Cultivating the Eight Inner Gates

"Cheers!"

The ceramic cups filled with alcohol collided in midair, letting out a clear, pleasant clink.

Hyuga Satoru drained the alcohol in his cup in one gulp, his cheeks a little flushed as he pointed at the table piled high with barbecue. "Come on, come on, my treat this time. Everyone, eat as much as you want."

"Then I won't hold back, Satoru." Anko picked up a big piece of barbecue with her chopsticks and stuffed it into her mouth, looking delighted.

Beside them, Aburame Shibi smiled helplessly. Unable to withstand the relentless coaxing from Hyuga Satoru and the others, he could only come to this gathering.

After they delivered the caravan to its destination, for some unknown reason, Ryosuke Squad had only taken a small portion of the reward money, leaving the lion's share to his squad.

Hyuga Satoru planned to fulfill the promise he had made after completing the previous S-rank mission and treat the squad members to a meal. Duy and Guy politely declined, so the four of them appeared in this barbecue restaurant once again.

Looking at the familiar layout inside the restaurant, Aburame Shibi suddenly felt a headache coming on. Back when Team 3 had just been established, he had stumbled badly in this very barbecue restaurant.

He did not know if it was just his imagination, but Aburame Shibi kept feeling that the chubby shop owner had been secretly watching him with a beaming smile, as if he had found an easy mark.

"Satoru said he's treating... It should be fine... right...?"

Aburame Shibi shivered.

On that day, Aburame Shibi recalled the terror of being dominated by Hyuga Satoru's appetite, as well as the humiliating embarrassment of being unable to pay at the barbecue restaurant...

Hyuga Satoru had stuffed his mouth full of barbecue. Naturally, he had no idea what Aburame Shibi was thinking. Even if he did know, he would only laugh it off.

In the previous S-rank mission, Aburame Shibi had only taken a small portion of the reward money. The part left over was already enough for him to spend for a long time, so there was no need for him to mooch meals anymore. Moreover, aside from strengthening the team's bonds, he had another purpose for this gathering.

Eight Inner Gates!

After obtaining the method from Might Duy, Hyuga Satoru had long since been unable to wait to start training.

Eating large amounts of food would allow his body to store enough energy to meet the needs of high-intensity training.

After the gathering ended, once he had said goodbye to Anko and the others, Hyuga Satoru went to a Ninja Tool Shop and spent half the day custom-ordering the things he needed.

The training method for the Eight Inner Gates was not complicated. Rather than calling it Taijutsu, it was better to say it was a technique for breaking through the limits of the human body. The key to completing it lay in having a sufficiently powerful physical foundation.

So Hyuga Satoru planned to begin special training for his body.

He came to the Back Mountain where he usually trained and began making simple arrangements.

First, he spread metal sheets across the ground. Rather than calling them sheets, they were more like floor panels, very thick and sturdy. They cost Hyuga Satoru quite a bit of money, making his heart ache faintly.

After they were fixed in place, that open space looked as though it had been covered with a smooth layer of metal flooring.

After that, Hyuga Satoru put on the metal outer suit that had been custom-made according to his body. His whole person looked as though he had turned into an armored warrior.

It was just that this suit of armor was not all that magnificent. The traces where the metal pieces were joined could be seen.

Once he was ready, he began using Electromagnetic Force to construct an opposing magnetic field.

A tremendous suction suddenly surged from the metal floor. Hyuga Satoru staggered and nearly fell, while the metal armor on his body pressed against his skeleton with a creaking sound, making him clench his teeth involuntarily.

"Looks like the magnetic field is too strong."

Hyuga Satoru immediately weakened the magnetism by several degrees, and the pressure on his body instantly eased.

After several adjustments, Hyuga Satoru finally found the most suitable level of force. It could effectively train his body without making him bear too much pressure.

He roughly estimated that it was equivalent to increasing gravity by about four times.

However, because the source of the pressure was the contact surface between the metal armor and his body, compared with directly increasing gravity, this method was much cruder, and it was also very difficult to temper the internal organs.

Likewise, because the source of the pressure was the attractive force between metals, there were many more variations to the training.

For example, by changing the direction of magnetic attraction, or suddenly switching it into repulsion, he could simulate Body Tempering under certain extreme environments.

Because the powerful magnetism of the metal floor would attract light and small objects like fallen leaves, after he had trained for a while, a layer of fallen leaves had already appeared on the metal panels. It truly affected the aesthetics a little.

Hyuga Satoru stopped, bent down, and placed his palm on the metal panel. The magnetic poles reversed, and the fallen leaves were covered with a same-polarity microcharge.

Accompanied by a muffled sound, Starting from the spot where his palm touched, the fallen leaves on the metal panel suddenly sprang into the air, rapidly spreading across the entire metal floor. All around him, it was as though a rain of fallen leaves had begun.

Under the influence of the repulsive force, the metal floor became as smooth as a mirror, with not even the smallest foreign object visible anymore.

The magnetic poles returned to normal, and Hyuga Satoru continued Body Tempering.

Over the following period, relying on this self-created body-tempering method, Hyuga Satoru's physical strength steadily increased until it reached a certain limit.

"As expected, when Electromagnetic Force is used properly, it's an enormous help in strengthening physical ability."

After removing the cheap armor from his body, Hyuga Satoru recovered his stamina. Then, his eyes flickering, he said in a low voice, "It's about time. I can try opening the Eight Inner Gates now."

He took a deep breath and, following the Chakra flow method Might Duy had taught him, began gradually breaking through the limitations of his body. First was the Opening Gate, located in the brain.

"First Gate, Opening Gate... open!"

With a low shout, faint waves of air surrounded Hyuga Satoru.

"Hm? Is it my imagination?"

Hyuga Satoru frowned. The instant the Opening Gate opened, he vaguely sensed that the Purple Star Vortex in his mind seemed to tremble for a moment.

Usually, the star vortex would only change when his Electromagnetic Force level increased, and Hyuga Satoru was not sure whether it had just been his imagination.

"Forget it. This state is far from the limit."

Hyuga Satoru took a breath and continued focusing on the flow of Chakra through his body.

"The second gate, the Rest Gate... open!"

"So this is the state of the Rest Gate? My physical fatigue has been greatly reduced. It feels as if I have an endless stream of strength, but this still isn't the limit."

"The third gate, the Life Gate, open!"

Faint green waves of energy swirled around him, and bulging veins in the shape of a cross appeared on his forehead. Hyuga Satoru tested his grip, clenching his fist, and couldn't help letting out a sound of admiration.

"Even with only the third gate, I can already feel my physical strength has increased tremendously. As expected of the Eight Inner Gates, a technique that lets a mortal body battle the Six Paths."

Then a strange thought couldn't help crossing his mind. When the Eight Inner Gates were opened, veins bulged on the face, and after he activated the Byakugan, veins would also rise around his eyes. If he used the Byakugan while in the Eight Inner Gates state, just how beautiful would that sight be?

It wouldn't scare the kids, would it?

Shaking his head, Hyuga Satoru scattered those distracting thoughts. He could feel that his current state still wasn't the limit.

"I heard Senior Might Duy say that only after opening the fourth gate does the Eight Inner Gates enter the danger zone and become the true Eight Inner Gates. I wonder what kind of change will happen after opening it."

After this period of physical training, Hyuga Satoru sensed that the third gate still wasn't his limit.

Taking a deep breath, he mobilized his remaining Chakra and began attacking the Wound Gate located in his lungs.

"The fourth gate of the Eight Inner Gates, the Wound Gate... open!"

The instant the fourth gate opened, Hyuga Satoru's pupils abruptly contracted. His Life Magnetic Field burned violently, like dry firewood drenched in oil.

At the same time, his body underwent an Abnormal Change.

Every strand of his hair stood on end, arcs of lightning swam between them, and his body floated into the air beyond his control. His robes snapped and fluttered under the massive waves of energy.

"What is this? This is absolutely not the Eight Inner Gates!"

Hyuga Satoru was shocked to the core.