Familiar Configuration, Root Organization?

"Although the Eight Gates cause physical damage to the user, opening gates before the Gate of Death does not lead to instant death. As the restrictions are released, both chakra and physical state undergo different levels of change."

"Thus, ordinary taijutsu is no longer suitable."

Even the First Activation of the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods is at least an A-rank forbidden technique, likely only accessible to elite chunin or above.

There's no need to rush on that front.

Kyoichi felt that developing a complementary taijutsu for the Eight Gates was the most urgent priority.

Might Duy was strong!

But.

His utilization of the Eight Gates was far too crude.

If he could learn the taijutsu that Might Guy developed, Duy might have been able to take down all of the Seven Swordsmen, or perhaps even repel them by opening only the Gate of Wonder.

So.

Researching complementary taijutsu—that was the pressing matter.

"Hmm... that makes sense, but Teacher, I have no idea where to start. I don't know how to create something like that."

Might Duy scratched his head.

He could speak with authority on the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods because he had studied the Eight Gates for twenty years, accumulating a wealth of experience and knowledge along the way.

But.

Taijutsu techniques were outside his area of study. Besides, Duy wasn't a combative person by nature. He knew his own talent was lacking and had no interest in such things.

"I have a rough idea..."

Kyoichi understood completely.

Might Duy didn't have much combat experience.

He had always been a genin. Aside from wartime, he rarely had experience killing or fighting—his path was entirely different from Might Guy's.

After all, just creating the Eight Gates was already an incredible achievement.

"Alright!"

Might Duy scratched his head again.

He racked his brain, but his mind remained blank, with no clue where to begin.

Kyoichi turned to Might Guy.

Might Duy didn't understand combat, but Guy did. Though still a genin, he had experienced far more battles than his father.

Techniques like the Konoha Whirlwind.

Guy had mastered them much faster than his father ever had.

"Guy, have you mastered the Eight Gates?"

"I've only opened three gates."

Might Guy felt ashamed.

But.

Kyoichi was already surprised. Opening three gates at just nine years old—that talent was far from weak.

Still, considering his future achievements, this was hardly unexpected.

Kyoichi explained the concept of the Lotus.

"Got it?"

"Understood!"

Might Guy's combat talent was indeed superior to Duy's.

Duy was still mulling it over, but Guy had already grasped the essence—

The Lotus relied on speed and consecutive attacks. Such attacks placed a heavy burden on the body, but they were better suited for the state after opening the Eight Gates.

"The Gate of View and the Gate of Wonder create a qualitative change. Is it possible to use that qualitative change to create complementary taijutsu for those two states?"

Kyoichi added.

Might Duy fell into deep thought.

He naturally understood the state of the Gate of View. When he had once demonstrated the Eight Gates to Might Guy, he had opened the Gate of View directly.

Using the characteristics of the Eight Gates...

It seemed feasible.

The discussion ended there.

Might Duy wasn't particularly quick-witted. If too much was said, his mind might become even more muddled, leaving him without any direction. It was better to just propose a concept, let them understand the principle, and then figure it out on their own.

There wouldn't be much war this year.

So, Might Duy had plenty of time to think.

Kyoichi began attempting the Eight Gates.

His body was not weak, and he already had experience mastering the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods, so...

The Gate of Opening—effortlessly opened!

The Gate of Healing was no problem either, but the Gate of Life posed some difficulty.

However.

The Gate of Life was only the beginning of the Eight Gates; he hadn't even entered the threshold yet.

"It seems that to open more, I'll need further training," Kyoichi thought.

He glanced at the system.

There had been a notification sound earlier, but he was busy at the time and hadn't had a chance to check it.

[Completed teaching 'Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods' and 'Lotus'.]

[Evaluation: Excellent]

[Reward: Medical Ninjutsu Basics, Mystical Palm Technique]

Huh?

Medical Ninjutsu?

Why this?

Kyoichi was a bit surprised. He never expected this reward, which seemed unrelated to his teaching.

But...

After claiming it, his chakra control was noticeably more precise.

"True. Medical Ninjutsu demands the highest chakra control. Medical Ninjutsu Basics essentially gave me a pile of medical knowledge and chakra control for free."

So worth it!

Kyoichi was satisfied.

In comparison, the Mystical Palm Technique, an A-rank ninjutsu, felt like a bonus.

Because of the Jonin Exam, he had almost no classes for the next two or three days.

He spent most of each day studying Taijutsu with Might Duy and Might Guy, while his Shadow Clone trained in Sword Technique.

During this time, the frontline war had largely ended.

More and more ninjas were returning to the village, and Kyoichi spotted many "familiar faces," such as Choza Akimichi and Hizashi Hyuga.

However.

These people didn't know him.

Kyoichi had no intention of approaching them—there was no need.

They weren't children, not so easy to fool. Approaching them would only backfire.

These past few days, Kyoichi had simply been training.

He had already opened three of the Eight Gates, but when it came to further research, he hesitated. He didn't immediately delve into ways to open more gates.

The Eight Gates were powerful!

But they might not suit him.

The chakra from opening the Eight Gates was too violent. Even with his Medical Ninjutsu Basics and enhanced chakra control, he could only manage it crudely.

Using techniques like Strength of a Hundred or Earth Spear, which demanded extreme precision, while in the Eight Gates state was nothing short of a pipe dream.

In comparison.

The Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods had no such issue.

Perhaps the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods suited him better, Kyoichi thought to himself.

Of course.

He would still train the Eight Gates, but not as his primary method—only as a trump card.

Might Guy, on the other hand, had made great progress—

He had mastered the Lotus!

Might Duy was indeed slow at grasping techniques, but he quickly mastered the First Activation of the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods.

Same as Kyoichi.

He learned the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods only superficially, not delving into the Second Activation or Third Activation. After mastering the First Activation, he began figuring out how to simplify it—

The First Activation still wasn't suitable as a regular method!

And these were no longer Kyoichi's concerns. He had more important matters at hand.

Jonin Exam!

These past few days, his Taijutsu had improved greatly, and his Sword Technique, practiced daily without pause, had also seen significant gains.

However, the sword notes his grandmother had obtained were mostly scattered jottings and theoretical conjectures, lacking any systematic forms. His swordsmanship was merely usable.

On the morning of the fifth day, Kyoichi arrived at the Forest of Death as promised.

The Forest of Death was vast.

It was filled with many traps and ferocious beasts, divided into several training grounds.

After arriving, Kyoichi noticed he wasn't the only one participating in the Jonin Exam. Besides him, there were about seven or eight other ninja, among them three from the Aburame and Hyuga clans.

Such a lineup.

It felt familiar!

Moreover, they seemed to be observing him from the shadows.

The Root organization?

As for the other three, one or two might be ordinary ninja like him, but one definitely was not—

The one with a ponytail and a scar at the corner of his mouth.

Baiyun Hayama?

That one was certainly no ordinary ninja.

Anbu?

Kyoichi speculated inwardly.