself with Leaf's style. Punch to the right, kick to the left, knee into guts… All these attacks were absolutely basic in their nature, being something that people without any style would try to do if they ended up in a fight, and yet Guy found himself being unable to even try to counter any of them. Each strike was polished to perfection, not leaving a single 'stain' that could lead to fatal counterattack.

However, at some point Guy found a chance. He immediately tried to do a punch against his opponent, and even though the attack was blocked by Spider's elbow, surprise clearly flashed on his face.

Guy specialized in Strong Fist, style all built around using excessive power to aid his attacks. If user is unable to bear strain, even a minute of practicing it would lead to exhaustion, however, should the user grow strong enough, it would provide them with attack power able to break through most defensive techniques through sheer physical prowess without aid of chakra.

However, Spider still managed to block his attack head-on. And judging by his even larger smile…

"I see," he calmly started, not bothered in the least by Guy's presence, "Training yourself to the extremes until your body grows beyond limits, and then creating a style that utilizes the superior physical prowess. Taxing indeed, however…" he suddenly did a kick to force a distance between himself and Guy.

He stretched his neck and flexed his fingers.

"Your prowess does not end here," he continued, staring at jonin, "Despite being deceptively brutish and wild, each and every of your moves is calculated. Even now, you are trying to understand which strike would be the most beneficial against me."

"And you understood all of that with a single exchange," Guy smiled widely.

This is clearly a master of taijutsu. How did village even manage to hide someone like him for so long?

"Don't try to tell me you did not pick something up from the exchange, either," nonetheless, Spider smiled back.

It was as he said: Guy did, in fact, pick up the fact that Spider probably knew multiple styles; if not for his own use, then to be able to counter them. Strong Fist, however, was not one of them as there was a momentary pause in reaction. A given, considering Guy was the only user of that style in the village… and probably whole shinobi world.

"This is the first time I meet someone who actually focused on pure unarmed combat, without relying on weapons, ninjutsu, or anything else" his opponent suddenly confessed and subtly leaned in, "and I adore it."

Suddenly Guy found a fist aiming at his face. In reflex he placed crossed arms to block the strike, only to realize he left his torso wide open. In retaliation he made a knee kick, forcing a distance between them as Spider could not afford to attack with his arms focused on the upper body, either.

Opponent huffed in satisfaction.

"What do you think? Did we impress students enough?" he spoke softly.

Guy looked around only to realize that, indeed, children around them stared with wide eyes at their performance. Some, especially the black-haired boy that resembled Guy himself, even had a look like they just saw their favorite ninja in action… Actually, they probably did.

"We did," Guy confirmed and allowed himself to relax.

His opponent did the same, though instead he took some strange stance. A bit of strange violet chakra flashed over his body, and the marks of Guy's punches on his elbows started to disappear. Some kind of medical jutsu?

"First Stance is finished…" Spider muttered briefly, however Guy still managed to pick it up.

First Stance… Does he develop his own style? Nonetheless, Might Guy was quite elated to find a fellow taijutsu enthusiast and an aspiring taijutsu master if the black-haired kid is anything to go by.

"Ha-ha-ha!" he laughed and made thumbs up, "Meet me once you have free time! We could have another sparring, or we could just go and eat until we can't stand up!"

"Hmm, I will consider it," Spider smiled.

Satisfied, jonin turned around and jumped off.

Though that arm will take some time to heal. At the last moment Spider managed to get to his weak point…

Damn.

Just damn.

Cid didn't expect to actually find someone capable of unarmed 'conversation'! It's just… So peak!

Man, if he knew that earlier, he would already issue multiple fight requests… Though guy named Guy (funny, he knows) would probably politely decline them if Cid didn't have a reputation of taijutsu master… Yeah…

Anyway, this one single fight allowed him to take a peek at actual taijutsu master at work, and as expected, their movements somewhat affected chakra even though Guy tried to suppress it.

In the end, it allowed him to understand how, exactly, it should work. And that's how First Stance was born.

First Stance, all about defensive and regenerative nature; once applied, chakra would start moving in all parts of the body and supply them with energy, increasing their defensive abilities and removing exhaust. It also allowed to slowly regenerate minor wounds… Well, slowly by his standards; for everyone else ability to close up all minor wounds in two minutes and make a somewhat deep wound shallow in ten should already be considered peak! Who knows, maybe someone actually could push it further? Like Lee? Boy seems like a martial arts enthusiast.

Well, it was just First Stance of Eight Battle Style. He planned to create seven more of them, just so it correlates with number eight. That definitely does not align with his sense of style and cool. Nope. Not at all.

Oh yeah, Todd, please place the Oscar for his speech near the others… Yeah, the speech about masters and generations… Thank you!

Did Cid deliver? I think he delivered perfectly.

The scene where he shows off his skills in pure physical combat, without an ounce of magic or other energy… TEiS classic!