The True Power of Humanity

Might Guy had only opened the first three gates, yet his chakra was already on par with an average jonin.

Coupled with his exquisite taijutsu, dealing with a wild Ninja Leopard was truly a foregone conclusion.

The Ninja Leopard was kicked straight into the sky by a rapid-fire combo.

Had Kimura Takuya not spoken up to ask that it be kept alive, Might Guy would have kicked it to death on the spot.

Meanwhile, the trio in the back had also engaged the Ninja Pig.

They were so focused that they hadn't even noticed Guy had already finished his fight.

"Guy-sensei, was that the Eight Inner Gates Formation just now?"

"Oh? You know of it too, Takuya-kun? That's right, it was indeed the Eight Inner Gates Formation."

"I've heard it's the strongest taijutsu secret technique in the Ninja World. It's truly as impressive as they say!"

"Ahahaha, the Eight Inner Gates Formation is indeed powerful, but it comes at a great cost. It is a technique that releases the body's natural limits to erupt with massive amounts of chakra; every time it is unleashed, it places a tremendous burden on the body."

Seeing that Kimura Takuya was quite interested, Might Guy elaborated a bit more.

The latter immediately seized the opportunity to push further.

"Does it cause damage to your body every time? Let me give you a check-up, Guy-sensei."

"Uh, it's alright. As long as I don't open anything beyond the Gate of Pain, I'm fine. Lee and the others are still fighting, and I need to ensure their safety. Now is really not a good time for a physical exam."

Might Guy shook his head, declining Kimura Takuya's proposal.

He turned back to continue monitoring the battle involving Lee and the others.

Kimura Takuya inwardly lamented the missed opportunity; he had wanted to examine Might Guy's physical condition immediately after he had opened the gates.

The data might not be accurate later on. The bodies of taijutsu-specialized ninja are trained year-round, and their recovery speed far exceeds that of an ordinary person; the results would be different if he waited.

However, since Might Guy didn't consent, he couldn't force a check-up on him, so he had to let it go.

He turned his attention to the leopard instead.

The leopard was pitch black and larger than an ox; it looked to weigh over a thousand kilograms.

Its limbs were thick, resembling elephant legs, with a single leg weighing nearly a hundred kilograms.

That was the weight of an entire adult human.

The leg would be more than enough.

"Guy-sensei, I'd like to buy a leg from this leopard."

"Takuya-kun, what are you saying? We were already planning to have a barbecue party tonight. If you want to eat, just help yourself."

"It's not for that, Guy-sensei. I'm planning to use it to save someone."

Kimura Takuya then explained his idea of using the leopard's leg to save a patient to Might Guy.

"Nani? Is that really possible? Takuya-kun, a leopard's leg isn't the same as a human arm, is it? And this leopard is so huge—a single leg is thicker than a person's waist!"

"It's possible. I just need to reshape it a little."

Despite his shock, Might Guy chose to trust Kimura Takuya's words; after all, the boy was the professional when it came to medical ninjutsu.

If Kimura Takuya said it could be done, then it could be done.

If it truly succeeded, wouldn't that mean many ninja from Konoha who had retired due to amputations could be saved?

Thinking of this, the look Might Guy gave Kimura Takuya suddenly brimmed with emotion.

Then, with a loud wail, he burst into tears!

"Medical ninjutsu can also help others regain their youth!"

Watching Might Guy suddenly become self-moved and sobbing uncontrollably, Kimura Takuya's mouth twitched. He remembered Might Guy being like this in the anime, and back then, he hadn't thought much of it other than finding it a bit funny.

But now that the scene was playing out right in front of him, Kimura Takuya suddenly felt that Might Guy might have some mental issues.

Someone without mental issues probably couldn't endure the agony of opening all eight gates anyway.

Hmm, that kind of pain could be avoided—he just needed to sever the pain receptors.

That was one more problem solved on the road to the infinite Eight Gates: remember to sever the pain nerves when opening the gates. Kimura Takuya made a mental note of it.

"It's over!"

Just as Kimura Takuya's thoughts were drifting, the battle involving Lee and the others had concluded. Although the Ninja Pig's chakra levels were not inferior to an average jonin, chakra volume did not equate to combat prowess.

That Ninja Pig was, after all, just a beast without intelligence.

Having been kicked by Might Guy at the start, it was already at a disadvantage.

The trio managed to take it down after a bit of effort, with no real danger.

"Ah, this is youth!"

Lee and Neji coordinated their taijutsu to defeat the Ninja Pig, while Tenten could only stand on the sidelines, occasionally throwing a shuriken.

After the sparring match, both Lee and Neji were thoroughly invigorated.

Only Tenten felt like a superfluous ornament, as if she served absolutely no purpose in this team.

She tilted her head to watch Lee and Neji celebrate, her head hanging low in discouragement.

"Everyone has things they excel at and things they don't. There's no need to be disheartened just because you couldn't help for a moment. Finding your own niche is what matters most."

"Uh, th-thank you. But how can I find my niche?"

Tenten looked at Kimura Takuya, who had suddenly appeared beside her, her face flushing slightly before she forced herself to remain calm and ask him.

"Every member of a team should bring their greatest strengths to the table and compensate for the weaknesses of others.

Only then will a team have no obvious shortcomings, and everyone will be able to play to their strengths, creating an effect where one plus one is greater than two."

"Play to my strengths?"

"That's right. Your team clearly hasn't considered this. You only thought about how three genin specializing in taijutsu would learn more from a teacher like Guy, who also specializes in taijutsu, without considering the practical utility of your future team."

"The team's utility?"

Watching Tenten, who now looked completely bewildered, Kimura Takuya sighed inwardly.

This world was just like this; people started working right after finishing elementary school.

With everyone having only an elementary school education—and not even a proper one at that—people's comprehension skills were generally quite poor.

Kimura Takuya grumbled to himself, deciding that he must implement nine-year compulsory education in the Ninja World in the future.

He would even build high schools and universities for them.

He couldn't let the children of the Ninja World be deprived of an education at such a young age.

"Your team has the Byakugan for reconnaissance, and Guy-sensei and Lee as dual physical damage dealers specializing in pure taijutsu.

You should function as an assault and breakthrough squad, suited for rapid infiltration and striking key targets behind enemy lines.

The Byakugan locks onto enemies, and the dual damage dealers charge in.

This creates certain needs: you require supplies and medical support while deep behind enemy lines, and perhaps even long-range support."

"I understand. I don't know medical ninjutsu, so I can only carry supplies and throw a few shuriken for them. So, I need to learn medical ninjutsu, right?"

Tenten looked as if she had found her purpose, and just as she was wondering where to learn medical ninjutsu, her eyes suddenly lit up.

Wasn't the person standing right in front of her a genius medical ninja?

"Takuya-kun, please teach me medical ninjutsu!"

"Uh, medical ninjutsu is very difficult; not everyone can learn it. I can teach you if you want, but don't get your hopes up too high. Out of ten ninjas, it's not even certain that one will be able to master it. Even if you can't learn it, there are other paths you can take."

"Yes, thank you, Takuya-kun!"

Looking at Tenten's expectant eyes, Kimura Takuya broke into a cold sweat.

In the original story, Tenten had tried to learn medical ninjutsu, but she had absolutely no talent for it.

He had better manage her expectations now so the girl wouldn't be too disappointed later.

Regardless, there were other, better ways to improve her combat effectiveness.

He certainly wouldn't let her end up like in the original story, using high-level Space-Time Ninjutsu only to end up throwing junk and doing negligible damage.