In Konoha Square, two green figures kept performing all kinds of exercises: jumping rope, running, kicking, push-ups, punching wooden dummies, and pull-ups. The frequency and number of repetitions were astonishing, far beyond what anyone could imagine.
"What a disgrace. Might Duy, the eternal Genin, is actually dragging his son into this madness. It's terrifying!"
"He's almost forty and still only a Genin. A ninja's strength lies in powerful, dazzling ninjutsu. He doesn't even understand something that simple, yet he wants to be a ninja? How laughable..."
"Exactly. What ninja has ever become strong through such foolish training? Even samurai need to hone their swordsmanship. I've never seen a ninja who doesn't train in ninjutsu. It really is ridiculous."
The people nearby watched Might Duy and his son training incessantly and discussed them among themselves. When someone did something strange and unconventional without achieving results, people often looked down on their efforts from a position of superiority, then slandered and insulted them!
"Father, can all this useless training really make us powerful ninjas? Even Sato Hideaka, who just joined our class and is only about five years old, got an excellent grade. But I... I failed again!"
Might Guy wiped the sweat from his forehead and lowered his right leg, which had been kicking the wooden dummy nonstop. He looked dejectedly at a thick-browed man in the same green, stretchy jumpsuit.
Might Duy patted Might Guy's bowl-cut head, a dazzling light flashing in his eyes. He answered firmly, "We don't have a talent for ninjutsu, so we have to train even harder than those geniuses. If we can't keep up with them, it only means we haven't worked hard enough. If training twice as hard isn't enough, then train three times as hard. When we've put in enough effort, we'll definitely surpass those so-called geniuses!"
"But don't ninjas have to train in ninjutsu? I've never seen a ninja become a respected, powerful warrior by training only in taijutsu. Maybe... maybe this method just won't work. Maybe I can never become a powerful ninja."
Might Guy sat on the grass with his arms wrapped around his knees. His thick lashes fluttered as he lowered his head, his body seeming to go limp. He spoke in a dispirited, defeated voice.
"Guy, just because no one in the past became a great ninja through powerful taijutsu doesn't mean no one ever will. Before people created ninjutsu, no one had ever used it. That didn't mean ninjutsu didn't exist..."
A clear voice rang out from the crowd. Sato Hideaka slowly walked over to Might Duy and Might Guy and said firmly, "When someone's taijutsu reaches its limit, nothing can block his path forward. I've always believed that!"
So this is your ninja way, Might Guy!
With nothing but his burning spirit, he would open the Eight Gates Released Formation and use techniques such as Evening Elephant and Night Guy to kick half of Madara Uchiha's body away. Madara, the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, would acknowledge him as the greatest taijutsu user. In that moment, pure taijutsu would shine with incomparable brilliance.
So many geniuses in the Shinobi World couldn't stop the brilliance of the Eight Inner Gates. That showed just how powerful pure taijutsu could be when honed to its peak through hard work!
"Sato Hideaka, wh-what are you doing here?" Might Guy suddenly stood up, startled.
Sato Hideaka smiled without answering. He handed a letter to Might Duy, the thick-browed man in the green jumpsuit, and said, "I'm here to learn the Eight Inner Gates Formation from you. The Lord Third asked me to give you this letter of recommendation!"
"Oh, is that so?"
Might Duy accepted the letter from Sato Hideaka and furrowed his brow. "The requirements for learning the Eight Inner Gates Formation are incredibly difficult and strict. You need talent for taijutsu, and when you open the Gates, you have to endure pain beyond what ordinary people can bear..."
"Regular training, strenuous training, training beyond your limits. That's how you condition every part of your body to handle the strain after opening a Gate and minimize the damage caused by the tremendous energy. Are you sure you can endure that pain?"
"I can't fail to endure it, because I have a reason I must endure it for. I hope you'll teach me!" Sato Hideaka bowed and replied.
"The Eight Inner Gates Formation? What kind of technique is that? Father, why have I never heard you mention it before?" Might Guy asked in confusion from the side, having heard Might Duy's explanation.
"The Eight Inner Gates Formation was created by the Second, Senju Tobirama. When all eight Gates are opened, you can gain terrifying power beyond Kage Level. But it places extremely strict demands on the body. That's one of the reasons I've been making you train so hard..."
Might Duy patted Might Guy's head. After explaining, he turned to Sato Hideaka and continued, "Since the Lord Third recommended you, I'll certainly teach you with care. But the Eight Inner Gates have strict requirements. If you can keep up with Guy's training intensity within two months, then I can formally begin teaching you the Eight Inner Gates Formation!"
"I need to learn the Eight Inner Gates Formation and open the first three Gates within a month... I hope you can make a training plan for me." Sato Hideaka shook his head and held up one long index finger, his tone calm.
"Opening three Gates in a month is absolutely impossible. It took me five years to open the first three!"
Might Duy shook his head vigorously. The five-year-old's answer made him think that Sato Hideaka hadn't understood what he'd just said. The Eight Inner Gates placed incredibly strict demands on the body, and the chakra released would put tremendous strain on it.
Before training in the Eight Inner Gates, you needed to condition and strengthen your body, bones, and organs through long-term taijutsu training, reducing the damage caused by the immense energy...
Opening three Gates after only a month of training was simply impossible!
Sato Hideaka looked at Might Duy, who seemed unconvinced, and said firmly, "I'll catch up to Guy's training intensity within seven days. Once I do, I hope you'll teach me the Eight Inner Gates Formation."
"All right, I'll accept your terms. If you really can keep up with Guy's training intensity within seven days, I'll teach you how to train in the Eight Inner Gates Formation," Might Duy said with a nod.
Standing to the side, seven-year-old Might Guy heard that Sato Hideaka intended to catch up within seven days to the training intensity he'd spent three years building up. He couldn't help but scoff. "Sato Hideaka, even though you're a genius, I don't believe you can catch up to me in taijutsu."
Sato Hideaka shook his head and smiled faintly, completely unruffled. "Guy, let's wait and see..."
"All right, then let's start by running a hundred laps around Konoha Square."
As soon as Might Duy finished speaking, Sato Hideaka and Might Guy began running around Konoha's largest square, following his lead...
"Whose kid is that? Why's he hanging around Might Duy and his son?"
"Wow, someone actually joined that weird father-and-son duo. Unbelievable! Has that kid been brainwashed?"
The people nearby began gossiping again. They clearly couldn't understand or relate to Sato Hideaka joining Might Duy and his son. Only a fool would learn the training methods of an eternal Genin!