As Kazuku upgraded [Eight Gates Technique]…
Knowledge of opening the Sixth Gate, Gate of View, flooded his mind, his body forming muscle memory.
No doubt.
He could now unlock his body's sixth restriction…
The Gate of View!
"As I thought," Kazuku murmured, checking his stat panel.
In the abilities section…
[Eight Gates Technique Lv5] had become [Eight Gates Technique Lv6].
It seemed his guess about levels was correct.
Each level represented one gate.
"So, Eight Gates Technique Lv8 would be maxed out."
"But…"
"Even Seal-less Healing might not counter the Gate of Death's damage."
From what Kazuku knew…
Opening the Gate of Death granted power beyond a Kage, upgrading the Eight Gates Technique to the Eight Gates Formation!
At the cost of evaporating blood, the user became a red beast.
Their body rapidly deteriorated until death.
If Naruto's Six Paths power hadn't saved Might Guy, he'd have burned out.
"Though the Eight Gates Formation is Naruto's strongest taijutsu, it's a one-time deal. Pass."
No matter how he thought about it, Kazuku doubted Seal-less Healing could offset the formation's bodily collapse.
And unlike the Might family, who specialized solely in taijutsu…
As long as the check-in system existed, he could draw ninjutsu, genjutsu, even bloodline limits!
As for the Eight Gates…
Kazuku felt the Seventh Gate, Gate of Shock, was enough.
The Gate of Death? Hard pass.
"But right now, I only have muscle memory for opening the Gate of View."
"I don't have a tactical system built around it."
The gift pack's rewards were pure "skills."
Strength, speed, and stamina required physical training.
Combat thinking, experience, and split-second judgment needed sparring to develop.
Even if Batsu thought he had "at least two years" of combat experience…
Compared to a taijutsu expert like Batsu, with over a decade of expertise, it was lacking.
"Like sparring with Batsu today."
"Painful Sky Leg was powerful, but at the critical moment, Batsu dodged easily."
That was Batsu's strength.
His thinking and experience let him make the best choice instantly.
Defend, dodge, or counter.
There were many ways to handle attacks, but only the right choice ensured victory.
For example…
If it wasn't Batsu facing Painful Sky Leg, but Danzo…
He'd likely choose to defend.
And end up nearly kicked to death!
After analyzing, Kazuku felt he still couldn't beat Batsu.
But…
The exam didn't require defeating him.
Just forcing his full strength.
On that, Kazuku was confident.
The final win or loss wasn't critical.
Passing and becoming a genin was enough.
"Right, no need to rush. I'm only seven."
"Seeing the gap is the start."
"I'm just standing on giants' shoulders."
Kazuku reminded himself—the more critical the moment, the less room for arrogance.
Though he had the check-in gift pack cheat, its rewards—chakra, taijutsu, ninjutsu…
In a way, he was on giants' shoulders.
But…
The giants he stood on weren't the strongest.
The Eight Gates Formation? He didn't know it, and even if he did, he wouldn't dare use it!
"Besides, my full strength now is just the Gate of View."
"Better stay grounded."
"But speaking of… can I use Morning Peacock now?"
In Kazuku's memory, Morning Peacock was Might Guy's invention.
It used rapid attack speed to make fists ignite flames through air friction.
The principle was simple, but execution was tough.
Without enough speed, no amount of punching would spark flames.
"Easy to know, hard to do."
"Forget it. No point overthinking. Rest up for tomorrow's exam."
Kazuku flopped onto his bed.
The white ceiling and chandelier came into view.
"Hokage, huh."
His gaze sharpened, right hand reaching as if to grasp the chandelier, catching only air.
In his mind, vivid Naruto characters emerged.
Tobirama, naming Hiruzen the Third Hokage.
Rin, asking Kakashi to kill her.
Minato and Kushina, entrusting hope to Naruto.
Jiraiya, betting with Tsunade.
And… Neji, seeking to break free from the caged bird.
"Wait, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade are the same age. They should be born by now, right?"
A fun thought struck Kazuku.
The next morning…
Hokage Building.
Tobirama used Flying Thunder God to arrive at Hashirama's door, knocking loudly.
No response.
He knocked harder, again and again.
Finally, Hashirama grudgingly opened it. "Tobirama! I'm a terminally ill man! Can't you let me rest?"
"What's so urgent you're knocking this early?"
Hashirama grumbled.
Tobirama's gaze passed the disheveled Hashirama, noticing another man inside.
Sensing chakra…
He realized the other was Hashirama's real body.
"A clone?"
Tobirama's face darkened. "Big Brother, there's a limit to laziness! Using a clone to open the door?"
Pushing past the clone, he strode inside.
"Didn't I tell you yesterday? Today's Kazuku's exam. As his grandfather, you're coming with me to judge!"
In truth, judging was an excuse.
Tobirama wanted Hashirama to see Kazuku's growth.
But as he entered the living room…
He froze.
Mito was kneeling before Hashirama's real body. Seeing Tobirama, she stood, smiling, wiping her mouth.
Instantly, Tobirama's face flushed red, and he spun around.
Suddenly…
He felt Hashirama's clone technique had other uses.
(End of Chapter)
The chapters were a bit short so I added two more! Please use your powerstones and put the novel in your collections!