Trying the Third Gate

"Sigh."

In the end, Nara Dan let out a long sigh, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He had thought the Eight Inner Gates, as the highest-level Taijutsu in the Ninja World, might reveal some mysteries of the human body he had never known before.

At the very least, he hadn't expected it to be as crude and simple as the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique.

But in truth, as a ninja, Nara Dan had long understood this clearly.

The ninja training system was crude to begin with. Chakra itself was energy produced by squeezing the body's potential.

So the Eight Inner Gates really did just forcibly widen the pathways through which Chakra flowed, allowing the body to draw on a greater supply of Chakra. In the end, that translated into a body that was faster, higher, and stronger.

Its method of wringing the body dry was even more extreme than Nara Dan's Liberation.

If Nara Dan's "Liberation" was like making the holes in a fishing net smaller, then the Eight Inner Gates was simply electrofishing.

Its crude underlying idea felt very much like a Secret Technique created for the profession of ninja: cultivating the spirit but not the body.

But that ran counter to Nara Dan's original purpose. With his Cheat System, Nara Dan was naturally superior to all other ninja in the field of Taijutsu.

And having been steeped in wuxia novels and traditional culture in his previous life, Nara Dan's approach to training Taijutsu in this life was closer to "fully developing and mastering the human body."

Not "pursuing explosive strength at all costs."

"What you gain from books is ultimately shallow."

"I still have to try it myself!"

Nara Dan's gaze was resolute. He had encountered plenty of obstacles on the path of cultivation. If a setback like this could discourage him, he never would have made it this far.

Even with the help of the Cheat System.

With that, Nara Dan walked into the front courtyard.

"First Gate, Gate of Opening—open!"

A wave of force burst from the ground, and the immense surge of Chakra disturbed the air around Nara Dan.

Leaves and dust were swept up by the gale and scattered in every direction.

"The Chakra is flowing faster."

"And with it, blood circulation, heartbeat, and metabolism have all accelerated. The brain's protective mechanisms have been lifted."

Nara Dan carefully sensed how the Gate of Opening changed his body. His beastlike presence poured out without restraint, forming a dangerous field of force, like a tiger claiming its territory.

In an instant, every insect and bird in the courtyard fell silent. Even the fish stopped moving.

"It's similar to my 'Liberation,' but more restrained."

"Or rather, the changes to the body are only a result of the faster Chakra flow. Accelerating that flow is the true purpose of the Eight Inner Gates."

"But it's still inferior to my 'Liberation.'"

"My 'Liberation' stimulates changes in the body itself, without excessively damaging the meridians."

"In fact, the Eight Inner Gates doesn't develop the body as much as 'Liberation' does."

"The Chakra's strength has increased, there's no doubt about that. But this increase has also made the Chakra harder to control."

Nara Dan furrowed his brow slightly as he felt the Chakra surge through his body, along with a faint trembling and a sense of fullness in his meridians.

In terms of damage to the body, the Gate of Opening was undoubtedly worse. No matter how much one trained, the human body's meridians remained fragile.

"Luckily, I have the Copper Head Iron Bone Entry, which makes my meridians far more resilient than those of ordinary ninja."

"What would be damaging to an ordinary ninja is just an appetizer for me."

Nara Dan furrowed his brow, and his Chakra surged again. He opened two more gates in one go.

"Second Gate, Gate of Healing—open!"

"Third Gate, Gate of Life—open!"

Suddenly, it was as if a dam's floodgates had been thrown open. The Chakra in Nara Dan's body, which had been flowing like a stream, surged like a waterfall!

Nara Dan's body swelled with intense Chakra, much like when someone used the Akimichi Clan's Multi-Size Technique. He grew nearly half again as large, his already muscular body swelling into the shape of a small giant.

Nara Dan felt every organ in his body metabolizing at a furious rate, while veins crawled across the surface of his skin.

His heart pounded at nearly ten times the speed of an ordinary person's, roaring like an overloaded engine.

The Chakra within Nara Dan had reached a whole new level of strength and volume. Blue streams of Chakra, as tangible as solid objects, swirled around him.

"So this is Chakra on the level of a Tailed Beast—or the Senju Clan. Chakra-Ton."

Nara Dan stood still, sensing the Chakra within him. Without undergoing any change in form or nature, it still took on a visible, tangible shape.

"Of course, I can't compare to someone like Hashirama Senju. But this is still far beyond the realm of ordinary ninja, including those so-called Kage."

"Still... I can't use this Chakra for ninjutsu or Genjutsu."

Nara Dan looked down at the floor, where his Chakra had spread in a spiderweb pattern, then shrugged.

"Chakra this crude can't be controlled properly for anything but Taijutsu."

But Nara Dan understood. After all, this Chakra had been obtained by forcibly exchanging the body's potential for power. Controlling it with the precision he usually had was impossible.

Otherwise, the Eight Inner Gates wouldn't be considered the strongest Taijutsu Secret Technique in the Ninja World. They could just drop the word "Taijutsu."

"In terms of how much it stimulates the body, opening three gates is roughly equivalent to my 'Liberation—Limit State.'"

"Muscles swollen to the same degree, a heartbeat racing at ten times the normal speed, and the brain's restrictions completely lifted."

Nara Dan quietly weighed the similarities and differences between the Eight Inner Gates and "Liberation."

Liberation—Limit State was the strongest physical condition Nara Dan could reach while remaining in control.

Even with his Copper Head Iron Bone, he could only maintain this state for about half an hour.

But that was enough to fight a small battle in the Ninja World.

"But... I can't hold the Third Gate for that long."

As he thought this, Nara Dan pressed his five fingers together like a blade and slashed forward.

A powerful stream of Chakra burst from the hand blade. He didn't even need to change its form or nature—

The sheer volume of Chakra made it tangible, and it struck a tree ten meters away.

"Boom!"

The ten-meter-tall tree exploded into pieces. Wood chips filled the air, as if it had been hit by several Explosive Tags at once.

Some wood chips shot into the air like shuriken, propelled by the blast.

But the moment they reached Nara Dan, the powerful wood chips were pulverized by the torrent of Chakra.

"Although my physical abilities are about the same as in 'Liberation—Limit State,'"

"the strength of my Chakra has undergone a qualitative increase."

"That must be the extra price of opening three gates."

Nara Dan stared at the scene. Normally, he couldn't casually release Chakra this tangible, even though his skill in changing its form was considerable.

For an ordinary ninja to make Chakra tangible, they would at least have to concentrate it and set it in motion, like the Rasengan—using movement to make up for a lack of density.

"But the only thing that's improved is its strength."

"So it comes at the cost of my body's potential and my control."

Nara Dan looked at the spiderweb of cracks spreading across the floor beneath his feet and thought to himself.