Training in the Eight Gates!

Uchiha Shunichi had chosen his reward. Sarutobi Hiruzen found it somewhat regrettable, but he did not stop Uchiha Shunichi from making that choice.

In truth, Sarutobi Hiruzen also had some concerns about Uchiha Shunichi. Although his judgment was not wrong, he did not wish to see the Uchiha Clan become too powerful.

Even if... only two members of the Uchiha Clan remained now.

After all, the existence of the Mangekyō Sharingan was simply too terrifying.

However, Uchiha Shunichi himself did not care much. Or rather, he had already achieved his objective. As for the Flying Thunder God, he could wait until Tsunade became Hokage.

That woman was far easier to deal with than Sarutobi Hiruzen.

After obtaining a copy of the Eight Gates from Sarutobi Hiruzen, Uchiha Shunichi headed straight home.

When he returned, Second Pillar had already prepared the meal. He was eating alone, his expression gloomy as though he were lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Uchiha Shunichi served himself a bowl of rice and spoke as he ate.

"You're back! Can you tell me about the mission?" Second Pillar asked curiously.

"No, there was no mission today. The Third merely gave me a Ninjutsu. Unfortunately, it isn't very suitable for you. By the way, who is your Jonin instructor?" Uchiha Shunichi asked.

"A guy called Kakashi Hatake. He looks pretty weak..." Second Pillar said with some dissatisfaction.

Hearing that, Uchiha Shunichi said, "That guy is actually quite capable. He may not be able to beat your brother, but he isn't far behind."

"Actually, he's a genius too, but his luck was terrible. The blows he suffered one after another nearly left him unable to recover."

Uchiha Shunichi spoke with some regret.

At those words, Second Pillar immediately recalled the scene of that guy getting hit by a chalkboard eraser and found it difficult to believe Uchiha Shunichi.

"That... guy? He's really strong?" Second Pillar hesitated.

"Yes. If the Sharingan hadn't limited his development, he should have been even stronger than he is now." Uchiha Shunichi nodded.

Second Pillar keenly caught the word Sharingan and was immediately surprised.

"Sharingan..."

Uchiha Shunichi did not want to explain much, so he merely said calmly, "During the Third Shinobi World War, a fallen member of the Uchiha Clan left it to him."

Hearing that, Second Pillar was somewhat disappointed.

Uchiha Shunichi quickly finished his meal, returned to his room, and began studying how to train in the Eight Gates.

The principle behind this forbidden technique was very simple. One only needed a body strong enough to withstand the violent chakra, then open the Eight Gates within the body in sequence.

However, the foremost requirement of this forbidden technique was a sufficiently powerful body. Uchiha Shunichi already counted as a very strong Taijutsu ninja.

Yet because of the Mangekyō Sharingan, his body could not display the strength it should have possessed.

But... if he threw caution to the wind, Uchiha Shunichi should be able to use the Eight Gates. Still, by his estimation, the aftereffects would be far more severe for him than for other ninja.

Of course, Uchiha Shunichi had not asked for the Eight Gates merely to gain a last-resort move. His greatest purpose was actually to investigate where the chakra unleashed by the Eight Gates came from.

After all, even in this world of Hokage, the conservation of energy remained an unchanging iron law. Chakra would not vanish from nothing, nor would it appear from nothing.

If he could discover where the chakra stimulated by the Eight Gates came from, Uchiha Shunichi's strength would greatly improve.

The next day, Second Pillar left early without eating breakfast. Uchiha Shunichi urged him to eat, but he refused to listen.

Uchiha Shunichi's mission was to protect Naruto in secret. Kakashi Hatake was around during the day, so there was no need for too many people.

Uchiha Shunichi's assignment was at night, and he also had a partner responsible for protecting Naruto with him. Although he did not yet know who that partner was, Uchiha Shunichi could make a few guesses.

Uchiha Shunichi waited at home for a while. When no one came, he began training in the Eight Gates on his own.

The first three gates of the Eight Gates were not particularly difficult. As long as one's physique was strong enough, there would be no problem at all; one merely had to pay attention to technique during training.

From the Fourth Gate onward, the chakra of the Eight Gates began to grow violent. Even Uchiha Shunichi could not control it, and his first attempt at opening the Fourth Gate ended in injury.

In fact, the Eight Gates contained detailed records of when one needed to give up and when injuries might occur.

However, Uchiha Shunichi was not afraid of injury. He also wanted to use this chance to experience the sensation of the Eight Gates' meridians being battered by rushing chakra.

Unfortunately, Uchiha Shunichi did not discover where the suddenly increased chakra came from during that injury.

However, thanks to experiencing that sensation firsthand, Uchiha Shunichi quickly found the feeling needed to open the Fourth Gate.

As for the Fifth Gate... his current body could not yet support opening it.

Training in the Eight Gates was actually very simple. One only needed a body strong enough, then practice how to open the gates.

The truly difficult training was Taijutsu training. It was something no Taijutsu ninja could avoid; physical growth could only come through daily exercise.

Because the Eight Gates also recorded many training methods used by Taijutsu ninja, Uchiha Shunichi's training time increased considerably that day.

When he arrived at the laboratory as usual, the red warning lights inside were already flashing. An enormous mutated lab rat was nearly breaking free from its reinforced cage.

In truth, this rat could already be considered a ninja rat. But compared to creatures summoned through a ninja's Summoning Technique, it possessed no intelligence at all and would only madly attack everyone around it.

A blade appeared in his hand out of thin air, and Uchiha Shunichi mercilessly beheaded it with a single strike. Scarlet rat blood splattered across the cage, frightening the other unmutated rats until they trembled all over.

The out-of-control rat was merely a defective product. Uchiha Shunichi had no need for such uncontrollable trash.

Taking two syringes from a highly concealed corner of the wall, Uchiha Shunichi selected another white mouse and mercilessly injected the medicine within them into it...

The white mouse soon began convulsing all over, its entire body undergoing drastic changes. What had once been an ordinary white mouse now actually had chakra within it...