Rorin's home.
"Hey—hah! Hey—hah!"
Rorin was training at home with weights on, sweat pouring nonstop. Today alone he had already done 500 sit-ups and 1,000 push-ups.
Just as he got up to rest, someone knocked on the door. It was Might Guy.
"Rin, you're going to register as a ninja today. I'll go with you," Might Guy said loudly, striking a dramatic pose right after.
Seeing Rorin ignore him, Might Guy felt a bit awkward for a moment. Without even waiting for a reply, he grabbed Rorin's hand and dashed straight toward the Hokage Building.
Before long, the two arrived and completed Rorin's registration. What surprised him during the process was that Tsunade granted him the rank of Chūnin, whereas he had originally only planned to become a Hidden Leaf Village Genin.
Tsunade had initially intended to give him the rank of Jōnin—his strength more than qualified—but Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura firmly opposed it. A Jōnin's status could already influence some of the Hidden Leaf Village's decisions, and Rorin was, after all, an outsider.
After leaving the Hokage Building, Might Guy and Rorin headed toward the Forest of Death.
Today marked the first day of Might Guy officially training Rorin. They arrived at a mountain ravine with a waterfall, where torrents of water crashed down violently.
The two sparred under the waterfall, exchanging ninjutsu back and forth. For Rock Lee, Guy could have him spar with peers like Tenten and Neji, but for Rorin, Guy felt that only he himself could provide meaningful guidance.
"Rin, your taijutsu is closely tied to the power of your Shikotsumyaku, so you're not suited for the Hidden Leaf Village style of taijutsu. That means… the only thing I can teach you is this."
Hearing that, Rorin's eyes lit up. If his guess was correct…
Might Guy's expression sharpened as he circulated chakra through his body. A green aura began to radiate from him.
Eight Gates—Third Gate, Gate of Life: Open!
Rorin watched, completely absorbed. As expected—it really was the Eight Gates Technique.
Seeing the look of admiration in Rorin's eyes, Might Guy couldn't help but smile. He then deactivated the Eight Gates and began carefully explaining how to open them and the key principles behind the technique.
Rorin listened intently, quickly committing everything to memory, and then attempted it for the first time.
Circulating chakra within his body and removing the brain's limiter, Rorin successfully opened the First Gate—the Gate of Opening!
Might Guy, watching from the side, was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped. He had succeeded on his very first attempt—back when Guy trained to open the Eight Gates, it had taken him a very long time.
"Oh? Now that's interesting."
At that moment, about ten meters away, Hatake Kakashi appeared on a tree branch, a look of intrigue in his eyes. Originally, he had resisted when Might Guy asked him to teach some kid ninjutsu—wouldn't it be better to spend that time reading? But now, he had developed a strong interest in Rorin. In the next instant, he used Body Flicker to appear beside Rorin and Might Guy.
"Yo, Guy. Sorry I'm late—I got lost on the road of life."
Hearing Kakashi's voice, both Rorin and Might Guy turned toward him. In truth, Might Guy had known for a while that Kakashi had already arrived and was observing from the tree, but he hadn't paid it much mind. Kakashi had been invited to teach Rorin, but if he wasn't willing, Guy wouldn't force him. Now that Kakashi had stepped out, it was clear—he had taken an interest in Rorin.
Might Guy immediately introduced him: "Rin-kun, this is the Hidden Leaf Village's Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi—the teacher I invited to instruct you in ninjutsu."
"Hello," Kakashi greeted with a squinting smile.
Only then did Rorin understand—Kakashi had been invited by Might Guy to teach him ninjutsu. Earlier, he had sensed someone on the other side of the tree and had thought it might be ANBU monitoring him.
"Hello, Kakashi-sensei. I'm Kaguya Rin. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to teach me," Rorin said quickly, expressing his gratitude.
Kakashi waved it off, then asked,
"So—what kind of ninjutsu do you want to learn?"