"Souma, you've returned with Kakashi?"
Might Guy's eyes sparkled.
"Yes, Guy-sensei. We got back yesterday," Souma replied, stepping over to greet him.
Guy coughed lightly. "You three keep training. I need a word with Souma."
Neji, who had been clearly exhausted a moment ago, suddenly sped up as if hit with an adrenaline surge, vanishing from Souma's line of sight.
"Neji! As long as you train your hardest, you can surpass your limits!" Guy roared passionately.
"I'll do my best too, Guy-sensei!" Lee shouted, pushing himself even faster.
Only Amami sighed helplessly before chasing after them.
Souma couldn't help smiling.
"How's Lee's training?" he asked.
"Heh! The Overlimit State has been partially mastered. As for Amami… she still has a long way to go. Girls generally have more difficulty strengthening their bodies to that degree," Guy said, rambling a little.
Souma listened quietly, occasionally giving a small suggestion—but for someone like Guy, who believed only in results born from practice, these suggestions didn't matter much.
Their paths were simply different.
This was also why Guy had always felt he wasn't the right teacher for Souma—Kakashi was far more suitable.
After examining Souma up and down, Guy finally said, impressed:
"You've grown stronger again in such a short time. Taller too."
"Probably because I'm at that age—around twelve, you grow fast…"
Souma paused mid-sentence, eyes widening slightly as a thought struck him.
Right.
He had grown stronger—taller, sturdier, faster.
He'd been attributing it to puberty…
But what if part of it was also due to the fifth Bodhi pattern?
A physical enhancement effect?
"So that's it," Guy nodded thoughtfully. "Most academy graduates undergo a rapid period of growth. Maybe becoming a genin at twelve does have a reason."
He pondered for a moment, then raised his head.
"Souma… when you're stronger, I'll teach you a technique."
"Eight Gates?" Souma asked calmly.
"You've heard of it? Ah—Kakashi must've told you. Yes. That technique."
Guy didn't hide it.
Aside from Eight Gates, most of his taijutsu was too basic to be meaningful to Souma.
So that was the only thing worth teaching.
"Thank you in advance, Guy-sensei."
Souma had no intention of refusing.
Eight Gates was something anyone would want to study—even if only to understand it conceptually.
Who knew what insights lay within?
"No need for thanks. I just feel… if it's you, maybe you'll solve some of the Eight Gates' problems."
Guy returned to supervising training.
Everyone was busy—especially jonin with students.
Souma watched him go, feeling a bit emotional.
He trained for another two hours before heading to Tenten's house.
She was deep in research.
With Souma's sensory abilities, noticing the hidden ANBU lurking near her home was trivial.
He wasn't surprised—after all, the Four Great Ninja Tools were too precious.
If anything happened, Konoha would suffer politically.
Allowing Tenten to research them already showed how much Hiruzen valued her.
"Souma, here to see Tenten?"
Tenten's mother greeted him enthusiastically.
Souma quickly waved his hands. "No need, ma'am—I was just passing by. I brought a book related to ninja tools. Could you please give it to her?"
"You really won't come in for a bit?"
"No, thank you!"
Souma handed her the book and made a hasty retreat.
Tenten's mother's gaze was… too intense.
Researching ninja tools would take months—possibly years—and Tenten's current knowledge wasn't enough. She needed a lot of foundation work first.
Souma had other things on his mind anyway.
Mainly—
What should he research next?
The Bodhi seed now contained five glowing patterns.
One full cycle.
Would another five trigger a second evolution?
He wanted to know.
After thinking for days, he'd finally locked onto the next subject—
Rasengan.
Not to reinvent it into flashy variants like Naruto's future "various-colored spheres."
He didn't have that talent.
No—Souma was thinking of something else:
Could the principles of the Rasengan be transplanted into taijutsu?
He had previously created a burst-type taijutsu by imitating Tsunade's monstrous strength, but it wasn't practical for most people.
Controlling and compressing chakra precisely without damaging yourself was incredibly difficult—anyone capable of it would usually just learn ninjutsu properly. Taijutsu users focusing on raw body techniques rarely had the fine chakra control needed.
So that technique was ultimately flawed.
But…
What if the Rasengan's spinning chakra could be inserted into an opponent's body?
Wouldn't that mimic—
or surpass—
Hyuga's Gentle Fist?
Techniques like Wild Lion's Mane Barrage already showcased similar concepts.
Promising.
He spent the entire afternoon experimenting.
By evening—
"Trying out a new technique again?"
Kakashi had appeared.
Souma bowed.
Kakashi observed for a moment.
It looked like… ordinary taijutsu?
Souma paused and said, "Kakashi-sensei, you know the Shadow Clone Technique, right?"
"You want to learn it?"
"Yes. For this taijutsu, I need real-time observation of chakra damage. Shadow clones are ideal."
Kakashi jumped down and began explaining the hand seals.
Souma listened carefully.
A moment later, he performed the seals—and a clone appeared beside him.
Kakashi wasn't surprised.
If Souma couldn't do it, that would've been surprising.
Souma continued testing the new technique.
Only when the sky had turned fully dark did he finally exhale, soaked in cold sweat.
"Come on," Kakashi said. "I'll treat you to ramen."
As they walked, Souma explained his ideas.
Kakashi thought deeply.
Direct chakra intrusion…
"Chakra alone can't easily damage the body unless you can see the chakra pathways and tenketsu," Kakashi said.
"That's why the Hyuga became a noble clan—white eyes and Gentle Fist."
In a sense, Souma's concept approached Gentle Fist.
If completed, this taijutsu might even surpass it.
"…Or," Kakashi said, "you gather it to a single point."
He suddenly recalled Souma's chakra needles.
Penetrate with a point, then inject spinning chakra…
Yes. That could work.
"That's also what I'm thinking," Souma nodded. "And I've studied it—human tenketsu points are tiny, but many are located near predictable spots. Some are easier to catch than others."
Kakashi lowered his book.
He hadn't turned a page in a long while.
After a long silence, he looked into the distance.
"Souma… your idea is extremely dangerous."
"Honestly, the Hyuga don't need to worry," Souma said lightly.
"Even ordinary people know the general locations of pressure points, but very few can actually strike them precisely. And none can compare with the convenience of the Byakugan."
He sighed softly.
"The Caged Bird made the Hyuga strong…
but it also made them incredibly weak."
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