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In the days that followed, everything gradually returned to its original rhythm, yet at the same time, everything had also subtly changed. Every morning before dawn, Guy would wake up and begin his training routine as usual. He still ran ten kilometers toward the back mountain every day, still practiced the Great Vajra Leg, Great Vajra Finger, and the Precept-Breaking Blade beneath the forest shadows and waterfall currents. However, compared to before, there was now one additional training subject woven into his schedule.
The Eight Gates.
Early in the morning, the sounds of fists cutting through the air echoed continuously through the forest.
"Guy! Pay attention to your breathing rhythm!"
Might Duy stood nearby with his hands on his hips while shouting loudly enough to startle birds from the trees.
"The Gate of Opening isn't about forcefully holding your breath! It's about guiding the Chakra flow naturally through your body! Feel it! Feel the circulation!"
Guy maintained a horse stance in the middle of the clearing while his skin gradually turned red from exertion. The veins along his forehead bulged visibly, yet his breathing remained remarkably steady.
Then suddenly, his eyes sharpened.
"Open!"
Boom!
A wave of compressed air exploded outward from his body instantly.
The Gate of Opening opened smoothly.
Duy's eyes immediately lit up, and he gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up while flashing his trademark bright smile.
"Good! Maintain it! Now try moving while keeping the gate open!"
Guy immediately moved.
He stepped forward with a kick.
Then a punch.
Then another strike.
His speed instantly became more than twice as fast as his normal state. Every movement carried explosive force, and even the sound of his attacks tearing through the air became sharper than before.
After completing an entire set of movements, Guy slowly exhaled before withdrawing his stance. The moment the gate closed, the pressure inside his body vanished instantly, leaving him feeling as though a massive burden had been lifted from his muscles.
Duy walked over while nodding approvingly.
"How does it feel?"
Guy thought carefully for a moment before answering honestly.
"Fast. But the consumption is also huge."
Duy nodded seriously.
"That's correct. The Eight Gates isn't meant for ordinary combat. It's a forbidden technique used during critical moments when your life is on the line."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"So during your normal training, you need to practice until your body remembers the feeling instinctively. When the day finally comes where you truly need it, your body should already know how to open the gates without hesitation."
Guy nodded silently.
Once morning training ended, it was time for school.
Classes began.
Classes ended.
Then after school, Guy immediately headed toward the Uchiha Forge as always.
"Guy! Watch the heat!"
Uchiha Taoye's rough voice echoed from inside the smithy.
"A hotter furnace isn't automatically better! Look at the quality of the iron before adjusting the temperature!"
Guy crouched beside the bellows while steadily pulling the handles back and forth. His eyes remained fixed on the furnace flames as the firelight reflected across his face in shifting shades of orange and gold.
By now, he could already judge iron temperature almost entirely through experience.
After finishing with the bellows, he immediately stood up and grabbed a forging hammer.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Under the rhythmic strikes of the hammer, the rough shape of a kunai blank gradually emerged.
Compared to before, his movements had become faster.
More stable.
More accurate.
Uchiha Taoye stood nearby silently observing everything without saying much. However, the satisfaction hidden in his eyes had long since become impossible to conceal.
By the time the day's forging work finally ended, the sky outside had already darkened completely.
Guy calmly pulled out the short blade Taoye previously gifted him before walking toward the backyard.
Then he stood still.
Gripped the blade tightly.
And began practicing.
"Precept-Breaking Blade, First Form!"
Whoosh!
The blade light flashed through the darkness.
"Second Form!"
Whoosh!
"Third Form!"
The silver flashes of blade light continued appearing one after another beneath the moonlight. Gradually, the flowing blade trajectories merged together into something resembling a continuous silver curtain.
Guy's figure moved smoothly throughout the backyard while every step landed with perfect precision.
One form after another.
All forty-nine forms flowed together seamlessly.
Finally, after the final slash completed, Guy slowly sheathed the blade before exhaling deeply.
Then he lowered his head toward the blade itself.
Along the edge of the weapon, there was now a faint white mark left behind from repeated training. It was a trace carved into the steel purely through constant practice.
Guy calmly put the blade away before turning and leaving the forge entirely.
Then he headed toward the waterfall.
After arriving there, he removed his shirt and stepped directly beneath the crashing current. Ice-cold water poured down onto his body from above while he slowly inhaled.
Then he raised his fingers once more toward the giant rock he had continuously pierced for months.
One strike.
Two strikes.
Three strikes.
One thousand strikes.
Two thousand strikes.
Five thousand strikes.
Ten thousand strikes.
The moon gradually shifted from directly overhead toward the western sky.
Only then did Guy finally walk out from beneath the waterfall before putting his clothes back on and heading home.
When he pushed open the door, the oil lamp inside was already lit.
Might Duy sat beside the table with two bowls of rice and several simple side dishes prepared neatly in front of him.
The moment he saw Guy enter, he immediately looked up and grinned brightly.
"You're back? Hungry? Hurry and eat!"
Guy quietly sat down before picking up his rice bowl.
The father and son ate together in silence while the sounds of chopsticks and bowls echoed softly through the small room.
Neither of them spoke much.
Yet the atmosphere felt peaceful.
After dinner, Guy lay quietly on his bed before mentally reviewing everything he practiced today.
The Eight Gates during morning training.
The academy classes.
The forging work at the smithy.
The Precept-Breaking Blade practice.
The waterfall finger training.
Every single moment of his day was packed tightly without pause.
Then slowly, he closed his eyes.
Sleep.
The next day repeated itself.
Then the third day.
Then the fourth.
The days passed continuously like this.
Dull.
Tedious.
Yet every single day, he could clearly feel himself becoming stronger.
Two months later, early in the morning, Guy once again stood within the back mountain clearing.
This time, Might Duy stood opposite him.
"Ready?" Duy asked seriously.
Guy nodded calmly.
"Come at me."
Duy inhaled deeply.
Then suddenly
"Eight Gates! Third Gate: Gate of Life! Open!"
Boom!
Green Chakra steam instantly erupted outward from Duy's body.
Then he vanished.
In the very next second, he already appeared directly in front of Guy while throwing a powerful punch downward.
Guy immediately sidestepped to dodge.
However, before he could fully stabilize himself, Duy's sweeping kick had already arrived.
Guy raised both arms to block.
Boom!
The impact forced both of them backward three full steps.
Duy grinned excitedly.
"Not bad! Your reactions really have improved!"
Guy did not waste words.
He instantly rushed forward.
"Konoha Senpu!"
Whoosh!
Duy leaned backward to avoid the spinning kick.
However, before Guy's body had even fully landed, his second leg already swept through immediately afterward.
"Leaf Great Hurricane!"
This second kick was even faster than the first.
Duy's eyes brightened instantly.
He pressed one hand against the ground before flipping backward to evade it.
Yet the moment he landed—
Guy was already upon him.
"Front Lotus!"
Guy leapt into the air while his body rotated violently at high speed, generating powerful wind pressure around him.
Duy looked upward toward the spinning figure overhead while the corners of his mouth curled upward slightly.
Then he jumped as well.
Boom!
The two collided midair with an explosive impact that generated a visible shockwave.
Both landed separately nearly five meters apart.
Duy straightened himself before casually brushing dust from his clothes.
"You've learned the Front Lotus."
Guy panted heavily for several seconds before grinning.
"There's still the Hidden Lotus."
Duy immediately shook his head.
"That one is still too dangerous for you right now. The burden it places on the body is far too high."
Guy nodded silently.
Two full months had passed.
Within those two months, the first three gates of the Eight Gates had become fully stable for him.
Konoha Senpu.
Leaf Great Hurricane.
Front Lotus.
Hidden Lotus.
All of them were now deeply memorized through repeated training.
Meanwhile, the Precept-Breaking Blade had also become increasingly integrated into his movements. Even the Golden Bell Shield had finally reached Small Success after constant physical conditioning and endurance training.
As for the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic, its progress continued increasing steadily day by day.
Guy lowered his gaze toward his hands.
Compared to two months ago, they had become noticeably thicker once again. The callouses along his fingers and palms had grown rougher, while his knuckles appeared broader and denser.
However, when he clenched his fists now, they felt incomparably solid.
Duy walked over before patting him on the shoulder.
"Alright. That's enough for today. Hurry and head to school."
Guy nodded.
The two walked together toward the foot of the mountain.
Then suddenly, Duy stopped.
"Guy."
Guy turned around.
Duy looked at him with unusual seriousness.
"Remember this carefully. All of this training exists for one reason."
"To stay alive."
He paused briefly.
"As long as you stay alive, there will always be a future."
Guy nodded heavily.
"I understand."
Duy immediately grinned again before raising a bright thumbs-up.
"Good! Now go!"
Guy turned and sprinted toward the Ninja Academy.
When he finally arrived at the school gate, he immediately noticed that the atmosphere today felt completely different from normal.
There were far more students gathered around than usual.
More importantly…many of the people who had disappeared for nearly two months had suddenly returned all at once.
Asuma Sarutobi stood near the entrance with a matchstick hanging from his mouth. Although he still carried that delinquent-like expression, his body had clearly become broader and more muscular than before.
Nearby, Gekkō Hayate leaned silently against a tree with his usual pale complexion, while Yūgao Uzuki stood beside him with her purple hair fluttering lightly in the wind and a short blade tucked against her waist.
Shiranui Genma stood lazily nearby with a toothpick between his teeth and both hands in his pockets. On the surface, he still looked carefree, yet his stance had become noticeably steadier than before.
However…Kurenai was not present.
Guy silently scanned the crowd.
Everyone had changed.
Not just physically.
Their entire aura felt different now.
Sharpened.
Like blades that had been repeatedly polished.
At that moment, Obito suddenly squeezed out through the crowd before running directly toward Guy.
"Guy!"
Guy turned toward him.
Within these past two months, Obito had changed as well. He had grown slightly taller, and although his face remained familiar, his eyes kept blinking strangely.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
He simply would not stop blinking.
Guy stared at him strangely.
"What's wrong with your eyes?"
Obito instantly froze.
"What? Nothing's wrong!"
"Then why do you keep blinking?"
Obito's face immediately turned red.
"I-I'm not blinking!"
Guy continued staring at him silently.
Obito finally looked away awkwardly.
"Alright already! Hurry up, class is about to start!"
The two entered the classroom together.
This time, the room was nearly full.
Guy sat down in his usual seat near the back window while Obito sat directly in front of him.
Soon afterward, the school bell rang.
Umino Iruka walked into the classroom before stopping at the podium. Then his gaze slowly swept across every student present.
"Over these past two months, some of you trained within your clans, while others trained elsewhere. No matter where you trained, you should all have improved considerably."
He paused.
"But how much you've improved isn't determined by your own words."
Iruka turned toward the blackboard before writing several large words across it.
[Random Team Formation · Combat Drill]
Then he placed the chalk down calmly.
"Starting today, all of you will begin adapting in advance to the standard Ninja squad structure."
He looked toward the class.
"Teams of three. Randomly assigned through drawing lots. Whoever you draw becomes your squadmate."
Then his expression gradually became serious.
"After the teams are formed, your first practical mission will begin."
He paused briefly.
"Bandit suppression."
The classroom instantly fell silent.
Then chaos exploded.
"Bandits?!"
"For real?!"
"Where?!"
Iruka immediately raised one hand, silencing everyone again.
"Northwest of Konoha, approximately fifty miles away, there is a group of bandits numbering around thirty people. They are not Ninjas, but they have already slaughtered several passing merchant caravans."
He paused.
"Under normal circumstances, missions like this would be assigned to Genin."
Then his gaze slowly swept across the seven-year-old children seated before him.
"But this is wartime."
"The Genin are already stationed at the front lines."
"So this mission..."
Iruka paused briefly once more.
"...will be carried out by you."
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Iruka continued calmly.
"Of course, I will personally lead the operation and supervise everything. However, unless absolutely necessary, I will not interfere."
His gaze became heavier.
"This will be your first real combat mission."
"Your first time seeing blood."
"Anyone who is afraid may withdraw now."
Silence filled the classroom.
Guy quietly sat in the last row while looking at the tense backs of the children seated ahead of him.
Seven-year-old children.
Every single face looked nervous.
Yet not one person stood up to retreat.
This was the era of Shinobi.
Entering the academy at six.
Stepping onto battlefields at seven.
This was not a story.
This was reality.
Iruka waited silently for several seconds.
No one backed down.
Finally, he nodded slowly.
"Good."
Then he picked up the drawing tube from the podium.
"Now begin drawing lots and form your squads."
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