Yuzuru Uchiha had only said a few words before Might Duy cheerfully handed over the secret of the Eight Gates Formation to the Hidden Cloud Village.
The Third Raikage kept his word and granted both Might Duy and Might Guy full access to all ninjutsu, taijutsu, and secret techniques in the village's archives.
He even rewarded Duy with a generous sum of money—enough for him and Guy to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
Time passed quietly.
Three months later, the world entered Year 50.
Under the siege of the Hidden Cloud, Mist, Stone, and Sand Villages, the Leaf suffered devastating casualties.
Many battlefields had already been pushed deep into the Land of Fire itself.
Meanwhile, the Cloud shinobi had begun training in the Eight Gates Formation.
Such a powerful technique filled them with boundless excitement.
For a time, Might Duy became a household name in the Cloud Village, respected wherever he went.
Because of his unmatched taijutsu talent, he was promoted directly to Special Jōnin—breaking the curse of the "Eternal Genin."
——
Hidden Cloud Village.
Training grounds.
Might Duy was explaining the principles of the Eight Gates Formation to Sakumo Hatake, who listened with sincere focus.
Not far from them, Obito Uchiha and Might Guy were simultaneously attacking Kakashi Hatake, their spar growing increasingly fierce.
Yuzuru Uchiha entered the training field, greeted Sakumo and Duy, then sat down beside them.
Like everyone else, Yuzuru had trained in the Eight Gates Formation.
After all, with his Uzumaki Sage Body, he possessed superior endurance, vitality, and recovery far beyond normal humans.
"When you open the Eight Gates, your chakra becomes violent and unstable. You can't release ninjutsu properly, and the chakra flow within your meridians—"
Duy patiently explained the insights he had gained over decades of training in the technique.
It wasn't until afternoon that he finally stopped.
Yuzuru smiled. "Duy, let's go have some barbecue for lunch. My treat."
Duy chuckled and shook his head, pulling out a large flatbread. "Guy and I will just eat this. Only by putting in more time than geniuses like you can we hope to catch up."
Hearing his response, Yuzuru didn't press further. "By the way," he asked, "any progress on training Lightning Release chakra?"
Duy shook his head. "No. My body can't withstand such violent energy. I can't train in Lightning Release chakra."
Then he suddenly laughed. "But Guy might be able to."
"What?!" Sakumo's eyes widened in shock.
When he first arrived in the Cloud, Sakumo had also tried to cultivate Lightning Release chakra, so he knew firsthand how dangerous its violent energy could be to the body.
In his estimation, no one without a special constitution could possibly endure Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
He admired Guy's spirit, but physically, that boy didn't seem particularly special.
Yuzuru, however, wasn't surprised.
Even back when he'd read the original story, he had sensed there was something extraordinary about Might Guy's physique.
Despite all his talk about effort, persistence, and youthful passion, the foundation of training was always the body itself.
With Guy's brutal training routine, a normal person wouldn't just fail to grow stronger—they'd probably die from overexertion.
Yet no matter how exhausted Guy became, he always bounced back the next day to continue his "hellish" regimen.
With such a body, mastering Lightning Release Chakra Mode wasn't all that unbelievable.
Yuzuru couldn't help but look forward to it.
Eight Gates Formation combined with Lightning Release Chakra Mode…
What kind of legend would Might Guy be this time?
Just then, an Anbu suddenly appeared beside Yuzuru.
"Lord Yuzuru, Lord Fugaku has been seriously injured. He's being treated at the hospital. Would you like to see him?"
Yuzuru frowned.
Fugaku Uchiha, seriously injured?
What happened?
——
Hidden Cloud Village.
Ninja Hospital.
Yuzuru, Sakumo, the Third Raikage, and A stood in the ward.
Fugaku lay in bed, thick bandages wrapped around his neck. His lips were dry, his complexion pale, and even his crimson three-tomoe Sharingan had dimmed.
Seeing their concerned faces, Fugaku spoke weakly. "I'm sorry… for making everyone worry."
A asked gravely, "Fugaku, what happened? Who did this to you?"
Fugaku looked toward Yuzuru and forced a bitter smile. "Yuzuru… it was Minato Namikaze."
"Our Cloud shinobi were ambushed in the Land of Rain. The casualties were severe."
"Chika and Himura died by his hand. Even I…" Fugaku touched the bandages on his neck, his eyes filled with lingering fear. "I barely made it out alive."
"Minato Namikaze?" The Third Raikage and A exchanged puzzled looks.
They had never heard that name before.
Sakumo explained, "If I recall correctly, Minato Namikaze is Jiraiya's student—Yuzuru's peer. Also, he's the new Nine-Tails jinchuriki of Konoha."
Yuzuru nodded. "That's right."
A's eyes widened. "But both Himura and Chika were elite Uchiha with three-tomoe Sharingan. With Fugaku leading them, even a jinchuriki and Jiraiya's student shouldn't be able to do this much damage. Could it be… he's a genius like you?"
Feeling everyone's gaze, Yuzuru said slowly, "If it's Minato Namikaze, then yes—he's capable of this."
"That man is a born shinobi."
His tone left everyone stunned.
They had known Yuzuru for so long, yet none of them had ever heard him praise anyone this way.
What was happening in Konoha for such powerful people to keep appearing one after another?
A clenched his teeth. "I'll go to the Land of Rain myself."
Yuzuru raised a hand to stop him. "Better if I go personally."
In the original timeline, A was almost instantly killed when he first fought Minato.
To avoid that outcome, it was safer for Yuzuru to handle it himself.
The Third Raikage frowned. "Yuzuru, are you certain you can defeat Minato Namikaze?"
The enemy had nearly annihilated Fugaku's elite squad—and he was a Nine-Tails jinchuriki.
Even without seeing him, they knew he would be an extremely formidable opponent.
Yuzuru smiled faintly. "Don't worry. No matter how strong an ant becomes… it stays an ant." (T/N: Are you sure…?? Meruem is gazing you sideways)