Second Gear

Although Naruto had already lost, he had not given up. Having finally found a sparring partner, he wanted to refine the techniques he had envisioned.

"Other techniques?" Might Guy's eyes lit up. Everything Naruto had displayed today had completely overturned his worldview. One had to know that the techniques Naruto used were pure Nintaijutsu; simply put, as long as one had sufficient physical fitness and used the right techniques, they could reach Naruto's level.

However, the other three did not think so. Rock Lee and the others were already dumbfounded, and now that they heard the opponent had other techniques, their hearts were instantly filled with bitterness and envy.

Naruto ignored them and prepared to use his next technique.

[Second Gear]

[Second Gear] Naruto's body began to shrink, and a large amount of steam appeared around him.

The previously muscular Naruto Uzumaki had now transformed into a skin-and-bones stick, a state very similar to the drained Nagato Uzumaki.

But the others did not dare to underestimate Naruto in this state. Having witnessed his muscular form, they knew without a doubt that Naruto had something new up his sleeve.

"Naruto, you can't joke about things like this." Suddenly, Might Guy's expression turned serious.

"Don't worry, my body can handle it if it's only for a few minutes." Others might not be able to tell, but Might Guy certainly could, and Naruto knew it too.

It was similar to the Gate of Death of the Eight Inner Gates.

Yet, it lacked the lethality of the Gate of Death. Naruto's current state involved using chakra to accelerate the flow of blood within his body, with chakra flowing rapidly through his meridians. In this state, Naruto's speed would be more than ten times his original.

The development principle was similar to Luffy's Second Gear from One Piece, but unlike him, Naruto did not have a rubber body, so if he held it for too long, it would cause damage to his physique. If he didn't have the Six Thief Immortals, Naruto would never use such a technique, but with the Six Thief Immortals, these minor injuries were child's play—a single breath was enough to recover.

Naruto's figure vanished once again.

This time, the speed of their battle was even faster; even Hinata, who possessed the Byakugan, could not keep up with their movements.

Might Guy immediately opened the third gate of the Eight Inner Gates.

The battle ended quickly. Three minutes later, the two stopped. Naruto looked somewhat disheveled, panting heavily, lacking his earlier composure, though he had not sustained any serious injuries.

Hinata rushed over to support Naruto.

"Naruto, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Hinata's small face was full of anxiety.

Concern leads to chaos; Hinata had no time to observe Naruto's injuries.

Neji felt instinctively unhappy seeing Hinata's behavior and wanted to say something, but upon seeing the devastated battlefield, he wisely kept his mouth shut.

"I'm fine, let go." Naruto pushed Hinata away, took a deep breath, and activated the Six Thief Immortals.

Invisible to the naked eye, energy was absorbed by him.

His body visibly returned to normal.

This scene left everyone stunned once again.

This recovery rate was definitely not that of a normal person, right?

However, those present did not know the specifics of the Uzumaki Clan and simply assumed it was an ability of their lineage.

"Don't worry, Hinata. With my constitution, these minor injuries aren't a problem." Looking at Hinata's worried face, Naruto smiled slightly and scratched his head.

Seeing that Naruto had fully recovered, Hinata nodded.

In her heart, however, she was thinking about how Naruto's strength had once again exceeded her imagination.

Am I, an ordinary person, worthy of Naruto? Hinata felt a bit inferior. Since childhood, she had been compared by her father—losing to Neji when she was young, and losing to her younger sister as she grew up. Now, seeing Naruto's power, Hinata couldn't help but feel inadequate.

Naruto did not notice Hinata's emotions, or rather, he wouldn't have thought of such a problem. Having read the original work, he knew Hinata's status: the eldest daughter of the first noble family in Konoha, a direct descendant of the Otsutsuki bloodline. If anyone should feel inferior, it was Naruto. Even as a transmigrator, he understood this logic; this status meant Hinata could not marry out, a situation only resolved by Naruto's later achievements in the original story. The current Naruto naturally understood this, which was why he kept getting stronger—because he truly liked this cute little princess.

The two sides chatted for a few moments before dispersing. Through his battle with Naruto, Might Guy had gained a different perspective, and he was quite interested in the Nintaijutsu Naruto had developed.

The other two also seemed lost in thought.

Only Tenten remained calm. Unlike the others, although she was in the same taijutsu class, her combat style was more akin to using weapons.

Tenten's fighting style utilized storage scrolls to summon weapons for long-range attacks. Of course, each weapon was equipped with a summoning seal; once used, one only needed to aim at the scroll, and the chakra would re-seal the weapon.

Might Guy, Rock Lee, and the others had already left, but Tenten stayed behind.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked directly. He wasn't close to her, but he liked her personality and attire.

"That..." Tenten hesitated, not knowing how to bring it up.

Coming from a commoner background, Tenten's family were small merchants with no ninja history. Tenten had talent, but it wasn't high, and naturally, she had no ninja heritage. Her teacher was Might Guy, who would never hide anything from his disciples, but Tenten was a girl, and practicing taijutsu was inherently unsuitable for women.

However, there was no other way. Without a background or high talent, cultivation was difficult, and ninjutsu required a lineage. Among the Konoha 12, only Tenten lacked a true heritage; the ninjutsu she used was merely the summoning of items, which strictly speaking, didn't count as a ninjutsu lineage.

Seeing Naruto's power today, Tenten felt envious and wanted to try asking if Naruto could teach her a little.

For one, what Naruto practiced was Nintaijutsu, and for another, these were all self-created by Naruto. Being self-created meant Naruto could teach them to whoever he wanted.

Ninjutsu learned from the Hokage was different; it could not be passed on privately to others, not even to one's own disciples.

As a teammate of Neji, Hinata understood Tenten's situation, but she knew the boundaries regarding matters of heritage, so she did not interfere.

"It's about the taijutsu you created—can I learn them? I can pay." Tenten spoke directly, looking at Naruto with anticipation.

"You came to ask me about something like this? Since I can use them, I'm not afraid of others learning them. Besides, after sparring with Guy-sensei, I believe he has already grasped my techniques. If you want to learn, just have Guy-sensei teach you." The taijutsu Naruto used wasn't very difficult; as long as one's physical strength reached a certain level, they could imitate it with a little practice.