Chapter 312: The Taijutsu Training Craze; The Eight Gates Formation [HN]

Two weeks passed like sweat evaporating into the dust of the training ground.

The taijutsu class continued to grow like a rolling snowball.

Early that morning, before the sun had fully risen, the training ground was already crowded with people.

Might Dai’s signature roar served as a human alarm clock.

“Youth does not allow laziness! Five hundred push ups, begin!”

“Yes, Teacher Dai!”

The responses were uneven, but they carried a stubborn determination to persevere.

Among the crowd, several new faces were particularly noticeable.

“Hey, Kakashi, you’re really here?”

Uchiha Obito performed push ups with gritted teeth while tilting his head toward the silver haired boy beside him, whose movements remained steady.

“I thought you only cared about studying your Lightning Release.”

Kakashi did not even raise his eyelids.

His voice came muffled from beneath his mask.

“My chakra control has hit a bottleneck. Besides, some idiot keeps talking about taijutsu all day and makes so much noise that I can’t sleep.”

“Who are you calling an idiot?!”

Obito instantly exploded, and even his movements became distorted.

“I’ve seen the true potential of taijutsu! If it weren’t for me that day…”

“If Obito hadn’t found an opening with his Sharingan at the end, we might have been in danger.”

A gentle female voice took over.

Nohara Rin finished a set, wiped away her sweat, and smiled at Obito with an encouraging look in her eyes.

Obito’s face reddened as he stubbornly lifted his chin.

“Hmph! Of course! But relying only on the eyes isn’t enough. If your body can’t keep up with your speed, what’s the point? That’s why I’m here!”

“Yo! Looks like it’s pretty lively here!”

An energetic female voice suddenly interrupted.

Mitarashi Anko darted to the edge of the training ground like a nimble cat.

“The training here really is ‘refreshing’! I love this feeling of sweating buckets. It’s great!!”

“Anko, watch your pace.”

Yūhi Kurenai’s cool voice rang out.

She was also seriously completing her exercises, fine beads of sweat covering her forehead while her breathing remained steady.

“Taijutsu is the foundation, but overexerting yourself will affect your subsequent genjutsu training.”

“I know, I know. You’re just too serious, Kurenai.”

Anko stuck out her tongue but still slowed down a little.

Elsewhere, Shizune pushed up her glasses while doing push ups and instructing the panting Koyuki Kazahana beside her.

“Koyuki, breathe. Pay attention to coordinating your breathing with your movements.

Feel your muscles exerting force instead of blindly pursuing a higher number.

The precision required of a medical ninja is equally important during taijutsu training.”

“Yes, Shizune-nee!”

Koyuki’s little face was flushed red as she struggled to adjust her breathing.

Her physical strength was still at the bottom of the group, but the stubborn determination in her eyes was brighter than anyone else’s.

Might Dai looked at this training ground where everyone was flourishing…

Especially when he saw young ninjas like Obito, Anko, and Kurenai joining, along with Shizune, a medical ninja from Konoha Hospital.

His eyes filled with tears of excitement, and his chest heaved violently.

“Oh!!! This is youth! The future of Konoha is burning brightly right here!”

He suddenly waved his hand.

“To celebrate the arrival of our new companions and demonstrate the unparalleled unity and passion of our taijutsu class, Guy and I have prepared a surprise for everyone!”

Might Guy immediately cooperated by pulling an item out of a huge box.

A dazzling, skin tight, green bodysuit that was so bright it made people’s hearts ache was revealed before everyone!

The air instantly froze.

Obito was the first to jump up.

“Don’t, Teacher Dai! If we wear this color on the street, people will gather around us like we’re some rare Summoning Beast!”

Anko’s mouth twitched.

“That bodysuit is certainly… unique.”

Kurenai silently turned her face away, the tips of her ears slightly red.

“…It’s an eyesore.”

Shizune calmly analyzed it with a serious expression.

“From the perspective of color psychology, overly bright colors can easily cause visual fatigue, which is not conducive to focused training.

From a practical perspective, the tight design could cause unnecessary restrictions during certain tactical movements.”

Even kind natured Rin gave an awkward smile.

“Teacher Dai, this… We appreciate the thought…”

Kakashi’s dead fish eyes shifted slightly.

He remained completely silent, and his face was filled with the same resistance.

Koyuki looked at everyone’s intense reactions and blinked her large eyes in confusion.

Wasn’t it just a piece of clothing?

She quietly asked Shizune.

“Shizune-nee, is that outfit… not pretty?”

Shizune was at a loss for words.

After remaining silent for a moment, she finally answered carefully.

“…It’s rather unique.”

Might Dai and Guy looked at everyone’s unanimous rejection.

They looked as though two basins of cold water had been poured over them.

But only a second later, the two suddenly embraced each other and burst into tears.

“Guy! This is a trial on the path of youth!”

“Yes, Father! Even if we are not understood, we must carry the belief of youth through to the very end!”

“Oh, Guy!”

“Father!!”

“…”

In the end, the students united in opposition to the green bodysuit plan with powerful reasons such as “it damages the appearance of Konoha,” “it is unfavorable for team concealment,” and “it might scare small children.”

The plan once again ended in failure.

Dai and Guy could only wear their own “youth battle uniforms,” making them look especially… conspicuous among the students dressed in normal training clothes.

During a break in training, Obito sat collapsed on the ground and rubbed his aching arms.

He looked at Kakashi, who was only slightly out of breath, and grumbled unhappily.

“Damn it, Kakashi, how is your stamina so good too…”

Kakashi lazily leaned against a tree trunk and pulled out a copy of Icha Icha Paradise.

“It’s just proper stamina management. If you charge ahead like that from the beginning, you’ll run out of stamina very quickly.”

“What did you say?!”

Obito was about to explode again.

“Obito, Kakashi has a point.”

Rin handed him a water bottle and gently tried to calm him down.

“Taijutsu training isn’t just about strengthening the body. It also trains muscular endurance and control.”

Nearby, Anko moved closer to Kurenai and asked curiously.

“Kurenai, does this training really help with genjutsu? You look so exhausted that you can barely form hand seals.”

Kurenai adjusted her breathing and answered seriously.

“It helps a lot. Better physical fitness means I can maintain genjutsu for longer, and it also gives me better self protection during the period of weakness after using advanced genjutsu.

Besides, combining taijutsu with genjutsu requires excellent physical coordination. These basic exercises are precisely the key.”

“…”

Elsewhere, Shizune was explaining muscle groups and the principles of exerting force to Koyuki.

“…So, during that jumping exercise just now, you should rely more on the strength of your thighs and hips instead of simply using your calves. That is more efficient and less likely to cause injury.”

Koyuki understood only part of it, but she still nodded earnestly.

“I understand, Shizune-nee!”

Just then, Might Dai walked over with a rare look of seriousness on his face.

“Everyone! Seeing how hard you have all been working fills me with great emotion! But the path of taijutsu is not only about sweat!

Today, I will formally introduce one of the ultimate techniques of our taijutsu class!”

Everyone’s eyes focused on him.

Even Kakashi slightly closed his book.

Might Guy stepped forward and stood beside his father, his voice booming.

“That is… the Eight Gates Formation!”

“The Eight Gates Formation?”

Obito repeated curiously.

“That’s right!”

Dai spoke in a deep voice.

“There are eight chakra points within the human body, like eight shackles that restrict the release of our strength!

The Eight Gates Formation is a forbidden technique that uses special training and willpower to break through these shackles one by one!”

Anko’s eyes lit up.

“A forbidden technique? Sounds powerful! How strong can it make you?”

Guy clenched his fists, flames burning in his eyes.

“Every time one gate is opened, strength and speed will multiply!

When all eight gates are opened, the user will gain power dozens of times greater than that of a Kage level ninja!”

“Dozens of times greater than Kage level?!”

Everyone was shocked by the description.

Even Kakashi sat up straight.

Rin, however, immediately grasped the key point.

“Teacher Dai, what is the price? Power this great can’t possibly come without a price, right?”

Dai and Guy exchanged a glance, their expressions becoming solemn.

Dai slowly spoke.

“Rin is right. This is a technique that stakes one’s life. Starting from the Fifth Gate, the Gate of Limit, it will cause damage to the muscles and meridians.

And the final gate, the Gate of Death… when it is opened, what burns is… one’s life.”

“Burns one’s life?!”

Everyone cried out in shock.

Shizune’s face went pale.

“This… This is too dangerous!”

Kurenai frowned tightly.

“Power at the cost of one’s life…”

Obito swallowed nervously.

“Th… this technique really shouldn’t be used casually.”

Kakashi looked at Dai and asked in a deep voice.

“Mr. Dai, have you… ever seen a ninja open the Gate of Death?”

Dai shook his head and revealed a somewhat simple yet incomparably resolute smile.

“No. But if it were me, in order to protect Konoha and protect the people most important to me, I would open it without hesitation!

That would be the moment when youth truly burns!! That is my ninja way!”

Might Dai’s eyes turned toward Might Guy.

The person most important to him…

Guy nodded firmly, immediately understanding what Dai meant.

Tears filled his eyes.

“Father!”

“Guy!!”

…

The father and son embraced each other and wept.

Everyone else at the scene fell silent as they watched them.

Everyone was shaken by Might Dai’s simple yet immensely weighty words.

The complaints about the green bodysuit and the grumbling about the harsh training seemed insignificant at this moment.

“I… I think I understand a little why the Hokage established the taijutsu class.”

Obito muttered.

Anko also put away her joking expression, becoming much more serious.

“To use your life to protect others…”

Just then, a familiar voice came from the edge of the training ground.

“Oh? Looks like the training atmosphere has been pretty lively lately.”

Everyone turned around.

Chiya and Tsunade had arrived at the training ground without anyone noticing.

“Hokage-sama! Lady Tsunade!”

Everyone stood up and saluted.

Chiya waved his hand and looked across the group.

His gaze finally landed on Might Dai, and he smiled.

“Dai, it looks like you’ve done a good job conveying the Will of Fire.”

Tsunade crossed her arms and looked with interest at the young people before her, all of them panting and drenched in sweat.

Her gaze finally landed on Shizune.

“Shizune, you’re here too? What about your work at the hospital?”

Shizune quickly answered.

“Lady Tsunade, I’ve already arranged for someone to take over my duties. I think the training here will help improve physical fitness, which will be very beneficial to the survival capabilities of medical ninjas in the future.”

Tsunade gave a noncommittal snort. There was no blame in her eyes.

Instead, there was a faint hint of approval.

She looked at Chiya and lowered her voice.

“Looks like your taijutsu class really has created something different. You’ve even brought out a forbidden technique like the Eight Gates Formation.”

Chiya smiled slightly and replied in a low voice.

“They need to understand the nature of power and its price for themselves. Dai is the best teacher for that.”

At this moment, Obito could not help but ask loudly.

“Hokage-sama! Is the Eight Gates Formation really that powerful? Opening the Gate of Death… can it really grant such tremendous strength?”

Chiya looked at Obito, then at the other equally curious students, and answered seriously.

“The power of the Eight Gates Formation is beyond doubt. It is the pinnacle of taijutsu, a fleeting bloom of power that burns one’s life as fuel.

Precisely because it is so powerful, the price is equally heavy.

Konoha does not need meaningless sacrifices, but it does need people who possess the resolve and strength to risk everything when protecting something important at a critical moment.

The meaning of the taijutsu class is not merely to learn powerful techniques. It is also to temper the will and physical strength needed to carry that power.”

He paused and looked at Might Dai and Might Guy, the father and son standing before him.

In the original story, Might Dai was mocked as the “Eternal Genin.”

To protect his son, he stayed behind and bought time for him, kicking the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into what people jokingly called the “Three Lucky Treasures.”

And his son, Might Guy, burned his life by opening the Gate of Death and kicked half of the body of the strongest “Six Paths Madara” of that era into ruin…

“Dai, continue. Make sure you keep things within proper limits.

The restrictions of the Eight Gates Formation must be firmly conveyed to everyone! This is a forbidden technique, not an ordinary ninjutsu!”

“Yes, Hokage-sama!”

Might Dai answered loudly with excitement.

Chiya and Tsunade did not stay long.

After remaining at the training ground for a short while, they left.

Their arrival, especially Chiya’s words, seemed to inject a powerful boost of confidence into every student.

Even those two dazzling shades of green suddenly seemed much more pleasing to the eye.

Training continued, and sweat continued to fall.

But there seemed to be something different in everyone’s eyes.