Nothing is unachievable.
With a numb expression, Tom continued his relentless training. Finally, he had succeeded in opening the First Gate. Now that the beginning had been made, the rest of the Eight Gates of Dunjia would only be a matter of time—especially with Tom's powerful healing ability.
"Sixth Gate · Gate of View — Open!"
A massive column of Chakra energy surged into the sky, blowing away the dark clouds above. The intense force blasted outward, sending shockwaves through the surrounding forest. Trees bent as if on the verge of breaking, and the earth beneath Tom's feet cracked, forming a deep pit like a crater struck by artillery fire.
"No... this is way too loud!" Tom quickly realized. Opening the Sixth Gate had drawn far too much attention. Without hesitation, he used the immense power surging through him to flee. Boosted by the energy of the Gate of View, Tom looked like a jet tearing across the sky, the sound barrier cracking behind him.
"Swish!"
He vanished.
"Wait... I remember when Guy opened the Sixth Gate in the original story, the effect wasn't nearly this overwhelming. Am I overdoing it?"
Tom considered this for a moment. But with his healing ability—a regeneration comparable to an immortal body—the damage caused by the Eight Gates was practically negated. Unlike Guy, who trained through sheer will and physical perseverance, Tom's abilities allowed him to surpass natural limits without self-destruction.
The Eight Gates forcibly unlock the human body's full potential, unleashing unimaginable Chakra and power. While Guy relied on intense physical training, his body was still human—susceptible to the extreme backlash of each gate. But Tom's constitution was fundamentally different. His spiritual power, physical resilience, and healing capabilities far exceeded anything Guy ever possessed.
This wasn't just opening the gate. This was like the birth of a tailed beast.
As the Gate of View opened, Tom's spiritual awareness expanded massively, spreading more than five kilometers in every direction. Though he wasn't a sensory-type ninja, his vast spiritual power allowed him to faintly perceive movement and energy signatures around him. It wasn't as clear as the Byakugan, but it was enough to detect the presence of others.
Almost immediately, he sensed five different groups of ninjas heading toward the site of his earlier training.
"It's still early. I'll head to school and read a bit."
With that, Tom took a wide detour around the village and finally reached the ninja academy. There, under the bright full moon, he noticed a small figure on the training ground practicing shuriken throws. The silhouette was unmistakable—Uchiha Sasuke.
Tom's heart tightened.
Why was Sasuke still training here, alone, so late at night?
And why hadn't anyone from the Uchiha clan come to take him home?
Suddenly uneasy, Tom began scanning the village using the spiritual power still radiating from the Sixth Gate. When he focused on the Uchiha district, his senses went quiet.
Too quiet.
No footsteps. No voices. Not even the chirping of insects.
"This... this silence. This isn't natural. It's an... Enchantment."
Tom's eyes widened as realization dawned. This scenario... the eerie quiet... it perfectly matched the key moment from the original story—The Uchiha Massacre.
Without another thought, Tom sprinted toward the Uchiha district.
But just a few meters in, he changed direction. His instincts—and his knowledge of Konoha's politics—warned him that surveillance on the Uchiha police force was likely being monitored by Root operatives.
"This was all sanctioned by Konoha's higher-ups. It was practically an approved execution."
He needed to be cautious.
"I'll collect information from the police force's records. Maybe there's some hidden scrolls or jutsu worth salvaging before everything is destroyed."
As he approached the outskirts of the Uchiha district, Tom confirmed his suspicions. The entire compound had been sealed in a spatial barrier—a jutsu so refined that it completely cut off the area from normal perception. Without space-time ninjutsu or waiting for the caster to deactivate the seal, entry was impossible.
"No wonder no one else noticed the Uchiha massacre in the original timeline. It was like the entire clan disappeared from reality itself."
But this wouldn't stop Tom.
He smirked. "As if something like this could stop me. Still, I need to hide my identity. If the Third Hokage or Danzo catches wind of this, it'll cause a lot of trouble."
Tom narrowed his eyes, noticing a shadow in a nearby alley.
A black-robed figure wearing a cat-faced mask stood still—an Anbu operative.
Without hesitation, Tom used the Body Flicker Technique and appeared right in front of the masked ninja.
"Well, well, a Root member. Shouldn't you be underground, being 're-educated' by Danzo?"
"Who are you?" the Root operative demanded, immediately raising a kunai and lunging at Tom.
But he was too slow.
The kunai sliced Tom's shoulder, but before the attacker could retreat, Tom had already grabbed his arm. With two fingers from his right hand, Tom struck directly at the operative's chest.
In that split second, the Root ninja tried to gouge out Tom's eyes with his left hand. But just as he raised his fingers, he found himself unable to move.
He looked down—and saw Tom's fingers piercing straight through his heart.
"You… who are you…?"
Tom leaned in and whispered coldly, "Danzo sent me to clean up."
He didn't care if it was true. Just planting seeds of confusion might delay any repercussions. After all, this world had jutsu like Edo Tensei (Reanimation Technique). Misinformation could be as powerful as any weapon.
The Root ninja's final sight was of Tom's shoulder wound healing rapidly, the flesh knitting itself together in seconds.
With the operative now dead, Tom dragged the body into a nearby alley. He quickly stripped the uniform and changed into it. Now disguised as a Root member, he prepared to infiltrate the police force's compound.
"The main streets are blocked. But the sewers—those are still open."
He gritted his teeth.
"Let's just hope the barrier hasn't isolated the underground, too."
Tom vanished into the darkness.
A ghost within the village.
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