Eating a Bowl of Noodles × The Bottom of the Rice Bowl

"With the Eight Inner Gates, crossing that threshold will be a breeze for you."

Danzo's voice carried a certain seductive quality, drifting away on the gentle breeze.

If Nara Dan were a native of the ninja world, he would undoubtedly have believed his words completely and been swayed by them.

"It seems Lord Danzo thinks highly of me; that is truly rare."

Nara Dan's expression remained unchanged, even as Danzo spoke with flowery eloquence.

If you were to ask if Nara Dan wanted to obtain the Eight Inner Gates, he certainly did.

But if you were to ask if Nara Dan would pay a heavy price for this technique, he would not.

He wouldn't, because the root of Nara Dan's strength was not the Taijutsu talent he displayed on the surface, but the Cheat System he brought with him when he transmigrated.

A technique like the Eight Inner Gates, which drains the pond to catch the fish, was not a true necessity for him.

Seeing Nara Dan respond, Danzo's expression relaxed slightly; as the saying goes, one doesn't fear a request, only a refusal to speak.

"It is not just me; I believe the Sannin, White Fang, and even Sarutobi all think very highly of you."

"Your talent may even surpass theirs."

Danzo did not hesitate to lavish praise, and the facts supported it.

Even for those who had long been established as Kage level experts, at the same age as Nara Dan, they were merely circling within the ranks of Jonin.

As for crossing that threshold, it was mostly something that happened after the age of twenty-five.

But facing Nara Dan today, from Danzo's perspective, this guy was likely only a thin layer of paper away from that threshold.

Moreover, combined with Nara Dan's Taijutsu attributes—impervious to blades, possessing endless stamina, and explosive power—

The role he could play on the battlefield, whether in frontal combat or behind-enemy-lines assassination, was likely no less than that of a true Kage level figure.

"Lord Danzo speaks well."

Don't say it again next time, Nara Dan muttered to himself.

"But I am, after all, a member of the Nara Clan. I think such a significant matter..."

Nara Dan spoke with plenty of room for maneuver.

On one hand, he expressed the Nara Clan's inherent status as a staunch supporter of the Hokage faction; on the other, he didn't shut the door completely.

"I should return to the clan and discuss it with the clan head and the elders."

"Is that so?"

As a veteran of politics, how could Danzo not hear the polite refusal in Nara Dan's words?

But he couldn't say much more; after all, the room Nara Dan had left was already quite substantial.

"Then I hope you will consider my words carefully, Dan."

"Do not hinder your own future."

"Of course."

Nara Dan shrugged and turned to leave without hesitation, though before departing, he cast a light, intentional glance toward the nearby forest.

Suddenly, an invisible aura descended, causing the shadow lurking there to tense up instantly, their heart accelerating uncontrollably.

"Heh."

But Nara Dan limited himself to that light glance and made no other moves, walking straight away.

Long after Nara Dan had left, the stagnant atmosphere in the air finally eased.

At this moment, a ninja wearing sunglasses appeared beside Danzo.

"Lord Danzo, he discovered me just now."

"Is that so?"

Danzo nodded, indicating he understood.

"Aburame Ryoma, what would happen if you faced him?"

Aburame Ryoma did not hesitate.

"I would die, and I would die very quickly."

Danzo frowned, clearly dissatisfied with this answer; one had to know that Aburame Ryoma was one of the top experts under his command.

"Even if you used your Kikaichū?"

Aburame Ryoma replied, "If his strength is as it appears on paper, his piercing ability is second only to White Fang, and he possesses a powerful body with cellular activation like the Third Raikage. Ordinary ninjutsu can hardly harm him."

"Even if I used my Kikaichū, for him, it would just be a matter of taking a few more steps. Furthermore, even if I caught up, whether I could cause damage is an unknown."

"After all, I have no confidence in breaking through the absolute defense of the Third Raikage."

"What about a coordinated ambush?"

Danzo asked lightly, but before Aburame Ryoma could answer, he shook his head, indicating there was no need to answer.

He knew clearly in his heart that he could not afford the price of surrounding and killing such a powerhouse who had almost no weaknesses.

Moreover, Nara Dan was not an isolated civilian ninja; his status within the Nara Clan was unmatched by anyone in the younger generation.

"But it is precisely because of this that I must make this power my own."

Danzo looked at the distant Hokage Rock, his ambition surging in his heart.

"However, it is not impossible to use other methods."

Danzo recalled Nara Dan's itinerary for the day in his mind, and another idea surfaced.

On the other side, having returned home, Nara Dan resumed reading the scroll of taijutsu insights that had been interrupted earlier.

After a long while, once Nara Dan had a general grasp of the contents, he began reading one of the sections from the beginning again.

<Brief Discussion on the Eight Inner Gates --- Tobirama Senju>

"Eight Inner Gates."

Danzo's attempt to recruit him today reminded him once again of this supreme forbidden taijutsu.

Nara Dan looked at the flickering purple glow of his talent entry -- Taijutsu Mastery.

He had an intuition that to take this final step, he would need the Ninja World's supreme secret technique of taijutsu -- the Eight Inner Gates.

Undoubtedly, those famous for taijutsu in this world, whether it was Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred or the Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, were merely forms of nintaijutsu, all relying on the nature or shape transformation of chakra to create powerful melee destructive force.

But when it came to the pure development of physical potential, only the Eight Inner Gates could achieve it; although it was a method of forcing growth, for the current Nara Dan, it still provided no small amount of inspiration.

Tobirama Senju had naturally studied such a special forbidden technique, but he was also a ninjutsu-based ninja; his unparalleled talent in techniques combined with the Senju's Sage Body meant he had no need to study such an extreme forbidden technique.

"So that's why it's called a 'brief discussion'."

Nara Dan looked at Tobirama Senju's notes, which only discussed the principles and functions of the first eight gates, but regarding the final gate, Tobirama Senju merely glossed over it.

Clearly, the rational and calm Second Hokage did not like such a suicidal forbidden technique.

With time to study this, wouldn't it be better to summon two corpses?

But Nara Dan was different; his Cheat System granted him a physique far stronger than an ordinary person's, enough to allow him to bear the Eight Inner Gates for a long time, or even without injury.

"Should I defect?!"

The thought crossed Nara Dan's mind, but he immediately shook his head; it wasn't realistic.

It wasn't that he had much affection for Konoha; in fact, he was quite annoyed that Danzo and the Third used the forbidden technique of the Eight Gates to manipulate him, but for a pragmatist like him, defecting was not cost-effective.

Although ransacking the Scroll of Seals in the Hokage Office and escaping Konoha would not be difficult for him, what Orochimaru could do, he could naturally do as well, but the consequences were still too severe.

Once he became a rogue ninja, not only would he have to hide and flee, but all the upper-class services he currently enjoyed in the Nara Clan and Konoha would cease to exist, including the resources required to maintain his cultivation and daily life.

One must know that with the consumption level of his Cheat System, his monthly expenses alone reached hundreds of thousands of ryo, not to mention that he still wanted to seek out rarer and more special 'ingredients' to digest and progress.

And doing so would undoubtedly push the Nara Clan into an extremely awkward position.

It was a matter of biting the hand that feeds you.

"I'm not that low-class."

Nara Dan smiled and pushed these thoughts aside; in any case, the Eight Inner Gates were not a necessity, and taking it slow might not be a bad thing.

New author, new book, seeking recommendations and follows.