Swish!
In the next instant, Might Duy's body flickered like a mirage. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before a massive tree with a trunk so thick that two people together could barely wrap their arms around it.
Boom!
With a deafening explosion, the massive tree was instantly shattered by Duy's punch, its trunk splitting apart as it crashed to the ground with a loud thud.
Having executed the move, Duy stood still, seemingly lost in deep thought. He didn't continue to the Sixth Gate.
After a while, he suddenly spoke.
"You can come out now."
I've been discovered!
Yoru's face twitched slightly in embarrassment. His excitement had gotten the best of him, and he had failed to conceal his presence.
Getting caught spying on someone else's training—it was undeniably awkward.
Still, after visiting daily for two months, it was unlikely that even someone as oblivious as Might Duy wouldn't have noticed.
But to Yoru's surprise, Duy wasn't angry at all. Instead, he turned to Yoru with a beaming grin and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Kid… you've got spirit!"
The green aura surrounding Duy gradually faded, revealing his rough but sincere smile.
Yoru felt his face stiffen.
No matter how powerful he was, a fool would always be a fool.
"Apologies for spying on your training…" Yoru said helplessly.
"No worries, I give you permission!"
Duy interrupted him with a hearty laugh.
Then, what he did next nearly made Yoru cough up blood.
Duy suddenly dropped to his knees, tilted his head toward the sky, and let out a tearful wail.
"I never thought… someone would actually want to learn taijutsu from me…! My youth isn't over yet!"
Pfft!
Yoru had seen a lot, but even he had to fight back the urge to burst out laughing.
This was ridiculous!
Might Duy, Might Guy, Rock Lee…
All of them were incredibly determined and resilient. But why did their personalities have to be this… absurd?
No wonder Duy had remained a Genin for so long. He was physically strong, but when it came to things like reconnaissance and counter-surveillance… he was utterly clueless.
Duy suddenly stood up again, his laughter echoing as he approached Yoru. However, Yoru noticed the faint tremor in his movements.
It wasn't excitement—this was the recoil of opening the Fifth Gate. Even for him, the strain was considerable.
Seeing this, Yoru frowned slightly.
The drawbacks of the Eight Gates… were they truly unavoidable?
That thought lingered in his mind.
Duy, however, patted Yoru's shoulder with a serious expression.
"Are you here to ask me to be your master? That would be impossible."
"Why?" Yoru asked, puzzled.
"Because… I'm just a Genin. I don't have the qualifications to take on a student," Duy said with a self-deprecating chuckle.
Yoru's lips twitched.
Was that really the reason?
Shrugging, he replied, "I've already been spying on your training for two months."
"Wait… TWO MONTHS?!"
Duy's eyes widened in shock. He walked in a circle around Yoru, then suddenly looked deeply moved, as if he was about to burst into tears.
"Waaaah… To think there's still a youth so dedicated to taijutsu in this day and age!"
"…"
Yoru felt an overwhelming urge to turn around and leave.
There was no point in arguing anymore.
Besides, it seemed Duy had just now realized he had been spied on for two months.
So, despite all this time, he had no clue Yoru had been watching him?
Yoru had assumed Duy had known all along and simply hadn't said anything. But no, it turned out the man was just that oblivious!
His mysterious aura had plummeted to rock bottom.
"Ahem, actually…" Yoru decided to explain, "I have no talent for ninjutsu or genjutsu. More precisely, I struggle to refine chakra properly, so I have no choice but to focus on taijutsu."
Duy froze. Then, as if overcome with emotion, he suddenly lunged at Yoru and pulled him into a tight hug.
Yoru instinctively tried to dodge, but he was a step too slow.
He was now trapped in the crushing embrace of a grown man crying tears of joy.
"Waaah… we are truly brothers in arms!"
PFFT!
This time, Yoru couldn't hold it in.
This was getting dangerous!
"I understand your pain!"
Duy finally released him, pounding his chest in reassurance.
"Even without ninjutsu, you can still become an outstanding shinobi!"
"Like you?" Yoru muttered under his breath.
Duy stiffened slightly at those words. After all, he was still a Genin…
"That doesn't matter!" Duy quickly changed the subject. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he asked, "Boy, did you see my power just now?! That is the result of decades of training!"
Yoru didn't respond immediately.
Duy puffed out his chest proudly.
"This is the ultimate forbidden technique that releases the body's natural limits—the Eight Gates!"
"The Eight Inner Gates are a sequence of power that, when unlocked in order, grants immense strength! Even I have only reached the Seventh Gate!"
Hearing this, Yoru was unsurprised.
In the original story, it was said that Duy spent twenty years mastering the technique.
Right now, the timeline hadn't reached that point yet. It made sense that he had only reached the Seventh Gate so far.
In a few years—perhaps after the Second Shinobi War—he would likely master the Eighth Gate.
Duy waited for a reaction from Yoru.
Yet, Yoru's expression remained indifferent.
Duy immediately deflated.
"You… don't seem very excited…"
"I am interested," Yoru said, quickly adjusting his expression. He feigned curiosity and asked, "What about the Eighth Gate?"
At the mention of the final gate, Duy clenched his fist.
"The Eighth Gate… grants power rivaling even the Hokage!"
He hesitated slightly before adding, "But, well… let's just say it's very strong."
He clearly didn't want to mention its fatal side effect.
Yoru, however, wasn't concerned about that right now. He was more focused on acquiring the technique itself.
But before he could ask, Duy suddenly clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Well, kid, do you want to learn it?"
Yoru: "…"
That easy?!
Wasn't this supposed to be a forbidden technique?
Shouldn't it be… harder to obtain?
Then again, considering the Eight Gates' brutal risks, even if it were openly taught, few would dare practice it.
And for Duy—who had spent his entire life obsessed with taijutsu—meeting someone like Yoru was probably a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Of course, he would want to pass it on.
Not to mention, his goofy personality made him the type to hand it over without a second thought.
Right now, Duy was practically begging Yoru to learn it, looking like he might actually cry if Yoru refused.
Who was the teacher, and who was the student here?!
"Of course I want to learn it!"
Without hesitation, Yoru nodded firmly.
Since Duy was offering, there was no way he would turn this chance down.
Given enough time, he might have been able to develop his own version of the technique through sheer physical conditioning.
But time was something he did not have.
In three months, he had a battle to the death.