Ryosuke didn't beat around the bush. He directly stated his purpose: he wanted to learn the Eight Gates Technique.
He wasn't interested in playing mind games—especially not with someone like Might Guy. If there was one person in Konoha who couldn't be corrupted or manipulated, it was him.
Might Guy was honest to the core—not the scheming type that infested Konoha's political structure.
As soon as Guy heard Ryosuke's request, his expression turned serious. The Eight Gates… hearing those words pulled him back into the painful memories of the Third Great Ninja War.
Four years ago, he had participated in the Konoha vs. Kirigakure warfront, while still a genin.
He, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu had been surrounded by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. It was a hopeless situation—until his father, Might Duy, appeared.
Duy had unleashed the Eight Gates Formation, burning his own life to ashes as he killed four members of the Seven Swordsmen to save them.
His father had been a hero, a man who stood tall when it mattered most.
And now, Ryosuke stood before him, asking for that very same forbidden power.
Guy looked Ryosuke in the eyes.
"How do you know about the Eight Gates?"
Ryosuke was momentarily confused. The Uchiha Clan had fought in the same war, after all. Guy's father's legendary stand wasn't a minor skirmish. How could it be a secret?
"Am I not supposed to know?" Ryosuke asked, unsure if Guy was hiding something—or if Konoha had buried the story.
Was Guy refusing to teach him?
But then Ryosuke remembered: even Kakashi had learned the Eight Gates to some extent. And although Ryosuke had only been training with Guy for about a month, their bond was real.
Guy's sunny demeanor wasn't fake—he wasn't the type to wear a mask like Itachi Uchiha.
After a moment of reflection, Guy finally nodded and chuckled.
"I almost forgot—you're the grandson of the Uchiha clan's elder. Even if the Third Hokage issued a gag order about that incident, your clan has its own intelligence network."
That made sense now. The Third Hokage must've suppressed the information about Might Duy's heroism to keep other ninjas from recklessly chasing power at the cost of their lives.
But that cover-up also explained why so many arrogant Uchiha looked down on Guy—they didn't even know the truth of what his father had done.
As for why Hiruzen Sarutobi would seal such information? Ryosuke didn't quite understand, but Konoha had many contradictions he still couldn't wrap his head around.
For example, the way Naruto—the village's own Jinchuriki—was treated.
If Hiruzen truly meant to protect Naruto, why had the identity of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki leaked, but not the fact that Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son?
Ryosuke asked once more:
"Guy, will you teach me?"
Guy's face grew solemn again.
"Ryosuke, I don't know how you learned about this technique—but it comes at a terrible cost."
"Once you open the final gate, the Gate of Death… you will die."
Ryosuke, however, didn't flinch.
He knew the risks. But he also had a stronger body—and he was growing stronger every day.
Such a power—capable of elevating one's strength far beyond Kage-level—couldn't exist without consequences. The price of life for power… that was fair.
He had his reasons to pursue it.
With the timeline of the Uchiha Clan Massacre drawing closer, Ryosuke wasn't sure if he could change Itachi's mindset. If not, then he alone would need the power to protect his clan—to protect people like his grandfather and Izumi.
And even if Itachi could be swayed, Konoha's higher-ups still harbored deep-rooted malice toward the Uchiha.
Danzo, with his distorted version of Tobirama's ideology, saw the Uchiha as inherently evil. That hatred ran too deep for even someone like Naruto to resolve with talk-no-jutsu.
Ryosuke's voice was firm:
"Even if the risk is great—I must learn this technique."
Guy could see it in Ryosuke's eyes. There was no hesitation, only conviction—the same determination his father had shown when facing death.
Clearly, Ryosuke had something worth protecting.
After a moment, Guy nodded solemnly.
"I'll teach you."
Though he knew the Uchiha's relationship with the village was strained, his instincts told him Ryosuke wasn't a threat to Konoha. He would place his trust in him—just like he had with Kakashi.
But if Ryosuke ever went down the wrong path, Guy was ready to stop him, even if it meant opening all Eight Gates himself.
Ryosuke was thrilled. Guy hadn't let him down.
"Thanks."
Guy grinned.
"But we can't train something this dangerous here. Let's find a better location."
Ryosuke agreed.
The two made their way to a vast, barren area atop the Hokage Rock, the same place where Guy had once taught Kakashi the Eight Gates.
It was ideal—isolated, destructible, and symbolic.
Guy turned to Ryosuke and spoke seriously:
"Let me explain the Eight Gates."
"They are eight chakra limiters located in your body. Normally, they restrict chakra flow to keep the body safe. But through Eight Gates, you override these limits—unlocking tremendous power."
"The gates are: Gate of Opening, Gate of Rest, Gate of Life, Gate of Pain, Gate of Limit, Gate of View, Gate of Wonder, and Gate of Death."
"Each time you open a gate, you push your body past natural limits. But each gate also inflicts increasing levels of internal damage."
"That's why the technique is considered forbidden. The Third Hokage feared that too many ninjas would chase its power and destroy their bodies—ultimately weakening the village."
Now Ryosuke understood why so few in Konoha practiced this technique—and why its true strength was shrouded in secrecy.
Guy proceeded to show Ryosuke the exact locations of the eight chakra limiters:
Gate of Opening & Gate of Rest: Left and right hemispheres of the brain
Gate of Life, Gate of Pain, Gate of Limit, Gate of View, Gate of Wonder: Located along the torso
Gate of Death: Positioned at the heart
When it came time to explain the Gate of Death, Guy hesitated.
He had witnessed his father's death firsthand—burned from the inside out from opening all eight gates.
Looking into Ryosuke's eyes, he finally asked:
"I don't know if I should teach you the final gate. Once opened… you will die. Are you still willing to learn it?"
Ryosuke answered without hesitation:
"Yes."
He had no illusions. If his body grew strong enough, maybe he could survive it. But even if not—he still wanted to learn.
Knowledge was power. He would decide how to use it later.
Guy nodded and placed a hand over his heart.
"The Gate of Death is here. I hope you never have to open it."
Ryosuke reassured him:
"Don't worry. I'm not reckless—I won't gamble my life unless absolutely necessary."
Guy began to demonstrate.
"This technique is powerful, but difficult to learn. It took me ten years just to open the fifth gate."
"Your body is stronger than mine. If you work hard, you might catch up to me in five years."
Ryosuke was speechless.
Five years? He didn't have that kind of time.
The Uchiha massacre was coming fast. He needed power soon, not in half a decade.
Still, he didn't voice this. Instead, he smiled and joked:
"You're overestimating me."
Guy beamed.
"Not at all. I've seen how fast you progress—and how tough your body is. You can do this."
Then, he prepared to demonstrate the First Gate.
Ryosuke activated his Sharingan, focusing on the flow of chakra and pinpoint muscle movements. He planned to memorize everything.
Guy smiled knowingly. Of course. How could he forget Ryosuke had the Sharingan? It made things much easier—allowing him to visually learn techniques far faster than others.
Guy gathered chakra in his hands, then surged it toward his left brain hemisphere—the location of the Gate of Opening.
A blue vein bulged across his forehead.
"This is the First Gate—Gate of Opening."
"It lifts the brain's limiter, allowing you to access 100% of your body's physical potential."
"It dramatically boosts speed and strength—but burns stamina fast."
Ryosuke could feel the spike in Guy's energy.
Guy grinned:
"So, with your Sharingan—did you catch everything?"
Ryosuke nodded, then asked:
"Once the gate is opened, how do you close it?"
The bulging vein looked intense—he didn't want to stay in that state for too long.
Guy laughed:
"Easy. Just stop refining chakra."
"Once the chakra flow stops, the gate will naturally close."
Guy stopped his chakra control. The bulging vein faded. The technique ended.
Ryosuke saw it all clearly through his Sharingan.
"Alright. Let me try."
He mimicked Guy's stance, refined chakra, and directed it toward his brain's left hemisphere.
He immediately felt resistance, as if something were blocking the chakra's flow.
That was the gate.
He pushed harder—refining more chakra to break through.
The gate opened—slightly.
But then—a sharp pain burst through his head, like needles jabbing into his brain. Ryosuke gasped and stopped the chakra flow.
The gate closed. The pain subsided.
But the experience was seared into his memory.
That pain… was no joke.
The First Gate may have only slightly opened—but the price was already high.