---
In the corridor, cold light flickered, and chaotic sword flashes raged across the space. Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha were dumbfounded.
Even the normally unshakable elite missing-nin, Kisame Hoshigaki, was shocked.
"Konoha really is a land blessed by the heavens… What a place for talent to flourish."
He couldn't help but marvel. The combat power this Konoha shinobi displayed had far surpassed the level of a chūnin—at the very least, it was jōnin-class.
Yet the boy looked no older than twelve or thirteen. Fourteen, maybe fifteen at most. In time, he was bound to become another "White Fang of Konoha" or "Yellow Flash."
"More than that… this kid was born for battle."
Kisame didn't believe Itachi was holding back. They had been partners for years and completed countless missions together. Kisame knew well: Uchiha Itachi's true strength lay in his Mangekyō Sharingan and mastery of genjutsu.
But this boy—Ye Dou—had kept his eyes shut from start to finish. He had, in effect, sealed away Itachi's strongest weapons.
And yet, even blind, he moved fluidly, responding to every threat with perfect precision. This wasn't echolocation or blind luck—it was pure instinct, a sensory perception bordering on animalistic, honed through endless training.
He was born to fight.
Boom! As Kisame contemplated this, a deafening collision shook the corridor again.
Uchiha Itachi, now creating distance, spat out a massive Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu. The corridor's temperature soared. The air itself seemed to ignite, and everyone nearby felt the heat burning their skin.
"Armor up!"
Ye Dou shouted. He neither dodged nor flinched—as if truly blind—and raised his blade, aiming to cleave the fireball itself.
Sasuke thought he'd gone insane. Who the hell tries to split a fireball?! But then—whoosh!—the fireball was cleanly split in half, like an apple cut down the center.
Two massive holes were blown into the hotel wall as the divided flames exploded outward.
Whoosh! The sword's dazzling gleam flashed again. Ye Dou didn't pause. He surged forward, blade flashing endlessly.
"What kind of swordsmanship is this...?"
Itachi moved to block—but his eyes widened as Ye Dou's blade suddenly turned pitch black, as if clad in chakra armor. He instinctively raised a kunai to parry—Clang! Crack!
"What…?!"
Cold fear crept into Itachi's heart. The kunai—made of hardened steel—was cleanly cut in half.
Slash!
"Itachi-san!"
Kisame was stunned. The enigmatic Uchiha Itachi—injured by a Konoha genin?
"I'm fine," Itachi said, covering a bleeding gash across his chest as he retreated. But inwardly, he was shaken. That strike had almost killed him. If he hadn't reacted in time, he'd be dead.
He stared at Ye Dou with new wariness.
Years ago, he had sensed the immense potential in this boy. Talent was real, but true strength came from endless effort and pain—muscles built through sweat and struggle.
Still, Ye Dou's growth had exceeded all expectations. If Itachi didn't resort to his ultimate jutsu now…
He might actually lose.
[Self-Restraint]
"I underestimated you," Itachi said calmly. "You're stronger—and more ruthless—than I imagined. Just now... you almost had me."
Ye Dou, eyes still closed, stood firm with his sword in hand. There was something eternal and immovable in his presence, like a warrior born in the fires of war.
The Uchiha bloodline, with its Sharingan, was uniquely suited to counter fighters like him. Even without making eye contact, Itachi's dynamic vision could track and anticipate all of Ye Dou's movements.
Damn this bloodline, Ye Dou thought.
If he could fight without restraint, he could use his gravity techniques to suppress Itachi's movement and tip the fight.
But doing so would expose him—and draw not only Itachi's wrath but the scrutiny of all of Konoha.
He must be killed here.
With that thought, Ye Dou's chakra surged as he activated the Eight Gates, targeting the first gate: the Gate of Opening.
Bang! Something inside him unlocked. His body felt light, his limbs flooded with power.
But he didn't stop.
He immediately advanced to the second gate: the Gate of Healing.
Fwoosh! Chakra erupted violently from his body, a cyclone of power whirling around him.
"Ye Dou!!"
Might Guy's voice rang out like a thunderclap.
The Eight Gates were a forbidden technique—meant to be used only when absolutely necessary.
Before teaching Ye Dou the Eight Gates Released Formation, Might Guy had warned him repeatedly: this was no ordinary technique. It borrowed strength from the body's own life force. It didn't just hurt the enemy—it hurt the user.
Rock Lee had nearly died in the Chūnin Exams because of it. How could Guy not be terrified?
He shouted sternly, "Did you forget what I told you?!"
"Of course not," Ye Dou answered without hesitation. "But this… is the time to break through my self-restraint."
Boom! His chakra exploded outward again, a fierce whirlwind blowing around him as the second gate fully opened.
"Self-restraint"—a lesson Might Guy had drilled into him from the beginning.
To fight with purpose, not anger. To use the Eight Gates only when your resolve was absolute.
And now, that moment had come.
---
Visit patreon.com/Mikeo481 to get 50+ chapters