Ryosuke didn't stall or dance around the topic—he got straight to the point.
He trusted Might Guy. Guy wasn't a schemer or a politician.
If there was one person in the entire village he could speak honestly to, it was this man.
So he said it plainly:
"I want to learn the Eight Gates."
The effect was immediate.
Guy's cheerful expression hardened into something careful, heavy with old memories.
The Eight Gates were not a simple taijutsu secret.
They were the legacy of Might Duy—his father—and the choice that cost Duy his life.
Four years ago, Guy had fought in the war between Konoha and Kirigakure.
He had still been a genin then, fighting alongside Genma and Ebisu.
They had been ambushed by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—seven jonin-level monsters wielding legendary blades.
To save them, Might Duy opened all Eight Gates.
He fought like a blazing comet and killed four members of the Seven Swordsmen.
And when the final enemy fell, Duy's life force burned out entirely.
Guy had watched his father die with a smile on his face, proud of his son.
That was the weight behind the Eight Gates.
And now Ryosuke was asking to learn them.
Guy drew a long breath to steady himself.
"…Ryosuke. How did you learn about this technique?"
To Guy, this was not casual trivia.
The Third Hokage had deliberately sealed information about Might Duy's final battle.
Only a handful of jonin knew the truth.
But Ryosuke just blinked, confused.
"Shouldn't I know? The Uchiha fought in the same war. News like that wouldn't stay hidden forever."
Ryosuke did notice Guy's unusually guarded expression, and a small worry crept into his mind.
Would Guy refuse to teach him?
In the original timeline, Kakashi had learned the Gates.
Ryosuke had trained with Guy for more than a month now.
Guy had never once been fake with him—not like Itachi's polite emptiness.
Guy exhaled faintly and shook his head.
"…Right. I forgot—you're the grandson of the Uchiha clan elder. Even if the Hokage seals information, your clan has its own channels."
Ryosuke understood the unspoken meaning immediately.
So that was why certain Uchiha looked down on Guy—they were ignorant of Duy's true achievements thanks to political sealing.
The Third Hokage had hidden that information.
Why? Ryosuke didn't know—but he added it to the growing list of things he didn't understand about the village.
Like the secrecy around Naruto, or why no one questioned Kushina's disappearance.
Or why the Nine-Tails incident was wrapped in misinformation.
He pushed the thoughts aside.
"Guy," Ryosuke said. "Will you teach me?"
Guy's gaze turned solemn.
"Ryosuke… the Eight Gates grant overwhelming power—but at a terrible cost. Once you open all eight, your death is guaranteed."
Ryosuke didn't flinch.
With the auto-training system strengthening his body daily, his durability far outstripped any normal shinobi.
He understood exactly what he was asking for.
But he also had reasons—urgent ones.
If he couldn't change Itachi's thinking, if the clan's tensions with the village escalated…
He needed power.
Enough to protect his grandfather.
Enough to protect Izumi.
Enough to stand against traitors or elders, if it came to that.
He couldn't depend on Fugaku. The man hadn't resisted his death in the original timeline.
He couldn't depend on Shisui either—not when Danzo would inevitably target him.
If Itachi wouldn't return to the clan, then Ryosuke had to build his own strength.
Guy saw the resolve in Ryosuke's eyes—
the same determination his father once carried.
Slowly, Guy nodded.
"…All right. I will teach you."
Trust was not something Guy gave easily.
He knew of the friction between the Uchiha and the village, but after a month of training side by side, he could feel Ryosuke's heart.
He wasn't a threat.
He was a friend.
And if Ryosuke ever lost his way, Guy had confidence—
he could open the Gates and knock sense into him.
Ryosuke felt genuine joy rise in his chest.
"Thank you."
Guy smiled back and gestured for them to move.
"We shouldn't train here. The Eight Gates are dangerous. Come—let's go somewhere open."
They made their way to the Valley of the Hokage, where the rocky terrain and empty space made it ideal for explosive training.
This was where Guy had once demonstrated the Gates for Kakashi.
After reaching the flat terrain, Guy faced him.
"Listen closely, Ryosuke. I'll explain the Eight Gates from the beginning."
He spoke with the steady rhythm of a teacher who had thought deeply about each word.
"The Eight Gates are seals inside the chakra pathway system.
They regulate and limit how much chakra the body can use.
They exist to protect us."
Guy pointed to each location as he spoke:
"The Opening Gate, Rest Gate, Life Gate, Injury Gate,
Closure Gate, View Gate, Shock Gate…
and finally, the Death Gate."
"These gates cap the body's output.
Opening them forces chakra to overflow—temporarily granting power far beyond the body's natural limits."
"But the body pays for that power. Even opening one gate strains the muscles and nerves."
Ryosuke finally understood why the technique was so rare.
Guy continued, voice softer now:
"That's also why the Third Hokage sealed the technique.
He feared shinobi would chase power at the cost of their bodies, and weaken Konoha in the long term."
Ryosuke didn't comment, but inside he scoffed quietly.
It was exactly the kind of political reasoning Hiruzen excelled at—
hiding danger instead of teaching people to overcome it.
Guy walked Ryosuke through the positions of each Gate's meridian point.
When he reached the Death Gate, Guy's voice faltered.
He hesitated, then looked Ryosuke dead in the eye.
"…I don't know if I should teach you the final gate.
If you open the Death Gate, you will die.
Are you sure you want to learn it?"
"Yes."
Ryosuke didn't waver.
He wouldn't open it recklessly.
But knowledge was never a disadvantage.
Even learning it could be the difference between life and death—
his, and the entire clan's.
Guy gave a slow nod.
"The Death Gate sits here," he said, pressing a fist to his heart.
"Once opened… your life burns out completely. I hope you never use it."
"I won't," Ryosuke assured him.
"Not unless there's absolutely no other choice."
Guy exhaled and regained his composure.
"The Eight Gates are powerful, but difficult to master.
It took me ten years of training to reach the Fifth Gate."
Ten years.
Ryosuke almost choked.
He didn't have ten years.
The massacre was coming in two.
But he didn't show the frustration on his face.
"Five years to reach the Fifth Gate?" Ryosuke muttered. "You're overestimating me."
Guy actually laughed.
"If I hadn't watched your growth this past month, I wouldn't have said it."
He stepped forward.
"Now—watch closely. I'll demonstrate the First Gate: the Opening Gate."
Ryosuke activated his Sharingan instantly.
Guy tightened his muscles, refined chakra, and directed it toward the side of his head.
A pulsing vein rose on his forehead as his chakra struck the gate's seal.
"The First Gate releases the brain's limiters," Guy said.
"It lets you use one hundred percent of your body's natural ability. Strength and speed rise dramatically."
Ryosuke could see it all—chakra pathways, meridian reactions, the exact rhythm of Chakra impact.
Sharingan was outrageously suited to copying this.
He asked:
"I understand how to open it. But how do you close it?"
Guy grinned.
"Simple. Stop supplying chakra. Without chakra holding it open, the gate closes on its own."
He released his chakra.
The veins faded.
The opening collapsed shut.
Ryosuke nodded and immediately mimicked the posture.
He clenched his fists, gathered chakra, and sent it surging toward his Opening Gate.
At first, nothing happened.
He pushed harder.
The seal trembled—
and just as it started to give—
A stabbing pain shot through his skull.
He gasped and instantly cut off the chakra flow.
The pain receded slowly.
He lifted a hand to his head, wincing.
So this was the risk of meddling with the brain's restraints.
Guy placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Don't rush. This is only the beginning."
Ryosuke took a slow breath.
He wasn't discouraged.
If anything—
He was excited.
The Eight Gates had begun.
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