Dai's Opportunity

"No way..."

With the boost from the Enchanting Body Tempering Technique, Dai had actually opened the Sixth Gate of the Eight Gates Formation!

Thick green steam coiled around Dai's body. His violent aura erupted like an exploding bomb, and astonishing Chakra burst forth, repelling everything around him!

"Ugh..."

Dai was clearly doing his utmost to control this state. After several low growls, he panted heavily, and his eyes returned to normal.

"This is..."

"Huff... huff... I... I did it!"

Green light still lingered around Dai, but his skin color and gaze had returned to normal. He forced a happy smile at Satoru. Clearly, maintaining this state was no easy task for him.

"Satoru, this is the unique buffered state of the Sixth Gate of the Eight Gates Formation, the Gate of View!"

"In this state, I can keep my body's consumption low, but when necessary, I can instantly unleash my full combat power without opening the gates one by one..."

Dai could no longer hold on. The green light vanished, and he returned to normal before collapsing to the ground. Yet tears streamed down his face as he let out a joyful chuckle:

"Hahaha... Satoru, this ten-percent all-around increase in physical strength let me not only open the Sixth Gate of Joy ahead of time, but also control the buffered state!"

"By my estimates, it would have taken at least another year of grueling training to achieve this!"

For a pure taijutsu ninja like Dai, no one understood better than him how difficult it was to improve physical strength.

"Satoru, you've practically given me a new life!"

"Don't say that, Big Brother Dai. Even without my help, you would have opened the Sixth Gate sooner or later."

Satoru waved his hand. Calling it a life-changing debt was indeed an exaggeration, but Dai was the sort who got worked up easily...

"Still, Big Brother Dai, with your current strength, you could crush ordinary jonin, yet you're still a genin. It really is..."

Satoru sighed. "The village's rules are way too rigid."

"A powerhouse like you is only doing boring genin missions. What a waste!"

"Uh..."

Dai fell silent, then could only give a bitter smile.

"Well... I'm used to it. Rules are rules. At least I'm still a genin, a real ninja."

Sitting up, Dai took the soda Satoru handed him and guzzled it down heartily.

"Even if I'm only a genin, it doesn't stop me from letting my youth shine!"

"Youth only becomes all the more precious when it pushes forward through thorns and hardships, doesn't it? Hahaha!"

"Big Brother Dai, your youth should burn on a far broader stage..."

Satoru patted Dai's arm and gave him a thumbs-up.

"I'll talk to my old man when I get home. Wait for my good news—whether or not we can raise your ninja rank, with your strength alone, you shouldn't keep wasting your life on D-rank missions!"

"This..."

Holding his cup, Dai stared blankly at Satoru's departing figure, his eyes welling up with tears again.

"Even if you're the son of an advisor, this is still challenging the rules..."

Dai did not hold much hope, but for some reason, a faint spark of anticipation arose within him.

"If he can accomplish something this unbelievable, maybe he really can break the rules..."

His expression turned resolute as Dai silently made up his mind.

"Satoru, even if it doesn't work out, it's fine. I, Might Duy, have accepted you as my brother!"

Across from Satoru sat his father, Mitokado Homura.

"Who would have thought... as a mage, I'd one day be speaking up for taijutsu."

Satoru mused to himself. Watching his father think it over, he felt there was probably room to make this happen.

Otherwise, his father would have rejected it outright.

Konoha's rules were not completely inflexible. It was just that in the original timeline, this exception had been bought with Dai's life.

"This matter you mentioned..."

After a long while, Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses and finally spoke.

"There is actually a ninja in the village who has trained the Eight Gates Formation to the point of opening six gates..."

"This is not something that can be achieved through effort alone. In a sense, he is also a genius—a taijutsu genius."

As a high-ranking advisor, Mitokado Homura was somewhat cautious when it came to the village's development strategies...

But in his prime, he was clearly not as stubborn and conservative as he would become in old age.

He understood very well what kind of forbidden technique the Eight Gates Formation was.

And what a helpless choice it was to train in it.

Opening six gates was unprecedented in Konoha's history. Satoru was not exaggerating when he said Dai could crush ordinary jonin.

Someone like that truly should not be wasted on C-rank and D-rank missions.

"I will discuss this with the Third Hokage. Even a special promotion requires the Hokage's signed order."

"Ha! Old man, you've finally become reasonable for once!"

Before Satoru had even finished speaking, Mitokado Homura shot him a sidelong glance. The corner of his eye twitched twice, clearly displeased by the words "for once."

"Don't celebrate too early. Special promotions are generally for ninja who have made major contributions to the village, not based on combat ability."

"He does not yet have the achievements needed for a direct promotion to chunin, but we can give him an opportunity to earn them."

Mitokado Homura said seriously, "No one who cannot use ninjutsu or Genjutsu has ever been qualified to serve as a chunin. He must prove himself."

"No problem."

When Dai received Satoru's news, he was excited but not particularly surprised.

The Chunin Exams required comprehensive evaluation, but Dai was severely lopsided in his abilities. His combat strength had already far surpassed the standard expected of a chunin.

If he took the Chunin Exams, he would likely steamroll everyone there—but he might also be taken down by a single Genjutsu.

Therefore, after Mitokado Homura discussed the matter with the Third Hokage, they proposed a plan.

As a genin, Might Duy would be specially permitted to accept difficult C-rank and B-rank missions normally available to chunin.

As a condition, he had to defeat an elite chunin from the Anbu assigned by the Third Hokage in order to prove his strength.

Once Dai accumulated enough merit, the higher-ups would discuss his promotion plan again.

For Dai, this was already enough.

An opportunity to prove himself was enough.

"Youth truly is filled with all kinds of unbelievable things!"

Dai confidently gave Satoru a thumbs-up. Golden starlight seemed to twinkle beside his gleaming white teeth.

"Satoru, I won't let this opportunity go to waste. I'm already looking forward to the exhilarating thrill of letting my youth burn on the battlefield!"

"Then... I wish you success!"

Satoru smiled and returned Dai's thumbs-up.

Perhaps Dai was the first person whose fate had changed because of his existence?

"It's too early to draw conclusions..."

Satoru looked down at his small body and silently shook his head.

"I need to be faster. I need to decipher The Book of Medivh faster..."

"I must gain the means to survive on the battlefield while I'm still in the absolutely safe environment of the academy."

"Protective spells... why does the knowledge for this come so late? What a headache."

The Book of Medivh, deciphering progress: 25%. Knowledge related to protective spells had finally appeared.

"Three kinds of shields. Very good."

"Casting Pyroblast with a shield around me really does make me feel safer..."