At Sato Hideaka's unrelenting insistence, Yakushi Nonō finally agreed to his request, though she was extremely reluctant. Yakushi Nonō truly was a medical expert second only to Tsunade Senju; under her care, Sato Hideaka was often able to block out most of his pain by the next day.
During the first four days, Yakushi Nonō had to treat Sato Hideaka's wounds at least twice each day. After that, however, once a day was enough. By the seventh day, Sato Hideaka had completely adapted to the intensity of Might Duy and Might Guy's training.
During those seven days of training, Yuhi Kurenai and Hyuga Ningxiang had also come to see Sato Hideaka. It seemed that, at the insistence of their family elders, they had given up on the written Genin exam.
Naturally, that meant they had also lost their chance to take the Genin exam...
Sato Hideaka could understand their families' decision to give up the chance to become Genin. Seven-year-old children needed time to adjust, to slowly adapt to life as ninja.
And the facts proved that, for ordinary people, becoming a ninja as early as possible was not necessarily best.
Becoming a ninja too young meant having to face battle and death too soon. The Second Shinobi World War had only ended recently, and the deaths of young ninja in the war still haunted the minds of adult ninja.
No one wanted their own children exposed to such things too soon...
Of course, if the children of ordinary families did this, they would be severely punished. But the Hyuga Clan and the Yuhi Clan were both important families in Konoha, and they had made all kinds of contributions to the village.
They naturally enjoyed certain privileges!
"Hideaka, today is the seventh day, and you've caught up with Guy's training intensity. As we agreed, I'll teach you the Eight Inner Gates Formation now. Guy, you come along too..."
Might Duy watched the two of them hammering away at wooden posts, drenched in sweat. A hint of pride crept into his eyes.
He had pushed himself through extreme training in Konoha for years, and everyone treated him like a joke. No one had ever believed in him.
Training beyond one's limits was something few people could endure. His strong will let him ignore the gossip and keep going.
But when his son began to doubt his methods, Sato Hideaka had appeared. He had not only believed in him, but also given the father and son confidence.
When someone pushed their Taijutsu to its limits, nothing could block their path forward. You've always believed that, and I, Might Duy, have always believed it too!
Sato Hideaka stopped moving and slowly unwound the white bandages around his arms, revealing hands covered in scars.
Yet his hands had none of the thick calluses that came from practicing Taijutsu. That was thanks to Yakushi Nonō's superb medical skills.
People often mistakenly believed that practicing external martial arts would cause thick calluses to grow on the body. In truth, that was misleading.
Once the sensitive nerve endings in callused, dead skin were lost, the hands and fingers became less nimble, and the skin lost its sense of touch. How could someone truly skilled in external martial arts allow their body to suffer such damage?
In the world of Naruto, medical bandages soaked in medicine were usually used for protection. But Sato Hideaka's extreme training went far beyond what ordinary people could endure.
Ordinary medical bandages simply couldn't keep up with the pace of his injuries, so Yakushi Nonō usually prepared special medicine to apply to his body...
That was how he could train to his limits while preserving the sensitive nerve cells in his body!
The two came over, breathing slightly hard, and Might Duy began explaining the secrets of the Eight Inner Gates Formation in earnest.
"Everyone has eight gates in their body: the Gate of Opening, the Gate of Healing, the Gate of Life, the Gate of Pain, the Gate of Limit, the Gate of View, the Gate of Wonder, and the Gate of Death. These eight gates limit the amount of chakra in the body. The Eight Inner Gates Formation can force chakra beyond those limits..."
"When the Eight Inner Gates Formation opens the Gate of Opening, it removes the brain's safety limits, allowing you to use one hundred percent of your body's ability. It consumes the body's energy to boost your attacks.
"When the Gate of Healing is opened, it removes the body's fatigue limits, squeezing the body's energy to restore stamina and counteracting the fatigue caused by the Gate of Opening's rapid energy consumption."
The first two gates boosted stamina, speed, and strength. But when the third gate, the Gate of Life, was opened, it further increased attack power and boosted one's chakra by thirty percent. The body would also begin to emit a green energy.
The first three gates of the Eight Inner Gates Formation were called the safe gates. The remaining five were known as the dangerous gates!"
After explaining the first three gates, Might Duy paused. Frowning, he continued, "The fourth gate, the Gate of Pain, can further increase your attack power. But once it's opened, the body begins to suffer damage, bringing you into the dangerous zone of the Eight Inner Gates Formation. So for now, I'll only teach you the first three gates..."
Might Duy carefully explained the chakra pathways and precautions for opening the first three gates to Sato Hideaka, who listened intently.
Standing to one side, Sato Hideaka furrowed his brow and committed every word Might Duy said to memory!
"How much do you remember about opening the first three gates of the Eight Inner Gates Formation?" Might Duy asked when he had finished.
Might Guy was so anxious that sweat poured off him. His eyes darted everywhere; clearly, he hadn't retained much of the long explanation.
Sato Hideaka, meanwhile, stood perfectly still, focused and calm, as if he had zoned out and hadn't listened at all...
Might Duy looked at the two of them, who seemed not to know what was going on, and awkwardly scratched his head with a few chuckles.
"I spent five years mastering the first three gates of the Eight Inner Gates Formation. I guess I told you too much all at once. How about this... I'll start by explaining the first gate, the Gate of Opening!"
As soon as Might Duy finished speaking, Sato Hideaka's whole body suddenly shuddered. A frightening aura burst from him.
He struck a stance and launched into a flurry of moves: a straight punch, a hook, a side kick, and a roundhouse kick...
His fluid movements struck with unstoppable speed. Fast, powerful, precise, and ruthless, they left afterimages in the air. The violent airflow sent fallen leaves flying, and they whirled through the air!
Amid the swirling leaves, Sato Hideaka's feet moved rapidly as he darted around at high speed, kicking and punching as he launched one attack after another.
An afterimage seemed to trail him everywhere. All at once, his speed became astonishing.
"He actually opened the Gate of Opening after hearing the explanation just once..."
Watching Sato Hideaka move at high speed through the woods, Might Duy stood rooted to the spot, staring in disbelief as he murmured to himself.