Eight Gates Released Formation and Plans for Early Graduation

Naruto had been cooped up in the hospital for three months, and he was practically growing mold all over.

He ran ten laps around Konoha to warm up his body.

Then he made a Shadow Clone and had it go sit through classes for him.

With his current abilities, there were some things he no longer needed to hide.

The Ninja Academy's basic lessons on reconnaissance, counter-reconnaissance, traps, barriers, and the like were certainly useful, but he couldn't spend every day buried in textbooks in a classroom.

The powers outside the village were all throwing themselves into a mad rush forward.

Nagato Uzumaki had just gotten the hang of the Rinnegan he'd acquired for free and was beginning to work on the Six Paths of Pain.

Konan and Obito Uchiha were traveling the world recruiting people for Akatsuki... no, they were sweet-talking powerful shinobi into joining.

Kakuzu, Biwa Juzo, and Sasori had more or less been dragged into Akatsuki around this time.

They weren't yet a monster organization where every member was S-rank, but over the next decade or so, they would roam the battlefields of the various shinobi villages under the banner of mercenaries, their strength skyrocketing.

Then there was Naruto's batch of little brats, all soaking in the peaceful bubble Hiruzen Sarutobi had drawn around them and wasting six golden years.

Kakashi had become a Chunin at six, and Itachi Uchiha had already left the Ninja Academy by seven.

But Naruto's group? They dawdled until they were twelve before graduating at a leisurely pace, becoming pathetic Genin who had never properly learned how to walk on water or climb walls.

Since he had transmigrated here, Naruto had no intention of muddling through life according to the original plot.

Now that he had the Sharingan as a trump card, he could reveal some of the ninjutsu talent he had inherited from Minato Namikaze.

After all, he had learned the Shadow Clone Technique from Itachi. Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi investigated later, Naruto wouldn't have to struggle to explain himself.

Hadn't Itachi started using Shadow Clones to attend class back when he had first enrolled?

"Narutooo~!!"

Naruto had just finished his laps when the shout made his ears ring. His entire body jolted, and he turned to see a burly man in a green bodysuit with a watermelon-cut hairstyle charging toward him.

Before his mind could react, his body had already moved on instinct, greeting Might Guy with a Leaf Great Whirlwind.

But who was Guy? When it came to taijutsu, he had never conceded to anyone in his life.

He dodged lightly, then scooped Naruto into his arms and rubbed against him with all his might, tears streaming down his face.

"Ahh~ Naruto~ You're finally better! What's losing an eye worth? Look at Kakashi—doesn't he only keep one eye open too? Maybe one day you'll stuff a Sharingan into that socket just like him. His is the left eye and yours is the right; tie the two of you together, and you'll be Konoha's Great Sword..."

The string in Naruto's mind snapped on the spot.

What the hell kind of Konoha Great Sword was that?! So they were both Konoha technicians, huh?!

That barrage completely shattered his defenses. He struggled free from Guy's arms and said with a bitter smile,

"Don't worry. I'm not going to wilt over one eye. From now on, I'll train even harder. Guy-sensei, I want to learn the Eight Gates Released Formation!"

Guy blinked in surprise, then immediately gave him a thumbs-up, his bright white teeth gleaming dazzlingly. "No problem!"

Naruto's chest warmed.

Once Might Guy acknowledged someone, he gave them his whole heart without hesitation.

"You really don't want a hairstyle like mine?"

"How can your black bodysuit compare to my green one?"

"Oh, right, my summoning beast is amazing. Want to try signing a contract?"

"For the sake of our youth! Let's run a hundred laps first to whet our appetites!"

Naruto's mouth twitched.

Honestly, most people's nerves couldn't withstand Guy's personality.

But Naruto was still driven onward by that surge of youthful spirit and plunged headfirst into another intense round of training.

With the Sharingan covering for him, Naruto secretly learned quite a few basic ninjutsu right under everyone's noses.

He couldn't get his hands on anything above B-rank; those were basically all locked away in the Scroll of Seals.

So during the day, he trained relentlessly in the Eight Gates Released Formation with Might Guy, while his Shadow Clone at school absorbed every kind of basic knowledge from the textbooks like a sponge, along with practical applications.

Naruto himself remained cautious. Every exam, he reliably held onto last place in the class, muddying the waters.

He wasn't naive enough to think that could fool the Third Hokage.

After all, two ANBU followed his real body every day, while a Shadow Clone remained in school without fail. As long as the Third wasn't out of his mind, he could guess that Naruto's true level was far beyond this superficial showing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi flipped through the dossier submitted by ANBU, his brows gradually knitting together.

"I never expected the kid to have grown this far."

He held the report with delight on his face, took a puff from his pipe, and smugly thought,

"He can already kick open the Second Gate of the Eight Gates Released Formation? He thinks he's done it without anyone noticing, but what a pity—every last detail has been laid out right beneath this old man's eyes."

"He's gotten so skilled with Shadow Clones too. Half a year, and even the school teachers haven't noticed a flaw. This talent isn't the slightest bit inferior to Minato's back then."

"Itachi Uchiha graduated alongside the upperclassmen after only a year at the academy. Looking at Naruto now, he's not much different from Itachi back then."

Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his chin and pondered for a long while.

"This is the perfect chance to let him graduate early. That way, I can also openly place people around him to guard against the Nine-Tails' power going out of control..."