The Eight Inner Gates Formation!

The tense atmosphere of the preliminaries, which had lasted for days, finally eased for the time being.

The candidates who had advanced breathed a sigh of relief, while those who had been eliminated were inevitably disappointed. The crowd began to disperse in small groups.

Team 7 headed to one of their usual training grounds, with Kakashi leading Yo, Naruto, and Sasuke.

Kakashi leaned against a wooden post and looked at his three students.

Naruto was still buzzing with excitement, chattering about the match.

"Quiet down, Naruto!"

Kakashi clapped his hands, drawing the attention of all three students.

"The finals are a month away. This month is crucial!"

"Naruto, you still need to work on controlling your Rasengan and mastering your chakra. You need to practice until you're more proficient!"

"Sasuke, your use of the Sharingan, your tactics, and your chakra reserves are all weaknesses."

"I'll draw up training plans based on your individual needs over the next month. I hope you'll make the most of this opportunity!"

"As for you, Yo..."

Kakashi spread his hands, his tone returning to its usual languid drawl. "...You can decide how to train on your own!"

"At your current level, there's nothing I can teach you."

That was the truth!

What could he possibly teach a student who could subdue a Tailed Beast and wield Wood Release?

"No, Teacher Kakashi!"

Yo smiled as he spoke. "There is one thing you can teach me!"

"Oh?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. "What is it?"

"The Eight Inner Gates Formation!"

Yo smiled. "I'm very interested in the Eight Inner Gates Formation Rock Lee showed off today!"

"..."

"You want to learn the Eight Inner Gates?"

Kakashi paused, his tone full of confusion. "Yo, that technique is extremely dangerous!"

"It puts a devastating strain on the body. With your current strength and abilities, you have absolutely no need to..."

The Eight Inner Gates were a forbidden taijutsu technique. For an ordinary ninja, if you could learn ninjutsu, why would you train in taijutsu?

Wasn't that something only dead-last students with no talent for ninjutsu learned?

That sounded a little harsh, but it was the truth!

"No! I need it!"

Yo cut him off, his eyes filled with longing. "Kakashi, I want you to teach me the Eight Inner Gates!"

In Yo's view,

his mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique made him a natural fit for the Eight Inner Gates!

Once the Eight Inner Gates Formation was activated, his speed and strength would increase dramatically.

Combined with the Flying Thunder God's teleportation, he could change direction and attack from any angle at will while moving at incredible speeds.

His opponents wouldn't be able to read his movements at all, allowing him to take his speed advantage to the absolute limit!

Besides,

he also had the Sage Body!

That physique gave Yo more than just an enormous amount of chakra.

It also gave him terrifying vitality and unparalleled regenerative abilities.

The greatest drawback of the Eight Inner Gates was the devastating damage it inflicted on the chakra pathways and muscles, severely harming the body.

But no matter how badly Yo was injured, his body could recover!

Just imagine.

How terrifying would a Might Guy be if he mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique and had a virtually immortal body?

Once he opened the Eighth Gate, Gate of Death, he might really be able to kick Six Paths Level Madara Uchiha to death!

Now imagine this:

How terrifying would a Hashirama Senju be if he mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique and opened the Eight Inner Gates?

From Yo's perspective, the Eight Inner Gates, this forbidden technique, were a lot like the Kaio-ken from Dragon Ball.

The tenfold Kaio-ken multiplied your battle power by ten; the twentyfold Kaio-ken multiplied it by twenty!

Your battle power skyrocketed by multiples!

The Sun Wukong with a battle power of ten thousand and the Sun Wukong with a battle power of one hundred million wouldn't get the same results from using the Kaio-ken!

The Eight Inner Gates worked the same way.

Rock Lee opening the Eighth Gate!

Might Guy opening the Eighth Gate!

Hashirama Senju opening the Eighth Gate!

Their fighting strength would be worlds apart!

In short,

Yo believed that once he learned the Eight Inner Gates, his fighting strength would increase tenfold, or even dozens of times over!

By then,

even if he couldn't reach Six Paths Level, the Eight Inner Gates Formation would let him stand a chance against someone who had!

"Are you sure?"

Kakashi asked seriously.

"I'm sure!"

Yo nodded firmly.

Kakashi watched him for a long while before finally speaking.

"The Eight Inner Gates are Guy's signature forbidden technique. The training is extremely specialized, and honestly, I'm not an expert!"

"If you really want to train in it, you should go to Guy himself!"

"Whether Guy agrees to teach you is up to you."

Kakashi could only open the First Gate himself, so he really wasn't an expert.

"I understand!"

Yo nodded. "That's why I'm hoping you can introduce me to Teacher Might Guy!"

Kakashi sighed and scratched his silver hair.

"You're impossible. All right, come with me!"

"Thank you, Teacher Kakashi."

Yo smiled.

That was the benefit of having a teacher. Teachers offered more than just knowledge; they also had connections.

Given Kakashi and Might Guy's relationship, Yo was sure Guy would agree if Kakashi put in a good word for him.

When Kakashi brought Yo to Guy's Team, they were at another training ground.

Tenten sat on a rock, fiddling with a senbon. She still hadn't recovered from losing the fight.

Neji Hyuga stood nearby with his arms crossed, his expression as cool as ever.

Rock Lee was doing one-handed push-ups while standing on his hands.

Might Guy was squatting in front of Tenten with his thumb raised, comforting his student with his usual boundless enthusiasm.

"Tenten! Don't be discouraged! Victory and defeat are part of a ninja's life!"

"A momentary setback is a trial on the path of youth!"

"Just you wait! After this trial, your path as a ninja will shine even brighter! That's the fire of youth!!"

His voice was loud and infectious. Tenten had been dejected, but now she looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Teacher Guy, is that any way to comfort someone?

Just then, Guy sensed someone approaching and turned to see Kakashi. His eyes lit up.

He skidded over to Kakashi in an exaggerated pose and slapped both hands down hard on Kakashi's shoulders.

"Yo! Kakashi! My eternal rival! Did you come all this way just to visit me and my adorable students?"

"Or could it be... you've finally given in and accepted my Nth fiery challenge?!"

His booming voice and over-the-top gestures almost made Yo laugh.

Might Guy really was an interesting person. But someone like him would make a great friend.

You'd never have to worry about him betraying you or stabbing you in the back.

Kakashi's shoulders shook from the force of Guy's grip. He turned his head slightly. "I need to talk to you. Alone!"

"Oh? Alone?"

Guy looked at Kakashi, then at Yo standing behind him, as if he'd figured something out. His front teeth gleamed.

"No problem! Youthful exchanges always require focus!"

He turned to call to his three students. "Neji, Lee, Tenten, wait here for a moment!"

With that, he and Kakashi walked over to the trees at the edge of the training ground and began talking in low voices.

As soon as the two teachers left,

the atmosphere at the training ground grew a little strange.

Tenten, Neji, and Lee all looked at Yo, their eyes filled with surprise, confusion, and awe.

They simply couldn't imagine that the gentle-looking boy in front of them had defeated a Tailed Beast.

He had even used the legendary Wood Release of the First Hokage!

That power was completely beyond anything they understood about Genin—or even geniuses!

Yo smiled warmly and greeted them first.

"Hello!"

He was polite and natural, without the slightest hint of arrogance. Somehow, that only made Neji and the others more uneasy.

Tenten hurriedly stood up from the rock, looking flustered. "Ah, h-hello, Yo-kun!"

Neji merely nodded coolly in reply.

Lee stopped his handstand, flipped upright, and puffed out his chest. "Hello! I'm Rock Lee!"

After a brief, slightly awkward exchange of greetings, the four fell silent, unsure what to say.

Fortunately, Kakashi and Guy returned just then.

Guy strode over to Yo and gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder.

"Kakashi told me all about it! I don't understand why someone with your talent for ninjutsu would want to learn taijutsu, but..."

"Since you're willing to explore the essence of taijutsu, I won't hold back a single thing!"

"After all, you're Kakashi's student!"

"And being able to teach a young man with such limitless potential, to witness the burning fire of your youth..."

"That, in itself... is the greatest challenge and thrill of all!!"

"Come on! Starting today... I, Might Guy, will officially be your taijutsu teacher! I'll teach you how to feel the fire of youth!"