The Mysterious Father

Uzumaki Hane stared in astonishment at the magma man before him. "You're Uzumaki Shingan. Weren't you already dead? Why do you have the Magma-Magma Fruit too? And how did you know your son would become a transmigrator?" In his original memories, all he remembered was that Shingan had died during the Nine-Tails' attack. But now, Uzumaki Hane's father really seemed far too mysterious. Hane himself had obtained his Magma-Magma Fruit through a lottery, so how had Shingan been certain he would get it? Could this have been arranged by a god? For the first time, Uzumaki Hane felt uncertain about his transmigration. Everything seemed deeply mysterious.

Uzumaki Shingan said, "I really did die. I'm only a message created with the power of the Magma-Magma Fruit."

Uzumaki Hane studied the magma man. The Magma-Magma Fruit could actually do something like this? Just how far had Shingan developed its powers?

The magma man continued, "As for why I also have the Magma-Magma Fruit and why I'm certain you're my son, I don't know either. To be precise, I'm only a message right now. My original self didn't give me any of that information. You'll have to wait until you meet him to find out."

When the magma man mentioned that he could meet Uzumaki Shingan in the future, Uzumaki Hane asked, "Are you actually still alive?"

The magma man said, "I really am dead. Enough talk. I don't have much time left. Now I'll teach you how to permanently open the Eight Gates Released Formation."

The magma man paused for a moment, then continued, "You should have noticed already. Chakra can increase the power of the Magma-Magma Fruit. This should be a mutation that occurred when the Magma-Magma Fruit came to this world, just as Haki can affect Devil Fruits. So don't think that turning into an element will make you immortal in this world. When someone else's Chakra is stronger than yours, you'll be hurt. Even so, it can still make you immune to attacks from those whose Chakra is weaker than yours."

After Gaara injured him, Uzumaki Hane had already had a vague feeling that this was the case. Now that it had been confirmed, it seemed he would have to be more careful in the future. He was still too weak. After all, powerful figures were everywhere in the world of Naruto. But should he run away whenever he encountered danger? He immediately rejected the idea.

Uzumaki Hane asked, "Can I use the Eight Gates Released Formation after turning into an element?"

The magma man said, "I tried using the Magma-Magma Fruit to turn into an element and open the Eight Gates Released Formation myself. But I soon discovered it wouldn't work, because you have to remain in elemental form. In this world, you need Chakra to use the Magma-Magma Fruit. Without Chakra, you can't turn into an element at all. Once we run out of Chakra and can't close the gates, the Eight Gates Released Formation will keep damaging your body until you die. By then, there won't even be a chance to save yourself. My survival back then was a miracle that can't be repeated."

Uzumaki Hane said, "Then how should I open the Eight Gates Released Formation?"

The magma man said, "To permanently open the Eight Gates Released Formation, we need to do two things. First, we have to keep the gates permanently open. Second, we need bodies strong enough to withstand the Eight Gates Released Formation. Our Magma-Magma Fruit can devour flames. After years of research, I developed a method of devouring various Fire Style techniques to strengthen the magma and, in turn, strengthen our bodies. Once our bodies have been strengthened, we can use the magma to melt the Eight Gates and open them permanently. Of course, whether you're strengthening your body or opening the gates, the process is extremely painful. Opening the gates is especially so. Each gate must be opened in one attempt. If you stop partway through, opening it later will be even harder, and the pain doubles with every gate you open. I've recorded the methods for strengthening the magma and the body on a scroll. When your magma turns red, you can open the First Gate, the Gate of Opening. When it turns orange, you can open the Second Gate, the Gate of Healing. When it turns yellow, you can open the Third Gate, the Gate of Life. When it turns green, you can open the Fourth Gate, the Gate of Pain. When it turns cyan, you can open the Fifth Gate, the Gate of Limit. When it turns blue, you can open the Sixth Gate, the Gate of View. When it turns purple, you can open the Seventh Gate, the Gate of Wonder. When it turns white, you can open the Eighth Gate, the Gate of Death."

Uzumaki Hane picked up the scroll. Sure enough, it contained the methods for strengthening the Magma-Magma Fruit and his body.

The magma man added, "There's something I forgot to mention. If you can't open all Eight Gates and form a perfect formation, your body will collapse someday. Of course, I don't know how long that will take. Maybe ten years, maybe a hundred. But there shouldn't be a problem within ten years." With that, the magma man turned back into magma and fell to the ground.

Black lines covered Uzumaki Hane's forehead. He had nearly forgotten something so important? If the magma man hadn't disappeared, Uzumaki Hane would definitely have taught him a lesson.

Uzumaki Hane studied the scroll carefully and thought, My magma was already red when I transmigrated here. That means I can strengthen my body for the first time. Following the method, Uzumaki Hane began using magma to strengthen his body. It flowed slowly through him, and the intense pain made him scream. He stopped instinctively.

Uzumaki Hane was still shaken. "Why does it hurt so much?" Normally, turning into an element couldn't affect his physical body at all. Only now did he truly understand the pain the magma man had spoken of.

It took quite a while for Uzumaki Hane to recover. He began strengthening his body again, and the agony returned, nearly making him give up once more. Then Gaara flashed through his mind, and he roared, "I'll get stronger!" Gritting his teeth, he stubbornly held on. He didn't know how long it took, but he finally finished tempering his entire body. Uzumaki Hane collapsed to the ground and passed out.

The next day, Uzumaki Hane woke with the terrifying pain of the previous night still lingering in his mind. He roared, "I'll get stronger!" He stood up and found that his body felt much lighter. He clenched his right hand and punched with all his might, producing a loud crack in the air. Uzumaki Hane felt that his strength had also increased. As long as he could become stronger, all of this was enough.

After breakfast, Uzumaki Hane left home and headed to the training ground for the day's training.

At noon, after finishing his training, Uzumaki Hane prepared to visit the hospital. Hyuga Tanaka and Yamano Koromo were both going to be discharged today. When he arrived, Tanaka's and Koromo's parents were already there.

Both sets of parents were kind people, and Uzumaki Hane knew them well. In his memories, he had often eaten at their homes. They all went to the Yamano home to celebrate Hyuga Tanaka and Yamano Koromo's recovery and discharge. Although they called it a celebration, it was really just a small family meal. After all, the Third Hokage had only just passed away, and no one was in the mood to celebrate.

That evening, Uzumaki Hane returned home and prepared to continue strengthening his body. But the agony of the previous night made him hesitate. Gaara appeared before his eyes, and he remembered the countless powerful figures from the later parts of the original story. He roared, "I won't lose again!"

Uzumaki Hane then sat cross-legged on the ground. Red magma appeared inside him and began flowing slowly. Terrifying agony struck, and Uzumaki Hane bit down so hard that his gums bled. To him, the time passed as slowly as years. He didn't know how long it took, but he finally got the magma to flow through his entire body and withdrew it. He collapsed to the ground and passed out.