[Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]
Third Person POV
Konoha, Year 39.
...
...
Things seemed to return to normal after Mikoto returned from her meeting with her father, despite her appearing much closer to Minato and occasionally giving him affectionate gestures. Team Seven focused entirely on their training during this period.
Month after month passed, with them only stepping away from training to undertake quick and simple missions for the camp leader—none as significant as the one they had completed in the Land of Otto. Additionally, the military base established during that mission managed to stabilize very well. According to rumors Minato overheard in the camp, Konoha had successfully blocked any enemy attempts to reclaim the territory. Since they hadn't sent any major forces again, it was speculated that they were waiting for the Jinchūriki to recover from the damage it had suffered.
The war in the north concentrated more to the east, in the Land of Hot Springs, with Mist Village soldiers advancing southward, attempting to breach the border. However, there weren't many truly grueling conflicts during this time, as it was more of a trench war than actual large-scale combat. This resulted in occasional skirmishes but nothing frequent or significant.
Minato was trying to make progress in understanding Haki, but it was extremely challenging, and his progress was slower than he had hoped. He was already much better than when he had started, but even so, he still hadn't reached a basic level where he could maintain Haki consistently. He kept aiming higher while continuing to invest time in his team's training.
The girls, on the other hand, were making significant progress in their elemental jutsus, focusing entirely on intense training. Hanabi had mastered new Wind Release jutsus, and her arrows were becoming increasingly powerful thanks to her improved control and compression of the technique. She began gaining recognition during missions, as she could intercept enemies from great distances. Rumors about her abilities even spread among enemies, perhaps rivaling the tale of Minato stopping a Tailed Beast Bomb. However, her growing fame was not well-received by other Hyūga ninjas in Konoha's camp.
"It's pathetic to fight with a bow and arrow," some said, comments that reached Minato's ears. Hanabi also seemed disheartened by this, as she felt she was growing stronger, yet some people seemed intent on belittling her. Minato knew it was primarily due to the Hyūga clan's strict tradition of hand-to-hand combat. They disliked the idea of someone using ranged combat instead of the clan's techniques. Nonetheless, Minato always reassured her.
"What they say is nonsense. I'll support you, even if your clan doesn't approve of your way of fighting," he would tell her, offering words of encouragement.
Mikoto, for her part, also showed remarkable growth. She had mastered many Lightning Release jutsus that Minato had taught her and was improving in her Fire Release techniques, a hallmark of her clan. Minato personally trained her in taijutsu, working to strengthen her body by having her wear weights to become more effective in close combat. He also helped her privately control her Mangekyō Sharingan, far from prying eyes. She was beginning to master the explosive chakra growth she had gained after acquiring her new eyes.
Minato always shared what he knew about the Sharingan and had no hesitation in teaching someone he trusted with his life and also loved.
As for Duy, he had shown the most significant growth among them, as he had started as merely a genin in terms of strength. Minato had been relentless in training him, knowing the potential he held. He pushed Duy to his physical limits day after day. Despite being worn out from training, Duy would read the books Minato gave him, along with the diagram he had drawn detailing the human body's Eight Gates.
Duy proved to be a prodigy, quickly surpassing expectations. He developed an understanding of the human body even greater than Minato's. Using the materials provided to him, Duy finally began mastering the first gates—two months after Minato started his training.
Now, six months had passed since Minato arrived at the camp with his team and recruited Duy, marking the halfway point of their training period.
Now, Minato couldn't help but feel excited about what he was seeing in front of him. At the training grounds, he observed a man enveloped in visible chakra, with a fierce expression. His skin seemed to turn reddish, and his veins bulged visibly all over his body, as if they were about to burst. The chakra around him spiraled like a vortex, lifting the ground beneath him and cracking it under the sheer pressure of this man.
This was the mastery of the Fourth Gate. Duy was a genius, and in just four months since starting his true training with the Eight Gates, he had mastered the Gate of Opening, the Gate of Healing, the Gate of Life, and now the Gate of Pain, all thanks to his body already being strengthened by years of intense training.
His chakra erupted like never before, creating a disturbance in the air that even Mikoto and Hanabi could feel. They stopped their practice at different corners of the training ground, astonished, as they activated their dōjutsu to observe what was happening. They were stunned by how Duy's chakra was exploding through the pathways inside his body as he stood before Minato, ready to attack.
"Very well, Duy. You've finally reached a higher level. You're at the peak of a Chūnin's level, perhaps even close to a Jōnin if you master this power for use in battle," Minato said calmly, with a sincere smile after asking Duy to show him everything he could do. "Congratulations."
Duy did not respond. He kept a serious expression, clearly struggling to control this newly mastered power, which was normal. The scene reminded Minato of Lee's fight against Gaara in the original story, with the same overwhelming pressure that Lee had created after opening this very gate.
Minato pushed that thought aside. Duy was waiting for his reaction. It was clear that he wanted Minato to be ready to face him. Duy would never attack without ensuring his opponent was prepared—a gentle trait of his.
Minato then moved his hands, assuming a fighting stance. Duy seemed satisfied with this and wasted no time. The next moment, he disappeared, and the ground beneath him exploded, surprising the spectators.
"What speed!" Mikoto and Hanabi couldn't contain their shock. Even with their keen eyes, they could barely keep up with Duy's current speed, surpassing all their expectations.
In the next instant, they saw Duy punching toward Minato, attempting to land a blow. However, to their shock, Minato simply tilted his head to the side, dodging with a smile.
"He dodged so easily at that speed?" Mikoto murmured, incredulous.
Duy didn't stop, even surprised by this. He unleashed a flurry of punches, trying to hit Minato, but Minato continued dodging all the attacks by moving his body quickly, as if he already predicted the trajectory of each strike. It was a perfect opportunity for Minato to test the level of his Observation Haki against Duy's speed and strength.
"Sometimes... Sometimes I think Minato is an even bigger monster than I imagined..." Hanabi murmured, watching Duy throw punches and kicks in every direction while Minato dodged each one effortlessly. Every missed strike from Duy caused the ground to explode, sending debris and dust into the air.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The explosions continued as Minato stepped back for a moment and, in the next, ducked his head to dodge a kick from Duy, who missed again. Duy quickly turned, attempting to hit Minato with another direct blow to the ground, but ended up shattering the terrain and raising a cloud of dust without touching his target. Minato reappeared on the other side, unscathed.
"Very good, Duy! But it's still not enough to hit me. Keep going. Try to use all your speed!" Minato exclaimed, excited, not bothering to use anything more than his reflexes to dodge.
Duy had already removed all his training weights. He was fighting without any restraints. Despite maintaining a serious expression, he seemed motivated by Minato's words. Clenching his fists, he tried to push the Fourth Gate's potential even further, unleashing more chakra and increasing the windstorm around him.
Once again, Duy vanished, reappearing in front of Minato. Even so, Minato dodged his opponent's punch by moving his hand and redirecting the attack to the side. At the same instant, the spot where Duy had been began to explode. He had reached such a level of speed that he was faster than the destruction caused by his own strength.
As Minato continued dodging, the ground beneath him, where Duy's punch had landed earlier, began to explode with a slight delay. It almost seemed as though Duy was releasing his own chakra through the punch to cause destruction—something reminiscent of what Duy's son would do in the future with the Seventh Gate.
"This is getting interesting!" Minato laughed, showing no sign of the fear or concern that anyone else would likely feel in this situation.
Duy quickly resumed attacking, chasing Minato with relentless punches, channeling more chakra into his strikes as the ground exploded beneath his feet. Minato jumped back with a powerful leap, but Duy gave him no respite, continuing to pursue him. Finally, Minato grew tired of simply dodging, stomping hard on the ground and shattering it as he launched forward at full speed using Soru. It was time to test his dry, unenhanced physical strength against the raw power of a Fourth Gate user.
The two clashed in the center of the field, their fists colliding in an explosive impact. Mikoto and Hanabi watched, stunned, as a powerful gust of wind burst from their fists.
Minato felt his arm beginning to ache and even glow faintly from the force of colliding with Duy. He hadn't coated his punches with chakra or any enhancements, and yet, despite the damage he was clearly taking, he didn't falter. He held his ground, relying on his endurance, while the two fighters finally separated after reaching their limits from the exchange.
Duy also remained standing, firm and determined. Without hesitation, he advanced again, disappearing and exploding the ground once more as he moved. Minato was quick to counter, meeting him head-on with techniques from the Six Styles of the Navy. The girls could barely see the two fighters moving at incredible speed, trading blows across the battlefield. Each impact sent shockwaves across the field, causing the ground to erupt and making it nearly impossible for the spectators to keep up.
"This is getting quite fun, don't you think, Duy?" Minato remarked as he stomped the ground in one corner of the field, propelling himself forward again.
He was on the verge of letting the pure adrenaline of the fight take over his body, but at the peak of the battle, his expression shifted to one of disappointment. He had to stop abruptly at that moment when he saw Duy reappear on the ground. Duy's speed was visibly decreasing, and his eyes began to lose their gleam. He simply collapsed to the ground, exhausted, his chakra fully depleted. His skin returned to normal, and the bulging veins receded.
Minato had already stopped in front of him, scratching his head. "I guess he's reached his limit," he murmured. The fight hadn't lasted more than five minutes, but Duy couldn't maintain the pace any longer.
"Hanabi, check if he's okay," Minato requested.
The girl crossed the battlefield, now wrecked by their taijutsu clash, and began examining Duy's body with her Byakugan. She then applied a medical jutsu to repair some of the damage the Fourth Gate had caused.
"So, this is the true technique he's been developing? Are you learning it too?" Mikoto asked as she approached, curiosity evident in her tone. It was the first time Duy had demonstrated the technique to them.
Minato shook his head. "No, I'm not learning this technique. But yes, these are the Eight Gates. And I'm confident that by the end of this war, this guy will master the Sixth Gate."
Even though the fight had ended, he seemed pleased with Duy's progress. After all, the higher the gate, the harder it was to master. Yet Duy had managed to master four gates in just four months. Minato was certain that, just like Guy in the future, Duy would prove to be equally talented. But unlike Guy, Duy wouldn't need to die to make a name for himself. Minato was determined to ensure that Duy would survive this world and achieve recognition long before any Third Great War occurred.
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