Chapter 69: What is the Eight Gates Released Formation

"Give it your all, Tsunade!!"

As the smoke cleared, Hanma returned to his bachelor life.

After several days of intense persuasion, Tsunade had been thoroughly convinced by him.

Completely abandoning the idea of becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, she decided to go to the Shikkotsu Forest to learn Sage Mode.

Hanma returned to his study and carefully opened the hard-earned Eight Gates Released Formation technique. He had high expectations for this technique, but the large introductory note immediately gave him a dizzy spell.

"This technique is for reference only and has no proven success in practice - Tobirama Senju."

Frowning, Hanma continued to read.

The creator of the Eight Gates Released Formation surprisingly was not Tobirama Senju or Might Duy, but a body training method passed down from the Warring States period.

During Tobirama Senju's reign, he briefly promoted this technique in Konoha but found that its flaws and drawbacks were extremely obvious, so he abandoned it.

Eventually, because of its damaging effects on the body, it was classified as a forbidden technique and included in the Scroll of Seals.

The current Eight Gates Released Formation technique in Hanma's hand was incredibly crude.

If ninjutsu is compared to a building, the Eight Gates Released Formation could barely be considered a pre-construction project, with only future prospects to describe it.

Hanma sighed, feeling he had been deceived and couldn't help but marvel at the Third Hokage's shrewdness.

"To use a technique that doesn't even qualify as a half-finished product to get me to battle tailed beasts, the Third is truly cunning."

From a long time ago, Hanma had wanted to see if he could trade for the Eight Gates Released Formation with the Third Hokage, but each time the Third acted evasively, truly embodying the essence of benefit exchange.

Hanma then thought of Might Duy, the first person to open the Death Gate in the ninja world.

He remembered that during the Third Great Ninja War, Duy said he took more than twenty years to master this technique.

At Hanma's age, Duy was just getting started with the Eight Gates Released Formation.

However, Hanma was not discouraged and continued to read in detail.

As one of the top taijutsu masters in the ninja world, he believed in relying on himself. Perhaps he could perfect and improve this ninjutsu.

The Eight Gates Released Formation first explained the human meridian system:

In the meridian system where chakra flows, there are eight gates that inhibit and control the body's chakra: the Initial Gate, Heal Gate, Life Gate, Pain Gate, Limit Gate, View Gate, Wonder Gate, and Death Gate.

The essence of the Eight Gates Released Formation is to go against the natural order, breaking the body's self-imposed limitations to gain power beyond its limits.

The scroll described the opening of the eight gates as follows:

Initial Gate: Unlocks the brain's restrictions to achieve the body's full 100% ability.

Heal Gate: Relieves physical fatigue limitations, overloading the body's energy to restore stamina, counteracting the fatigue from the Initial Gate's energy consumption.

Life Gate: Further enhances attack and speed, the body begins to turn red with increased blood flow, and it's the last safe zone of the Eight Gates Released Formation, emitting green energy from the body.

The Pain, Limit, and View Gates follow the same principle as the first three gates, all extracting the body's potential to achieve power beyond its limits.

Hanma chuckled at the descriptions of the first six gates, recognizing it as a technique to ignore the body's subconscious limitations.

Human strength and speed are limited by the body itself, constrained by bone strength, muscle density, nerve reactions, physiological structure, and other factors.

A normal person's chewing muscles can lift a man of equivalent weight.

If the body's 300 million muscle fibers contract in the same direction, the strength can reach 25 tons, comparable to a crane.

But the brain's nerves do not allow the body to do this; if it did, the result would be the complete shattering of the body's bones, reducing it to a pile of flesh.

Hanma had a sudden understanding of the Eight Gates Released Formation.

Training in the Eight Gates Released Formation requires a strong physique; otherwise, even the Initial Gate's requirements cannot be met, which means full control over one's body.

What follows is key; training in this technique requires constant refinement of the body.

This way, when unlocking the limiters, the body can provide more energy, gathering more chakra for a stronger burst.

Under the effect of the limiters, increasing the body's strength a bit in usual times might translate to tenfold or even a hundredfold chakra accumulation during the Initial Gate.

Many ninjas train in taijutsu and have strong bodies but possess a cowardly heart.

Such people, even if they meet the physical standards, can never overcome their own consciousness, and at most, they can only master the Initial Gate.

Opening the Eight Gates requires full commitment, ignoring limits, pain, and even death, just to unleash their full potential.

Hanma couldn't help but admire the founder of this technique.

Such a person must have been a relentless madman, possessing unparalleled persistence to invent such a forceful and powerful taijutsu.

Reaching the Wonder Gate brought a significant change from the first six gates.

Located at the tail end of the spine, opening this gate causes the body to uncontrollably release its power.

If not carefully controlled, it's highly likely for the practitioner to die at this stage.

A ninja in the Wonder Gate state reaches the brink of physical collapse, secreting large amounts of sweat which evaporates into blue steam due to the overwhelming chakra.

As for the Death Gate, the scroll did not provide a detailed record, only theorizing possible states.

The Death Gate would burn the practitioner's everything, from the body to the will, as fuel, with the blood evaporating under the intense heat, releasing terrifying blood-red steam.

An unnamed Warring States ancestor annotated here:

"The so-called Death Gate demonstrates one's lifelong training and will within mere seconds to the world."

Tobirama Senju also commented here, expressing his hope for the future of Konoha ninjas.

"Opening the Death Gate is about overcoming oneself, but overcoming oneself alone is not enough; it must involve a will to protect or love."

"Only love can help one surpass themselves, conquer fear, and gain power beyond everything."

"If one day, someone opens the Death Gate to protect Konoha, it would mean the Will of Fire has truly blossomed."

Hanma pondered over the Eight Gates Released Formation, feeling a sense of desolation.

This is the roar of ordinary people against bloodlines, the lament of warriors against dragons.

For Hanma, the first six gates of the Eight Gates Released Formation could be comprehended even without learning them.

The Eight Gates Released Formation is essentially a self-destructive combat method that fundamentally damages one's origin and potential. Hanma would not resort to it unless absolutely necessary.

However, he held great respect for ninjas capable of opening the Wonder and Death Gates.

The love and protective will within him did not reach the level where he could burn himself entirely.

Hanma continued to reflect on the Eight Gates Released Formation.

At this moment, an unexpected guest arrived with an intriguing message.

"Hanma, have you heard about the village's situation?"

"You and I are now as infamous as dung."