With Senju Haruto's permission granted, the Wood Release clone unleashed the Eight Inner Gates without restraint.
Even with just the First Gate, an overwhelming surge of chakra burst forth.
Like all other jutsu, the power of the Eight Gates varied depending on the user. The stronger the shinobi and the greater their chakra reserves, the more terrifying the strength gained once the Gates were opened.
Take the Wood Release clone before Haruto, for instance—after opening just the First Gate, the power it displayed already far surpassed what Rock Lee could achieve even with his Fifth Gate.
"Seventh Gate—open!"
After only a few breaths of adjustment, the Wood Release clone forced open the Seventh Gate within its body. Chakra erupted violently, vaporizing into a blue aura that streamed off its skin like sweat, cloaking its entire form.
"It really does look a little like Lightning Release Chakra Mode…" Haruto murmured to himself as his eyes scanned the clone from head to toe. "But the pressure it exudes… is completely different."
If that was the case…
Haruto slowly closed his eyes. When they opened again, the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spun in his gaze.
If it had been Might Guy's Eight Gates, perhaps Haruto wouldn't have needed such caution. But this was his own Wood Release clone—and its base chakra was easily a hundred times greater than Guy's. With the Seventh Gate unleashed, its strength was exponentially magnified.
Yet, unlike Guy, Haruto wasn't a master of taijutsu. He didn't know techniques like the Morning Peacock or Night Guy.
So this test became nothing more than a straightforward clash of fists and kicks.
The clone clenched its fist, and in the next instant, its figure vanished from Haruto's sight.
That was the advantage of the Eight Gates—raw speed that rivaled its overwhelming power.
It wasn't an exaggeration: the Wood Release clone's current movement speed far surpassed the Body Flicker Technique.
"With speed like this… even Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique might not be able to keep up," Haruto evaluated silently, his eyes narrowing.
"Speed is one thing. Now, let's see the power."
With a low murmur, Haruto summoned forth his Susanoo, its spectral armor wrapping around him.
If this were a true fight to the death, the Wood Release clone could have struck him in the brief opening before Susanoo fully materialized. That vulnerability, that razor-thin margin, was exactly what gave Haruto an unfamiliar sense of pressure.
Not since arriving in this world had he ever felt such weight in battle.
"I never thought… the first time I'd truly feel pressed like this would be because of my own clone."
Could it be true—that old saying? That the only one who can surpass me… is me?
The thought made Haruto chuckle bitterly, but his body didn't falter. Drawing on his Uzumaki bloodline's sensory abilities, he pinpointed the clone's movements despite its invisible speed.
There was something in its presence—a wild, defiant energy, as if it were daring to challenge the heavens themselves.
"Hahaha… Facing off against your own original body excites you this much?" Haruto laughed, clapping his hands together. With a deep rumble, the colossal Wood Golem erupted from the earth, its arms surging forth to seize the clone.
But the moment the massive wooden titan loomed above, the Wood Release clone didn't dodge. Instead, it surged straight forward, channeling the explosive might of the Seventh Gate into a single strike.
BOOM!
With a thunderous impact, cracks spiderwebbed across the Wood Golem's body. In just a few breaths, the mighty creation splintered apart, collapsing into ruin.
"…Such destructive force?"
Haruto's eyes widened, genuine shock rippling through him.
Guy, when he opened the Seventh Gate, had only managed to defeat Kisame. And Kisame's Water Style techniques couldn't compare to the sheer durability of Haruto's Wood Golem.
Even a Tailed Beast Bomb—something his Wood Golem could normally withstand—would be shattered by this raw power.
Which meant, in a single burst, the clone's attack had surpassed the destructive might of a Bijūdama.
And this was without Sage Mode, without augmenting the Gates with Susanoo, without any external boosts.
Just pure chakra fueling the Seventh Gate.
If this was its strength… then what about Haruto himself?
After all, no matter how strong the clone, it could never truly reach the level of the original body.
"I'm coming!"
The clone's voice rang out, pulling Haruto from his thoughts. Stepping into the air itself, it dashed forward again.
"…Interesting."
Haruto smirked. Susanoo flared once more, evolving to a higher form, and he infused it with the chakra of the Three-Tails to reinforce its defenses.
Yet what happened next still defied his expectations.
BOOM!
Another explosive impact shattered the silence. The nearly complete Susanoo split clean down the middle, torn apart by the clone's fist. A gale-like shockwave pressed down on Haruto, nearly pinning his body in place.
"…This is…"
Haruto's shock deepened.
That was the kind of shockwave—the pressure of the Eight Gates' taijutsu—that only Guy had ever unleashed.
And yet his Wood Release clone, with a casual strike, had recreated that same terrifying force.
"To think… my clone is this strong."
An unfamiliar emotion stirred in Haruto's chest, a mix of awe and unease.
"Seventh Gate—open!"
With a thunderous cry, Haruto himself tore open the gate within his body. Agonizing pain ripped through his muscles, but it didn't slow him in the slightest.
"This power…"
His throat tightened. With a single step, he shattered the oppressive winds conjured by his clone.
Five fingers curled into a fist, and he struck forward.
Caught off guard by his sudden counter, the clone twisted its body midair and thrust out its palm to meet him.
Fist met palm.
Neither yielded.
The clash ignited an enormous shockwave, rippling outward like a tidal wave and ripping through the forest.
Towering trees, once thick with life, splintered and collapsed. In moments, the flourishing woods were reduced to barren wasteland.
And in the end—Haruto's strength crushed the clone.
BOOM!
The clone shattered into fragments, disintegrating under the force of his strike.
Crash.
Haruto landed heavily, feet driving into the earth as the last remnants of his Wood Release clone vanished. Around him, devastation stretched in every direction.
This kind of strength… by all rights, it should have filled him with exhilaration, with pride.
But instead, Haruto lowered his head, his gaze fixed upon his own clenched fist.
For some reason, deep in his chest… something felt missing. Hollow.
As though this power wasn't how it was meant to be.
"…It shouldn't be like this."
The words slipped out in a low whisper, his throat tight as he muttered to himself.