Jiraiya slowly nodded. Sarutobi Hiruzen drained the wine in his cup in one gulp, then slowly said, "In merely fifteen years, Might Guy had managed to permanently open five of the Eight Gates, and before long, he would even open the sixth. Anyone would call that a miracle. But to Guy and me, this had already been an unbearably slow pace of training!"
"I'm not saying Guy lacks that kind of talent. I simply don't think he could have opened the Eight Gates within fifteen years!"
Jiraiya knew what Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to say, so he voiced his doubts directly. Perhaps Guy truly was exceptionally talented, but no matter how talented a ninja was, they could not gain any advantage in the forbidden technique known as the Eight Gates. In a sense, the Eight Gates were nothing but pure, grueling training, with no shortcuts whatsoever.
Dipping a finger in tea, Jiraiya drew a sealing pattern on the table. His originally lazy expression instantly became incomparably serious. Then his pupils widened in shock. Sarutobi Hiruzen was quite satisfied by Jiraiya's reaction.
"Perhaps you have never seen this sealing pattern in your entire life, have you? Not just you—even I had never seen it before. Perhaps only the Uzumaki Clan, before they were destroyed, might have known something about it. Even the current Namikaze Clan has absolutely no records concerning it!"
Jiraiya wore a puzzled expression. After pausing briefly, Sarutobi Hiruzen continued slowly, "When a body tempered through countless trials gathers all the strength it can muster into the heart, it becomes the Eight Gates Released Formation, capable of unleashing its greatest power. This seal can create a gate for that power, preventing it from completely crushing the user's body! Furthermore, this sealing technique can gather all the residual power a practitioner