The Technique Known as the Eight Gates!

Because of Rock Lee, Might Guy's plan to walk forty laps around Konoha on his hands had failed to come to fruition.

Nor could it have, since Tenten and Neji would never have gone along with it.

The group handed Little Tiger over to Lady Daimyo, while Might Guy went to the Hokage Building to submit the mission report.

The three returned to the training ground to wait. Might Guy would tell them what came next.

Tenten sighed softly. "I think I finally understand why Little Tiger runs away every time."

Neji smiled. That plump figure, that doting attitude—

And that grip strong enough to strangle someone. It would have been strange if Little Tiger did not run away every day.

"Today's mission went smoothly, but we'll probably have to do this mission many more times in the future. Little Tiger has run away more than once or twice, after all."

At that, Tenten's face fell. The thought of having to catch cats again in the future completely drained her enthusiasm.

Rock Lee, on the other hand, was brimming with energy. He did not care what kind of mission it was; he could treat any of them as training.

"Teacher Might Guy's missions must have a purpose. As long as we work hard to improve ourselves, nothing will be a problem."

His gleaming white teeth flashed, full of vigor!

Neji nodded. "Rock Lee is right. He sees things simply, but clearly."

"We don't have much experience right now. Taking things one step at a time is the right approach."

Tenten grumbled a little. "What's with you two? Don't you want to do something exciting? If it's always stuff like catching cats..."

She did not continue, but the disdain on her little face said it all.

Still, Tenten was only venting a little. It was perfectly normal for her to express her dissatisfaction.

"I do, but not for now."

A sudden chime sounded in Neji's mind. His experience bar rose slightly, and a smile appeared on his face.

It seemed Teacher Might Guy had submitted the mission. Only now had the mission been judged complete, and the experience had been credited.

Judging by the amount, it was not bad. It looked like he had another source of experience from now on.

How much could he improve over the next year?

He was rather looking forward to it.

As the three chatted, Might Guy soon arrived at the training ground. He tossed over a small pouch of money, which Neji caught.

"This is the reward for your first mission. Don't you suddenly feel so youthful?"

Neji opened the pouch and divided the reward evenly. Tenten took one look and casually tucked her share into her clothes.

"So little!"

"Mm. It really is rather little."

It was not even enough to cover the cost of a single attack she threw. Hardly worth mentioning.

It was not even enough for him to buy a can of nutrient solution. Barely passable.

Their extravagant remarks instantly wounded the other two deeply.

Might Guy: "..."

Hey, hey, hey! This was among the highest rewards for a mission of this rank. Were those even human words?

Rock Lee: "..."

Very little?

This was enough to cover half a month of my expenses, with some left over to buy medicine.

Might Guy and Rock Lee exchanged a look. They immediately felt as if they had met too late, then embraced each other with tears in their eyes.

Tenten gave the two oddballs a puzzled look and asked quietly, "Neji, what's wrong with them? Why did they suddenly start crying?"

Neji smiled. "Perhaps they suffered some internal injuries."

Mm. Internal injuries from being shaken by such extravagance.

"Should we comfort them? They seem pretty pitiful. Come to think of it, I prepared a lot of ninja tools this time, but I didn't get to use any of them. What a shame."

Whoosh!

An invisible finishing blow was the deadliest.

Neji looked at Tenten. He had not expected her to have such a naturally sharp tongue.

"No need. They should be fine in a while. Men crying is not a sin."

Tenten tilted her head. "What kind of theory is that? 'Men crying is not a sin'—it does roll off the tongue."

Of course it did. It was an old song, after all.

"I happened to hear it somewhere. I don't know who said it."

As a blind person, having sharp hearing was perfectly reasonable. Occasionally overhearing strange things was no problem.

Tenten immediately fell silent and chose not to continue that topic. She had a sense of propriety about such things. Even if Neji did not mind, she did.

She turned directly to Might Guy. "Teacher Might Guy, what are we doing next?"

It was only a little past ten in the morning. The mission's abrupt completion had left them with plenty of time.

The two who had been weeping in each other's arms immediately separated. Might Guy's expression turned serious as he looked at the three of them.

"Although I was quite surprised by how today's mission ended, it isn't a problem. We can use the remaining time to train."

Rock Lee's eyes lit up instantly. He loved training more than anything. Let's get started already!

"Since I specialize in Taijutsu, and all of you train in Taijutsu as well, I can teach you that. As for other areas, I'm afraid I must apologize."

The three did not mind. After all, they had no need for Ninjutsu.

Might Guy looked apologetically at Tenten before saying, "So, Tenten, I'm afraid I can't teach you much about ninja tools."

Tenten shook her head, revealing a hint of confidence. "It's okay, Teacher Might Guy! I'm fairly confident when it comes to ninja tools, and I researched quite a few of them myself. Besides... someone is teaching me."

She glanced at Neji beside her and smiled, causing Might Guy to nod.

Neji?

The records said he possessed outstanding talent in throwing. Might Guy had not expected him to be capable of teaching Tenten. That was a surprise.

Neji smiled faintly. "After all, when one loses something, one naturally gains something else. So I have some experience with throwing ninja tools."

He could not explain the effects brought by Mastery of Throwing, but as a blind person, saying that his other senses were sharper was plausible enough.

Might Guy's eyes flickered slightly as he considered something, studying Neji.

During the last test, he had clearly sensed that Neji's physique was likely superior even to Rock Lee's.

And when he had submitted the mission report this time, Third Hokage had stopped him and told him a few things.

In the end, Third Hokage had left the decision to him. If he felt it was suitable, then it was fine. If not, Third Hokage would explain it to Hiashi.

Now, Might Guy had formed a judgment.

He had originally been concerned because Neji belonged to the Hyuga Clan, but with Third Hokage and Hiashi's permission, he no longer needed to worry.

"Very good. In that case, we shall begin training. First, I will show you your teacher's signature technique."

Might Guy stood there as his aura changed. Chakra began to surge around him.

"Gate of Opening... open!"

"Gate of Healing... open!"

"Gate of Life... open!"

A powerful pressure accompanied the opening of each gate, forcing all three to take a slight step back.

A faint green aura enveloped Might Guy's body, and his hair began to flutter upward.

"This technique is known as the Eight Gates. It removes the body's restrictions on Chakra, allowing excessive energy to be released."

"It is also an extremely dangerous forbidden technique. The first three gates are considered safe, but beyond the third gate, you will place yourselves in danger."

Might Guy, radiating an imposing aura, looked at the three with an extremely serious expression.

"If you wish to learn it, I can teach you. But this technique is extremely dangerous. At present, only Rock Lee and Neji meet the standard to learn it. If Tenten wants to learn, she must train harder and meet the standard first!"

A friendly reminder:

Christmas Eve is tonight. There may be countless positions,

But safety comes first. Don't go without protection tonight,

Or the child will be a Taurus, born in the Year of the Ox, taking the college entrance exam in 2038.