"Hey, hey, hey! What are you two thinking about?"
Seeing that neither Kagami nor Kakashi showed the slightest hint of fear after hearing his explanation of the Gate of Death, and that both instead wore thoughtful expressions as though they were already considering how to make use of it, Guy was left utterly speechless.
Kakashi shook his head, putting aside his thoughts as he replied, "N-Nothing. I wasn’t thinking about anything."
Kagami also pulled his wandering thoughts back and smiled. "Don’t worry. We understand the risks involved. We won’t open the Gate of Death recklessly."
Guy exclaimed, "Aren’t you two getting a little too arrogant?! Do you seriously think the Gate of Death is something you can just open whenever you feel like it? I’ve trained painstakingly for so many years and shed more sweat than I can count, yet I’ve only barely managed to reach the Seventh Gate, the Gate of Wonder! I’m still nowhere near being able to open the Eighth Gate, the Gate of Death..."
Kakashi interrupted him. "Guy, we already know all that. Stop wasting time and start teaching us the Eight Gates already."
Without wasting any more words, Guy proceeded to explain in detail the technique for opening the First Gate, the Gate of Opening, along with all the relevant precautions.
Afterward, he looked at the two of them for confirmation.
"You both understood everything, right?"
Kakashi and Kagami exchanged a glance before nodding at Guy in unison.
"As the first of the Eight Gates, the Gate of Opening is relatively easy to unlock, and it’s also comparatively easy for the body to adapt to. Even so, it’s not something you can open overnight."
After a brief pause, Guy continued, "How about this? I’ll demonstrate what it’s like to open the Gate of Opening so you two can familiarize yourselves with it."
"Hah!"
With a short shout, Guy activated the technique.
In an instant, the chakra fluctuations emanating from his body surged dramatically!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Immediately afterward, accompanied by sharp whistles as he cut through the air, Guy effortlessly executed several Body Flicker Techniques before flashing back to his original position.
Without the slightest flush on his face or any sign of being out of breath, he explained to the two of them, "The Gate of Opening, located in the brain, limits our body’s physical capabilities. Once we open it, we can utilize one hundred percent of our physical potential! Whether it’s speed, strength, or resistance to fatigue, all of them will improve dramatically!"
Activating his Byakugan, Kagami immediately nodded. "Mm, the effects are quite obvious!"
Through his Byakugan, Kagami could clearly see that after Guy opened the Gate of Opening, both the flow of chakra within his body and the contraction and expansion of his muscles had improved significantly.
Although the Gate of Opening was merely the first of the Eight Gates, its effects were not to be underestimated.
Moreover, because the technique directly enhanced the body’s physical capabilities, the stronger a shinobi’s physique and the greater their proficiency in taijutsu, the more pronounced its effects would be.
There were even actual battle records to prove this.
For example, when Guy’s father, Might Duy, opened the Eighth Gate, the Gate of Death, against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, he managed to kill four of them in a single battle.
Meanwhile, Guy, who possessed a stronger foundation and far greater overall strength, had nearly kicked Uchiha Madara to death with a single blow after opening the Eighth Gate, even while Madara was in his Six Paths form!
Like Kagami, Kakashi wore a solemn expression.
"As expected of the ultimate secret technique of the Strong Fist style!"
At that moment, Guy gave Kakashi and Kagami an enthusiastic thumbs-up and burst into laughter.
"Impressive, right? This is the ultimate technique of Konoha’s Noble Blue Beast! As long as you two are willing to train diligently, I’m sure that within a few months, you’ll also be able to..."
"Hah!"
Before Guy could finish speaking, Kakashi let out a low shout and successfully opened the Gate of Opening.
"Hah!"
Following Kakashi’s example, Kagami gave it a try as well.
He, too, successfully opened the Gate of Opening.
"Y-You two...?!"
Guy’s mouth fell open in shock, his face filled with disbelief.
Back when his father had taught him the Eight Gates, he had trained painstakingly for over a hundred days and nights before finally managing to master the technique for opening the Gate of Opening and allowing his body to adapt to its effects.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that Kakashi and Kagami would successfully open the Gate of Opening after merely listening to his explanation once and watching a single demonstration!
However, neither Kagami nor Kakashi had any attention to spare for the astonished Guy.
Having successfully opened the Gate of Opening, the two felt as though they had stepped into an entirely new world. At that moment, all their attention was focused on experiencing the changes taking place within their bodies.
Watching Kagami and Kakashi immerse themselves in the sensations brought about by the Gate of Opening, Guy sighed.
"You geniuses are such bullies!"
Kakashi’s ability to open the Gate of Opening so effortlessly was indeed a result of his natural talent.
However, Kagami’s success had little to do with talent.
Instead, it was because he possessed an intimate understanding of human anatomy, had received Guy’s detailed instructions, and had already attained a level of strength surpassing that of an ordinary Kage.
With his profound knowledge and vastly superior strength, he was able to approach the technique from a much higher level of understanding, allowing him to open the Gate of Opening with seemingly effortless ease.
In fact, if Guy were only now beginning to learn the Eight Gates, he wouldn’t have been much slower than Kakashi or Kagami in opening the Gate of Opening either.
After a while, the two gradually emerged from their contemplation.
Kakashi spoke up. "Guy, let’s continue. It’s time for the Second Gate, the Gate of Healing!"
Guy stared at the two standing before him as though he were looking at a pair of monsters.
"Hey! Don’t tell me you two are planning to master the entire Eight Gates in a single day?!"
Kakashi looked somewhat puzzled.
"Isn’t one day enough?"
Kagami replied, "How could one day possibly be enough? We’re talking about the Eight Gates here!"
Guy nodded repeatedly.
Kagami continued, "I’d say it’ll take at least a week!"
Guy was both furious and exasperated.
"Fine! Then I want to see just how many gates you two can open today!"
Guy wasn’t jealous of Kagami or Kakashi. Having cultivated his taijutsu to such an advanced level, his will had long since become as unshakable as a rock. It wasn’t something that could be easily shaken.
He was simply curious whether true geniuses could master a forbidden technique like the Eight Gates just as effortlessly as they learned other ninjutsu.
Without wasting any time, Guy immediately began explaining the essential techniques and precautions for opening the Second Gate, the Gate of Healing. Once again, he personally demonstrated its effects for Kagami and Kakashi.
After studying the technique for a while and spending two hours experimenting, Kagami finally succeeded in opening the Gate of Healing.
Kakashi, who had opened the Gate of Opening slightly ahead of Kagami earlier, actually fell behind him when it came to the Gate of Healing. It took him a full three hours to successfully open the Second Gate.
This clearly demonstrated that although talent was important, talent alone was no match for experience, broader understanding, theoretical knowledge, and powerful chakra reserves.
Soon, the two turned their gazes toward Guy once again.
Gritting his teeth, Guy declared, "Fine! I’ll now explain the essential techniques for opening the Third Gate, the Gate of Life..."