The accumulation of countless hidden injuries had already brought Kawaki Aoba's body to the verge of collapse. Even if he could open the first few Gates, he wouldn't have much time to make use of the strength they granted.
With such a battered body, it was already a miracle that he could unleash four taijutsu techniques after opening all Eight Gates in the future.
Thanks to Might Dai's guidance as the pioneer of this forbidden technique, Kawaki Aoba quickly located the First Gate—the Gate of Opening—within his body.
However, while he had found its location and understood the correct method to open it, actually doing so was another matter. It required not only relentless chakra control and mental focus but also the physical condition necessary to endure the strain.
Chakra wasn't an issue for Kawaki Aoba; he had access to the potent Red Pill, which enhanced chakra recovery and healing. But physical conditioning was a different matter entirely—he was only ten years old, and his body was not yet tempered to withstand the burden of the Eight Gates.
"Dai-senpai, I've already grasped the Gate of Opening. Can you teach me the methods for unlocking the remaining seven?" Kawaki Aoba asked earnestly. He knew training in the Eight Gates Formation was a long-term commitment, but he didn't mind sacrificing himself in pursuit of strength.
To his surprise, Might Dai refused without hesitation.
"I'm sorry, Aoba," Dai said solemnly. "I can't fulfill that request."
"Why? Didn't you accept this mission to teach me the Eight Gates Formation?" Aoba asked in disbelief.
"This is Lord Hokage's highest directive," Dai replied with unwavering seriousness. "The Third Hokage believes you are the village's most promising genius. Your safety comes first. Even if you don't master the Eight Gates, you will still become a great shinobi. You don't need this technique to succeed."
"I see… I was being inconsiderate." Kawaki Aoba sensed the unshakeable resolve in Dai's spirit through his Observation Haki. It was clear: obtaining the complete Eight Gates training method would not be easy.
Convincing Might Dai wouldn't be as simple as he had imagined.
This was a man of unwavering conviction—a man who lived by the Will of Fire. In one sentence:
Konoha may have abandoned Dai a thousand times, yet he loved Konoha as if it were his first.
Unless Kawaki Aoba could rise to the position of Hokage or become Dai's direct superior, he wouldn't be able to truly win his loyalty.
With that in mind, Kawaki Aoba suppressed the thought of using the Red Pill to heal Dai's body. Risking exposure just to play savior for someone who might not return the favor was not in his nature.
Temporarily giving up on acquiring the full Eight Gates method, Aoba decided instead to train alongside Might Dai to improve his physical conditioning.
His peak power had been increasing too rapidly, widening the gap between his regular and maximum combat capabilities. Perhaps it was time to settle down and build a more stable foundation. And Might Dai was certainly worthy of his time and investment.
It was just unfortunate that, in order to establish a connection between him and Asuma Sarutobi, the Third Hokage would likely delay his promotion to Chūnin. Otherwise, he would have requested Dai as his squad leader, which would have granted him more freedom to act boldly.
As for Asuma… perhaps he, too, needed to grow stronger. Otherwise, how long would he remain a third wheel?
But Aoba already considered Asuma a friend. If he hadn't, he might've chosen a far more ruthless way to remove him from the picture.
The sun had begun to set. When he first met Might Dai earlier that evening, dusk was just approaching. Now, with Dai having taught him the proper method for opening the Gate of Opening, darkness had begun to fall.
A sudden thought crossed Aoba's mind: Was it possible that Hiruzen had planned for Dai to start teaching him in earnest starting tomorrow?
He still had to refine the Flowing Rock Smashing Fist technique, so Aoba politely excused himself. He and Dai agreed to meet at Training Ground Seven the next morning for more of their intense, youthful training.
Back home, Aoba didn't begin refining the fist technique right away. Hiruzen wasn't urgently waiting on it. He had a few days to finish.
He retrieved two medium-sized potions from his dimensional space—one red, one blue—and gazed at them thoughtfully.
He had an idea.
Forcing open the Gates using sheer chakra pressure was considered highly dangerous. Even Might Dai, the first to master the Eight Gates, had never dared attempt it at the beginning.
But Aoba had one advantage Dai never did: the ability to cheat.
The principle was simple. By sustaining a constant flow of chakra against the Gate's lock, one could theoretically brute-force the restriction open. But such a feat demanded tremendous chakra reserves—something normal shinobi didn't have. Kawaki Aoba, however, did.
He drank both potions, which would maintain his chakra and life force for approximately three minutes. With those safeguards in place, he began flooding his chakra toward the location of the First Gate.
With his chakra regeneration far surpassing even his total chakra pool, he no longer needed to worry about consumption. He focused on one goal: break through!
Eight Gates Formation: First Gate—Gate of Opening, open!
Pfft!
Aoba's body convulsed, and a sharp pain radiated through his abdomen—but it was fleeting. The Red Pill kicked in instantly, healing the damage before it could spread.
He was injured—but not fatally. It was manageable.
The first attempt had failed, but he hadn't expected to succeed on his first try.
Moments later, feeling his chakra replenish once more, Kawaki Aoba tried again.
Eight Gates Formation: Gate of Opening, open!
Again. And again. With each failure, he consumed more potions. If it had been anyone else, they would have been hospitalized ten times over.
But finally, after countless attempts, the Gate of Opening yielded.
A cooling sensation rushed through Aoba's body and into his mind. It was euphoric—more invigorating than a cold shower on a summer day.
And unexpectedly, his Observation Haki felt… sharper.
No, it wasn't more powerful—it was already honed to its limit. Rather, his control had become more refined. More sensitive. More fluid.
The path of the Eight Gates had just begun—but Kawaki Aoba had already taken his first, dangerous step forward.
At this moment, Kawaki Aoba recalled Might Dai's explanation of the Eight Gates Technique — a forbidden method that removes the brain's natural limiters, allowing a shinobi to access 100% of their body's physical strength, even beyond their natural limits.
"Remove the brain's limitations…" Kawaki Aoba muttered, deep in thought, before heading to the courtyard to practice the Flowing Rock Shattering Fist.
After a single round of practice, Kawaki Aoba felt an unprecedented sense of clarity and energy. Although his overall strength hadn't significantly increased, being able to unleash the full extent of his power — even for a short time — was something most shinobi could only dream of.
But more than that, Aoba felt he had discovered the correct way to utilize the Eight Gates. Practicing taijutsu techniques with 100% focus and physical output amplified their efficiency — it truly was a case of achieving twice the result with half the effort.
Just as he was immersed in that thought, the effect of the red experimental potion wore off. A wave of intense fatigue and strain crashed down on him — the inevitable backlash of tampering with the Eight Gates.
"So it carries a price after all," he muttered. "One bottle every three minutes... This rate of consumption is unsustainable."
He sighed. "I can only hope Asuma comes through with more soldier pills. Otherwise, I'll need to be extremely conservative with these potions."
With the day's goal of activating the First Gate — the Gate of Opening successfully accomplished, Kawaki Aoba decided to rest.
---
Elsewhere — the Sarutobi Clan Compound
"Achoo!" Sarutobi Asuma sneezed loudly. "Ugh, someone must be talking about me. Whatever, I've got things to do."
He soon arrived at the home of a clan elder.
"Grandpa Hirakawa, did you manage to arrange what I asked for?"
Hirakawa chuckled. "You mean the soldier pills? Yes, I've prepared them. But honestly, it's not easy to gather so many these days. What's a young man like you need such a large stock for, anyway?"
Asuma laughed sheepishly. "Hehe, Grandpa Hirakawa really is amazing. I knew nothing would escape your reach."
Grinning, Asuma received the large bag of soldier pills and left — unaware that the transaction had already been reported to his father, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage.
"He's already picked them up?" Hiruzen muttered as he read the intel.
"He's doing things behind my back now... He's grown. But what are he and that Aoba boy planning with so many soldier pills?"
"Some kind of fruit-flavored supplement? That seems unlikely. Aoba has a talent for developing jutsu. He wouldn't waste his time on something so trivial... right?"
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed as he recalled the Qingyu-brand soldier pill solution Asuma had brought home previously.
He shook his head and sighed. "Forget it. Let's see what that kid is up to."
With that, Sarutobi Hiruzen activated his personal creation: the Telescope Technique — a surveillance ninjutsu that allows him to observe any individual whose chakra he is familiar with, anywhere within Konoha's barrier field.
As Aoba's location came into view, Hiruzen frowned.
"Resting already? Isn't he supposed to be a genius? Shouldn't he be pushing himself harder?"
He zoomed in on Aoba's room — particularly, the desk.
There, two books sat in plain view.
One was a barely-complete Flowing Rock Shattering Fist Manual, its pages still being compiled.
The other?
"Eight Gates Release — First Gate: Training Experience"
Hiruzen's expression stiffened. "Training experience? Already?"
"I just assigned that mission to Might Dai recently... Don't tell me he went straight to Aoba?"
"With Dai's personality... that's possible."
But then the realization hit.
"Wait. Does this mean... Aoba has already opened the First Gate?"
---
Early Next Morning
Before Aoba could wake up naturally, he was stirred by familiar shouts echoing from outside.
It was a voice filled with boundless energy — one he had heard not long ago.
Might Dai.
Aoba glanced at the time. "Not even dawn yet..."
He groaned, dragged himself out of bed, and muttered, "Senior Dai, you really are the embodiment of youth..."
Despite his drowsiness, he got dressed and began preparing for the day's training. But first — breakfast. Even youth requires fuel.
The breakfast he prepared was simple — white steamed buns, thin porridge, and a few pickled vegetables. In a world where shinobi often ate more calorie-dense meals, Aoba's breakfast was rather humble — but it was his favorite.
He considered inviting Dai in to share the meal. But before that, he took out a small bottle — the red potion — and added a small amount to the porridge.
It wasn't yet time to fully treat Might Dai's internal injuries. But seeing how Dai had been teaching him so earnestly, Aoba couldn't help wanting to do something in return — a small gesture of gratitude.
"Senior Dai, I made some breakfast. Why don't you come inside and join me?"
Originally, Dai intended to continue training while Aoba ate. But Aoba's enthusiasm, coupled with his sincere invitation, convinced him otherwise.
As Dai sat down, he stared at the porridge in confusion.
"Aoba... is there something wrong with this porridge?"
Despite his straightforward nature, Might Dai was not stupid.
Aoba froze. Wrong? He activated his observation instinctively — though, unlike actual Observation Haki from other worlds, in the Naruto universe, there was no such thing. Still, his instincts told him Dai sensed something off.
Looking at the light pink tint of the porridge, Aoba realized it must have been the potion's color.
"Ahem. No, Senior Dai. That's... the color of youth! I poured all of my youthful passion into that porridge."
He felt like dying from embarrassment on the spot.
But Dai's eyes sparkled — not with suspicion, but belief.
Perhaps it was because he trusted Aoba — a genius recognized even by the Hokage — or perhaps because the phrase "color of youth" resonated with his ideals.
Either way, he smiled and began eating.
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