"The Eight Gates Release Teique may harm the user's body, but opening the initial gates does not lead to instah. As the restris are lifted, both chakra and physical states underg levels of transformation."

  "In such a state, ordinary taijutsu bees obsolete."

  Even the first activation of the Seven Heavens Breathihod is cssified as at least an A-rank forbidden teique, likely accessible only to elite in her.

  This isn't something that o be rushed.

  Kyoichi believed that developing taijutsu specifically tailored to the Eight Gates Release Teique was far more urgent.

  Might Duy was irong!

  But...

  His application of the Eight Gates was far too rudimentary.

  If he could master the taijutsu teiques that Might Guy would ter develop, it’s possible that Duy could have taken out all of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Perhaps even opening only seven gates would have been enough to repel them.

  So...

  Researg plementary taijutsu was the priority.

  "That makes sense, but, Kanda-Sensei, I have no clue where to start. I wouldn't even know how to begiing something like that," Might Duy said, scratg his head.

  He could expin the Seven Heavens Breathihod iail because he had spent 20 years researg the Eight Gates Release Teique, accumuting a wealth of knowledge and experience along the way.

  However...

  The creation of taijutsu teiques was outside his area of expertise. Duy was not a naturally aggressive or bative person. Aware of his ck of talent, he had never been particurly ied in such matters.

  "I have a rough idea," Kyoichi said, fully uanding the situation.

  Duy simply cked bat experience.

  He had always been a Genin. Outside of the war, he rarely had opportunities for real bat or killing. His experiences were entirely different from Might Guy's.

  After all, creating the Eight Gates Release Teique itself was already an incredible feat.

  "Alright then!"

  Duy scratched his head, still at a plete loss despite rag his brains.

  Kyoichi turned his attention to Might Guy.

  Duy might not uand bat well, but Guy did. Though he was still just a Genin, Guy had been through far more battles than his father.

  Take teiques like the Leaf Hurrie, for example.

  Guy had already mastered them far faster than Duy ever had.

  "Guy, have you mastered the Eight Gates yet?"

  "I’ve only mao open three gates," Guy replied, looking slightly ashamed.

  But...

  Kyoichi was already impressed. To open three gates at the age of nine was no small feat.

  sidering Guy’s future aplishments, though, this was not surprising.

  Kyoichi expihe cept of Primary Lotus.

  "Did you uand that?"

  "Got it!"

  Guy’s talent for bat far surpassed his father’s.

  While Duy was still p the idea, Guy had already grasped its essence—

  The Primary Lotus emphasized a of high-speed attacks. While it pced a signifit burden on the body, it erfectly suited for the state achieved after opening the Eight Gates.

  "During the states of the Gate of View and the Gate of Shock, qualitative ges occur. Could we create taijutsu teiques specifically desigo plement these states?" Kyoichi suggested.

  Duy fell into deep thought.

  He was, of course, familiar with the Gate of View. When he demonstrated the Eight Gates Release Teique to Guy in the past, he had activated the Gate of View directly.

  Using the unique properties of the Eight Gates...

  It seemed feasible.

  The discussion ehere.

  Duy’s prehension abilities weren’t particurly high. Expining too much would only fuse him further. It was better to present the cept, ensure he uood the principles, a him figure out the rest.

  There wouldn't be much warfare this year, so Duy had plenty of time to think it over.

  Meanwhile, Kyoichi began attempting to master the Eight Gates himself.

  His body was strong, and he already had experieh the Seven Heavens Breathihod, so...

  The Gate of Opening? Easily opened!

  The Gate of Rest? No problem. But the Gate of Life was more challenging.

  However...

  The Gate of Life was the true starting point of the Eight Gates. He wasn’t even sidered a beginner yet.

  "It seems that if I want to open mates, I’ll o train even harder," Kyoichi thought.

  He g his system.

  There had been a notification earlier, but he had been too busy to check.

  [pleted: "Seven Heavens Breathihod" and "Primary Lotus" Instru.]

  [Evaluation: Excellent.]

  [Reward: Mediinjutsu Basics, Mystical Palm Teique.]

  Huh?

  Mediinjutsu?

  Kyoichi was taken aback. He hadn't expected the reward to be something seemingly uo his teag efforts.

  But...

  After g the reward, his chakra trol had noticeably improved.

  "That makes sense. Mediinjutsu requires the highest level of chakra trol. Receiving this reward is essentially giving me a foundation in medical knowledge and refined chakra trol."

  What a pleasant surprise!

  Kyoichi was thhly satisfied.

  pared to this, the Mystical Palm Teique, despite being an A-rank ninjutsu, felt more like an added bonus.

  In the days leading up to the Jōnin Exam, Kyoichi spent most of his time training taijutsu with Duy and Guy. His shadow es tinued honing his kenjutsu skills.

  Around this time, the war at the frontlines had rgely cluded.

  More and more ninja were returning to the vilge. Kyoichi even reized some familiar faces, such as Chōza Akimichi and Hizashi Hyuga.

  However...

  None of them knew him.

  Kyoichi had no iion of approag them. There was no need.

  They were adults, not easily fooled, and f iion would only feel awkward.

  Instead, Kyoichi focused on his training.

  He had already opehree gates, but he hesitated to delve further into mastering the Eight Gates.

  The Eight Gates Release Teique was undeniably powerful, but it might not be the best fit for him.

  The chakra it unleashed was far too votile. Even with his enhanced chakra trol from the mediinjutsu reward, he could only barely mahe teique.

  Exeg precision jutsu like Earth Spear or Superhuman Strength in that state was simply impossible.

  In parison...

  The Seven Heavens Breathihod had none of these drawbacks.

  Perhaps it was better suited to him.

  Of course...

  Kyoichi still inteo practice the Eight Gates. It wouldn't be his primary method but rather a trump card.

  Guy, oher hand, made signifit progress—

  He had already mastered the Primary Lotus!

  As for Duy, while he struggled with taijutsu teiques, he quickly grasped the first activation of the Seven Heavens Breathihod.

  Like Kyoichi, he stopped there, not delving into the sed or third activation. Instead, he focused on simplifying the first activation—

  It was still too risky to use as a standard teique!

  But those details were not Kyoichi’s . He had more pressing matters to attend to.

  The Jōnin Exam!

  Over the past few days, his taijutsu had improved immensely. His daily kenjutsu practice also yielded signifit progress.

  However, the swordsmanship notes left by his grandmother were mostly fragmented ideas and theories rather than a cohesive system of teiques. His current swordsmanship was, at best, practical but unrefined.

  On the fifth m, Kyoichi arrived at the Forest of Death as scheduled.

  The Forest of Death was vast, filled with traps and wild beasts, and divided into several training zones.

  Upon arriving, Kyoioticed he wasn’t the only partit in the Jōnin Exam. There were about seven ht other ninja, including three from the Aburame and Hyuga s.

  This setup felt... familiar!

  Moreover, some of them seemed to be him discreetly.

  Root, perhaps?

  As for the remaining three partits, one or two might have been ordinary ninja like him, but one of them clearly wasn’t—

  The oh a ponytail and a scar at the er of his mouth.

  Hayate Shirakumo?

  That person was definitely not an ordinary ninja.

  An Anbu, perhaps?

  Kyoichi specuted silently.

  Gcell