Gate of Death: Chakra Limiter

The morning sun pierced through the mist, gilding the Akimichi Clan compound with a soft, golden rim.

Konoha awakened under a pale blue sky, with wisps of cooking smoke rising from the rows of rooftops, intertwining with the lingering mountain haze.

The streets grew increasingly crowded, yet a young girl stood waiting by the roadside, glancing around expectantly.

Yamanaka Ino finally caught sight of Akimichi Choji and trotted over with a beaming smile to greet him.

Akimichi Denji nodded in response.

Naturally, they encountered Nara Shikamaru along the way.

The children of the Ino-Shika-Cho families headed toward the Ninja Academy together.

Akimichi Choji's round steps were somewhat unsteady, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes; he looked as if his vitality had been partially drained, yet his mouth was stretched into a satisfied, slightly goofy grin.

Akimichi Denji had made him Tangciba after draining his chakra yesterday.

"Hey, Choji," Nara Shikamaru lifted his eyelids lazily, his tone carrying his usual weariness and a hint of curiosity, "What's with that expression... you look like you've been wrung dry, yet you're smiling like a fool who just found gold."

Akimichi Choji scanned his surroundings warily before carefully pulling a small square, meticulously wrapped in oil paper, from his inner pocket as if it were a priceless treasure, showing it off. "My brother... uh... made me a new snack yesterday after that."

Inside the oil paper lay the crystal-clear, soft, and chewy Tangciba, coated in fine sugar and soybean powder.

Then, fearing that Shikamaru might covet it, he instinctively shoved the entire piece into his mouth with lightning speed.

He was still traumatized from having a Three-Color Dango snatched away by Akimichi Denji yesterday.

"Denji-kun made a new snack?" a voice as crisp as silver bells rang out.

Yamanaka Ino rushed over like a gust of wind, her eyes sparkling, only to see Akimichi Choji already stuffing the last of the Tangciba into his mouth like a hamster.

Ever since Akimichi Choza had assigned a chef to Akimichi Denji, Denji rarely cooked himself, leaving Ino and the others unable to taste his handiwork.

Akimichi Choji congratulated himself on his wisdom. He knew someone would be eyeing his snack.

He chewed vigorously, emphasizing with his mouth full, "It's gone! That was the only piece!"

"You definitely have more, don't you!" Yamanaka Ino bared her claws, making a move to pounce and search him.

Akimichi Choji subconsciously covered his pocket, saying with a guilty air, "There isn't any."

Yamanaka Ino made a gesture to snatch it.

Just as Ino's fingers were about to touch Choji's lapel, a slender hand reached out, holding a significantly larger and more exquisitely wrapped paper bag.

"Alright, Ino," Akimichi Denji's cool voice sounded. "This one is for you."

Ino's movements froze instantly. She turned to look at Denji, then at the bag of snacks; the anger on her face melted away like snow, and her eyes curved into crescent moons.

She wore the expression of someone thinking, I knew you had me in your heart.

"Denji-kun! You made this yourself! And you even saved a portion just for me!"

Akimichi Denji's eyelid twitched imperceptibly. In truth... only Choji's portion had been his own experimental handiwork.

This morning, he had simply demonstrated the process to the chef once, leaving the rest to the professional for mass production—saving both time and effort.

Watching Ino look so moved she was on the verge of tears, the words "the chef made this" hovered on the tip of his tongue before he ultimately swallowed them back.

He calculated silently: from now on, he would teach the chef one dish from his past-life memories every day. The cuisine in this Ninja World was mostly delicate and pitifully small in portion, which simply didn't suit his Eastern appetite, accustomed to stir-frying, deep-frying, and hearty servings.

Akimichi Choji stared at the bag of Tangciba in Ino's hands, seemingly petrified.

Wasn't I the only one who got some? I gave up all my chakra to earn this...

And her bag is so much bigger than mine...

Nara Shikamaru only felt that they were noisy.

The morning at the Ninja Academy remained focused on theory, though the content was slightly different.

Umino Iruka stood before the podium, pointing his teaching pointer at the anatomical chart of the human body drawn on the blackboard, his voice steady and clear: "...Therefore, among all the organs, the heart holds a position that is uniquely critical and fatal."

"It is not merely a 'pump' that drives the flow of blood and provides the source for taijutsu; more importantly, it is one of the most vital chakra limiters in the human body! It constantly monitors and restricts the total flow of chakra, preventing excessive torrents of energy from shattering the meridian system, which would lead to irreversible damage or even death."

"Precisely because of this, prioritizing the destruction of the heart in combat yields massive advantages."

As expected of the Ninja World, six-year-olds are already taking physiology classes. Very hardcore.

Iruka's mention of a "chakra limiter" made Akimichi Denji think once again of the taijutsu that burned one's life to exchange for a moment of brilliance—the Eight Inner Gates.

The final gate of the Eight Inner Gates, the Gate of Death, was located at the heart.

During the Third Ninja World War, Might Duy had opened the Eight Gates to face the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, taking down four of them.

However, the one who utilized the Eight Inner Gates most brilliantly was "Konoha's Blue Beast," Might Guy, who nearly kicked the series to its finale.

"Beyond the heart as the core limiter," Umino Iruka's voice echoed in the quiet classroom as his pointer moved to the human meridian chart, "the numerous acupoints spread throughout our meridian network are equally critical nodes for chakra flow. In daily life, they act like precision regulating valves, working in coordination to guide chakra smoothly to nourish all parts of the body, supporting a ninja's movements and ninjutsu."

His tone became more solemn: "However, once these acupoints, which maintain chakra balance, suffer precise strikes or damage, the consequences are equally dire. At best, it leads to local chakra turbulence and limb paralysis; at worst, it can completely block the flow of chakra to specific organs."

"And the one who has brought this art of striking acupoints and the meridian system to its peak," Iruka's voice carried a hint of admiration for the ninjutsu system, and his gaze naturally drifted toward a seat by the window with a sense of pedagogical demonstration, "is the secret technique of Konoha's prestigious Hyuga Clan—the Gentle Fist!"

Almost the moment Iruka's words fell, the eyes of the entire classroom, as if pulled by invisible strings, focused squarely on Hyuga Hinata.

Curiosity, inquiry, anticipation, and even a trace of imperceptible scrutiny...

These gazes converged into an invisible pressure.

As the eldest daughter of the Hyuga main house, Hinata's identity was known to all, yet the vast majority of her classmates had never truly seen her perform this renowned family taijutsu.

Feeling the dozens of focused gazes, Hinata felt her face flush instantly, the scorching heat spreading to her earlobes.

She subconsciously buried her head deep, her bangs falling to cover her Byakugan.