"Although the Eight Gates cause physical damage to the user, the gates before the Eighth Gate won't cause immediate death. As the restrictions are lifted, chakra and physical condition will undergo changes of varying degrees."
"In that case, ordinary Taijutsu is no longer suitable."
Even the First Activation of the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods was at least an A-rank forbidden technique. It was probably only accessible to elite Chunin or above.
There was no need to rush this aspect.
Kyoichi instead felt that developing a supporting Taijutsu style for the Eight Gates was the most important thing.
Might Duy was very strong!
But.
His use of the Eight Gates was too crude.
If he could learn the Taijutsu style Might Guy had developed, the Seven Swordsmen might all have been left behind by Might Duy. He might even have been able to repel them by opening only the Seventh Gate.
Therefore.
Researching a supporting Taijutsu style was the most urgent task.
"Hmm... That makes sense, but Teacher, I have no idea where to begin. I don't know how to create one."
Might Duy scratched his head.
He had been able to speak so confidently about the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods because he had studied the Eight Gates for twenty years, accumulating a great deal of experience and knowledge along the way.
However.
Taijutsu techniques were outside the scope of his research. Might Duy himself was not a person who enjoyed fighting, and knowing that his talent was lacking, he had never been interested in such things.
"I have a rough idea..."
Kyoichi understood perfectly.
Might Duy did not have much combat experience.
He had always been a Genin. Aside from wartime, he had rarely killed anyone or fought battles, so his experience was completely different from Might Guy's.
After all, simply creating the Eight Gates was already an extraordinary achievement.
"Okay!"
Might Duy scratched his head.
He racked his brains, but his mind remained blank, without the slightest clue.
Kyoichi looked toward Might Guy.
Might Duy did not understand combat, but Guy did. Although he was only a Genin, he had experienced more battles than Might Duy.
Take techniques such as the Konoha Whirlwind, for example.
Guy had mastered them much faster than his father.
"Guy, have you mastered the Eight Gates?"
"I've only managed to open three gates."
Might Guy was deeply ashamed.
However.
Kyoichi was already very surprised. Opening three gates at only nine years old was no weak talent at all.
But when he thought of Guy's achievements in the future, it was no longer surprising.
Kyoichi explained the concept of the Lotus.
"Do you understand?"
"I understand!"
Might Guy's combat talent was indeed better than Duy's.
Duy was still pondering, but Guy had already grasped the essence of it--
The Lotus lay in a chain of attacks at high speed. Such attacks placed an enormous burden on the body, but they were better suited to a state in which the Eight Gates had been opened.
"The Gate of View and the Gate of Wonder cause a qualitative change. Is it possible to take advantage of that change and create Taijutsu suited to the states brought about by those two gates?"
Kyoichi continued.
Might Duy fell into deep thought.
He naturally understood the state of the Gate of View. When he had demonstrated the Eight Gates to Might Guy in the past, he had directly opened the Gate of View.
Taking advantage of the Eight Gates' characteristics...
It seemed feasible.
The discussion ended there.
Might Duy's comprehension was not especially high. If Kyoichi said too much, he might only become more confused and lose his train of thought. It was better to present him with a concept, let him understand the principle, and then allow him to ponder it himself.
There would not be many wars this year.
Thus, Might Duy had plenty of time to think.
Kyoichi, meanwhile, began attempting to use the Eight Gates.
His body was not weak, and he already had experience mastering the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods, so...
The Gate of Opening was activated with ease!
The Gate of Healing was no problem either, but the Gate of Life was somewhat difficult.
However.
The Gate of Life was only the beginning of the Eight Gates. He could not even be considered to have entered the threshold yet.
"It seems that if I want to open more gates, I'll have to train further."
Kyoichi thought.
He glanced at the system.
There had been a notification earlier, but he had been busy at the time and had no chance to pay attention to it.
[Completed teaching the 'Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods' and 'Lotus'.] [Evaluation: Excellent] [Reward: Basic Medical Ninjutsu, Mystical Palm Technique]
Huh?
Medical Ninjutsu?
Why this?
Kyoichi was somewhat astonished. He had never expected this reward. It did not seem to have much connection with what he had taught.
However...
After claiming it, his chakra control clearly became more precise.
"True. Medical Ninjutsu has the highest requirements for chakra control. The basics of Medical Ninjutsu are practically the same as being given a large amount of Medical Knowledge and chakra control."
What a great deal!
Kyoichi was completely satisfied.
Compared with that, the Mystical Palm Technique, an A-rank ninjutsu, was practically just an extra.
Because of the Jonin Exam, he essentially had no classes for the next two or three days.
He spent almost every day researching Taijutsu with Might Duy and Might Guy, while his Shadow Clone practiced Sword Technique.
During this period, the war at the front lines had essentially ended.
More and more ninja returned to the village, and Kyoichi saw quite a few "familiar faces," such as Choza Akimichi and Hizashi Hyuga.
However.
These people did not know him.
Kyoichi had no intention of approaching them on his own--there was no need.
They were not children and would not be so easy to deceive. Approaching them would only make things worse.
Kyoichi spent these days training.
He had already opened three gates of the Eight Gates. As for further research, he was somewhat hesitant and did not immediately study how to open more of the Eight Gates.
The Eight Gates were very powerful!
But they might not suit him.
The chakra produced by opening the Eight Gates was too violent. Even though he had obtained the basics of Medical Ninjutsu and further enhanced his chakra control, he could still only manipulate it simply.
Trying to use ninjutsu with extremely high requirements, such as Strength of a Hundred or Earth Spear, while in the Eight Gates state was simply a fool's dream.
By comparison.
The Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods did not have this problem.
Perhaps the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods suited him better.
Kyoichi thought to himself.
Of course.
He would still practice the Eight Gates, but he did not intend to use them as his primary method. Instead, he would keep them as a trump card.
Might Guy, meanwhile, had made great gains--
He had mastered the Lotus!
Might Duy's comprehension of techniques was indeed poor, but he quickly mastered the First Activation of the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods.
Just like Kyoichi.
He also only dabbled in the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods, without progressing to the Second Activation or Third Activation. After learning the First Activation, he began pondering how to simplify it--
The First Activation was still unsuitable as a regular method!
Those were not matters Kyoichi needed to consider. At present, he had something more important to deal with.
The Jonin Exam!
Over the past few days, his Taijutsu had improved greatly. He had practiced Sword Technique every day without fail, and made considerable progress there as well.
It was just that the Sword Technique notes his grandmother had obtained were mostly scattered notes and theoretical ideas. They had not been organized into a systematic set of techniques, so his Sword Technique was merely usable.
On the morning of the fifth day, Kyoichi arrived at the Forest of Death as promised.
The Forest of Death was enormous.
There were many traps and wild beasts here, and it had been divided into several training grounds.
After arriving, Kyoichi discovered that he was not the only participant in the Jonin Exam. Besides him, there were roughly seven or eight other ninja, including three from the Aburame and Hyuga clans.
This configuration.
It was very familiar!
Moreover, the other party seemed to be observing him in secret.
The Root organization?
As for the other three, one or two of them 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 person definitely was not an ordinary ninja.
Anbu?
Kyoichi speculated inwardly.
Before you continue