Opening the Eight Gates for the First Time!
Early the next morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten.
Tsunade climbed off Orochimaru's laboratory bed and stretched.
Her bones cracked and popped.
She grabbed the clothes draped over the back of a chair and pulled them on.
As she fastened the buttons, she glanced at Orochimaru and the dark circles under his eyes.
"That's it?"
Tsunade curled her lip, her face full of disdain.
They had been at it all night.
He had drawn a few vials of blood and tested her Chakra response.
And they had made no real progress.
A subtle twitch crossed Orochimaru's pale face.
He said nothing, merely lowered his head.
The night really had worn him out.
Not because the experiments were difficult, but because Tsunade...
What a crazy woman, Orochimaru muttered to himself.
Tsunade hadn't let up once since last night.
Orochimaru couldn't remember ever feeling so mentally drained.
Seeing him struggle to find words, Tsunade shook her head and sighed inwardly.
Sure enough, Orochimaru's still too green.
And this is nothing.
Once he went dark, he'd become a true mad scientist.
Human experimentation, Forbidden Jutsu development, immortality research—he'd pursue anything twisted.
But now?
He was just an innocent virgin.
"All right. We'll take it slow."
Tsunade didn't mind. She had plenty of time.
They had to make progress one step at a time. No one could do everything at once.
She finished dressing, tied her long golden hair into a high ponytail, and waved at Orochimaru.
"I'm off. I'm exhausted, so I'm going home to sleep."
"Take your time with the data. Tell me when you find something."
"Oh, and keep it secret, especially the blood draws. If you tell anyone, I'll say you tried something inappropriate with me."
Orochimaru: "..."
He watched Tsunade swagger away and remained silent for a long while.
Finally, he sighed and returned to the blood sample in his hands.
The whole process had been absurd, but...
Tsunade's blood truly was different from an ordinary person's.
With both Senju and Uzumaki blood in her veins, her cells were frighteningly active.
The quality and quantity of her Chakra far exceeded the norm.
He even had a vague sense that something was "awakening."
Orochimaru licked his lips, excitement flashing in his golden slit-pupiled eyes.
"Interesting..."
Tsunade didn't know what Orochimaru was thinking, nor did she care.
She needed Orochimaru.
And Orochimaru needed her.
That was enough.
When she left Orochimaru's house, dawn had only just broken, and the streets were nearly empty.
The morning air was damp with dew and cool in her lungs.
As Tsunade walked, she rolled her shoulders, feeling stiff all over.
A night on that hard laboratory bed had not been comfortable.
Halfway home, she stopped short.
"Huh?"
Tsunade's eyes lit up as she looked toward Konoha's Back Mountain.
I'm already out, and all I'd do at home is sleep...
Why not find somewhere deserted and try out the Eight Gates?
Once the thought surfaced, she couldn't shake it.
She had spent the past two weeks studying the notes she'd "borrowed" from Might Duy on the Forbidden Jutsu known as the Eight Gates.
With the original Tsunade's exceptional talent for Chakra control and her Senju constitution, she felt ready.
Opening the first gate shouldn't be a problem!
"Let's do it!"
Grinning, Tsunade turned away from home and headed straight for the Back Mountain.
Few people visited the training grounds on Konoha's Back Mountain.
At this hour, with dawn barely breaking, there wasn't a soul in sight.
Tsunade found a secluded corner.
She checked around her to make sure no one was there, then took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes.
In her mind, she recalled the notes on the Eight Gates.
First Gate: Gate of Opening. Remove the brain's limits and use 100% of the body's capabilities.
Second Gate: Gate of Healing. Remove the limits imposed by fatigue and force the body to recover its stamina.
Third Gate: Gate of Life. Further increase attack and speed; the body begins to flush red.
Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain. Increase attack and speed again; the body begins to sustain damage...
"Haa..."
Tsunade exhaled and snapped her eyes open!
"Eight Gates: First Gate, Gate of Opening—open!"
WHUM—!!!
An invisible shock wave burst outward from Tsunade!
Dust scattered across the ground, and the surrounding leaves rustled furiously.
Tsunade felt as though something had punched a hole through the restraints on her mind.
Her slightly blurry vision turned crystal clear in an instant!
The veins of distant leaves, dew on blades of grass, even tiny motes floating in the air—
She could see it all!
Her control over her body rose to an entirely new level.
Every muscle contracting, every tendon stretching, every beat of her heart...
She could feel it all with perfect clarity!
"So this is... complete control over my body?"
Tsunade raised a hand and studied her palm.
She spread her fingers, then slowly curled them into a fist.
Her knuckles cracked sharply as power flowed through her fingertips.
With these hands as they are now...
A thought sprang unbidden into her mind: My precision in surgery would be terrifying!
The next second, Tsunade shook her head hard.
"Ugh! What am I thinking?"
"I'm a woman who specializes in the beauty of brute force!"
"My style is punching an enemy's head in! Why am I thinking about Medical Ninjutsu?"
Tsunade cursed her luck.
No wonder the original owner of this body would one day become the "Medical Saint."
Her subconscious leaned far too heavily toward Medical Ninjutsu.
Every little thing sent her thoughts to scalpels, sutures, and treatment plans.
"No, no. That has to change!"
Tsunade took a deep breath and pushed aside those medical plans.
"Onward!"
Her gaze sharpened as Chakra surged again.
"Second Gate, Gate of Healing—open!"
It felt as though a shackle had come loose inside her body.
The exhaustion from staying up all night ebbed away like a receding tide!
Her spirits soared, and her stamina rapidly returned.
She felt refreshed and alert—even more energetic than she would after ten hours of sleep!
"Not bad!"
Tsunade nodded in satisfaction.
Removing the limits imposed by fatigue was practically tailor-made for a training maniac like her.
She could train by day, open the Gate of Healing at night to recover, and train again the next day.
A perfect perpetual-motion machine!
"And I'm not done yet!"
Tsunade grinned as her Chakra erupted once more!
"Third Gate, Gate of Life—open!!"
A faint red flush spread across her skin.
Her forehead, neck, arms...
Veins bulged one after another, winding like dragons beneath her skin.
A pale green aura of Chakra shimmered around her.
The air warped slightly within that aura.
Her strength and speed climbed another level!
Tsunade felt she could punch straight through a wall!
"Still not done!"
She gave a low shout as her Chakra raced wildly through her body!
"Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain—open!!!"
WHUM—!!!
The red flush across her skin deepened rapidly to a dark crimson!
Her veins bulged even more, making her look like a steamed shrimp!
Violent power surged through her, nearly bursting through her skin!
Thick green vapor poured from her body, enveloping her completely!
The ground began to crack. The Chakra current swept up loose stones and held them in midair!
The Fourth Gate!
The turning point of the Eight Gates!
Beyond this point lay the danger zone.
Though her attack speed and strength would rise dramatically, her body had already begun to suffer damage.
Torn muscles, ruptured blood vessels, overloaded bones...
Tsunade could clearly feel the faint pain spreading through her body.
Can I keep going...?
She assessed her condition, hesitated, then shook her head.
"Forget it. It's my first time opening the gates. Better play it safe."
She had a feeling she could open the Fifth Gate, the Gate of Limit, right now.
Her Senju and Uzumaki constitution should be able to withstand the strain of five gates.
But this was her first attempt, and she needed to let her body adjust.
Besides, she could feel it.
With her current physique, five gates would be her limit.
As for opening the Sixth and Seventh Gates...
She had a long road ahead. She'd have to keep training her body to the brink!
"But..."
Tsunade grinned and looked at a boulder half as tall as she was nearby.
"I've already opened four gates. It'd be a waste not to test them!"
She leaned forward slightly and bent her knees.
The next second—
Whoosh!
Tsunade left an afterimage behind as she turned into a streak of green light and appeared beside the boulder!
She drew back her right fist, muscles taut, pouring Chakra into it!
"Hah!"
She threw a punch!
Bang!
BOOM!
The deafening blast echoed through the valley!
The boulder, several meters tall, took the full force of her punch.
It exploded!
Stone fragments scattered like a downpour.
The largest pieces were no bigger than a fist. Most had been pulverized!
Dust billowed, and a deep crater opened in the ground.
Tsunade lowered her fist and stood amid the dust, admiring the result with a satisfied nod.
"Not bad, not bad!"
She grinned, delighted.
Eight Gates, Monster Strength, and her Senju physique.
That combination packed a punch!
"That's enough for today~"
Tsunade brushed the dust from her hands and released the Eight Gates.
The redness faded from her skin, her bulging veins disappeared, and the green vapor dissipated.
A mild weakness washed over her.
The aftereffects of opening four gates had arrived.
But they were still manageable.
"Time to go home, take a bath, pick some beans, and catch up on sleep~"
Humming a tune, Tsunade strode off without a care in the world.
She had been up all night and had just opened four gates.
All she wanted now was a long soak, followed by a sleep that lasted forever.
As for training?
That could wait until she woke up!
Not long after Tsunade left,
a figure came running toward the Rear Mountain Training Ground, chanting, "One, two, one!"
Green bodysuit, bowl cut, thick eyebrows.
It was Might Duy, out for his early-morning training.
He trained every day without fail, getting up before dawn.
He would run ten laps around the Back Mountain, then do a thousand push-ups, a thousand sit-ups, and a thousand squats.
Today was no exception.
But when he reached the clearing where he usually trained,
Might Duy stopped dead, utterly baffled.
He stared at the deep crater and the stone dust and fragments scattered across the ground.
Then he looked at the spot beside it where his waist-high training boulder should have stood.
There was nothing there now.
"Huh?"
Might Duy blinked and rubbed his eyes.
"Who... who took the rock I train with and..."
"smashed it to pieces?"
He crouched, picked up a fragment, and squeezed it.
Powder trickled through his fingers.
"W-what kind of strength would that take...?"
Might Duy murmured. Confusion flickered in his eyes, then quickly gave way to excitement.
"Whoever it was!"
"Anyone who can do this must be a Taijutsu master!"
"A kindred spirit burning with youth!"
"I have to find them! Spar with them! Burn with youth together!"
The boy in the green bodysuit clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.