Passing It On

"Since you already know, that makes things simple."

"Before this, with your current fighting strength, you could have beaten anyone you faced."

"But your opponents are Jinchūriki. That changes things."

"To give you a better chance of completing your mission, I've decided to have Duy teach you the Eight Gates!"

There it is.

Kazan had suspected as much the moment he saw Might Duy.

The only thing about Might Duy and his son that would interest Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Eight Gates.

That old man is ruthless. He's making a child train in the Eight Gates to prepare for war.

As Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi had done right by Konoha.

For the village, he would sacrifice anyone, including himself.

Sacrifice the few to save the many.

To those who benefited, that was noble. But as the one being sacrificed, Kazan couldn't help feeling irritated.

Still...

"I don't know what the Eight Gates are, but please teach me, Uncle Duy!"

Kazan pretended he knew nothing about the Eight Gates, putting on a brave face for the sake of the village.

One way or another, Hiruzen Sarutobi was going to owe him a favor.

I'm putting this on your tab, Hiruzen Sarutobi. You'll pay me back someday!

"Good. Then let's begin."

Might Duy wasted no words. He found a quiet spot and began the lesson.

Then—

"Hah!"

"Eight Gates: Gate of Opening, open!"

With that shout, Kazan felt something inside Might Duy click open. Chakra surged from his body like a flood.

"Kazan, this is the only technique I mastered in twenty years. By opening the eight gates in the human body, it removes the restrictions on our Chakra."

"Before I teach you, I need to make one thing clear. If we open all eight gates and activate the Eight Gates Released Formation, we gain power dozens of times greater than normal."

Might Duy's expression turned deadly serious.

"And what's the price?"

"Once you open the Gate of Death, there's no chance of survival!"

That was why Might Duy looked so grave.

"Kazan, you must promise me that you won't open all eight gates unless you have no other choice. There's only one condition for learning this technique: self-restraint!"

Might Duy explained what he meant by "self-restraint."

It wasn't simply a matter of avoiding the Eight Gates unless necessary.

For Might Duy, self-restraint meant setting limits for himself when he faced hardship, pushing himself to the edge, and making rules of his own.

Only by accepting those limits could he truly face a challenge head-on!

"That's my self-restraint. Kazan, you need to decide on your own."

"Self-restraint?"

Kazan thought for a moment, then grinned.

"Mine is to never let a comrade die before my eyes!"

A perfect answer!

Might Duy smiled. Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been watching, smiled too.

A child who had inherited the Will of Fire was worthy of their trust.

With his concerns laid to rest, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to leave. "I have matters to attend to. Kazan, spend the next few days learning the Eight Gates from Duy as quickly as you can."

"Okay."

And so Kazan began training in the Eight Gates under Might Duy.

Unlike Cherry Blossom Impact and the Six Powers, the Eight Gates were something Kazan could only practice with his own body.

Put simply, the Eight Gates were a technique for releasing one's latent potential.

Within the network of channels through which Chakra flowed were points that restrained and stored the body's Chakra.

Those eight points were the gates he needed to open: the Gate of Opening, Gate of Healing, Gate of Life, Gate of Pain, Gate of Limit, Gate of View, Gate of Wonder, and finally, the Gate of Death!

When all eight gates opened, the body's potential would erupt without restraint.

The cost was that such immense power would continuously ravage the user's body. The more gates opened, the worse the damage became.

Only someone with an exceptionally tough body could train in and use this technique.

"Hah..."

Following Might Duy's instructions, Kazan focused all his attention on breaking through the first of the eight gates: the Gate of Opening.

He had little talent for Ninjutsu, but when it came to Taijutsu, he was extraordinary.

In just one day, Kazan broke through the Gate of Opening.

"Whoom!"

A terrifying burst of Chakra erupted from him. The force swept outward, shaking the leaves on the nearby trees.

With talent like that... Guy, Kazan is the one you should be chasing, not Kakashi!

Might Duy kept the thought to himself.

Opening the Gate of Opening in a single day showed a talent for Taijutsu far beyond his own.

"But Kazan, it's too early to celebrate."

"The Gate of Opening is only the beginning of the Eight Gates. The real difficulty starts after the fifth gate!"

Kazan knew, of course, that the Gate of Opening was only the opening act of the Eight Gates Released Formation.

Unlike in the animated Chunin Ninja Exams, steam would not appear around Might Guy until he opened the sixth gate, the Gate of View.

At the Gate of View, the steam was green.

At the Gate of Wonder, it was blue.

And at the final Gate of Death, it was red as blood!

"Let's keep pushing together, Kazan! Here's to youth!"

To hell with your youth. You bring it up every chance you get. Do you still think you're eighteen?

But even as Kazan grumbled inwardly, his fist met Duy's.

"That's the spirit!" Might Duy laughed and answered with a punch of his own.

There had long been a saying in the ninja world.

First-rate ninja needed only to exchange blows to understand what the other was thinking.

With gates open, the two traded punch after punch.

As they fought, Might Duy began to smile.

And so...

Several more days passed.

Throughout those days, Tsume Inuzuka and Shibi Aburame waited.

They waited for the second round of the Chunin Ninja Exams to end, and for news of Kazan.

"Kazan still isn't back? What did Lord Hokage want with him?"

Tsume Inuzuka was starting to worry.

Today was the final day of the Forest of Death exam.

If Kazan missed it, he would be disqualified and lose this chance at promotion.

Shibi Aburame was still playing with his bugs, which irritated Tsume Inuzuka.

"Say something, would you? Stop playing with those disgusting bugs."

That's a hurtful thing to say. Why insult my bugs?

He decided to stand up for them.

"My bugs are actually very cute."

"..."

You really are impossible. Who cares about your bugs?

You're missing the point!