Eight Gates Release

Konoha Hospital.

A man in bizarre clothing, wearing a green jumpsuit, watched Kagetsu nervously. A smaller child with a watermelon haircut and a tight green jumpsuit obediently let Kagetsu examine him.

"There's nothing serious. He's simply overtrained. His body is overdrawn and has reached its limit," Kagetsu concluded after finishing the examination.

The medical record listed the names Might Duy and Might Guy, marked as father and son.

"Is he really going to be okay?" Might Duy let out a sigh of relief, but still asked worriedly.

"His body has endured a level of training that it shouldn't be handling at this stage. If this continues, it will greatly affect his physical development in the future."

Kagetsu was also shaken by Might Guy's condition. That kind of training, which squeezed every last drop of potential from the body and even pushed beyond its limits, had left him hollow and fragile.

Even Medical Ninja would struggle to maintain such an extreme training regimen over the long term without suffering any Aftereffects.

"I know. But Guy is like me. We're not geniuses, and we don't have any talent. If he wants to become a ninja, he can only work hard at taijutsu. Other than the taijutsu I know, I can't teach him any ninjutsu." Might Duy looked deeply guilty.

"It's okay, Father. I'll train hard in taijutsu and become a ninja!" Might Guy weakly climbed up from the bed. "I can still keep training with you!"

"Did he push himself this far because he's practicing some taijutsu with especially harsh requirements?" Kagetsu knew perfectly well about the Forbidden Technique father and son possessed, but naturally could not simply name it. Instead, he probed cautiously.

"It's nothing much. It's a Forbidden Technique that can open the limits of the human body, called the Eight Gates Release. To use it, you need a body capable of constantly withstanding impacts at the limit." Might Duy revealed it with almost no hesitation.

"May I take a look at that technique?"

Kagetsu made the request without hesitation. He did not deceive them or play any tricks, instead saying frankly, "After I examine this technique, I may be able to offer some help with your training. For example, I could use medicine and Medical Ninjutsu to condition your bodies and keep them as healthy as possible."

"If you don't trust me, I can also ask my teacher Orochimaru and Lady Tsunade, who taught me Medical Ninjutsu, to take a look."

Kagetsu did not suggest exchanging other ninjutsu for it. Might Duy and his son clearly had no talent for ninjutsu. Even if he gave them advanced techniques, they would not be able to learn them and turn them into their own strength.

The best way to trade was to solve their problems directly, even if only part of them.

He was indeed very interested in the Eight Gates Release, a Forbidden Technique with an illustrious record, but he had no intention of practicing it.

The fact that it had been classified as a Forbidden Technique already proved its danger and difficulty. From the original story, it was clear that this technique had nothing to do with talent. It was purely a matter of painstaking effort, continuously honing and tempering one's body.

In other words, it was a technique that required the perseverance to push oneself to the limit without interruption, training for ten or twenty years before it could completely blaze forth even once!

Might Duy and his son had never treated this Forbidden Technique as some treasured secret. It was simply that there were far too few ninja who could truly steel themselves to spend all their time, day after day, honing their bodies and training without end.

Take Kakashi, for example. He had learned the Eight Gates Release too. Yet in the end, all his body could withstand was opening the First Gate. But could anyone say Kakashi lacked talent?

"No problem! This is the scroll that records the Eight Gates Release." Sure enough, Might Duy took out a scroll almost without hesitation and handed it to Kagetsu.

As a well-known figure at the Konoha Ninja Academy, every student still at the school had heard that Kagetsu had been accepted as Orochimaru's disciple and was receiving Orochimaru's guidance. Other than exams, he no longer needed to attend classes.

Might Guy was one of the students who knew about it. He had even mentioned it to his father before.

"I'll first prescribe several formulas to strengthen his body and replenish what he's depleted." Kagetsu accepted the scroll without any false modesty, then immediately took out paper and pen to write several prescriptions for the father and son. He told them to use his name when purchasing the medicine from the Nara Clan's pharmacy, and that the bill would be charged to him.

Writing several prescriptions to replenish the body and strengthen one's constitution was not difficult. The Nara Clan had extensive collections in this area.

After all, the Nara Clan needed supplements, and the Akimichi Clan also often needed medicine to adjust their bodies.

"Consider it payment for the Eight Gates Release. You're only a Genin. Even if you take missions like mad, it would still be difficult to keep filling the bottomless pit of medicinal conditioning for long." Afraid that Might Duy would refuse, Kagetsu added that as he handed over the prescriptions.

Might Duy clearly understood the issue as well. He looked at Might Guy on the bed, then gratefully looked at Kagetsu and tightly gripped the prescription papers in his hand.

When Kagetsu had exhausted his Chakra and entered his rest period, he slipped into a corner and opened the scroll that recorded the Eight Gates Release.

The scroll contained a diagram of the human meridian system, marking the corresponding positions of the eight gates: Opening, Rest, Life, Harm, Limit, View, Wonder, and Death.

It was densely packed with tiny writing, followed by Might Duy's own interpretations and explanations. In terms of profundity, it was not difficult to understand.

Understanding the human body and its acupoints was the greatest threshold for practicing this Forbidden Technique. Everything else depended on painstaking effort.

But the reason it was classified as a Forbidden Technique was still because of its immense danger. It was not as though training this technique tirelessly for twenty years meant one could open all Eight Gates. Without a uniquely resilient constitution, there was a high chance that the body would collapse under the accumulated burden long before the Eight Gates could be opened.

Death might not be inevitable, but becoming crippled was highly likely.

The reason Kagetsu wanted to see this ninjutsu was to understand its principles and see whether it might give him some new inspiration.

That night.

Senju Clan Grounds.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, it was time for the usual questions and answers.

Tsunade's conscientiousness these past few days had left Kagetsu somewhat puzzled. In the past, she was always impatient during this time. Asking one extra question could make her pull a long face, and her explanations often came with a few personal attacks.

Though Kagetsu had always turned a deaf ear to those words and let them go in one ear and out the other, Tsunade's teaching attitude had suddenly improved. Her explanations were packed with useful material, without the occasional nonsense, snide remarks, or cold sarcasm. For a moment, he actually found it hard to adapt.

Still, difficult or not, Tsunade's improved teaching quality was something worth celebrating.

In fact, these days, even when Kagetsu asked profound questions that he had not yet studied or minor questions from related fields, Tsunade would answer them rather than giving him the old look that said, "Brat, that isn't something you should be asking right now."

"Teacher Tsunade, do you know the ninjutsu called Eight Gates Release?" Kagetsu suddenly asked at the end of the lesson.

"Eight Gates Release?" Tsunade frowned.

"It's a taijutsu technique. Since it involves the hidden power within the human body, I found it interesting and wanted to ask for your guidance." Kagetsu took out the Eight Gates Release scroll and spread it out before Tsunade.

Tsunade picked up the scroll and looked through it briefly before quickly tossing it aside.

"This technique doesn't suit you. You can't learn it. Even if you force yourself to practice it, you'll never open all Eight Gates. With the constitution of your Nara Clan, you would struggle to even open the First Gate!" Tsunade gave her assessment without the slightest courtesy.

"I have no intention of practicing it. I'm simply interested in this kind of method that excavates one's own potential and allows one to erupt with strength beyond one's usual power at critical moments." Kagetsu shook his head and clarified his stance.

"There are many methods and techniques that can unleash strength beyond your usual power at critical moments. Setting aside everything else, doesn't the Akimichi Clan of Ino-Shika-Cho have a method that stimulates their own potential and greatly increases their strength?"

Tsunade propped her chin on her hand. "But techniques that abruptly increase one's strength, regardless of the method used, consume the body's life force—its cellular vitality.

"That kind of extraction is destined not to last. The longer it continues, the faster your body will collapse. These are techniques used to risk one's life at a critical moment."

"The Eight Gates Release has extremely high demands on the body's limits, but what if it were used by a Medical Ninja like you?" Kagetsu raised a possibility.

"I can't be sure." Tsunade seemed not to have expected that question, but after thinking about it, she said, "Generally speaking, the power of a technique is proportional to the Chakra output and the price paid by the body.

"Every gate opened through the Eight Gates Release increases its power, but at the same time, the wear and burden on the body increase alongside that power.

"When you open a gate beyond the limit your body can bear, your body will collapse and dissolve.

"In terms of danger, this is indeed a ninjutsu worthy of being called a Forbidden Technique. It does not merely harm the enemy; it harms the user as well.

"I did not inherit First Grandfather's powerful healing constitution, but the Medical Ninjutsu I excel at and the Yang Release Chakra I possess allow me to have such a constitution.

"If you mean opening the Eight Gates Release to consume the body while using Medical Ninjutsu to repair it at the same time, attempting to create a balance between consumption and recovery, then I think it would be very difficult—perhaps nearly impossible."

"Is it because the Eight Gates Release is too violent?" Kagetsu asked thoughtfully.

Tsunade glanced at Kagetsu. Over this period, she had come to understand that Kagetsu truly possessed the Nara Clan's sharp mind, and that his talent for techniques and research was outstanding.

By now, she was no longer surprised by such incisive understanding. What had initially shocked her had become ordinary, unable to stir even the slightest ripple.

"Yes." Tsunade nodded in acknowledgment. "The Eight Gates Release is a technique that mobilizes all the hidden power in the body. Once activated, all the strength and Chakra in your body will be drained completely.

"And with that sudden, overwhelming power beyond your control, you can only use your body and brute force, releasing it through your fists and feet.

"During the gate-opening stage, the Chakra and power inside the body are as explosive and uncontrollable as a volcano. Medical Ninjutsu, on the other hand, demands extremely delicate control.

"One is out of control, while the other requires control. They are fundamentally in conflict! They can hardly coexist."

"Hardly? Then that means it's still possible?" Kagetsu keenly caught the detail in Tsunade's words.

"If your control over Medical Ninjutsu could reach my level, there would be a slight possibility of finding a balance where the Eight Gates Release and Medical Ninjutsu could coexist.

"But that possibility is limited to the first three gates. The more gates you open, the easier that balance is to break, and the demand for Chakra control rises exponentially.

"If you cannot fully vent that power, it will rampage through your body and destroy it from within. Then using Medical Ninjutsu to repair yourself would essentially be a mindless waste of your own strength.

"Because once this Forbidden Technique is used, it is meant for risking your life and deciding victory or defeat! It is not meant for a prolonged battle." After considering it, Tsunade gave her answer.

"What a pity. I thought this technique would pair well with Medical Ninja. If it worked, perhaps Medical Ninja would gain much greater ability to protect themselves." Kagetsu's voice carried regret.

"That isn't something you need to worry about. At your core, you aren't a pure Medical Ninja either." Tsunade bluntly exposed Kagetsu's real thoughts.

"The lack of self-protection among Medical Ninja refers to most pure Medical Ninja. This Forbidden Technique is too extreme to practice, and it takes far too long. Only a small number of people—people with special constitutions—can persist in practicing it and reach the point of opening all Eight Gates."

"Lady Tsunade herself is already very strong. She doesn't need a technique like that." Shizune immediately raised her hand and interjected.

"Chakra Enhanced Strength?" Kagetsu immediately recalled the house-wrecking technique Tsunade often demonstrated whenever she was angry these days. A casual punch carried destructive power comparable to a B-rank ninjutsu.

"Medical Ninja have their own combat system. It simply places even higher demands on talent. Medical Ninja are already among those most gifted at delicate Chakra control, while the Forbidden Techniques of Medical Ninjutsu have even harsher requirements." Tsunade sighed.

"Are you also researching and exploring a combat style suited to Medical Ninja?" Kagetsu asked softly.

"I'm only searching for a path suitable for my own power system." Tsunade irritably ruffled her hair.

If she had First Grandfather's Wood Release, would she need to work this hard? The path and its upper limit would be laid out right in front of her. She would only need to cultivate Wood Release to its peak, without involving herself in anything else.

But forging a path of her own strength, or following the path of a Kage that someone had once walked before—perhaps that was also something every ninja who could become a Kage had to experience.

Look at those uniquely powerful ninja, as well as the ninja who bore the title of Kage. Most of them did not possess flashy, chaotic collections of methods. Instead, they pushed the power system they excelled at most to its absolute limit!