Chapter 28: Four Gates Unleashed
"There are no shortcuts with the Eight Gates. You must push your body to its absolute limit, step by step—"
Might Guy was still lecturing Hikari on the Hachimon Tonkō training method.
After all, he was still saddled with a billion-ryō debt. According to their deal, if Hikari mastered the Eight Gates and trained taijutsu with him daily, that debt would be halved.
Kakashi, however, had lost interest in watching their practice.
The Eight Gates weren't something you could master overnight.
Each gate demanded brutal effort.
Worse, the chakra unleashed by the technique was so wild that even basic taijutsu became clumsy—forget about precision ninjutsu.
For a refined technician like Kakashi, the Eight Gates were useless.
And then there was… the incident.
Once, while sharing a bathroom break with Guy, Kakashi had glimpsed his friend's… peanut-sized predicament.
The price of overdrawing life force was horrifying.
Guy swore it wasn't the Eight Gates' fault, but from that day on, Kakashi's training stopped at the First Gate—permanently.
"Keep at it. I'm grabbing breakfast."
Kakashi gave Guy a lazy wave and turned to leave.
But before he took two steps—
"WHAA—?!"
Guy's shocked yell made him spin around.
What he saw froze him in place.
Whoosh!
Silver-gray hair whipped in the wind as Hikari's body erupted in an emerald glow.
Hummm—!
The light pulsed, condensing around her like a spotlight before sealing itself beneath her skin—not a single wisp of energy wasted.
"She opened the Third Gate instantly?!"
"And she's controlling the life-force overflow?!"
Kakashi and Guy shouted in unison.
Just moments ago, they'd insisted the Eight Gates required grinding effort. Now, Hikari had casually unlocked three gates on the spot.
And her Seimon wasn't like Guy's leaky version.
That radiant green aura? A bad sign.
It meant uncontrolled life force bleeding from the pores—a massive waste of vitality.
Guy was speechless.
Among Eight Gates practitioners, Kakashi had been the most talented—taking a month to freely open the First Gate.
At the time, Guy had been awed.
He had needed a year.
And Hikari?
One morning.
Not only had she absorbed the Konoha Strong Fist techniques, but she'd also mastered three gates—surpassing Guy's own control in mere hours.
The gap was so vast it hammered a painful truth into Guy's heart:
Even Kakashi—the genius he'd chased for years—was just ordinary compared to real monsters.
Kakashi's shock was no less intense.
Ignoring chakra drain, he pushed up his forehead protector—revealing a Sharingan spinning wildly.
Through its crimson lens, he saw everything:
Three glowing gates inside Hikari's body. Torrents of life force surging into her heart.
Her chakra core blazing like a furnace, converting every drop of energy flawlessly.
No waste. No backlash.
Normally, the Eight Gates'狂暴 (violent) chakra disrupted even the simplest ninjutsu.
Yet Hikari—on her first try—had tamed it completely.
What kind of inhuman chakra control was this?!
The same question burned in both their minds.
But they'd get no answers—because Hikari wasn't done.
She was aiming for the Fourth Gate.
---
Byakugan: Internal View.
Thud-thud-thud!
Her heart pounded like a war drum.
Adrenaline flooded her system.
Life force converged at the three gates before surging into her heart.
Chakra swelled in her veins—painful, intoxicating, powerful.
The first three gates—Kai, Kyū, Sei—were about overriding the body's subconscious limiters.
Normally, you had to trick your body into thinking it was in mortal danger.
But Hikari?
No tricks needed.
With "Body Domination," she was the absolute ruler of her flesh.
Why deceive when she could simply command?
Her body obeyed.
"Rampage."
Muscles screamed. Energy burned.
Her heart rate skyrocketed—300 beats per minute.
And then—
There.
The trembling outline of the Fourth Gate.
Shōmon—OPEN!
BOOM!
Life force—once a stream—became a torrent.
The gate shattered.
---
Outside.
Kakashi's Sharingan caught it instantly—a fourth point of light flaring to life in Hikari's body.
Chakra erupted from her, unstoppable.
"The… Fourth Gate ?!"
Kakashi's jaw dropped behind his mask.
"What?!"
Guy whipped his head around, studying Hikari.
Sure enough—her skin, once pale, now glowed a faint peach pink.
She'd done it.
The Shōmon—a gate his clan had taken generations to reach—unlocked like it was nothing.
And her body…
Guy's bushy eyebrows nearly hit his hairline.
Opening the Shōmon tripled chakra output. Even he turned blood-red under the strain. The Fifth Gate? Dark purple.
Yet Hikari?
Just a rosy flush.
She could probably use the Fifth Gate in casual sparring.
This level of endurance…
"She's six ?!"
Guy shook his head, his worldview crumbling.
But then—
Fire roared in his chest.
If Hikari's talent was monstrous, then he'd just have to train harder.
Starting tomorrow—double the drills!
"It's over."
Kakashi exhaled, covering his Sharingan. He patted Guy's shoulder—whether to comfort him or himself, even he didn't know.
In the distance, Hikari's chakra stabilized.
She opened her eyes, meeting their "what-are-you" stares with indifference.
Explaining was pointless.
---
Aftermath.
The Sharingan and Wood Style had turned Obito—a mediocrity—into a Kage-level threat.
Her Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku? Not enough.
"Minor upgrades don't count."
But now, with the Eight Gates, she could finally breathe.
Since arriving in Konoha, the Hyūga's shadow had loomed over her.
No longer.
Even against elite jōnin—maybe even a Kage—she now had a trump card.
"Guy, I'm starving. I'll shower, then breakfast."
Guy snapped out of his daze—only to wince.
Hikari was tiny, but she ate like ten grown men.
After four gates?
How much would this cost?!
And his wallet was emptier than his IQ score.
Then—inspiration.
"Hey, Kakashi… Wanna join us for breakfast?"
"Hmm? Sure."
Still distracted by Hikari's impossible feat, Kakashi missed Guy's scheming grin.
"…Can you lend me some money?"
"Huh?!"
Kakashi's spine went rigid.
Guy flashed his shiniest smile, rubbing his thighs awkwardly. Beside him, the taijutsu monster waited like a starving wolf.
Then it hit him—Guy's house had burned down yesterday.
"…Tch."
With a long-suffering sigh, Kakashi pulled out his wallet—then tossed the whole thing at Guy.
"Pay me back."
"WAAAAH! KAKASHI, YOU'RE THE BEST—!"
Guy tackle-hugged him, snot dripping.
Watching from the doorway, towel over her shoulder, Hikari gave a thumbs-up.
Today's training had three goals:
1. Master the Konoha Strong Fist.
2. Unlock the Eight Gates.
3. Wake up Kakashi and mooch breakfast.
Mission accomplished.
"Eugh—FINE! I'LL PAY! JUST GET OFF—!"
Kakashi's disgusted yell followed her inside.
---
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