After washing up, Hinata, Naruto, and the others came downstairs—only to find Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Izumi nestled close together on the villa's couch. The two were so openly affectionate, it made everyone around them a little envious.
Hinata flushed and stole a shy glance at Naruto.
Ino and Sakura, meanwhile, looked dreamily at Sasuke, now fully healed thanks to Kurama Yakumo's treatment, each imagining herself in Izumi's place someday.
Sasuke and Inuzuka Hana, however, were fuming.
"She's so shameless," Hana muttered, biting her lip.
"Get off him already and let someone else have a shot!"
The rest of the younger ninja were huddled behind the wall, peeking around the corner like curious mice.
|ω）
Naturally, Itachi and Izumi had noticed them. But instead of calling them out, Itachi deliberately raised his voice—making sure every word was loud and clear.
"Chakra is formed by perfectly balancing one's mental and physical energy. And there are three primary ways to cultivate it."
The eavesdroppers leaned in closer.
"The first method is through rigorous physical training—drawing energy out of every single cell in your body over time. This is the foundation of taijutsu."
"The most iconic example? Might Duy and his son Might Guy. Through relentless overtraining—pushing past all physical limits—they unlocked the Eight Gates, breaking the body's natural restraints on chakra and unleashing explosive strength."
"Most people have no idea how to use the Eight Gates, though. It's too demanding, too dangerous, and very few can endure the pain that comes with it."
Naruto raised his hand quietly and whispered, "Who's Might Duy?"
Sasuke snorted. "Idiot. He was Might Guy's dad. They say he once opened all Eight Gates and took down seven of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist by himself. He was a legendary taijutsu master."
"…What's taijutsu again?" Naruto asked blankly.
The group collectively facepalmed.
"I know this one!" Hinata said, twiddling her fingers, cheeks pink. "My father said there are two kinds of taijutsu: one focuses on external damage—breaking bones, tearing muscles—that's hard-style. The other uses chakra to attack the organs and chakra network directly. That's soft-style… like what we practice in the Hyūga Clan."
She glanced at Sasuke. "And when Sasuke fought us earlier… he was using hard-style."
"Ohhhh," Naruto nodded in awe. "That makes sense now."
Everyone: "…"
"Other than the Eight Gates," Izumi asked, "are there any other advanced taijutsu techniques?"
A valid question—and one everyone behind the wall was dying to know the answer to.
"From what I've heard," Itachi replied, "there's a taijutsu prodigy in the Land of Wind named Shira. He created a method called the 'Seven Heavenly Breaths.' It uses precise control of breath to temporarily boost strength to a level on par with the Eight Gates."
The group froze, taking mental notes.
Sasuke, Neji, Hinata, Naruto—all etched the name "Shira" into memory. If Itachi had spoken of him with respect, the guy had to be formidable.
"Then the training you gave Sasuke," Izumi continued, "that 'Iron Body Style of the Thirteen Guardians'—that's taijutsu too, isn't it?"
Itachi nodded.
The others all glanced at Sasuke, now proudly standing tall, his earlier victories explained. Of course he was strong—he'd been training in one of the rarest physical arts.
But then Izumi added:
"Too bad he still hasn't awakened his Sharingan."
Sasuke visibly deflated. His face darkened instantly.
Izumi had awakened hers at four. He was nearly seven—and still no sign of his Sharingan. Worse, he'd been defeated by genjutsu earlier. For a Uchiha, that was… humiliating.
"What about the second method?" Izumi asked gently.
"The second method of chakra cultivation," Itachi explained, "is mental growth—overcoming hardships and enduring pain. Through meditation, experience, and emotional development, your spiritual energy increases… and so does your chakra."
"Most shinobi follow this path. It's slower, but safer."
Naruto blinked. "So… physical training boosts body energy, mental strength boosts spiritual energy…?"
Sasuke's eyes lit up. "Then my Iron Body training boosts both! That means it's the best of both worlds!"
The group looked at him thoughtfully. Even Neji and Hinata had to admit—it made sense. No wonder the Senju and Uzumaki clans were both known for superhuman strength. Their taijutsu was the foundation.
"And the third method?" Izumi asked.
"The third," Itachi said seriously, "is absorbing natural energy—a practice known as Senjutsu."
Everyone stared blankly.
"Senjutsu Chakra," Itachi continued, "is formed by balancing physical, spiritual, and natural energy. Only a handful have ever mastered it: the Sage of Six Paths, Hashirama Senju, Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, and… Chiriku of the Fire Temple."
They all gulped.
Every name—besides Chiriku—was a living legend. Sage of Six Paths: the founder of ninjutsu. Hashirama: the God of Shinobi. Jiraiya: one of the Three Legendary Sannin. Minato: the Yellow Flash, who sealed the Nine-Tails.
All were Senjutsu users?
Their eyes slowly turned to Naruto.
Naruto raised both hands. "Don't look at me! I don't know how to do that stuff!"
But someone else did.
They all thought of the captured monk Chiriku's disciple, now traveling with them. If they could extract Senjutsu knowledge from him…
A bold idea formed.
Suddenly, Itachi's voice cut through their scheming.
"You can stop hiding now."
Startled, the group sheepishly stepped out from behind the wall, heads down in embarrassment. In most clans, learning secret techniques without permission was punishable—even by death.
Hinata looked like she was about to cry.
Naruto, of course, was completely unfazed.
"Big bro Itachi, can you teach me that Iron Body technique?"
WHAM!
Sakura smacked him hard across the head.
Hinata rushed to help. "Naruto-kun! Are you okay?"
"Owww… what was that for?!" Naruto winced, rubbing his head.
"You idiot!" Sakura snapped. "You can't just ask like that!"
Naruto blinked in confusion.
Didn't everyone have special privileges?
The others silently envied him. He was the Fourth Hokage's son. Of course he could ask and get away with it.
"Do you really want to learn it?" Itachi asked with a calm smile.
"…Y-Yeah!" Naruto nodded eagerly.
"Then come here."
Naruto lit up. Hinata and Neji stared in awe. Even the others looked envious—being personally trained by Itachi? That was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Sasuke, you too," Itachi said. "You're still too easily shaken by genjutsu. Time for more training—in the Tsukuyomi realm."
"Yes, sir!" Sasuke's eyes sparkled. "Can I get a hint this time?"
"Just two words: True Origin."
Naruto blinked. "Huh? 'True wish'?"
Sasuke: "…"
Itachi's Mangekyō spun.
"Tsukuyomi."
A swirling vortex enveloped Naruto and Sasuke, pulling them into an illusionary realm.
Yakumo trembled—she had felt that chakra. His genjutsu… it felt eerily similar to her bloodline limit.
Izumi was stunned too. "That… didn't feel like ordinary Tsukuyomi."
"Now that you know the three paths to chakra cultivation," Itachi said calmly, "whether or not you can uncover Senjutsu from Chiriku's disciple is up to you."
"No one can master everything. But if any of you are serious about learning the Iron Body Style… I'm willing to teach you. If you can endure it."
A few gulped.
This training wasn't just brutal—it was torturous.
Most declined, including Ino, Sakura, and even Neji. They had their own family styles to master. Only one person stepped forward.
Kurama Yakumo.
"Why are you still here?" Itachi asked curiously.
"I want to become your student," she said, bowing deeply.
"Didn't I assign Shisui to teach you?" Itachi blinked.
"He said you'd be better. Your Tsukuyomi… is just like my family's bloodline limit. That's why he recommended I learn from you instead."
Itachi paused.
She wasn't wrong.
He had once absorbed Yakumo's bloodline through the abilities of Mystique, allowing him to awaken the Kurama Clan's kekkei genkai—True Manifestation Genjutsu.
Just then, the red string between him and Izumi flared.
Suddenly, Izumi gained two new abilities:
Tsukuyomi
Genjutsu: True Manifestation
Tsukuyomi: A powerful illusion technique that traps the target in a mental world where time, space, and even physics are under the user's control.
True Manifestation: A genjutsu so potent that whatever happens inside it becomes real. A burn in the illusion leaves an actual burn. A wound becomes real.
Combined, they formed:
Tsukuyomi: True Manifestation — a genjutsu realm where everything the victim experiences becomes physically real.
Izumi swallowed hard.
"Wait… so Naruto and Sasuke are trapped in a real illusion world right now?!"
"Exactly," Itachi said. "It's called Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber."
Yakumo's eyes sparkled.
"Sensei… can I go see?"
"Sure."
His Mangekyō spun once more.
The three of them vanished.