Being called a pervert finally made Yuki Seisui realize, maybe it was a little weird for a guy to offer to buy a girl a skin-tight bodysuit.
Still, he genuinely hadn't thought that far ahead.
Scratching his head, Yuki watched Uchiha Haru walk away, clearly trying to hide her exhaustion.
"…Why did I even say that just now?"
He turned to the group. "This is all your fault!"
"How does that end up being our fault?"
"Well, if I don't blame you, I'd have to blame myself, and blaming you guys feels way better."
"You're unbelievable," Nara Shikaku ground his teeth. "Seriously, you're the worst."
It was the first time he'd met someone with such shameless logic.
"Come on, let's teach him a lesson!"
After a round of playful roughhousing, everyone finally went their separate ways.
Before they parted, though, Shikaku handed Yuki a pouch of 300,000 ryo.
"It's for our share of the gear. We've been freeloading long enough."
==========
The Next Day
Might Duy didn't wait until the afternoon. Instead, he arrived at the secret base early, waiting for everyone else to show up.
"Morning, Uncle Duy!"
"Ah! Good morning, my youthful successor!"
Yuki's smile froze. I try to be genuine, and this is what I get? If he didn't already know that Duy was like this by nature, he might've thought he was doing it on purpose.
Sighing, he set down the bag he was carrying. "Uncle Duy, has Minato and the others arrived yet?"
"Nope," Duy shook his head slowly. "You're the first one here."
"Huh." Yuki rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Usually I'm the last one. By now, the others should already be here…
Just then, Minato's voice echoed from behind. Yuki turned to see him walking toward them, wearing the green bodysuit.
Might Duy's face lit up, flashing his signature bright-white grin and giving a big thumbs-up.
And shockingly… Minato did the same right back at him.
Oh no, Yuki felt a stab of despair. They've already started turning him.
That iconic pose, that green bodysuit, everything about him screamed: Might Minato.
"What's in the bag?" Minato asked, approaching curiously.
"I picked up some new combat uniforms," Yuki explained. "I was going to get more bodysuits at first, but once I checked the shop, these seemed more practical."
He pulled out two black tactical-style outfits and tossed them to Minato and Might Duy.
"I got some for you too, go on, try them."
Fresh off a 600,000 ryo windfall from yesterday, Yuki was feeling generous.
Might Duy looked down at the uniform in his hands. It was sleek and black with tactical strapping around the wrists and ankles.
"I've seen these before… Each set costs 30,000 ryo. I can't accept this."
"Uncle Duy, please, just take it. Think of it as my tuition fee."
The two began pushing the uniform back and forth between them.
Meanwhile, Minato had already changed, he wore the green bodysuit underneath, with the new black gear layered on top.
"What's with them?" Choza, Shikaku, and Inoichi arrived, chips in hand, staring at the tug-of-war.
"Uh… just watch," Minato said.
"Childish," Shikaku muttered, barely sparing them a glance. He already had a good idea what was going on.
Uchiha Haru was already there too. Leaning against a tree, she watched the commotion with a cool stare. "Idiots," she muttered.
Once everyone had arrived, Yuki stopped the back-and-forth and said, "Uncle Duy, please just accept it. If you don't, I'll feel too guilty learning taijutsu from you."
Duy hesitated for a moment, then finally gave a tearful nod.
"This… this is the spirit of youth!!"
==========
Of course, they wouldn't train in the real world, the dueling space was far better.
With a casual hand motion, Yuki brought them all into his bloodline space.
It was Duy's first time entering, and he was already amazed.
"Uncle Duy, this is my bloodline space. Any experience gained here transfers to the real world. Even if you 'die' inside, your real body is completely unharmed."
Duy's eyes sparkled. He didn't even consider the idea that Yuki might be lying, he was already excited beyond words.
"In that case, let me show you the taijutsu technique I've developed: The Eight Gates!"
Haru leaned back, arms crossed, unimpressed. Choza and Inoichi had similar reactions, though less visibly smug.
But Shikaku and Minato both furrowed their brows. They remembered what Yuki had said, Duy is strong, but had no idea what kind of strength he meant.
Now that he was going to demonstrate, they paid full attention.
"Watch closely, Seisui!" Duy roared. "This is the power of youth! A force that protects!"
"Eight Inner Gates, Open!"
"Gate of Opening! Gate of Rest! Gate of Life! Gate of Pain!"
He activated the first seven gates in rapid succession. A tremendous pressure erupted, washing over the group like a tidal wave.
Even Haru, who had been scoffing moments before, instinctively swallowed hard, a flicker of fear in her eyes.
Choza's hand froze mid-snack. His chips dropped to the ground unnoticed. "What… what is this!?"
Duy stood there, his body steaming blue energy, eyes locked on the group. He grinned, baring his teeth and flashing a thumbs-up.
"This… is the Seventh Gate of the Eight Inner Gates."
"I've just recently figured out how to open the Eighth Gate. It's not guaranteed… but…"
He looked to the sky, his eyes blazing.
"This is youth!"
"Gate of Death, Open!"
With a roar, his body ignited in red steam. Bulging veins coursed over his limbs. The sheer pressure shook the air around them.
"Now watch closely, this is the ultimate taijutsu technique!"
"Leaf Hurricane!"
And then he vanished.
Yuki and the others blinked, and he was gone. Less than three seconds later, an enormous boom echoed in the distance. A burst of light lit up the horizon before quickly fading.
They rushed toward the sound.
The previously solid ground was now a massive crater. At its center was a blackened silhouette.
"Uncle Duy!" Yuki shouted, running forward.
Duy was still barely alive, his body charred, steam hissing from his skin. He weakly raised a trembling hand and gave one final thumbs-up.
"Youth…"
And then, he stopped breathing.
=============
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