Uchiha Ryōsuke was a bit disappointed by the result.
With the fifth gate open, he was comparable to Might Guy opening the sixth gate at his peak.
Forget about throwing a punch that generated the flames of Morning Peacock, he couldn't even manage to throw a shockwave.
But logically speaking, his current physical strength should be sufficient. He just needed some technique and perhaps some insight.
'Air isn't like a solid. It's very difficult to form a shockwave that shoots out like a column just by striking it with full force.'
'To make the air blast out like a column... that's truly a bit difficult.'
'And this is pure taijutsu, with no chakra used.'
'That makes it even harder.'
It wasn't like Danzō's Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets.
The Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets actually just used wind-nature chakra to create chakra bullets that pierced the enemy.
But Morning Peacock relied purely on taijutsu. He couldn't even imagine how it generated flames.
He fundamentally couldn't understand it. But he could understand the shockwave part.
Of course, thinking more about it was useless. Practice was the only way to find the truth.
He couldn't help but throw countless punches at the large tree again, creating a fierce, gale-force wind.
The leaves on the tree all fluttered down.
'Although it looks strong, it's actually useless. It hasn't formed an air shockwave at all.'
He couldn't help but stop again. 'This kind of blind attacking really is useless. I still need to think through the trick to it.'
'In truth, a shockwave is undoubtedly about striking the air as if it were a solid. However, air is composed of oxygen and nitrogen.'
'When I strike them, they immediately disperse.'
'The resulting attack naturally has no power. Right now, it only has the power to make leaves fall. It's really useless.'
'This level of power is useless as a long-range attack even against ordinary ninja. At most, it would just mess up their hair.'
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck his mind. 'Maybe I can strike the air while it's "not paying attention."'
'The more I think about it, the more I feel this is a viable plan.'
'To do that, my speed must undoubtedly be extremely fast, fast enough that the air doesn't have time to react.'
He immediately clenched his fist and then punched out at his fastest speed. This time, he focused purely on speed, but the power was still considerable.
This time, it actually worked. A visible air shockwave formed in front of him, blasting a crack into a branch of the large tree.
This was clearly the embryonic form of an air shockwave. It wasn't like his previous punches that only made the tree sway and lose its leaves.
Ryōsuke looked at the damage caused and felt in his heart that this was promising. 'I should have found the right direction.' He couldn't help but throw a few more punches.
Two distinct shockwaves blasted towards the large tree.
What disappointed Ryōsuke a bit was that not every punch could form a shockwave to attack the tree.
'It seems I still haven't gotten the hang of it.'
He stopped and thought. 'Maybe it's because of the air. If I blast out an air shockwave, the air in front of my fist is undoubtedly used up.'
'I should wait for the air to replenish before punching again.'
Thinking about it, that might really be the case.
So, in his subsequent training, every time he threw a punch, he would wait 10 seconds before punching again.
The success rate indeed rose. The large tree, having endured so many impacts, finally crashed to the ground, filling the air with dust.
Ryōsuke was overjoyed. 'I've discovered the secret!'
'It really is because the air needs to be replenished. But there are still a few punches that don't form shockwaves, and the power is still small.'
'It seems I still need to practice. It's a matter of proficiency.'
Just then, the two Uchiha clansmen guarding the Uchiha Clan's territory heard the commotion and hurried over. No unauthorized personnel were allowed near the clan lands.
But when the two saw Uchiha Ryōsuke, his body emitting a powerful aura, blasting shockwaves at a large tree using only his physical strength.
Their faces were filled with countless surprises.
Looking at the fallen tree to the side, it was clear Ryōsuke had done it.
It wasn't an intruder.
One of the younger Uchiha clansmen asked.
"Senior, do you know what that powerful aura coming from Ryōsuke is?"
That powerful aura made him feel as if Ryōsuke were a ferocious beast.
It was simply too impactful.
The older Uchiha clansman said.
"You're still young. You might not know, but this is the forbidden jutsu, the Eight Inner Gates. Looking at Ryōsuke, he has probably cultivated to the last few gates. Otherwise, it would be impossible to have such power."
'It seems Ryōsuke not only has talent with the Sharingan, but he also has an even more terrifying mastery of taijutsu.'
'In this state, he probably has Kage-level combat power.'
The young Uchiha clansman's eyes lit up.
He watched Ryōsuke blast out shockwaves, mangling the tree into an unrecognizable state.
He couldn't help but say.
"A forbidden jutsu! That's a good thing! It would definitely increase my strength greatly."
The older Uchiha clansman shot him a glance.
"Don't even think about it. Very few people in the Leaf Village know this move."
The young Uchiha clansman couldn't help but ask.
"Why is that? Is it that the clan doesn't allow ordinary clansmen like us to train it?"
The older Uchiha clansman shook his head.
"Of course not. It's purely because this forbidden jutsu is too difficult. Some people spend decades training it and still have no achievements. Moreover, the training process is bitter and tiring."
"Would you rather train your Sharingan or go learn a forbidden jutsu like that?"
The young Uchiha clansman thought about it and gave up. He had awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan. This eye alone gave him considerable combat power. Why would he need to train a forbidden jutsu that was both bitter and tiring?
'Besides, success isn't even guaranteed. If I put all my time and energy into it and still don't succeed, wouldn't that be a huge loss?'
'What's more, he didn't want to suffer and get tired.'
The older Uchiha clansman spoke.
"Since it's Ryōsuke training here, let's not disturb him. Let's go."
The two then left and continued to guard the clan lands.
Uchiha Ryōsuke had noticed the two long ago. Since they didn't disturb him and tactfully left, he paid them no mind and continued to blast shockwaves at another tree.
For the next hour or more, Ryōsuke kept the Eight Inner Gates open, throwing heavy punches. Suddenly, he felt something strange in his body.
'If I keep them open any longer, I'll probably really fall into a period of weakness. That would undoubtedly be very dangerous.'
'It seems I got carried away with training and lost track of the time.'
He immediately closed the five gates and recovered his stamina.