Although the Eight Gates technique was only at the introductory level, the surge in Shinichi's strength it provided was incredibly terrifying.
In the Gate of Opening state, his raw power did not fall short even against Guy in his "base" form. Simultaneously, his speed and reaction time improved drastically. With the brain's limitations removed, Shinichi's information processing speed accelerated greatly. Coupled with the Byakugan's all-area vision, Hyūga Shinichi could react almost instantly to everything happening around him.
Despite only opening the Gate of Opening, Shinichi's combat strength surged several times over, a difference far beyond a mere increase in chakra volume compared to his base state.
After Shinichi entered the Gate of Opening state, Might Guy stopped holding back as well. Although he did not use the Eight Gates like Shinichi, he brought his own Taijutsu ability to its absolute limit.
The two figures constantly crisscrossed in the training field, and powerful gales occasionally roared outward. Shibi Aburame and Uchiha Shisui, who were watching from the side, silently stood up and retreated even further back.
The commotion from the battle was significant, and the speed of the two was so great that even Shibi Aburame couldn't clearly track all their movements. Shisui, however, silently activated his Sharingan, taking in the full spectacle of Shinichi and Guy's fight. Although he didn't join the combat, Shisui's insight from the Sharingan allowed him to learn much from their fight, even if he couldn't replicate a Nin-Taijutsu like the Eight Gates.
In the Gate of Opening state, Shinichi's stamina consumption was incredibly fast. The match lasted only half an hour before it ended due to Shinichi's exhaustion.
Guy wasn't in perfect shape either. His green jumpsuit was already thoroughly soaked with sweat. He had been hit several times during the fight with Shinichi, and now that the battle was over, the pain became more clearly felt.
Even Guy couldn't find any clear flaws in Shinichi after he entered the Gate of Opening state. At most, there were a few moments where a punch-for-punch exchange allowed Guy to land a successful hit on Shinichi. But even these levels of attacks counted as a "heavy blow" for Shinichi.
As he exited the Eight Gates state, a strong sense of exhaustion washed over his body. At the same time, his muscles felt sore and swollen, with faint pain in some areas. Under the observation of the Byakugan, Shinichi could clearly see his current physical condition. His chakra pathways and muscles showed no damage from the Eight Gates. The pain was merely from subcutaneous bruising.
Pain and fatigue did not diminish Shinichi's enthusiasm for training; rather, he found a certain enjoyment in the feeling. In his view, this was the feeling called "improvement."
"Thud!!"
Shinichi lay down on the ground, breathing heavily. White steam rose visibly from his body, like an overheated engine in winter.
Might Guy also sat down exhaustedly, looked at Shinichi nearby, and laughed heartily: "Now this is the Power of Youth!"
Fighting Shinichi was deeply satisfying for Might Guy. Battles between ninjas were usually accompanied by the use of Ninjutsu and tools.
In the current Konoha, there were probably few people who could engage him in a pure Taijutsu match like this. Might Guy looked forward to Shinichi growing quickly, as he also wanted to practice using the Eight Gates during regular training.
The technique does have severe side effects after use—the more gates opened, the greater the power, and the stronger the drawback.
But a secret technique is a secret technique. Even with significant side effects, as long as the Gate of Death wasn't opened, recovery was always possible.
Furthermore, with Might Guy's physical aptitude, reaching up to the fifth gate currently wouldn't require worrying about side effects. At most, he would feel strong muscle soreness after exiting the Eight Gates, similar to Shinichi, but a side effect of that level meant nothing to him.
Any technique requires continuous use to be mastered. Guy also wanted to familiarize himself with the combat state achieved by the Eight Gates.
Whether it was strength, speed, or reaction ability, there was a massive difference between his base state and the Eight Gates state. He had to be familiar with the different performances under both conditions.
"Here, have some water." Shibi Aburame brought a cup of water over to Guy's side. Might Guy took his eyes off Shinichi, accepted the water, chugged it down, and let out a long breath.
On the other side, Shisui also handed water to Shinichi. Shinichi sat up, thanked him, and accepted the cup with a smile.
A cool breeze swept through, creating a rustling sound in the woods. Shinichi squinted slightly, deeply enjoying this time training and fighting alongside his comrades.
"How about it? After resting for a bit, do you want to practice some Fire Release Ninjutsu?" Shisui asked with a smile, looking at Shinichi's comfortable expression.
Shinichi's daily training wasn't limited to Taijutsu. His most compatible chakra natures were Fire and Lightning, and coincidentally, the squad had an expert in Fire Release Ninjutsu.
Although the Hyūga Clan was a bloodline family famous for its Nin-Taijutsu, Hyūga Shinichi personally did not stick exclusively to Taijutsu to resolve battles. Both Guy and Shisui were genuinely good people.
When Shinichi wanted to learn the Eight Gates, Guy provided help free of charge, and when Shinichi wanted to learn Fire Release Ninjutsu, Shisui had no thought of holding anything back. During this time, Shinichi had already learned several Ninjutsu, including the Uchiha Clan's signature "non-lethal escape"—the Great Fireball Technique.
Hearing Shisui's question, Shinichi shook his head after evening out his breathing:
"I have an idea I want to test out."
"If it goes well, I might be able to develop a new technique suitable for me."
Shinichi had always wanted to develop a new technique. Although he had Gentle Fist, Fire Release Ninjutsu, the Eight Gates, and the Flying Thunder God, he felt he lacked a powerful, decisive, offensive Ninjutsu.
Even the Fourth Hokage, who was not primarily known for offensive power, had the Great Ball Rasengan as one of his trump cards. The dilemma Shinichi faced was similar to the Fourth Hokage's before he developed the Rasengan.
During a previous sparring session with Shisui and Guy, Shinichi had accidentally used the Revolving Heaven in mid-air. That level of destructive power, in Shinichi's view, even surpassed the ordinary Rasengan.
The mechanism of the Revolving Heaven was similar to the Rasengan. Shinichi's ideal form for his new technique was like the "Spiral Nen Aura" used by the Nen Master class in a certain fighting game. By incorporating the nature transformations of Fire and Lightning on the foundation of chakra shape transformation, the destructive power of his new technique would far surpass any no-hand-sign Ninjutsu.
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