Whoosh!!
In the next instant, Might Duy's body became a blur. With just a flicker, he appeared in front of a massive tree as thick as two people hugging around it—then launched a punch.
Boom!
A thunderous crack rang out, and that massive tree snapped in half with one blow, crashing to the ground in a shower of leaves and splinters.
After that, Duy stood still where he was, motionless. It seemed he was quietly reflecting, not making any move to open the Sixth Gate.
After a moment, he suddenly called out toward the tree where Yuya was hiding:
"Come on out."
Crap—busted.
"…."
Yuya stepped out awkwardly. He'd been way too hyped watching just now and let his guard down.
Peeking on someone's training and getting caught? Yeah, awkward as hell.
But honestly, after coming here every day for two straight months, even if Might Duy was clueless in other areas, he couldn't have missed it, right? Or so Yuya figured.
Yet instead of being mad, Might Duy just gave Yuya a big ol' thumbs up.
"You've been working hard, kid."
The green aura around him slowly faded, and Duy gave him a rugged grin.
Yuya's face twitched.
Okay, sure, dude's strong—but being a goofball really seems to be part of the package deal.
"Sorry… I've kinda been secretly learning all this time," Yuya said with a helpless look.
"No worries! I give you permission!"
Duy let out a big laugh and cut him off.
Then he suddenly did something that almost made Yuya cough up blood.
He dropped to his knees, staring up at the sky, eyes brimming with tears.
"Someone's actually willing to learn taijutsu from me… My youth hasn't faded after all…"
Pffft—
Yuya nearly lost it.
Even with nerves of steel, this was pushing it.
What the hell is this guy?!?!
Might Duy, Might Guy, Rock Lee…
These guys were all tough, resilient, determined—but why is every single one of them a damn clown?!
No wonder Duy, despite his ridiculous strength, was still a "forever genin"… He probably knew nothing about scouting, counterintelligence, or anything not related to punching things.
"Hahaha!"
Duy stood back up, still laughing, and walked over to Yuya. His body was shaking slightly—not from excitement, but from the strain of opening the Fifth Gate.
Yuya frowned slightly at the sight.
The side effects of the Eight Inner Gates...
They were really something else.
Was there no way to avoid them?
That thought sparked in Yuya's mind.
Just then, Duy patted him on the shoulder and, with a serious look, said:"Kid, you wanna become my student? Too bad… that's not possible."
"Because I'm just a genin. I'm not qualified to take on disciples."
He chuckled at himself.
Yuya's mouth twitched again. He gave a helpless shrug and said, "I've already been secretly learning for two months now."
"What?! Two months?!"
Duy stared at him in shock, circling him with wide eyes, then teared up all over again.
"Waaaah… I never thought I'd see someone so loyal to taijutsu in this day and age…"
"..."
Yuya wanted to turn around and run.
He had no words left.
Also, apparently Duy just realized Yuya was spying on him. Probably only noticed because he'd activated the Eight Gates, got hyped, and forgot to suppress his chakra.
Yuya had honestly assumed he knew the whole time.
In just two months, the great mystery of Might Duy had plummeted from intriguing to absolutely tragic.
"Ahem, actually… I'm kinda hopeless at ninjutsu and genjutsu. Or to be more precise, I can barely refine chakra at all… So I can only train in taijutsu," Yuya explained.
"For real?!"
Duy froze for a second, then suddenly lunged and hugged him.
Yuya tried to dodge but failed. He got pulled into a painful bro-hug.
"Waaaah! We're brothers now!!"
Pfft!
This time Yuya literally couldn't hold it in anymore.
Damn it! At this rate I'm gonna lose my dignity forever!
"Don't worry, don't worry!"
Duy released him and patted his chest. "Even if you can't use ninjutsu, you can still become an amazing ninja!"
"Like you, right," Yuya deadpanned.
Duy scratched his head, slightly embarrassed. Yeah, he was still just a genin…
"Anyway, that's not what's important. What is important is—kid, did you see the power I showed just now?! That was something I've spent over ten years mastering!"
He finally showed a flash of well-earned pride and continued: "That's the ultimate forbidden technique that unleashes the limits of your body—the Eight Inner Gates! There are eight in total. Each one you open gives you massive power. Even I've only gotten as far as the Seventh."
Yuya listened, surprised but also connecting the dots.
In the original, Duy trained for twenty years before fully mastering the Eight Gates. So at this point in the timeline, it made sense that he'd only reached the Seventh Gate.
He probably needed just a few more years. After the Second Great Ninja War, he'd likely be ready to open all eight.
But when Duy saw Yuya looking completely unshocked, his moment of glory died a pitiful death.
"You're… not impressed at all, huh…"
"No, no, I'm super interested." Yuya quickly faked a shocked expression, playing dumb. "So… what about opening the eighth gate?"
Duy lit up again and clenched his fists.
"All eight opened… and you can have power on par with Lord Hokage! It's that strong! But, uh… yeah, super strong, let's leave it at that."
He hesitated. Clearly, he was thinking about the part where opening the Eighth Gate equals certain death.
Yuya was just wondering how to get his hands on the actual training method when—
Duy suddenly clapped a hand on his shoulder, acting like a proud big brother.
"So? Wanna learn it?!"
Yuya: "..."
That's it?! It's that easy?!
Just handing out forbidden jutsu like candy, huh?
But then again… The Eight Inner Gates was such a brutal technique, even if it was public knowledge, how many people would actually want to learn it?
And for someone like Duy, meeting a kid who also couldn't use chakra must've hit him right in the heart. No wonder he was so eager to share it.
Well, that and the fact he's kind of a goofball.
Duy looked like he'd cry if Yuya said no, which left Yuya completely helpless.
Who's the student here again?!
"Of course I want to learn!"
Yuya didn't hesitate. He nodded hard.
If Duy was willing to teach, Yuya sure as hell wasn't gonna miss the chance.
Sure, with enough body training and theory, he might eventually figure out the Eight Gates on his own—but that would take way too long.
And he didn't have time.
Because in three months, he had a fight to the death.