Eight Gates Formation

Half a month later, the third stage of the Chunin Exam—the individual matches—began right on schedule. Having learned their lesson, Kakashi and Rin arranged to go to Obito's house together and practically tied him up all the way to the arena.

This was the final round. One hundred and twenty Genin would undergo two rounds of matches today, with thirty winners advancing. The Chunin slots would be chosen from among those thirty. This method of assessment was very reasonable. Chunin were not Jonin; as long as their individual strength met a certain standard, there was no need to demand that every Chunin be a one-of-a-kind powerhouse. Chunin were frontline commanders, so balanced overall ability mattered more.

"First match: Might Guy versus Uchiha Obito!"

"That's the Konoha Genin whose throat got blocked by candy in the second round! His opponent is the super-thick-browed guy who kicked the candy out for him! Things are already this interesting right from the start—today's matches definitely won't be boring."

"Konoha Genin are all freaks. That thick-browed guy is pretty hilarious too!"

"Yeah, and that outfit is so tacky."

"It's Obito and Guy. This is interesting—is it a sequel to the second round?"

"Obito didn't eat any candy this time. He shouldn't get one-shot again, right?"

"Ah, he gave Guy a thumbs-up... Huh, now the thumb is pointing down... Is that a provocation?"

"He's looking at the stands..."

"Ah... one-shot again, just like in the second round."

"Did that guy come here specifically to be funny?"

"..."

Duke saw it clearly. The moment Rin smiled at Obito, his soul flew away—and then the rest of him followed. He clearly had considerable strength, yet he kept dropping the ball. Duke truly didn't know what to say.

The audience burst into laughter again. Kakashi, red-faced with embarrassment, carried Obito back to the stands and handed him over to Rin, the only one in their squad with medical ability. Supporting Obito, Rin woke him up and applied medicine to his injuries. With Rin's face so close, Obito grinned foolishly. His frustration vanished in an instant, leaving him filled with happiness.

"You're smiling pretty happily. Aren't you worried about this year's Chunin Exam evaluation?" Duke asked after walking over and hesitating for a moment. Obito had not noticed, but Duke, as an outsider, had seen it clearly: when Rin treated Obito's injuries, her cheeks had faintly reddened.

Did she like him or not? Or was she simply shy? Duke was lost. He had been single in both lives and could not figure out creatures like women. Judging by Rin's usual behavior, the one she liked should have been Kakashi. But what was with all her attentive care toward Obito...? Could it be that she had the heart of a harem queen and wanted both of them?

"Ah, when did you get here?"

Obito and Rin hurriedly sat up straight. Rin looked a little embarrassed, greeted Duke, and left. Obito looked displeased. He had only gotten Rin's personal care after taking that kick, and now it had been interrupted just like that.

"I've been standing here for quite a while. Neither of you noticed?"

"Have you?"

"Forget I said anything." Duke had made himself unwelcome and could only sigh helplessly. "I came to see whether you were badly hurt. Guy's kick wasn't light. I can use Medical Ninjutsu to treat you... Why are you backing away so far?"

"Absolutely not!" Obito leaped eight meters away and crossed his hands before his chest. A bandage Rin had put on covered the corner of his eye, still carrying the faint fragrance of her fingertips. He was willing to endure this little pain for the rest of his life.

"It's badly swollen. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm the man who'll become Hokage. What does a little injury like this count for?" The left side of Obito's face was swollen high, but he still refused to admit defeat. "Guy is still so good at sneak attacks. Damn it, he made me look so pathetic in front of Rin."

Duke offered no comment. Right and wrong were clear in people's hearts, but he had no intention of exposing Obito either. He would leave him a little dignity.

"Seventh match: Yūhi Kurenai versus Sarutobi Asuma!"

"Huh!?"

On the field, Asuma and Kurenai faced each other. Asuma was completely at a loss. After a brief hesitation, Kurenai decisively attacked. Facing an opponent with no will to fight, she easily claimed victory.

"Asuma was right after all. Kurenai's Illusion Techniques really are impressive!" Duke's face darkened. What was this, a victory of beauty? Lord Hokage was going to have another domestic dispute today!

"That was so lame. Asuma couldn't even last one move." Obito said disdainfully. "If it were me..."

"If it were you, you'd get kicked away in one blow," Duke finished for him.

"How is that possible? That was only because Guy sneak-attacked me. Otherwise, I would've roasted him long ago." Obito was still indignant. "Kurenai's Illusion Techniques are full of openings before the Uchiha Sharingan. If it were me, I could break them easily."

"Your Sharingan awakened?" Duke was greatly surprised. Had history changed?

"I think so!" Obito hesitated for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure, but my eyes have been really red these past few days. They itch, and it feels like there's a ball of fire burning inside them."

Duke stared closely at Obito and examined him for a while before finally remarking, "You have acute conjunctivitis—commonly known as pinkeye."

"..." Obito fell silent.

"Fifteenth match: Mitarashi Duke versus Might Duy!"

Duke had still been chatting with Obito, telling him to pay attention to personal hygiene. The moment he heard the examiner's announcement, his expression sharpened and anticipation gleamed in his eyes. With a flip, he jumped into the arena.

"Duke, you have to win!" Asuma, freed from Kurenai's Illusion Technique, lay over the second-floor railing and shouted loudly.

"Go, Dad!" Faced with his friend and his father, Guy decisively chose to support the latter.

"Oh—my Youth will not allow me to lose to a young man!" Duy leaped down from the stands, his left fist clenched behind his back and his right palm extended toward Duke. His gleaming white teeth were especially eye-catching. Duy looked imposing, but his sharp fashion sense was truly hard to look at. Boos rang out endlessly from the sidelines.

"Why does Konoha have so many bowl cuts? Is that some Konoha specialty?"

"Konoha's female ninja are so beautiful, especially this one. I'm falling for her."

"Idiot Sand Ninja, he's a man!"

"Impossible. I'm not blind. You think you can fool me?"

"You really are blind."

The stands erupted into chaos.

"Taking the Chunin Exam alongside Guy truly makes me ashamed. But this is a test of Youth, and I will not retreat!" Like Guy, Duy was brimming with passion. The word "Youth" was the father-and-son pair's favorite phrase.

For once, Duke did not mock him. He focused completely and carefully observed Duy from head to toe. Those rough hands were covered in dense scars. The joints of all ten fingers were deformed, and his palms were covered in black calluses—a frightening sight.

From the perspective of a Medical Ninja, Duy's entire body was riddled with hidden injuries. Not a single part of him was healthy. Muscle strain, twisted and hardened tendons, and dislocated bones had left his limbs disproportionate. In a sense, Duy was no longer suited to be a ninja. His body... was ruined!

Years of Hell-like training without timely or effective care had caused irreversible damage to Duy's body. It had long been unable to bear the burden and could collapse at any moment. No wonder Guy, who had also opened the Eight Gates, had nearly kicked out the ending with one blow, while Duy had only made three members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist flee. It turned out the difference lay in their physical condition.

Duke could not help reminding him, "As a Medical Ninja, I have to say that your body has far too many hidden ailments. Training should proceed step by step. You've been too extreme."

"Thank you!" Duy was stunned for a moment, not expecting Duke to say that. Then he said, "But I won't stop. The steps of Youth never cease."

"Your perseverance surpasses everyone's. You are worthy of the name ninja. Konoha Genin, Mitarashi Duke. I specialize in Medical Ninjutsu and taijutsu. Please teach me well!" Duke said sincerely from the bottom of his heart.

"Konoha Genin, Might Duy. I specialize in taijutsu. Please teach me well!" Duy was deeply moved. This was the first time anyone had recognized him so sincerely.

In the stands, Asuma and Kurenai leaned close and joked, "He's fooling people again. We've been teammates for so long—how come I never knew he specialized in taijutsu?"

"Contestants, begin the match at once." The examiner had grown impatient. Why did Genin have so much nonsense to say?

Duke's gaze turned cold. Out of respect for Duy, he assumed the hand-to-hand combat stance he had honed for more than a decade in the Pirate World. Duy took up the opening stance of his usual Strong Fist.

A violent gust swept through the arena. In the time it took everyone to blink, Duke and Duy vanished from where they stood. Before the wind had died down, two blurred figures collided in the center of the platform. At the instant they clashed, Duke and Duy launched a storm-like barrage of attacks. They moved so fast that everyone could only catch the afterimages left behind by their collisions. Fists and feet struck each other, leg shadows flashed through the air, and their fierce battle kicked up dust and broken stones that shot beyond the arena.

Fist met fist, knee collided with knee, and their powerful punches blasted waves of air through the sky. It was a contest of strength and speed. Both men's taijutsu was bold and direct, a straightforward clash of force against force.

"So fast, my eyes can barely keep up."

"What incredible taijutsu. If I were down there, I wouldn't even have room to fight back."

"This kind of high-speed exchange? You've got to be kidding. Even Jonin can't do this, can they?" The Genin in the stands stared wide-eyed, cold sweat dripping down their backs.

Unlike the Genin, the Chunin and Jonin present were not particularly impressed. Speed was one part of a ninja's strength, but it was not everything. Speed-focused ninja were not invincible. Ninjutsu, poison, and traps could all restrict such opponents. In the Shinobi World, relying solely on taijutsu would get one nowhere.

On the platform, afterimages blurred. The extremely hard stone slabs cracked beneath the two men's heavy footsteps. As the pace of their exchange grew faster and faster, the cracks spread across the floor. The Genin watched in stunned disbelief, while the Chunin and Jonin no longer dared underestimate their taijutsu. The pair's speed was continuing to rise, seemingly without limit. For a time, everyone became engrossed in the profundity of their battle.

Boom—

Their fists collided again, shattering the last intact stone slab beneath them. Two inseparable figures leaped from the smoke and dust. Duke and Duy appeared at opposite ends of the arena, facing each other from afar and breathing heavily. Maintaining such high-speed taijutsu consumed a tremendous amount of stamina.

"Your Strong Fist is impressive. It hurt like hell." Duke's blood surged with excitement. For the first time, he felt the joy brought by taijutsu. Neither ninjutsu nor Illusion Techniques could compare to the satisfying feeling of fists striking flesh.

"You're not bad either..." Meeting an opponent equally skilled in Strong Fist, Duy had fought to his heart's content. But after speaking, he froze. During the intense exchange just now, he had unconsciously used his full strength. That had not been his intention. Strength should not be used against ninja from the same village.

Seeing Duy's hesitation, Duke tore off his tattered shirt, exposing his fair, well-proportioned upper body without a single wound. Still wanting more, he said, "That was a satisfying battle. What are you afraid of? That you'll beat me to death?"

"My attacks had no effect at all!?" Duy could hardly believe his eyes. His fists could split mountains and shatter rocks, yet they had not left even a trace. Was the other man's body forged from steel?

"Don't joke around. A fist with that kind of force can't hurt me!" Duke assumed his stance again and silently gathered chakra in his hands. "Your belief in not wanting to strike fellow Konoha ninja is admirable, but you don't need to hold back against me. I can take a beating. Come again—the second round, with no reservations!"

"If that's the case, then let my Youth run wild for once!" Duy crossed his fists over his chest, then violently flung them apart and shouted, "First Gate, Gate of Opening!"