The pillar of fire erupting skyward from Yu's mouth stunned everyone!
Itachi was startled at first, too, but he quickly saw past the surface to the heart of the matter!
Every ninjutsu has a protective mechanism: the chakra consumed during its execution cannot exceed a certain proportion of the caster's own chakra. The Second Hokage named this remarkable mechanism the "Eight Gates"!
Higher-level ninjutsu can connect to the Eight Gates more extensively, so they can unleash greater power with the same amount of chakra. But that also means greater risk!
No matter how advanced a ninjutsu is, however, the Eight Gates remain an inherent part of it. They cannot be completely unsealed, because doing so would maximize the jutsu's power, but also make its risks uncontrollable. In the worst case, the caster would exhaust their chakra and die!
Based on the concept of the Eight Gates, the Second Hokage once theorized that finding a way to control them would bring a qualitative leap in the level of ninja combat!
Unfortunately, despite creating countless forbidden techniques throughout his life, the Second Hokage never found a way to control the Eight Gates before his death in the line of duty.
Could that child have accidentally accessed the "Eight Gates" while using ninjutsu for the first time? This is bad!! At this rate, his chakra will pour unchecked into this Fire Release until it's all gone!
And that... was exactly what was happening!
Ninjutsu had been the means by which ninja used chakra for a thousand years. The Eight Gates' protective mechanism had long since become an ancient instinct, much like involuntarily closing one's eyes when a fist came flying toward them!
That was why every ninja's Eight Gates were closed!
But Yu was an Ōtsutsuki, so of course that didn't apply to him!
No matter how powerful his chakra was, it wasn't infinite. If he kept spewing fire like this... the consequences would be unimaginable!
"A-amazing..." The children, unaware of how serious the situation was, were still reeling from the astonishing spectacle!
Itachi shouted at the top of his lungs, "Neji Hyuga, strike his chakra points with everything you've got, or your brother's life will be in danger!!!"
"What!?" Neji's expression changed drastically. A second later, he activated his Byakugan, lunged forward, and drove his chakra at full power into a strike against Yu's chest!!
Thud...!!
A white vortex erupted from the point where Neji's hand met Yu's chest!
At the same time, a terrifying recoil from within Yu's body sent Neji flying far away!
The chakra-point strike... had failed!
Yu roared inwardly, Damn it, stop! Stop right now! I don't want to get drained dry just from using one ninjutsu!!
Hum!
At that critical moment, the Book of the Gods sent him a response!
-Secret art: Eight Gates Technique!
It allowed him to actively control whether the Eight Gates were open or closed, and even how far they opened, freely adjusting the proportion of chakra a jutsu consumed!
The Eight Gates Technique wasn't considered particularly advanced within the Book of the Gods. With his own potential erupting under pressure, Yu quickly grasped the knack!
Hum!
Yu closed the Eight Gates himself!
Hum... The effect was immediate. The pillar of fire was cut off at its source, compressing into an unimaginably huge fireball that exploded a hundred meters overhead, scattering hundreds of fiery meteors in every direction!
Flop!
Yu lay flat on his back, gasping for breath!
He wasn't tired. That much chakra expenditure was nothing to him!
He was frightened, because if he hadn't been able to stop just now... the consequences would have been unimaginable!
Yu had been taught a harsh lesson.
So ninjutsu hides this kind of terrifying risk, too...
I almost became the most pathetic Ōtsutsuki in history.
You really have to respect the laws of nature at all times!
Thank goodness the Book of the Gods covers enough ground to have this thoroughly handled. Seriously, just who is that Ōtsutsuki father of mine!?
"Burp..." Yu belched out a little tongue of flame and sat up.
Right, I remember Neji charging at me just now, then getting thrown away...
After quickly piecing together the situation, Yu's eyes shifted!
"Ugh, it really hurts! My whole body... I barely have any strength left!"
Yu pretended to struggle to his feet, weak all over, under the gazes of an utterly silent crowd!
He came to the little crater where Neji lay. "Big brother, are you okay...?"
Neji climbed out, covered in dirt, thinking his chakra-point strike must have worked. "I'm fine. You really scared me, little brother! If that stranger on the utility pole hadn't warned me, things would've gone terribly wrong!"
Sasuke's face was deathly pale. What was that Fire Release just now? Forget me-even Dad and my brother couldn't do that, could they???
The children outside the field, and even Iruka on it, were too stunned to speak!
Because... it went far beyond everything they knew!
Whoosh!
Just then, Itachi dropped from the top of the utility pole and landed on the field.
"I'm Sasuke's older brother. My name is Uchiha Itachi. Let me explain what just happened to Yū Hyuga..."
After hearing Itachi's explanation of what he'd witnessed, the children finally understood!
"So that's what happened!!"
"That really scared me to death!!"
"I almost thought Yu was an alien!!"
"Sasuke's brother really knows so much!!"
Hey! Itachi had managed to explain away a situation even Yu couldn't salvage!
Iruka wiped the sweat from his forehead. That scared me to death. This child doesn't give me a single day of peace! There's no hiding a commotion like that. I was agonizing over how to explain it to Lord Hokage and the jonin. Thank goodness Sasuke's brother, that genius Uchiha Itachi, is here! Since Itachi knows about these so-called "Eight Gates," surely Lord Hokage and the others know about them, too...
After clearing up the uninformed children's doubts, Itachi sank into thought.
Although he only accessed the Eight Gates by chance this once, and it might not draw much attention from the Hokage and the others...
It's still enough to show that this child possesses extraordinary talent for ninjutsu.
And then there's his chakra reserve, which still had plenty left after unleashing that excessive Fire Release.
One thing is certain: his future achievements will be limitless. Perhaps he'll become one of the few who surpass the Hokage.
But as he watched Yu, who spoke and behaved just like a child...
Itachi shook his head, thinking, This child probably isn't the master Shisui was talking about...
It wasn't that Itachi lacked discernment. Yu's act was simply too convincing!
When Itachi turned around, Yu stole a glance at his back.
Hehe... Itachi, I know you're looking for me, but I'm not going to let you find me so easily! You won't treasure something that comes too easily!
Just keep trying a little harder! Ooh la la la la la!
Good grief... Yu was brazenly toying with their beloved Itachi!
Looking away, Yu scratched his head. "Um, can we continue the Shurikenjutsu contest?"
"Shuriken...???"
"Oh...!!"
Only then did everyone, adults and children alike, remember that the Shurikenjutsu contest was still underway!
Sasuke made a snide remark. "Can you still manage? It's a wonder that didn't drain all your chakra!"
Yu grinned. "Hehe, thanks to you, I've come up with a new shuriken move..."
Sasuke's gaze sharpened. "Really? Then let's see it!"
"Sure." Yu looked at Iruka. "Teacher, could you prepare a few more targets?"
Iruka asked, "How many are you planning to hit?"
Yu said, "I'm going to hit ten!"
Iruka held up two fingers. "I'll give you twenty!"
After a bit of preparation, twenty targets were set up around Yu!
Good grief, judging by this setup, he was about to put on quite a show!
Yu smiled. "Sasuke, don't forget our agreement before the match!"
"Hmph, don't worry. I haven't forgotten!" Sasuke was composed. At this point, he felt there would be no shame even if he lost.
Seeing how unconcerned Sasuke seemed about winning or losing...
Sakura was frantic inside. No, no! At this rate, Sasuke-kun, my beloved Sasuke-kun, really will lose! No, please, I don't want to see that happen!
Looking around and finding everyone's attention on the field, she quietly took the Rubber Hair Tie she no longer needed from her pocket. She stretched it taut between her hands, adjusted the angle, and aimed at Yu...
She firmly told herself, At the crucial moment, I'll be the one to defend Sasuke-kun's honor!!
She had intended to wait until Yu was completely focused before letting it fly.
But... she was too nervous. Her hand slipped, and the Rubber Hair Tie flew out, smacking Yu's left cheek before bouncing up and catching on the little horn on his right!
No one saw that tiny detail except Sasuke, who stood opposite Yu!
Sasuke glanced toward the crowd and immediately spotted Sakura's disappointed expression!
Sasuke clenched his fist. That girl... there's a limit to how much she can look down on someone!
"Heh, here I go..."
Yu smiled, activated his Byakugan, and whipped up a breeze beneath his feet as he began spinning rapidly like a top!
"Th-that's...!"
Tenten put a bandage on Neji's face.
Neji said solemnly, "Yes. The ultimate taijutsu technique of our Hyuga Gentle Fist: Rotation!"
Tenten asked, "Is little Yu going to combine Rotation with Shurikenjutsu?"
Neji said, "If that were all, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to learn Fire Release!"
Tenten asked in surprise, "Then what is he trying to do...?"
Neji said, "Only my brother knows that!"
Whoosh!
While performing Rotation... Yu rose into the air!
Tenten exclaimed, "Can Rotation make you fly, too??"
Neji said, "No, but my brother is so light that he can."
Tenten saw through it. "Hey... this obviously has nothing to do with his weight. Has your brother been fooling you??"
Whoom...!
The airborne Rotation was suddenly enveloped in flames!!!
"Combining Fire Release with Rotation, then adding Shurikenjutsu...!!!"
-My own style: Fire Rotation-Celestial Maiden Scattering Phoenix Flower Claw Crimson!
Before you continue