This kind of ultra–high-density iron block was produced only in the Land of Iron.
The ninja cats didn't carry anything like this.
In the original story, the weights Rock Lee removed during the Chūnin Exams were made of this very material.
Wen Lan's gaze swept over each block one by one before he asked, "Can I try them out one at a time?"
"Of course!" Tenten's father replied cheerfully, picking up a twenty-jin block.
Wen Lan quickly stopped him. "I want to try the two-hundred-jin one."
Tenten's father froze, then hurriedly shook his head. "Absolutely not. Training too aggressively can injure your body. It's better to take things step by step."
Wen Lan stared at the two-hundred-jin iron block, his eyes firm, as if weighing something in his mind.
Slowly, he extended his hand, pressing his palm against the cold metal, and said softly,
"If you don't even dare to try, how can you ever break your limits?"
His words stunned Tenten's father.
Looking at this young boy—still so young, yet with such resolute eyes—he suddenly saw a reflection of his own past self, the one who had once refused to accept mediocrity and stubbornly chased strength.
Maybe it was precisely because I lacked that mindset… that I never became a ninja, he thought.
"Hahahaha—well said!" A loud, hearty laugh came from the doorway.
"Break through your limits—that's what youth is all about! Right, Guy? This is youth!"
Wen Lan's face darkened instantly.
He didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.
The Might father and son—Might Duy and Might Guy.
"Young man! Are you interested in taijutsu too?" Might Duy flashed a brilliant, toothy grin and gave Wen Lan a thumbs-up.
His dazzling white teeth reflected the sunlight so intensely that Akamaru happened to look up, let out a yelp, and covered its eyes with its paws—nearly blinded on the spot.
Wen Lan sighed helplessly, turned around, and bowed slightly.
"Senior Might Duy."
For a man who had known full well that he could escape, yet still opened the Gate of Death, Wen Lan always held genuine respect.
He knew very clearly that when facing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Might Duy could have stopped at the Seventh Gate and still saved his son Guy along with the other two.
But he didn't.
Because he knew that if the Seven Ninja Swordsmen entered Konoha territory, the village would suffer enormous losses.
So he chose, without hesitation, to open the Eighth Gate — Death Gate.
However, when Wen Lan straightened up and saw the two of them standing there in matching green jumpsuits…
He felt like his eyes had been violently assaulted.
Watching it in anime was one thing.
Seeing it in real life was another entirely.
I'm going blind…
Beside him, Inuzuka Hana was confused by Wen Lan's formal salute, but she followed suit. "Senior."
Might Guy, now thirteen years old, looked at Wen Lan in surprise.
His father was a perennial genin. Many people in the village looked down on him, even calling him a fool—saying only someone mentally unsound would grin like that every day.
But Might Guy knew how strong his father truly was.
Especially when facing powerful enemies—his father always charged in first, even if he got beaten badly every time.
This was the first time Guy had ever seen someone show his father such respect.
Wen Lan noticed Guy's surprise, but only smiled and said nothing.
Might Duy, however, was even more astonished—then he broke into a huge grin.
"Young man! Not bad at all! From the way you're picking weights, you're training taijutsu, right?
"Since fate brought us together, I'll tell you this—I created a secret ultimate technique called the Eight Gates!
"Want to learn it?
"I'll say this first—once you reach the Eighth Gate, you'll gain power that surpasses even Kage-level shinobi!"
Might Guy looked at his father in utter disbelief.
The Eight Gates could indeed boost strength tremendously, but he had never seen his father open the Eighth Gate—not even once. The price was death!
Wen Lan's mouth twitched slightly, speechless on the inside.
Of course he knew how terrifying the Eight Gates were—and how lethal the risks could be.
Forcing them open without a solid taijutsu foundation was practically suicide.
And opening the Eighth Gate?
That was knocking on Death's door.
Eight Gates? Without Demon Power, that's a guaranteed death, Wen Lan complained internally.
Outwardly, however, he maintained a polite smile.
Yet the sincerity shining in Might Duy's eyes saved Wen Lan a lot of trouble.
Originally, he'd planned to wait until Minato took office and then learn it from the Scroll of Seals—after all, a forbidden technique of this level was certainly recorded there.
But having the creator teach him personally?
That was even better.
And when it came to taijutsu, if the Might family claimed second place, no one in the shinobi world would dare claim first.
The Third Hokage? No.
The Second Hokage? No.
The First Hokage… forget it—that guy was a cheat, born with a perfect Sage Body.
With Might Duy guiding him in taijutsu, Wen Lan couldn't ask for more.
Uchiha taijutsu was known for its elegance, but compared to the Might family's techniques honed on the edge of life and death, it really couldn't compete.
Once he obtained Demon Power, he wouldn't even need to fear the price of death—he could treat the Eight Gates as a standard state.
"Then I'll be in your care, Senior," Wen Lan said seriously, bowing deeply.
"Good! Good! Good!" Might Duy sobbed as he wrapped an arm around his son.
"You actually trust a lowly genin like me—wahhh! Guy, this is youth!"
"Yes! This is youth!" Might Guy clutched his father, crying just as hard.
Wen Lan, Inuzuka Hana, Akamaru, and Tenten's father all stared at the pair with expressions full of disbelief.
Especially when Wen Lan saw Duy's snot dripping onto Guy's bright green jumpsuit—
He instantly regretted everything.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Once Might Duy regained his composure and wiped away his tears, he said to Wen Lan,
"First, let me check your physical condition and taijutsu fundamentals."
Then he bowed to Tenten's father.
"Boss, please allow us to use the training yard in the back."
Behind the ninja tool shop was an open practice area meant for customers to test weapons. It was quite spacious.
Naturally, Tenten's father agreed.
After all, the Might father and son were regulars here—regulars in quotation marks.
Why?
Because they were poor.
Every time they came, they only looked around, then retreated after seeing the prices.
Still, they were friendly people. Sometimes, when Tenten's father acquired slightly defective goods from the Land of Crafts, he would sell them to Might Duy at extremely discounted prices.
As a result, the relationship between Tenten's father and Might Duy was actually quite good.
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