Eight Gates, Acquired!

An hour later, Tsunade came out of the bathroom.

Her face wore an expression she couldn't quite describe.

Three parts comparison.

Three parts savoring the experience.

Three parts wanting more.

And one part relief.

"Haah..."

Tsunade shook the water off her hands.

She glanced down at her lower body and sighed.

"Looks like I'll have to get used to squatting to pee."

She quickly shook her head, trying to get the image out of her mind.

Then she pulled herself together.

I can't keep thinking about it.

With that taken care of, it was time to consider what came next.

Tsunade walked to the window, pushed it open, and took a deep breath.

The air in Konoha was relatively fresh, at least.

In the distance, Hokage Rock bore only three faces: the First, Second, and Third Hokage.

I'm eighteen-year-old Tsunade now. The Second Great Ninja War breaks out in two years.

Time's tight!

She counted on her fingers.

I can learn the Yin Seal from Mito.

I can research medical ninjutsu myself.

And monstrous strength comes naturally with a Senju body...

That's all covered, but is there anything that could make me dramatically stronger in a short time?

Tsunade narrowed her eyes as her mind raced.

In the end, her thoughts settled on a certain figure in green.

Might Duy!

The eternal Genin!

The man who possessed the Eight Gates!

Right now, he was probably just a brat barely into his teens!

Tsunade searched through the fragments of her predecessor's memories.

Might Duy was quite a bit younger than Tsunade.

He was probably eleven or twelve at the moment.

I remember something Might Duy said when he taught Might Guy the Eight Gates...

Tsunade's eyes lit up.

He said he'd practiced the Eight Gates for twenty years.

Guy had been around ten then, and Duy had been in his thirties.

Working backward...

That meant Duy might already have the Eight Gates, even though he was only a young teen!

If I don't seize this chance now, when will I?!

Eight Gates plus a Senju body plus Creation Rebirth!

That combination was a cheat on top of a cheat!

Her body couldn't withstand opening a gate?

A Senju body recovered fast!

Opening a gate tore her muscles?

Creation Rebirth could repair them on the spot!

Opening a gate would kill her?

...Uh, she'd leave the eighth gate alone. That one really would kill her.

But I can open any of the first seven!

With my monstrous strength, I could take anyone down with one punch!

The more Tsunade thought about it, the more excited she grew.

"I'm going to find Might Duy right now!"

She took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and headed straight for the Rear Mountain Training Ground.

According to Tsunade's memories, the boy in the green bodysuit usually did his physical training there at this hour.

She crossed several streets, venturing farther from the busy parts of the village until there were hardly any people around.

Konoha was neither particularly big nor particularly small.

But the training ground on the rear mountain was an untended patch of wilderness.

Most ninja avoided it because the facilities were poor, while ordinary Genin didn't qualify to use the official training grounds.

So it had become a gathering place for all sorts of outsiders.

Tsunade jogged the rest of the way and rounded the final bend.

Her eyes lit up.

At the edge of the training ground, a group of teenagers had surrounded a boy.

He wasn't tall, and he wore a distinctive green bodysuit.

He had a bowl cut, thick eyebrows, and an obvious bruise on his face.

Might Duy!

Tsunade suddenly realized what she was seeing.

She stopped short, eyes widening.

Holy crap, talk about perfect timing!

The other kids were shoving Duy around as they crowded him.

Their leader looked fifteen or sixteen and wore a ninja forehead protector.

He seemed to be a Genin.

Right now, he stood with his hands on his hips, looking smug.

"Might Duy! You can't even use a single ninjutsu! Aren't you embarrassed to go around dressed like that?"

"Yeah! You think wearing a bodysuit makes you a ninja?"

"Hahaha, look at his face! He's about to cry!"

Duy kept his head down and his fists clenched, but he didn't fight back.

Tsunade watched, her eyes growing brighter.

Is this what everyday life in Konoha is like?!

A bullying scene?!

She couldn't have asked for a better opportunity!

Now was the time to descend from the sky and save the damsel...

No, save the boy in green!

What better way to win him over?!

Without another word, Tsunade bent her knees and launched herself off the ground.

"Hah!"

She soared into the air!

Her body traced a graceful arc through the sky.

Then she roared at the top of her lungs:

"Let that boy go!"

BANG!

Tsunade landed hard.

One foot smashed through the stone paving beneath her.

Fragments flew everywhere!

Amid the billowing dust, she straightened up.

With one hand on her hip, she pointed the other imperiously at the teenagers.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

The teenagers stared in shock at Tsunade's sudden arrival.

Their Genin leader stammered, "Wh-who are you?"

Tsunade grinned, baring her white teeth, and gave them two words.

"Tsunade."

They froze for a moment. Then their faces changed all at once.

Tsunade!

The First Hokage's granddaughter!

The Princess of Monstrous Strength!

They said she could smash a wall with one punch!

"Run!!"

The teenagers nearly died of fright.

They scattered in an instant, scrambling away as fast as they could.

But their Genin leader wasn't quite ready to back down.

Conflict flashed in his eyes.

The Will of Domination!

He jerked his head up and looked at Tsunade.

"Hmph! Even if you are—"

"Get lost!"

Tsunade didn't waste another word.

She punched the ground, and cracks instantly spread across it.

The Genin swallowed. After a moment's hesitation, he ran off too, still looking indignant.

Tsunade couldn't be bothered to chase him.

She dusted off her hands and turned around.

Duy was still crouched on the ground, his face bruised and streaked with tears as he stared up at her.

Sunlight streamed down from behind Tsunade, bathing her in gold.

Duy's astonishment turned to gratitude, and tears spilled down his cheeks.

"L-Lady Tsunade!"

He scrambled to his feet and bowed ninety degrees, his head nearly hitting the ground.

"Thank you for saving me!"

Tsunade waved him off.

"No, no. Just call me Tsunade. You don't need the 'Lady.' It makes me uncomfortable."

Duy raised his head, eyes brimming with tears.

"But... you're the First Hokage's granddaughter!"

"He's my grandfather. I'm not him."

Tsunade pursed her lips.

"Save that for when I become the Fourth Hokage someday."

As she spoke, her gaze discreetly swept over Duy.

Suddenly, it stopped at his chest.

The shoving had left one side of Duy's jacket hanging open.

A stiff corner peeked out from inside.

It looked like a rolled-up book or notebook.

Tsunade's pupils contracted.

Two characters were faintly visible on it.

[Eight Gates...]

Her heart began to pound.

He really has it!!

Tsunade stepped forward and reached straight into Might Duy's jacket.

She pulled out the notebook!

The motion was so swift and fluid that Duy didn't have time to react.

"Lady Tsunade?!"

Tsunade had already opened the notebook.

The first thing she saw was a line of crooked but painstakingly written characters:

"First gate: Gate of Opening. Direct chakra into the brain to release the brain's limitations. The procedure is as follows—"

Tsunade skimmed a few pages, unable to keep the corners of her mouth from rising.

This was it!

The Eight Gates! Right in her hands!

Only then did Duy react, his face flushing bright red.

"Lady Tsunade! That... that's...!"

Tsunade closed the notebook, weighed it in her hand, and tilted her head at him.

"This looks pretty good. I'm borrowing it for a few days. Any objections?"

Duy hurriedly waved his hands. "N-no! It's just..."

He hesitated, then lowered his head and said uneasily,

"This taijutsu technique... it's forbidden."

"Training in it is incredibly painful, and it puts too much strain on the body... I'm worried you might..."

"Worried I won't be able to learn it?"

"No, no! I'm worried you'll get hurt!"

Tsunade burst out laughing.

She reached out and flicked Duy on the forehead.

"Kid, how old are you?"

Confused, Duy answered, "T-twelve..."

"You can train in it at twelve, but you think I can't at eighteen?"

Duy was stumped. For a moment, he had no idea what to say.

But what Tsunade had said...

It did make sense.

Tsunade paid him no mind and kept flipping through the notebook, marveling as she went.

"These notes are pretty detailed. You wrote down the chakra pathways for the first few gates, how much they hurt, even the recovery times... Not bad, not bad."

Duy blushed.

"I-I figured it all out and wrote it down myself..."

"That makes it even more impressive."

Tsunade tucked the notebook into her clothes.

Then she turned to Duy and grinned.

"You're pretty impressive. I'll take this for now, okay?"

"O-okay!"

There was a trace of reluctance in Duy's voice, but far more excitement at being recognized.

Seeing him like that, Tsunade suddenly felt a little emotional.

This guy was a fool too.

He was only twelve, bullied and mocked by kids his own age, without a single friend.

Day after day, he trained alone in a corner, practicing a forbidden technique.

All because he firmly believed taijutsu was a kind of ninjutsu too.

All because he firmly believed hard work could surpass genius.

Tsunade took a deep breath, placed a hand on Duy's head, and gently ruffled his hair.

"Duy."

"Huh?"

"Remember this."

Tsunade bent down to meet his eyes, her gaze earnest.

"Being a ninja isn't just about using ninjutsu."

"You're not wrong to pursue this. The path you've chosen can work."

Duy froze.

The tears in his wide eyes finally spilled over, streaming down his cheeks.

"Lady Tsunade..."

"Just call me Tsunade."

"Tsunade...!"

"There you go."

"And if anyone bullies you again, tell them my name! I've got your back!"

Tsunade straightened, patted him on the shoulder, and strode away.

After a couple of steps, she looked back and flashed him a toothy grin.

"Keep working hard. Don't let your youth go to waste."

Sunlight happened to catch Tsunade's white teeth.

They gleamed brightly.

Might Duy stared, transfixed.

In that moment, it was as if that flash of white had healed every injury on his body.

Tears burst from his eyes.

"Lady Tsunade..."

"I won't let you down!"

"My youth!! I'll burn bright until the very end!!"

Watching Tsunade walk away, Might Duy clenched his fists.

Then he threw himself back into training.

"Today, I'm running another five hundred laps!!!"