Chapter 183: The Gift Prepared by Mugetsu
"Third Hokage-sama."
Upon arriving at the training ground, Mugetsu and Maito Dai bowed respectfully toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was standing quietly, gazing over the landscape.
Hiruzen turned to face them, a warm smile spreading across his weathered features.
"Dai," he said, stroking his chin beard thoughtfully, "I vaguely remember you were one of the most diligent practitioners of the Eight Gates back in the day. It seems your efforts have finally borne fruit."
His tone was gentle and kind — the voice of an elder genuinely pleased by a younger man's hard-won success.
"Third Hokage-sama, I didn't expect you to still remember me," Dai replied, his eyes widening in surprise. He had assumed Hiruzen only remembered him as Konoha's eternal Genin, not for the training that had defined his life.
"Haha," Hiruzen chuckled. "Though I wasn't Hokage yet at the time, I was already learning under my teacher, Tobirama. How could I forget someone as unique as you, Dai?"
The words weren't mere flattery; Hiruzen truly did remember him. Even back then, Dai's appearance, energy, and relentless optimism had made him stand out among countless shinobi.
"Hahaha! Thank you for your kindness!" Dai gave a proud thumbs-up, laughing heartily and flashing his two rows of gleaming white teeth.
Mugetsu quietly exhaled, a faint smile forming on his lips. So this is the power of authority, he mused. A man like Hiruzen didn't even need to try to win hearts. His position alone carried a weight that made others instinctively want to please him. Only someone with Mugetsu's unique mindset — a transmigrator with no roots here — could remain unaffected.
"I've heard about the power of the Eight Gates from my teacher, Tobirama," Hiruzen continued, shifting into a more formal tone. "But I never had the chance to witness it with my own eyes. Dai, would you allow me to fulfill that regret today?"
"Since it's the Hokage's request," Dai said with a grin, cracking his knuckles, "there's no reason to refuse! Gate of View—open!"
With a mighty roar, Dai clenched his fists, and a torrent of chakra burst from his body. The ground beneath his feet trembled as he directly opened the Sixth Gate. His entire body became enveloped in a blazing green aura, surging and wild.
The Eight Gates were meant to be opened one at a time — each requiring the previous to be unlocked. But those who mastered the technique to a certain level could skip ahead, bypassing earlier gates.
Dai's current limit allowed him to skip the first five entirely and open the Sixth Gate directly.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
A powerful gale burst outward from his body, whipping the surrounding grass flat against the earth. Even Hiruzen's dark gray hair fluttered in the storm of chakra.
"So this is the Sixth Gate…" Hiruzen murmured with intrigue, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He couldn't see the gates themselves, but from the intensity of Dai's chakra, he could easily tell which one had been opened. The first five gates left no visible signs, but from the Sixth Gate onward, the body radiated distinct changes.
In the Sixth Gate — the Gate of View — the user's entire form glowed green.
The Seventh Gate emitted blue steam.
And the final Eighth Gate, the Gate of Death, released a terrifying crimson aura that consumed the user's life.
"Attack me," Hiruzen said calmly. "Don't hold back."
To test strength, there was no better way than combat.
Although it was only a shadow clone, Hiruzen had infused it with nearly thirty percent of his chakra — enough to make it a formidable opponent.
A spark of excitement lit up Dai's eyes. Ever since mastering the Eight Gates, he had only fought once — against Mugetsu. To now face the Hokage himself was beyond anything he'd imagined.
"As you command!"
Dai's body blurred, and in the next instant, he vanished completely from sight. His leg came crashing toward Hiruzen with the speed of a thunderbolt.
But Hiruzen didn't so much as flinch. At the very last moment, his form flickered — and Dai's kick sliced through empty air.
"Impressive," Hiruzen noted as he reappeared several meters away using the Body Flicker Technique. "Your speed surpasses most Jonin."
Missing his first strike didn't discourage Dai in the slightest. After all, this was the Hokage — one of the strongest ninja in the world. With renewed focus, he lunged again, his fists swinging like sledgehammers.
Each blow carried such force that even the mere motion of his punches sent shockwaves ripping through the air.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
Hiruzen quickly formed hand seals and slammed his palms to the ground. A massive wall of solid rock erupted between them.
Boom!
Dai's fist slammed into it with explosive impact, shaking the entire barrier and leaving deep cracks across its surface.
Mugetsu watched quietly from the sidelines, unsurprised. The effectiveness of a jutsu depended greatly on the user. If it were a young Kakashi casting this same technique, Dai would have shattered it completely. But this was Hiruzen's Earth Flow Wall — the wall of a Kage. The cracks alone proved Dai's strength.
"The power is remarkable," Hiruzen remarked with satisfaction, still observing Dai closely.
Then, moving fluidly, he used Body Flicker once more to leap atop the wall, forming seals mid-air before exhaling a massive gust of wind.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
The hurricane-force wind tore through the field. Dai reacted instantly, twisting away and landing behind the Hokage's clone with blinding agility.
The fight grew fierce. Hiruzen began cycling through various high-level ninjutsu — Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Lightning in seamless succession. The training ground quickly became a chaotic battlefield of smoke, debris, and raw energy.
For seven long minutes, the two clashed — brute force against refined mastery.
Finally, Hiruzen raised his hand. "That's enough."
As the dust settled, his expression softened, and a faint smile crept across his face.
"The Eight Gates truly are extraordinary," he said, stroking his beard once more. "Even opening just the Sixth Gate gives you power beyond most Jonin."
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew well that the true terror of the Eight Gates lay beyond the Sixth.
The Seventh and Eighth Gates were both powers born from sacrifice — the Seventh guaranteed grievous injury, leaving even the air painful to touch, while the Eighth was nothing less than a death sentence.
Still, from what he'd witnessed, Hiruzen could already estimate Maito Dai's potential.
If he were to open the Eighth Gate… the Third Hokage thought quietly, he might possess strength on par with mine — if only for a fleeting moment.
Of course, he wasn't referring to this shadow clone, but to his true, full-powered self.
Now, he finally understood Senju Tobirama's obsession with creating an Eight Gates squad all those years ago.
If the project had succeeded, Konoha would have gained an overwhelming deterrent — a force capable of decapitating enemy leadership without deploying armies. Two fully mastered Eight Gates users, supported by a few Jonin, would have been enough to turn the tide of any war.
The thought alone made Hiruzen's eyes glimmer with intrigue.
He felt a similar ambition stirring within himself — the desire to see the Eight Gates bloom again within Konoha. But the timing was wrong. With the world at war, now was not the moment to experiment with forbidden techniques. Every move during wartime had to be weighed with absolute caution.
"Dai," Hiruzen finally said, his tone solemn yet proud, "your mission record doesn't qualify you for promotion by the usual standards. But you are the first in Konoha's history to successfully master the Eight Gates — fulfilling Teacher Tobirama's long-cherished wish. For that reason, I am granting you a special promotion to Chunin."
"Thank you, Third Hokage-sama!"
Maito Dai clenched his fist tightly, his voice trembling with emotion. His heart burned with gratitude — toward Mugetsu, for creating this opportunity; toward Hiruzen, for recognizing him; but most of all, toward his past self — the man who never gave up.
He was thankful to the version of himself who ignored ridicule, who trained alone in the dark for a decade, and who believed — with unwavering faith — that effort would one day be rewarded.
"This is all what you deserve," Hiruzen said with a faint smile.
Truly, fortune and misfortune were two sides of the same coin.
Had Dai not devoted his life to training the Eight Gates, he would never have endured years of mockery as Konoha's "Eternal Genin." But had he given up halfway, he would not now stand before the Hokage as one of the village's strongest Taijutsu masters.
"Dai," Hiruzen continued, "head to the Hokage Building to collect your Chunin uniform and promotion papers."
With a single hand sign, the Hokage released his Shadow Clone, sending its memories back to the main body.
In Konoha, Genin wore only their headbands, but Chunin were distinguished by their standard-issue green flak vest — the symbol of a recognized Konoha officer.
"Congratulations, Might Dai," Mugetsu said with a warm smile.
"It's all thanks to you, Mugetsu!" Dai beamed, giving him a signature thumbs-up, teeth gleaming as brightly as ever.
Eager to show his son the good news, Dai grabbed Mugetsu by the arm and practically dragged him back toward the Hokage Building.
Hiruzen, true to his word, worked quickly. By the time they arrived, the Chunin vest and promotion form were already prepared and sealed in a clear plastic package.
Dai hesitated only a moment before tearing it open on the spot. He immediately put the vest on over his green jumpsuit, patting the front proudly. "This way, Guy will see it right away when I walk through the door!"
As he prepared to leave, Mugetsu stopped him with a raised hand.
"Might Dai," he said casually, "if you don't mind me asking… what gift did you prepare for Guy's birthday tonight?"
"Gift?" Dai reached into his pack and, with a triumphant grin, pulled out a neatly folded green jumpsuit identical to his own.
"Haha! Of course, something practical and full of youth!" he said, striking his usual pose with a gleaming smile.
Mugetsu could only sigh inwardly. So that's why Guy always gives jumpsuits as gifts… it's hereditary.
"Might Dai," Mugetsu said with a knowing look, "I have a suggestion. How about we write down some of your Taijutsu insights together and give them to Guy? That way, even when he's away on missions, he'll have your training philosophy to guide him."
It was a clever move. Beyond sentiment, it would also benefit Mugetsu himself — studying alongside Dai could help him refine his understanding of the Eight Gates to perfection.
Dai's eyes lit up. "Mugetsu, you're always so thoughtful! You're right — that's far better than just a jumpsuit. Let's do it!"
---
That evening — the Might household.
The room buzzed with the warmth of celebration. Obito, Rin, Shisui, and Kakashi had all arrived, filling the small home with chatter and laughter.
"Huh? Where's Teacher Mugetsu?" Obito asked, glancing around the room. "It's already past seven."
"Teacher Mugetsu must have a good reason for being late," Shisui said thoughtfully.
Kakashi glanced sideways at Shisui. Among everyone present, he was the least familiar with him. But he remembered that Shisui and Guy often trained together back at the Academy — running laps around the village at sunrise. So this must be the famous friend he's always talking about, Kakashi thought.
"Maybe he ran into a lost old lady again," Obito muttered, recalling a certain mission that still made him cringe.
Rin chuckled. "Probably not. Even if he met five grandmas, Teacher Mugetsu could just use Shadow Clones to help them all and still make it back in time."
"Maybe he's with my dad," Guy said suddenly, his brow furrowing. "He did say they were working on something… impressive and youthful."
Before anyone could respond—
"I'm back!"
A booming voice filled the house, overflowing with energy and pride.
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