Eight Inner Gates

Holding back would be a sign of disrespect toward his opponent, and besides, Guy was not arrogant enough to do such a thing.

A battle between ninjas is not merely a contest of taijutsu; it also tests one's mastery of ninjutsu and even the depth of their genjutsu. Although he had mastered some basic ninjutsu, his greatest strength remained taijutsu, and his victories were almost always decided by his fists and feet.

Akashi had also instructed Anko to be extremely careful in how she handled this.

Back at the Ninja Academy, Guy's performance had been unremarkable at first, but in the end, he was among those who graduated early. Perhaps his goofy appearance and overly passionate state masked his talent, causing people to overlook one thing—

Guy was a genius!

Just how much the current Guy had grown was truly unclear.

"Let me see what you've got."

Akashi chuckled, "Begin!"

As his voice fell, Anko and Guy withdrew their Seal of Confrontation and lunged toward each other, the dust beneath their feet swirling and trailing behind their figures.

Guy opened with a rapid-fire series of straight punches, heavy and fierce, and with such speed that Anko was immediately forced onto the defensive.

Fortunately, having been tempered by Orochimaru and Akashi, Anko had improved not only in her ninjutsu but also in her taijutsu.

The initial attacks were all within her ability to block, but that was all she could do—merely block.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Fists and feet crossed as the two engaged in the most direct form of combat.

Guy's offense was not as flashy as she had imagined; it was devoid of any bells and whistles, yet it was precisely this straightforward bombardment of punches that left her feeling incredibly frustrated.

Leveraging his advantage in taijutsu, Guy grew more spirited, the power infused into his fists gradually increasing as he forced Anko back.

With a few consecutive flips, Anko landed steadily, her arms aching.

Every parry she made seemed perfect, but in reality, it was exhausting, and she couldn't help but snap, "Don't you have any other moves besides your fists!"

"Hehe... not many other moves." Guy laughed awkwardly and continued his relentless assault.

Leaf Whirlwind!

His twisting body accumulated immense power, sweeping across like wind through fallen leaves. The force of his leg sliced through the air, creating a sharp, piercing whistle.

A green whirlwind? So fast! Anko reacted instantly... Substitution Technique!

Bang!

Half a log was swept away and sent flying to the ground.

Having escaped the blow, Anko jumped behind Guy and threw a barrage of shuriken.

Although this was a sparring match, the gear she carried was not the toy version from the academy; if she were struck, she would definitely be injured.

Seeing this, Guy dodged quickly, shifting his offense into defense.

Immediately following, another round of shuriken flew in from the front, and at the same time, the distance between them began to widen.

For a while, the two were actually trading blows back and forth.

Akashi's interest, however, began to wane; he had not seen what he wanted to see—the Eight Inner Gates.

Clearly, the pressure Anko was providing was far from enough.

I'll have to be the one to provoke him further. Akashi thought to himself, then said aloud, "Senior Guy, this won't do. It's hard to identify the root of the problem like this. I remember you saying you were practicing the Eight Inner Gates, right? Could it be because of this technique? It would be best to show it to me."

This voice interrupted their battle.

Guy looked very troubled: "But my father said that technique should only be used to protect one's comrades, and I have only trained up to the Gate of Healing."

"That's enough, that's enough."

If he opened all eight, who could withstand it? Akashi thought. "Just give it a try. It's very likely the Eight Inner Gates is the source of your ailment. We are just sparring, not fighting to the death, so it's fine."

Guy pondered for a few seconds, seemingly persuaded, and made up his mind.

"Alright!" He created some distance, held his hands at his waist, and his aura became as sharp as a blade!

This technique was not particularly mysterious, as the concept of the eight gates was part of the existing theoretical system in the ninja world, relating to the transport and restriction of chakra, and many ninjas were aware of it. There were quite a few who knew of the Eight Inner Gates, and many jonin had even dabbled in it, but those who could successfully master the Eight Inner Gates were almost non-existent.

The cost of training was simply too high; it required immense talent for taijutsu and a massive amount of grueling practice to raise the body's tolerance limits.

Looking at the effects of the first three gates alone, it wasn't worth it, and beyond the fourth gate, it became too difficult, with the side effects of mastery being too severe, leading almost no one to be willing to follow that path to the end.

Guy was different; he possessed a perseverance that ordinary people could not compare to, the so-called "ever-burning youth."

"First Gate, Gate of Opening, open!"

"Second Gate, Gate of Healing, open!"

"Third Gate, Gate of Life, open!"

In a brief moment, Guy had opened up to the third gate in one breath, his breathing heavy like a wild beast. A scorching aura surged violently, blowing away the surrounding gravel.

The consumption of this technique was enormous, even for Guy's body.

Sweat poured out of him in layers, only to be evaporated by the high temperature. At the same time, the veins on his forehead bulged, and his eyes shifted from calm to filled with fighting spirit, as if he had transformed into a beast.

"This is my youth!"

The momentum radiating from Guy shifted abruptly, enough to surprise even Akashi.

To have such presence after opening only the third gate—tsk, tsk, it was fortunate he hadn't stepped in himself.

Akashi was not a man of indifference, so he offered some well-meaning comfort: "Anko, be brave. I am your strongest backing; if you get hurt, I will definitely send you to the hospital!"

He could even get reimbursed for the expenses; it was a win-win situation.

Anko, however, was instantly flustered.

"I... you..." In the end, as if giving up on resistance, she took a deep breath. "Go easy on me."

Guy seemed not to have heard her at all, rubbing his palms together in immense excitement. "Then let's begin!"

With that, his figure blurred, charging forward like a whirlwind, his raised leg kicking up grass and swirling dust.

So fast!

Anko cried out internally, sensing that the power of this strike would be formidable. Daring not to take it head-on, she scrambled backward. At the same time, her fingers flicked several shuriken, launching them before her to block Guy's path of attack.

The spinning shuriken traced long arcs, whistling as they cut through the air.

Guy's charging posture faltered for a split second before he performed an emergency flip, dodging the shuriken assault. His speed slowed just enough for Anko to escape a direct hit.

Taijutsu was, after all, nothing more than a matter of speed and power.

Having experienced Anko's taijutsu firsthand, Akashi compared it to Guy's and instantly realized the gap. Moreover, with the third gate open, Guy was now so fast that Anko could barely track his movements.

Even if he were to fight himself, in terms of pure taijutsu, he would likely suffer a crushing defeat.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!" Guy shouted.

His legs spun like a gale, whipping up countless blades of air. The pressure was so sharp that Anko couldn't help but retreat two steps, pebbles sliding under her feet and grass blades trembling.

The speed was so great it turned his leg into a blur of motion!

Anko's eyes struggled to capture Guy's figure. The next second, while her ninja tools were still in her hands, the force of Guy's kick had already arrived.

Bang!

The air vibrated slightly as the force of the kick swept away the grass.

Anko flew backward, slamming hard into a distant tree trunk, shaking down a rustle of leaves. She slid to the ground, extending one hand with fingers splayed. "Stop, I... I, I, I surrender!"

Guy, who had been about to press the attack, froze. His thick eyebrows hung over his sweat-drenched face as he gave a goofy smile. "Are you alright?"

"What do you think?"

Anko struggled even to stand, wanting to cry but having no tears left.

She felt as if her internal organs had been knocked out of place. Sweat seeped from every pore, her legs trembled, and her face was deathly pale. She felt as though the ice cream she had just eaten was threatening to come back up her throat.

If only she had known, she never would have agreed to this spar.

And this was only the result of Guy not going all out. The gap in their strength was already significant; it was less of a sparring match and more of a lesson.

A chunin and a chunin were not the same thing.

"That's enough for now!"

Akashi stepped forward to check on Anko's injuries, then turned his head. "Senior Guy, I have a general understanding of your issues. Come with me to the laboratory for a deeper analysis."

Guy flashed a set of white teeth, grinning as he gave a thumbs-up. "Many thanks!"

He immediately returned to his usual self, though his green jumpsuit was already soaked through.

For him at this stage, the drain of opening the third gate was not insignificant; if he were to fight for a long time, he likely wouldn't last long. Precisely because of this, Akashi was even more expectant about the effects of combining cellular activation with the Eight Inner Gates.

Just then, a hearty laugh suddenly drifted over from not far away.

"(⊙o⊙) Oh, what a magnificent battle! Are the children of the Leaf all this impressive? Hahahaha!"

The three of them turned their heads in unison.

It was a man with a simple, honest appearance, a mediocre build, and a face so generic it was entirely unfamiliar.

Despite being middle-aged, he possessed a thick, lush mane of brown hair that would make many envious. He wore a kind smile and looked harmless, carrying a pack on his back while clapping his hands.

Akashi, however, was suddenly shocked, two words flashing through his mind.

Shinnō!