"What does this 'undeveloped' state mean?"
As she listened to the occasional clinking of medical instruments, Yukina, who had been waiting for a while, blinked her pale eyes. Although she could no longer see, she could not break this habit of blinking after thinking.
"Hmm..."
At that moment, Chiba picked up a syringe and prepared to draw some blood from his arm. Hearing Yukina's sudden question, he thought for a moment, seeming to organize his words before saying, "You know about the Forbidden Jutsu I mastered, the Eight Gates, and the Eight Gates Mode I developed from it, right?"
"Mm, is this undeveloped state related to the Forbidden Jutsu?"
Hearing that, Yukina froze slightly. Of course she knew that Chiba had trained in the Eight Gates and developed Eight Gates Mode. Chiba himself had told them about it back then.
"No, it isn't!"
Without hesitation, Chiba plunged the syringe into his arm and shook his head. "This 'undeveloped' state feels as though I've changed into another body. My body is sturdier and stronger, but I can't use the Eight Gates or Eight Gates Mode, as if this body has never learned them. Also, I told you before, didn't I? I developed Eight Gates Mode by using the Chakra that was released after the Eight Gates lifted its restrictions to increase my Chakra reserves, making up for my body's weakness of having too little Chakra."
"Yes. Back then, Hirohiko even said the Eight Gates seemed tailor-made for you, except its side effects were too severe, so he was worried."
Hearing Chiba's words, Yukina nodded again in agreement. Yet when she mentioned Hirohiko, her voice dipped almost imperceptibly.
At that moment, she could not help recalling the time shortly after the three of them had formed their team. After learning about Chiba's