Eight or Nine Times Out of Ten, Things Don't Go as Planned
Several days later, at the Hokage's residence.
"It seems you don't have much talent for this technique."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, dressed in a light white casual outfit, shook his head. If only the Flying Thunder God Technique were that simple.
Even with his help in understanding the principle of the technique, Lin Ke couldn't create and leave his own unique Chakra imprint, which meant he couldn't release it.
He understood the theory just as well; he understood almost all the techniques in the village. But understanding, comprehending, and being able to release them were three different things.
"It seems I really can't," Lin Ke said, a bit helpless. Wasting so much time and not being able to learn it felt pretty absurd.
Talent was too abstract.
The Flying Thunder God Technique development Scrolls were like explaining the mathematical formula 1+1=2, but in practical application, he had to solve why 1+1=2.
At this point, he had to bring out the old saying: those who understand, understand; those who don't, won't get it even if you explain.
"Perhaps the Flying Thunder God Technique just isn't suitable for you," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, offering a word of comfort.
Lin Ke nodded, closing the Scroll. The movement was a bit too forceful, and a needle-like pain shot through his muscles. He paused involuntarily, holding his breath slightly before successfully closing the Scroll.
"Training in the Eight Gates Formation must be tough," Sarutobi Hiruzen asked with a smile.
It was a Taijutsu even he hadn't trained in. Firstly, his own Taijutsu was already strong enough, so there was no need to pursue such an extreme technique. Secondly, the Eight Gates Formation wasn't suitable for him.
Excessive pain would make it impossible to precisely control Chakra. Giving up his own more powerful Ninjutsu to open the Eight Gates was a bit of a losing proposition.
The reason he so readily allowed his favored junior to switch tracks and learn the Eight Gates Formation was simply to let the junior realize his mistake, not to actually train the future heir into a Taijutsu specialist.
Specializing in any one area was very powerful, but as a Kage, one needed to be well-rounded and have no weaknesses.
Of course, in terms of Chakra reserves...
"Hoo~" Lin Ke forced a smile. It was too painful. When Might Guy learned that he wanted to learn the Eight Gates Formation, he didn't hoard the knowledge but happily dragged him into training.
Then, he mercilessly began to squeeze him, testing his pain tolerance and willpower. After a few days, he would wake up in pain in the middle of the night.
There was no way he could use the Mystical Palm Technique; healing would affect his pain tolerance. Moreover, he had already restricted himself yesterday from using the Mystical Palm Technique in his Eight Gates Formation training to strengthen his willpower...
"Heh~" Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled even more happily, the wrinkles on his face deep enough to trap flies, looking like an old child. "If you can't persevere, give up as soon as possible."
"There's no need to rush with Taijutsu. You're still young; you won't reach your physical peak for another ten years."
In his opinion, Lin Ke was too impatient. He was old, but Jiraiya and Tsunade were in their prime. In two years, one of them could be chosen to take over, and after that, Kakashi could take over, so protecting a junior's growth wouldn't be a problem.
It was only just after the New Year, and he was only eleven years old. Why be in such a hurry?
With this child's talent, letting his body grow naturally, he might surpass him in a few years.
Lin Ke didn't respond directly but said, "I want to try."
Are you kidding me? Ten years? Kaguya would be out in a little over three years. Where would he find the time to delay?
He would be fighting the Ōtsutsuki at fourteen. He was definitely the earliest to fight the final BOSS among transmigrators, right? Alas, the plot he had influenced might mean that Obito would jump out and cause trouble in less than three years.
And natural growth was even more nonsense. The physical fitness he had now wasn't talent at all; it was a damn cheat. But his body could no longer improve, and the cheat was limited by his ordinary talent.
Lin Ke took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, picked up the Scroll for the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique next to him, and stood up. His calves were trembling, and his muscles were shaking. He tried to steady his voice as much as possible and said, "I'll go first. Afternoon training is about to start."
It was a bit tragic to say, but he was purely dragging his body along with a spirit of not admitting defeat.
"See you tomorrow," Sarutobi Hiruzen said cheerfully, waving his hand.
He wanted to see how long this child could last.
He's still young; wasting a little time doesn't matter.
...
Several hours later, at the Seventh Training Ground.
"Dong! Dong! Dong!" Rock Lee's rhythmic kicks against the tree stump were loud.
"Ugh..."
Lin Ke slowly woke up. He had just opened the first gate of the Eight Gates Formation, the Opening Gate, under Might Guy's encouragement, using the techniques he had learned.
As everyone knew, the standard for successfully training in the Eight Gates Formation was the Front Lotus—
The Front Lotus was when, after opening the first gate of the Eight Gates, the Opening Gate, the body possessed the ability to increase strength and speed beyond its limits, thereby striking the target at high speed.
Under normal circumstances, opening the first gate, the Opening Gate, allows one to move freely. Kicking away a boulder with one kick would be considered a successful training.
He opened the gate, and with a crack, he fainted instantly.
There was no way around it. The moment the Eight Gates Formation was opened, his entire body was screaming. The pain was from the inside out, and there was no possibility of enduring it. Forget moving, he couldn't even maintain consciousness.
No wonder this thing sounded simple, but few people succeeded in cultivating it. Just the need to endure the pain was something that ordinary people couldn't learn.
Lin Ke lay on the grass, looking up at the sky. He was in so much pain that he didn't want to move at all. He really couldn't understand how Guy Teacher and Xiao Li could endure such pain and still move.
Could it be that they had an innate love for the holy body, turning pain into pleasure? Forgive me, forgive me.
He muttered a few words in his heart, slandering his teacher was really not good.
[But if this goes on, let alone opening seven gates in three years, the question is whether I can even open one gate and move naturally after three years.]
Lin Ke had a bit of a headache. His idea was good: use the Eight Gates Formation to make up for his shortcomings in Taijutsu, and after opening the Eight Gates Formation, he could also obtain a super amount of Chakra. Anyway, he didn't need much precision to release techniques, just throw them out in one go, and the Ninjutsu would move on its own.
But now, he fainted after opening it, and his whole body ached when he woke up. How could he open it?
Open the gate during a fight and then lie on the ground to play dead?
At first, he thought that he had the Mystical Palm Technique, which could erase the damage from opening the Eight Gates Formation, making it absolutely powerful. He didn't expect that he couldn't even stay awake after opening the gate.
It was just stuck there awkwardly.
[No, I can't give up. What if I completely abandon strengthening my Taijutsu and only focus on increasing my own Chakra reserves?]
Lin Ke didn't dwell on it too much. After recognizing reality, he decisively abandoned the orthodox path and began to ponder whether he could take a shortcut.
Anyway, he didn't plan to rush in for close combat like Xiao Li and Guy Teacher.
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