When the first rays of the morning sun broke through, boundless vitality surged once again.
Early in the morning, two watermelon-headed figures—one large, one small—began their trial of "youth" around Konoha. Long-distance running, handstand walking, all forms of weighted training—there was nothing they could not attempt, only things they had not yet imagined.
One of these two would eventually become Konoha's Azure Beast, widely known as the "Gai Emperor," the man who nearly carried the entire Naruto world to its grand finale. Might Guy's legend has long been a topic of spirited debate among Naruto fans, but Riku knew that without standing on the shoulders of giants, the so-called "Gai Emperor" might have remained a mere ordinary Genin in Konoha, swept along by fate.
And that "giant" was none other than Might Guy's father, Maito Dai—the man who perhaps was the first in the Naruto world to fully master the Eight Gates Released Formation. Riku's current target was him.
Konoha was a village renowned as the strongest Ninja Village. Though it was initially formed by the gathering of various Ninja Clans, much of its combat power came from these established lineages. With the founding of the Ninja Academy by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, a large number of civilian ninja—those not born into powerful clans—began to emerge as a force that could not be ignored.
Among them were remarkable individuals who would profoundly influence Konoha's history. Take, for instance, two of the Third Hokage's three disciples: Orochimaru and Jiraiya. Both were civilian ninja, unaffiliated with any major clan, yet through talent and relentless effort, they ascended to Kage-level power. Their feats were the kind most clan-born ninja could only dream of achieving in a lifetime.
If Orochimaru and Jiraiya represented the apex of civilian ninja talent, Maito Dai—the watermelon-headed man clad in his iconic jumpsuit—was the archetype of the "unremarkable" civilian ninja. Though his actual strength surpassed imagination, at first glance he was just a nondescript Genin in Konoha.
Of course, that judgment was only temporary. Riku, having transmigrated into this world, understood that, barring accidents, Maito Dai would soon unleash heroic brilliance—kicking the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into oblivion. The cost would be opening all Eight Gates, burning his life in the process, yet even that could not obscure the glory of his spirit.
Riku had been forced into this world as a member of the Hyuga Branch Family. In truth, he harbored deep resentment toward it. The world seemed suffused with fatalism, every life trajectory almost predetermined from birth. This oppressive notion shackled the masses, leaving them imprisoned by destiny, and Riku had felt its suffocating weight firsthand.
Not just Riku—this world bred madmen who could casually claim, "Let the world feel pain." Hatred and slaughter were routine; judgment came swiftly, harshly, and without mercy. Fate dictated nearly everyone's path. Yet, a few anomalies existed—bright sparks amid the gray—whose freedom of spirit and fierce individuality defied the crushing determinism of this world. Maito Dai, and later his son Might Guy, were such anomalies.
Riku despised fatalism. He believed freedom and ideals were the true pursuits of life. Holding these convictions in a world dominated by fate made him an anomaly, and the ability to fight for them marked him as an anomaly among anomalies.
After graduating from the Ninja Academy, Maito Dai was deemed "entirely lacking in ninja talent." According to the world's rigid fatalism, he should have accepted his ordinary life: marry, have children, live quietly, fade into insignificance.
Yet Maito Dai refused to accept this. He struggled with unyielding determination, breaking through the constraints of fate with sheer force of will. Couldn't learn Ninjutsu? No problem—he would perfect Taijutsu. No powerful teacher to guide him? No matter—he had unshakable self-discipline. Even the Eight Gates Released Formation, a forbidden technique defying human physiology, became his domain through relentless effort.
Discipline and struggle were his keys to freedom. The Eight Gates Released Formation, a forbidden Taijutsu created by the Second Hokage and previously only theoretical, was fully mastered by Maito Dai. He gained the power to defy destiny itself.
In terms of Taijutsu, Maito Dai surpassed all of Konoha. Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the "Strongest Hokage," could not match him. Yet few realized this. One reason was Maito Dai's naturally low profile; another, the world's prejudices. Who would suspect that a hot-blooded man in a jumpsuit, with a watermelon haircut, running laps and shouting about youth while remaining a perennial Genin, could wield Taijutsu capable of crushing a Hokage?
Riku, as a transmigrator familiar with the timeline, was, of course, not deceived. Maito Dai's obscurity actually aided Riku's plans.
As the first man to cultivate the Eight Gates Released Formation to full capacity, Maito Dai's Taijutsu was arguably Konoha's finest. Yet, compared to the Hyuga Clan, another major Taijutsu powerhouse, his path was entirely distinct.
The Hyuga Clan's signature style, Gentle Fist, relied on acupoint strikes. With the Byakugan, they could see chakra flows and incapacitate opponents by disrupting their internal networks. This made Gentle Fist devastating in human combat. Yet, it had limitations: armored opponents or non-human enemies—like Tailed Beasts—rendered Gentle Fist nearly useless. The Hyuga's pride masked these flaws.
Maito Dai, by contrast, had mastered Konoha Iron Fist: straightforward, powerful, relentless. Every punch and kick was a weapon, designed to maximize the body's potential. Iron Fist Taijutsu excelled where Gentle Fist could not, especially against non-human adversaries.
Currently, the strongest Taijutsu user in the ninja world was arguably the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village, a man capable of direct combat with a Tailed Beast. Yet even his skill was enhanced with Ninjutsu. Maito Dai's Eight Gates Released Formation, in contrast, relied purely on Taijutsu. Opening all Eight Gates multiplied his strength manyfold, granting him a near-superhuman level, capable of defeating multiple elite Hidden Mist Ninja at once. Later, Might Guy, in a similar rage, nearly killed Six Paths Madara with the same technique.
What about Riku? Even if he trained to mastery and opened the Eight Gates, what scenes could he create? Yet, unlike those willing to risk everything for comrades, Riku would never open the final Gate of Death—at least, not until he solved the problem of certain death. Even the first few Gates would elevate his strength to formidable heights.
Beyond the Eight Gates, Maito Dai possessed a suite of Iron Fist skills. If Riku could acquire them, his combat repertoire would expand dramatically. By any measure, Maito Dai was a goldmine for Riku—an opportunity too valuable to ignore.
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