"It feels like a clone technique."
Yugito frowned.
She couldn't tell the difference with her eyes, but her intuition told her that the clones in front of her were strange—they weren't the real body.
Her two teammates hesitated.
They really wanted to say…
Forget whether it's the real body or not. If this keeps up, Yugito might be fine, but they're definitely going to end up with two or three more wounds.
And if one of those strikes hits a vital spot, they could die right here!
"Is that so?"
As she spoke, the six figures split into pairs.
"Throat, spine, heart…"
"Which part of your teammate's body do you want to add a wound to?"
Kyohiko's voice rang out.
Yugito frowned, thinking Kyohiko was being too arrogant.
But.
When she glanced out of the corner of her eye, she was stunned—
One of her teammates had a long, narrow wound on his shoulder, blood dripping from it.
If they were hit again, with the opponent's speed and swordsmanship, they could definitely kill one of her teammates.
At least one!
Yugito fell silent, then coldly said, "I don't care. If you kill my teammate, I can hunt down yours too."
"Is that so?"
Kyohiko smiled.
In the next moment, the six figures moved.
All three of them acted at once.
Yugito's hands sprouted claws, while one of her teammates formed hand seals and pressed them to the ground, releasing a web-like spread of lightning. The other…
His chakra surged out, enveloping his body in a special Lightning Release chakra armor.
Although it didn't seem complete, it was definitely not an ordinary technique.
The three of them were on high alert, but in the next second, one of the figures disappeared, and the other clones dissipated.
A voice lingered in the air.
"We'll meet at the summit."
It turned out that what they had been fighting was just a shadow clone.
A single shadow clone had held off all three of them.
The two teammates exchanged glances.
"Yotsuki Ren, Motoi, tend to your wounds, then we'll head up the mountain."
Yugito turned around.
The two nodded repeatedly.
Although Yotsuki Ren was technically the leader of the team, there was no helping it—Yugito was stronger and a jinchūriki.
Yotsuki Ren bandaged Motoi's wound.
Meanwhile, Yugito pondered her next move.
With such speed, the only way to defeat the opponent was to be faster or have powerful insight to land a decisive blow.
However, the opponent didn't want to engage further, and it seemed like it wasn't just to ensure they could advance.
Yugito thought about it but couldn't figure out the opponent's intentions.
...
"Let's go. We'll take two scrolls at the summit and advance to the third round together."
Kyohiko said.
Yamashiro Aoba was deeply grateful.
He knew.
Without Kyohiko's help, their team would never have made it this far.
At the same time—
He was also utterly shocked.
Yugito was already incredibly strong in their eyes, able to overpower them single-handedly, but Kyohiko seemed to have held off all three of them with just a shadow clone.
Was the gap in strength really that big?
And then…
Might Gai.
Yamashiro looked at Gai, who was exhausted and barely able to walk, and couldn't help but recall how Gai had charged in earlier, using a series of taijutsu kicks to send Yugito flying.
He was strong too!
Truly impressive!
They were all amazed.
"Gai, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I've taken a soldier pill. I should be fine by the time we reach the summit."
Gai replied.
"Keep up."
Kyohiko unconsciously quickened his pace.
Gai's heart stirred, and he immediately followed.
When he caught up, Kyohiko whispered, "Gai, how many gates can you open right now?"
"My father said I can barely handle the fourth gate, but it's best to stick to the third gate, or even just the first two gates."
Gai answered.
So, that's about an intermediate level?
Kyohiko had a rough idea.
"Have you ever thought about using the abilities of the Eight Gates in a more practical way? For example, with the Gate of Opening, you can perform movements that are normally impossible."
"You mean…"
Gai had a flash of inspiration but couldn't quite grasp it.
"A specialized taijutsu system?"
"Exactly."
Kyohiko nodded, "You know Dancing Leaf Shadow, right?"
"Yeah."
Dancing Leaf Shadow was a highly practical taijutsu move, but it required exceptional skill from the user.
After answering, Gai's eyes lit up, "Use Dancing Leaf Shadow as the starting move?"
"Right. Dancing Leaf Shadow is hard to execute perfectly under normal circumstances, but with the Gate of Opening, you can control your body perfectly. You can perform Dancing Leaf Shadow and seamlessly follow up with punches, kicks, and other taijutsu attacks, ending with a decisive blow to the head, throat, or heart."
Kyohiko explained.
Usually, the neck was the best target.
A strike from above hitting the neck would be hard for most ninjas to block, and it would almost certainly be fatal.
Gai thought for a moment and couldn't help but get excited.
Yes!
Before opening the Eight Gates, he used regular taijutsu.
If he opened the gates and still used the same taijutsu, wouldn't that be a waste?
Gai excitedly hugged Kyohiko.
"You're… you're amazing!"
"Hey! We're in the middle of moving, you idiot!"
"Oh, right!"
Gai quickly let go, barely managing to land on the next tree branch.
He already had a plan in mind.
But.
As Kyohiko said.
The best strategy for now was to use Dancing Leaf Shadow followed by a series of punches and kicks.
Gai immediately understood.
Kyohiko hadn't come up with this on the spot. Instead…
"Is this a taijutsu system you designed for yourself? Why teach it to me?"
After all, Kyohiko also knew how to open the Gate of Opening.
Kyohiko said, "I've thought about it, but for me, the most important thing is the effect and enhancement it provides. To kill enemies, I'd combine it with the Superhuman Strength technique or swordsmanship, which is more effective than regular taijutsu. As for why… I don't need it, but you do!"
"I understand."
Gai was deeply moved. He rarely spoke seriously, "I'll carry on your will! So, Kyohiko, you should name it!"
Kyohiko thought for a moment and said, "If it's a series of kicks, let's call it something like '[Something] Barrage.'" (TLNote: No kidding, the original words was "某某连弹")
He had to respect the basic copyright.
Even if the creator… well, not even his brother's around anymore.
"Got it."
Gai grinned.
He was about to say something when whispers came from behind.
"Kyohiko, is it always like this?"
"Yeah, we often exchange techniques or ideas we've come up with or have the right to share. We all improve together."
Kurenai nodded.
Yamashiro, Raido, and Kanpo were deeply moved.
Exchanging techniques…
Even if they were just techniques, sometimes the key to breaking through a bottleneck in one's own jutsu might lie in a single technique or piece of knowledge.
Kyohiko's approach was bold.
"Gai too?"
"Oh, no. Right now, it's just me, Kakashi, and Kyohiko. We've thought about expanding, but it's strictly voluntary. After all, knowledge and techniques are important to everyone, and we can't just give them away."
Kurenai quickly explained.
She said this…
Of course, in the hopes of attracting more people to join and improve together.
Yamashiro was deeply tempted and no longer hesitated.
"Can I join?"
"Sure, but if you want to participate in the exchange, you'll need to offer something of equal value—a technique or knowledge you've discovered. And we can't freely teach these to outsiders."
Kyohiko turned around, pausing for a moment before explaining, "Knowledge has value. I want everyone to exchange equally so this mutually beneficial system can continue."
"We're in!"
The four of them spoke in unison.
Kyohiko nodded.
"Kyohiko, with our numbers growing, shouldn't we come up with a name for our group?"
Kurenai joked.
Kyohiko smiled and said, "If you want to name it… let's call it Dust. Each of us is as small as a speck of dust, but together, we form the soil. We'll become the nutrients for Konoha's growth!"
Dust?
Kurenai had just been joking.
But.
After Kyohiko's explanation, she was deeply moved and felt a profound sense of responsibility, as if a heavy weight had suddenly been placed on her shoulders.
Just as she was about to say something, a notification sounded.
[As Hokage, you've created your own ideological theory.]
[The concept of "Dust" has been deeply recognized, and four new members have joined.]
[Reward: White Fang Swordsmanship improved.]