Guy clenched his fist, roaring, as he opened the Fourth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates.
If we categorize the Eight Inner Gates into early, middle, and late stages, the first three gates would count as the early stage, the fourth to sixth as the middle stage, and the Seventh and Eighth Gates as the late stage.
The first three gates can be considered the safe zone of the Eight Inner Gates, and using them doesn't harm the body. But starting from the Fourth Gate, things change. Only after the Fourth Gate does one truly enter the Eight Inner Gates state, with substantial increases in strength and speed. However, due to the overwhelming pressure, it can cause harm to the body.
Once the Gate of Pain opened, Guy's Chakra surged explosively within his body. He felt his physical strength growing rapidly, so much that his body felt a strain from the intense power.
"So, you can now open the Fourth Gate normally."
Sensing the sudden surge in Guy's aura, Kakashi's expression became serious.
Although he hadn't trained in the Eight Inner Gates, Kakashi, like Guy, was a disciple of Mutsuki, and they often fought together. So Kakashi had some understanding of the Eight Inner Gates and knew that with each gate opened, there was a different degree of improvement in speed and strength.
Kakashi had once beaten Guy when he opened the Fourth Gate, but he wasn't naive enough to think that the current Fourth Gate Guy was at the same strength level as he was during the Chunin Exams.
"Konoha Great Whirlwind!"
Guy, channeling his power, laughed as he charged toward Kakashi, unleashing his signature Whirlwind Kick.
With the support of the Fourth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates, Guy's speed and strength had both greatly increased. His full-speed charge alone whipped up a fierce wind that kicked up mud and rocks.
Fortunately, Kakashi, having activated Transparent World, saw through Guy's attack and dodged before Guy could charge forward.
Guy's expression remained unchanged as he launched an even fiercer assault on Kakashi. He wasn't unfamiliar with the feeling of having his attacks read, since both Shisui and Obito possessed the Sharingan, which had strong insight and could see through his moves.
"You can dodge a single attack, but what if I attack thirty times in a row?"
Guy's strategy was to trap his opponent in his rhythm by attacking at maximum speed.
Under the intensity of Guy's relentless attacks, Kakashi soon found himself unable to evade a Whirlwind Kick.
To increase his speed, Guy had sacrificed some power, but he was still in the Fourth Gate state of the Eight Inner Gates, and with the additional boost from Proficient-level Stone Breathing, even a partial-strength attack was beyond what an ordinary ninja could withstand.
Bang!
Forced to take Guy's attack head-on, Kakashi felt an overwhelming force hit him, sending him uncontrollably flying backward.
"What immense power!" Kakashi's expression shifted slightly.
He had assumed that prioritizing speed would somewhat weaken Guy's attack strength, but he hadn't expected Guy to maintain such formidable power even at high speeds.
Kakashi was relieved he hadn't stubbornly opted for a direct clash with Guy. When Guy first opened the Fourth Gate, Kakashi had considered trying to compete with him in Taijutsu.
He'd thought that with his Lightning Nature Chakra Transformation technique to activate his body, he could unleash considerable strength that might match Guy.
But after taking a single hit, Kakashi abandoned this idea. Using up a large amount of chakra to activate his body and boost his strength still might not be enough to rival Guy's straightforward, powerful kick.
"With the Stone Breathing technique for the strongest body enhancement and the Eight Inner Gates for added power, the combination amplifies Taijutsu to an incredible level," Kakashi thought to himself.
The combination of Stone Breathing and the Eight Inner Gates gave him a feeling that their synergy was greater than the sum of their parts.
If this were a life-or-death battlefield, Kakashi would do everything possible to buy time. Maintaining Thunder Breathing and Transparent World consumed a lot of stamina, but the pressure on Guy from the Eight Inner Gates was even greater, so dragging things out would be to Kakashi's advantage.
However, this was ultimately a friendly spar between comrades, where the process of the fight was more important than the outcome. Kakashi chose to go all out to break the deadlock. He gathered a large amount of chakra and quickly converted it to Lightning Chakra.
Zzz!
Crackle!
Brilliant yellow lightning crackled around Kakashi, enhancing his body and intensifying his aura.
Kakashi gripped his White Fang Tanto tightly. The lightning surged down his arm and into the blade, covering it with a yellow electric glow that extended into a blade of lightning.
Kakashi fixed his gaze on Guy, his focus solely on him, completely ignoring the flowers and plants in the courtyard. With his whole body bursting with power, yellow light radiated from him as a massive amount of Lightning Chakra was unleashed all at once.
At this moment, Kakashi's aura had reached its peak, sharp as a blade, which made Guy laugh excitedly.
"This move is prepared especially for you." As he spoke, Guy quickly pulled out a single-section staff.
He held the staff in his left hand, wrapped the iron chain around his right, then rotated his body slightly to the right, channeling all his strength and chakra into his middle and index fingers, ready to show Kakashi the results of his month-long intensive training.
"Thunder Flash!"
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, Kakashi charged forward, his blade slashing out, his entire form like a blinding yellow lightning bolt aimed straight at Guy.
As Kakashi rapidly closed in on him, the lightning blade descended, unleashing an immensely powerful slash of lightning.
"Blade and Sword: Golden Skyline!"
The instant Kakashi charged, Guy moved as well. Clad in his green jumpsuit, he sprinted at full speed, appearing almost like a streak of green light.
As he closed in on Kakashi, Guy swung his left hand in a drawing motion, leading his right hand forward in a slash, carving a thin golden line through the air.
One wielded a blade, the other a finger. Both unleashed their ultimate moves simultaneously, and the golden line clashed with the lightning slash.
Boom!
The collision between the golden line and the lightning slash caused a tremendous impact, making the ground explode under the force, kicking up a rolling cloud of dust that obscured their forms.
The shockwave from their techniques bent the plants and trees in Kakashi's courtyard, as if caught in a sudden storm.
Drip, drip.
Red blood dripped onto the ground, staining the earth.
Looking at his bleeding finger, Guy praised, "As expected from my closest friend. My fingers, filled with all my power, can even tear through steel effortlessly."
"I'll win it back soon," Kakashi replied, wiping the blood from his chest.
He had lost.
Guy's Golden Skyline had overpowered his Thunder Flash. Though Guy's finger had been severely injured by Kakashi's slash, Kakashi's body had been wounded as Guy withdrew his move just in time.
"Haha, this is exactly what I was hoping for," Guy replied, laughing as he wrapped his two injured fingers with bandages.
He was eager for Kakashi to grow stronger and challenge him again.
Kakashi sighed inwardly; maintaining the title of Mutsuki's strongest disciple was no easy task.
After tidying up, the two of them headed to Konoha Hospital together.
…
"Your breathing needs to stay steady. Never let it become erratic, no matter the circumstances." At the training ground, Mutsuki continued teaching Darkness Breathing.
The Root Ninjas and ANBU members below listened intently, no one speaking or losing focus.
The Breathing Technique didn't require complete mastery to harness some of its abilities. Those who were already over halfway proficient could feel the enhancements it provided and were eager to master this remarkable Taijutsu as soon as possible.
"Yumi-sensei is incredibly generous. This Taijutsu could easily be considered a clan legacy," Sarutobi Shinji remarked during a break.
Before learning it, he'd thought Darkness Breathing sounded like an impressive A-rank Taijutsu based on Mutsuki's description. But after experiencing its effects firsthand, Sarutobi Shinji believed it was worthy of being a clan Secret Jutsu.
If he had developed such a powerful technique himself, Sarutobi Shinji definitely wouldn't have shared it with others. He would prioritize it as a clan Secret Jutsu, only teaching it to his own disciples at most.
It was precisely because he couldn't do what Mutsuki did that he greatly respected him.
At that moment, a signal calling for a Jonin assembly suddenly came through.
"Let's call it a day for now. Something must have happened in the village," Mutsuki said after some thought.
Today wasn't the usual time for a Jonin meeting, so this was an emergency assembly.
Several ANBU Jonin accompanied Mutsuki toward the Hokage Building. Since it was a non-mission period, ANBU Ninja were considered regular Konoha Ninja during this time.
"Could there have been a change on the battlefield?" Mutsuki wondered, speculating on the reason for the sudden meeting.
The village was in the midst of a war, and emergency Jonin meetings only occurred for major incidents, so Mutsuki's first thought was that there had been a problem on the battlefield.
Since there were few scenes of the Third Shinobi World War in the anime or manga, aside from a few major events, Mutsuki couldn't determine if this was a butterfly effect he had caused or something that was originally meant to happen.
"There's no way it's because Tsunade won a round, right?" Mutsuki thought about the dice game he played with Tsunade yesterday.
"Jonin Mutsuki."
As Mutsuki entered the meeting room, several Jonin greeted him with smiles.
"Akimichi Jonin..." Mutsuki responded with a smile to each of them.
As Mutsuki's accomplishments and strength grew with each passing day, he was no longer a small figure in the Jonin circle. To many, he was seen as a rising star, second only to Minato Namikaze.
"Today, let's get a decent chicken for Beggar's Chicken. It's been weeks since I've had it," Tsunade said, walking up to Mutsuki.
"Should I grab some alcohol too?" Mutsuki asked.
Tsunade usually enjoyed drinking sake while munching on chicken legs.
"No need for alcohol, I've already got it. You're not as good at picking it out as I am," Tsunade said proudly.
Although Mutsuki's cooking skills were remarkable, he wasn't very knowledgeable about alcohol since he didn't drink much.
The exchange between the two drew curious glances from the Jonin nearby, as it truly sounded like a family discussing what to have for dinner.
Dekai, who had initially planned to chat with Mutsuki, quietly blended into the crowd.
When Tsunade had once beaten up Jiraiya, that scene had deeply etched itself into his memory, so he was a little afraid of Tsunade. After all, she was the woman who dared to beat up his own sensei.
Minato, however, wasn't bothered by this and approached Mutsuki with a gentle smile to chat.
Once most of the Jonin had gathered, the Jonin meeting officially began. Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other three Elders sat on high chairs, while the Jonin stood in the meeting room.
"Today, the Land of Water's Hidden Mist Village has declared war on Konoha," Sarutobi Hiruzen announced grimly, explaining the reason for the urgent meeting.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had been very surprised when he received the news; it was completely unexpected.
The reason he had opposed Shimura Danzo's proposal to demand large compensation from Hidden Mist due to the Chunin Exams incident was that he feared it would anger Hidden Mist, potentially leading the village—which had rarely involved itself in the continent's ninja wars—to join the Shinobi World War and target Konoha.
Based on his judgment, Hidden Mist, which had always kept a low profile, should not have provoked the powerful Konoha.
Konoha and Hidden Mist had no grudge between them, and Konoha was a tough nut to crack—so why bother?
But now that the situation had occurred, no matter the motive or purpose of Hidden Mist, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew there was only one thing to do: mobilize forces to prevent Hidden Mist from causing damage to the Land of Fire.
"Hidden Mist Village has also declared war on us. Doesn't that mean we now have three major ninja villages as enemies?" A ninja furrowed his brow upon hearing the news.
This was undoubtedly terrible news for Konoha.
On the surface, Konoha had been victorious in its battles against two enemies, but any ninja who truly understood the situation wouldn't be so optimistic.
Although Konoha had gained the upper hand in the war, it hadn't dealt a crushing blow to Hidden Rock or the Hidden Cloud. This level of victory could only be considered a small advantage.
If the war were to be scored, where a score of 100% would mean complete victory, Konoha's score against both Hidden Cloud and Hidden Rock would only be about 10%.
At this moment, with Hidden Mist intervening, Konoha would have to divert its forces to deal with the Mist Village, which could result in losing the advantage on other battlefields.
"Even Hidden Mist is getting involved now," Tsunade, who had been disinterested, now wore a serious expression.
She knew what this meant. Even though the three major ninja villages couldn't possibly unite to target Konoha, it would still put immense pressure on Konoha. Unlike her grandfather, Konoha no longer had such an unrivaled powerhouse.
Mutsuki also showed a hint of concern, as if he were worried about Konoha.
"Hidden Mist is already at war with Konoha so soon? Could it be because of the Chunin Exams, or did Uchiha Madara secretly use some method?" Mutsuki kept pondering in his mind.
What Guy encountered in the Third Shinobi World War wasn't as clear as Kakashi's situation, since Kakashi had the information that he became a Jonin at twelve. Thus, Mutsuki couldn't determine whether the war between Hidden Mist and Konoha was a result of the normal timeline or something altered by his own actions.
Mutsuki was momentarily unable to determine how Hidden Mist would wage war against Konoha.
Normally, after declaring war, both sides would test each other and wouldn't immediately go all out in a fight to the death. However, Konoha was still entangled with Hidden Cloud and Hidden Rock at this time, so Hidden Mist could take advantage of this situation and directly launch a major offensive with their main forces, led by their captain.
Mutsuki hoped that Hidden Mist would take their time. After all, Guy wasn't fully developed yet, and if things went as badly as in the original timeline, where they encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, it would be troublesome.
He couldn't just teleport from Konoha in the center of the Land of Fire to the eastern or southern coasts of Land of Fire.
The eastern coast of Land of Fire had a long coastline, and coincidentally, Land of Water was located to the east of Land of Fire. Therefore, the best route for Land of Water to attack Land of Fire would be to take a boat directly to the eastern coast of Land of Fire.
The southern coast of Land of Fire was also along the sea, but it was much smaller compared to the eastern coast and easier to defend. Moreover, if Land of Water wanted to land on the southern coast, they would have to take a much longer route, wasting more time.
As time passed, the meeting continued to progress.
Essentially, the Elders angrily reprimanded Hidden Mist Village for their shameless actions, followed by Sarutobi Hiruzen speaking about the Will of Fire to inspire the love for Konoha, and then the discussion turned to countermeasures.
Since Hidden Mist Village had not yet launched a formal attack and was located on an island in the sea, Konoha could not do much for the time being, other than strengthening the alert forces on the southeastern coasts.
After the meeting ended, Shimura Danzo, visibly displeased, said, "Hiruzen, you should have followed my plan from the start. This way, we could have gained considerable benefits."
During the Chunin Exams, the Hidden Mist Elders had been in Konoha, and Shimura Danzo didn't believe that Hidden Mist Village would dare to withhold anything.
"You should stop being so arbitrary and listen to my opinions more," Shimura Danzo chastised.
Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed out a cloud of smoke, looking at Shimura Danzo with a slightly speechless expression.
He had not expected Hidden Mist to declare war on Konoha so quickly, but if they had followed Shimura Danzo's plan, even if Hidden Mist had stayed out of the Ninja World's affairs, they would have still found a way to cause trouble for Konoha.
If he were truly arbitrary, Shimura Danzo's Root would have been disbanded long ago. ANBU is directly under the Hokage's command, but Shimura Danzo's Root is essentially a small, independent ANBU force that only reports to him.
"We've already been declared war upon. Discussing this is pointless," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, removing his pipe and signaling for Shimura Danzo to get to the point.
Of course, Shimura Danzo wasn't idle and complaining for no reason; he clearly had something important to discuss.
"In times like this, Konoha needs Root. We need a strong Root," Shimura Danzo said solemnly, sharing his thoughts.
When Shimura Danzo first learned of Hidden Mist's declaration of war, his initial reaction was anger. Hidden Mist, the weakest and least noticeable of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, was now causing trouble for Konoha.
After the anger came joy, because this was a perfect opportunity—a golden chance to strengthen Root's power.
Faced with such a predicament, if Sarutobi Hiruzen continued to restrict the development of Root, it would be hard to justify. After all, he was working for Konoha's best interests.
Sarutobi Hiruzen showed a thoughtful expression and eventually nodded.
Given the current situation, it was necessary to utilize every available resource to prepare for the potential crisis ahead. Shimura Danzo's Root had indeed performed well in certain aspects, and it could contribute significantly during the war.
Moreover, he was the Hokage. After the war, there would be opportunities to find reasons to weaken Root, as Shimura Danzo had many flaws.
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