Once a battle began, it would instantly turn into a fight between taijutsu ninja who had opened the Eight Gates. Fortunately, Guy had spent more than eight years opening the Fifth Gate, yet even under Guy's instruction, Konoha had failed to cultivate a second taijutsu ninja capable of opening even the First Gate. This completely extinguished the thoughts of Konoha's higher-ups. Besides, thankfully, only a handful of people in all of Konoha practiced the Eight Gates, and it had not spread to the ninja villages of other nations. Otherwise, Konoha's ninja would truly have had reason to worry for a while.
"I know! Even without entering Sage Mode, I can't beat Guy in my current state. But don't forget—Guy's strength may not necessarily be his true strength!"
Jiraiya reminded Kakashi, hoping indirectly to have Kakashi warn Guy as well. After all, Guy was somewhat thickheaded; who knew whether he would listen to anyone's advice? Kakashi was a little different, though. The bond between the two was practically comparable to love. Unaware of the wicked thoughts in Jiraiya's mind, Kakashi pondered for a moment before replying, "I don't know about that. But I'm more curious about who forced Guy to open the Eight Gates!"
"Have you ever seen the Eight Gates in their true fully opened state?"
Hearing Kakashi's question, Jiraiya fell silent. The haggard face of the Second Hokage flashed through his mind. Closing his eyes, he recalled what Big Brother Wu had once told him: "Cherry blossoms are so beautiful, so enchanting. But once they fall to the ground, they become so tragic. Brilliance is always short-lived. Jiraiya! In my lifetime, I hope Konoha will never need anyone to use the Eight Gates to protect the village. Because brilliance is not beauty! Konoha does not need that kind of