The crescent moon hung in the sky, and stars twinkled overhead, painting a tranquil picture across the heavens.
At the edge of the ruined Whirlpool Country, deep within a hidden sanctuary, silence prevailed.
There—seated cross-legged in meditation—was Kaito. His jaw clenched, his skin pale. Sweat dripped down his face, each droplet revealing the agony within.
Inside his mindscape, the spiritual form of Ayanami Kaito floated silently in the void. Arcs of lightning danced across his body, tempering his soul with every flash. It was as though his spirit had been wrapped in a shroud of living electricity.
If one looked closely, they'd notice tiny black wisps escaping into the void each time the lightning surged—His soul was being purified.
One hour passed, then another…
By the seventh hour, the crackling thunder faded. The spirit form, once clouded with imperfections, now gleamed—solid and flawless.
"Haa…" Kaito exhaled deeply, eyes fluttering open.
It had been three months since the chaos in Konoha. In that time, his strength had leapt forward by bounds few could imagine.
He had fully mastered Yin Release, able to unleash it with mere thought.
His mind and body had adapted completely to training his soul with lightning chakra. His spiritual form—once murky and unstable—was now honed, gleaming with clarity. Even his sensory perception had doubled again in range and precision.
Truthfully, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Kaito now possessed the most refined sensory skills in the ninja world.
Even more astonishing, the ominous warning that had always lingered in the depths of his mind—an alert connected to the last gate of the Eight Gates—had begun to fade.
That realization had thrilled him.
Now, as of today, that internal warning was completely gone.
It meant one thing.
He could finally attempt to open the last Gate.
Unlike the gates before it, the Eight was hidden deep within the spiritual plane. Like the Seventh, brute force would never be enough to crack it. He would have to break it down gradually, piece by piece.
In the original accounts of the Eight Gates Technique, this was the very first of them—the Gate of Opening. In those teachings, opening the gate removed the mind's restraint on the body. But what Kaito faced now wasn't a mere physical release.
The towering columns on either side of the gate shimmered with divine energy. One pillar glowed like molten glass, forged from some celestial metal. The other radiated lightning chakra, potent and untamed.
Kaito summoned his will.
A bolt of lightning twisted into the shape of a drill, and he thrust it toward the gate.
Buzz…!
Pain immediately shot through his head, sharp and stabbing—but he endured it. Compared to the torment of soul Fortification, this was nothing.
An hour passed, and his soul hit its limit.
Kaito stopped.
Then, without resting, he conjured five hundred shadow clones. Their mission: to meditate, and unlock insight into the Yang Release dormant within him.
He had awakened his Yin Release, and his body had the traits of the Sage of Six Paths' bloodline. That meant the opposing force, Yang Release, had to be within him. But just like before, he couldn't manipulate it—not yet.
Time flowed, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Kaito's days were split in two. His body sat in meditation, endlessly hammering the Eighth Gate. His clones searched for ways to activate Yang Release.
---
Meanwhile, far from the sanctuary—at sea near the Whirlpool Country's shores—a girl ran for her life.
She was beautiful, though battered. Her clothes were torn, stained with blood. Her face was pale, exhausted, yet her emerald eyes still burned with resolve.
Behind her, three masked shinobi of the Hidden Mist's ANBU Black Ops gave chase.
"Terumi Mei! You can't run forever!" one of them called mockingly. "You think you'll escape from us? Blame your bloodline, not us!"
"It's not just your talent," the second sneered. "It's your clan. You've always stood against the Fourth Mizukage's rule. If we let you live, you'll become a threat!"
Mei glanced over her shoulder, eyes narrowing. "Is that all your twisted system stands for? Killing its own children just because they might shine too brightly?"
"We can tolerate genius," the first ANBU said coldly, "but not enemies."
Suddenly, the third ANBU—silent until now—snapped to attention. "She's heading toward the ruins of the Whirlpool Country! We can't let her reach there!"
Their faces paled.
Ever since rumors had spread that someone comparable to Hashirama Senju now resided in the ruins—someone with the might to terrify even the Five Great Nations—that land had become forbidden.
Unofficially, the nations had agreed: no one would interfere there.
Not unless they were ready for war.
Mei turned back with a smirk. "Realized too late, haven't you? Idiots."
She spun mid-stride and inhaled deeply.
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
Her cheeks puffed out as she exhaled a torrent of superheated mist. It blanketed the sea in an instant—turning the world white.
But this wasn't ordinary mist.
This was chakra-infused vapor hot enough to melt steel.
In the original stories, Mei Terumi had once used it to melt Sasuke's Susanoo. Stronger even than her Lava Release.
"Damn it!" the lead ANBU shouted. "Move! Don't let it touch you!"
They leapt clear of the fog, hands moving rapidly into signs.
"Water Style: Raging Water Wave!"
From the ocean beneath them, a massive tide rose—crashing down on the mist, dissipating it with sheer volume.
When the sea calmed, Mei was gone.
Only a shrinking black dot on the horizon remained.
The three ANBU looked at one another.
"She got away," one said bitterly. "She's headed for the ruins."
The captain frowned. "You two stay here and watch the border. I'll report to the Fourth Mizukage."
"Yes, Captain!"
---
At the edge of the Whirlpool ruins, Mei stumbled from the sea, soaked and gasping.
She collapsed onto the rocky shore, clutching her side.
"Made it… but will he help me…?"
She turned her gaze toward the ruins, half-shrouded in mist and mystery.
Footsteps echoed behind her.
ANBU?
No…
She stood and walked forward, eyes sharp with renewed determination.
Toward the sanctuary of the only person the entire ninja world now feared to provoke—
Ayanami Kaito.
---
Milestones
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
200 Power stones = 3 Bonus Chapters
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