Lee was dumbstruck, utterly stunned.
This…
What kind of punch was that?
"How did you do it?"
"Perfect control of physical strength, combined with chakra enhancement."
That was exactly what Chiba wanted to teach him.
The Eight Gates—in simple terms, it was about unlocking the body's inner chakra to strengthen one's physical power. If the body was strong enough, it could withstand some of the side effects; if not, opening those gates would cripple or even kill the user.
Chiba didn't actually know the Eight Gates, but he could grasp its principles and adapt them.
"Amazing!"
Lee's voice trembled with excitement, though a hint of sadness flickered in his eyes.
"Li, you and I both can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu. But that doesn't mean you don't have chakra. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to walk on trees or tread on water. So, don't just rely on your physical strength—use your chakra too."
Chiba's tone was serious.
Lee stayed silent.
"For now, I haven't taught anyone else, so I don't know if this method works for everyone. I'll need your help to test it."
"Sob… thank you, Chiba-kun, but I…"
Lee wasn't smart, but he wasn't stupid either.
Chiba called it "testing," but in truth, he was teaching him.
Since entering the Academy, among all their classmates, only Chiba had never looked down on him. At first, it was because they shared the same struggles. But later, Lee realized—they weren't the same.
And now…
"If you don't want to learn because of certain reasons, that's fine. Your ninja way is about proving, through your own hard work, that you can still become an excellent ninja. Isn't that right?"
Chiba's voice was calm.
Lee was silent for a moment, then nodded heavily.
"Try it the way I told you. I'll watch from the side."
"Yes!"
With a loud shout, Lee began to train.
He wasn't clever—but he wasn't afraid of pain. Over and over, he refined his chakra and threw his punches. Chiba watched, using his sensory ability to monitor Lee's energy flow and correct his exertion bit by bit.
And then—
Bang!
The trunk he'd been using for training split open right where his fist had struck.
Lee stared at his fist, dumbfounded.
He'd done it.
He'd really done it!
"Remember that feeling."
"Yes!"
Lee's voice quivered with excitement.
So it turned out—he could become stronger through chakra too!
At that moment, tears welled up in his eyes once .
Chiba covered his face, exasperated.
kid and Lee—both were great in every way, except for their uncontrollable emotions. They could cry at the drop of a hat.
"By the way, how's your hand?"
"My hand? It's fi—ah! It hurts, it hurts!"
Lee hadn't felt anything earlier, but as his excitement faded, the pain came rushing in.
Chiba frowned thoughtfully, scanned him with chakra, then pulled out a pen and notebook to jot something down—
If the body's toughness is below a certain level, this taijutsu cannot be practiced.
"Come on, follow me."
"Where to?"
"To the medical ward. This kind of taijutsu should be treated as a finishing move. It's not limited to punches—if you truly master it, theoretically any part of your body capable of exerting force can use it."
On the way back, Chiba pondered how to optimize the technique.
He'd based it on Front Lotus and Strength of a Hundred Technique; overall, it was like a simplified fusion of the two.
Its power and efficiency didn't match real Superhuman Strength, but when combined with taijutsu, the force it produced was impressive. Unfortunately, its side effects were closer to Front Lotus—using it too often in a short time would cause muscle damage.
Optimizing it…
Was hard.
He shook his head silently.
Extreme states always came with a price. Even the Strength of a Hundred Technique demanded incredibly high standards from its practitioners—Shizune had studied under Tsunade for years but never mastered it, not because Tsunade wouldn't teach her, but because Shizune simply lacked the necessary conditions.
"Forget it. This will do for now."
He couldn't improve it any further.
Perhaps if he knew Tsunade personally and had access to the full version of Superhuman Strength, he could fine-tune the chakra enhancement and reduce the side effects—but for now, that was just wishful thinking.
Lee refused to go to the hospital, insisting that resting a bit would be enough.
In truth, it was about money .
Chiba was about to persuade him when—
Thud!
A kick came out of nowhere, sending Lee flying before he could even react.
A familiar figure appeared.
"Li, you've been slacking off while I was away!"
"Uh…"
Chiba was speechless. With sneak attacks like that, who could react in time?
But Lee, of course…
"kid, I'm sorry! I'll train twice as hard!"
"That's the spirit!"
kid's fighting spirit burned like fire.
Then he turned and noticed Chiba standing nearby. "Oh, Chiba! Weren't you at the hospital? How do you have time to train ?"
"kid, I went there to study, not to become a medical ninja. I've learned enough for now, and I can't let my taijutsu get rusty."
Chiba gave a helpless smile.
Why did everyone assume he was going to be a medic?
He couldn't even use medical ninjutsu!
"But I've heard a lot about your skills," kid said, looking conflicted. "People say you're better than most medical-nin. Wouldn't it be a waste not to save lives with that talent?"
From a personal point of view, he was glad Chiba was training .
But as a responsible adult, he also felt that someone capable of performing surgeries to save limbs shouldn't ignore that gift.
Chiba just smiled lightly. "kid, I'm a special-appointed ninja now. That technique isn't difficult for me. If such operations come up , I can still participate. But most of my time, I can use as I wish."
"I see… Then—how about a hot-blooded duel!?"
"Huh?"
Chiba blinked in confusion, wondering if he'd heard wrong.
He checked his surroundings with his senses—
Kakashi wasn't around.
"Sensei, Kakashi-senpai isn't here."
"Exactly. My challenge is for you."
kid's fingers brushed over the cracked trunk.
He hadn't seen them train, but as a taijutsu master, he could read the force behind a strike just from the marks it left. Judging from those two splits, he knew exactly how powerful that punch had been.
He couldn't resist anymore—he wanted to test him himself.
"Then, please guide me, kid."
"Boy, give it your all!"
kid's eyes burned with intensity.
Chiba thought for a moment, then nodded slightly.
He had wanted to demonstrate this new taijutsu to kid anyway, but since kid had been away on a mission, he'd tested it with Lee instead. Now Kankurō was back, there was no better opportunity.
He bowed lightly, then formed the Seal of Confrontation.
In the next instant—
Bang!
Using the Body Flicker Technique, he lunged forward with a sweeping punch.
kid didn't dodge or block—he met the blow head-on. Their fists collided with a thunderous crack. Chiba staggered back a step to dissipate the impact, while kid stood firm, unmoving.
Chiba wasn't surprised.
Thanks to the Bodhi Seed and years of rigorous training, he could now control nearly all of his physical power, maintaining a state close to "Opening the Gate of Opening."
He could sustain this state indefinitely.
But even so…
There was still a limit—the raw strength of his body.
"Even with chakra enhancement, I still can't match your physical power," Chiba said with a touch of awe.
When it came to pure taijutsu, kid was on another level.
"You're only a kid, and you already have this much power. That's terrifying enough," kid replied, shaking out his hand.
Even for him, taking that punch head-on hadn't been easy.
"!"
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