Riku felt the faint burning pain on his forehead — the mark of the Caged Bird Seal — as a trace of energy eroded it away. The corrosion was small, barely one percent, yet it was a beginning.
It was like water pressing against a dam; when whole, the structure was immovable, but once a crack formed, that small fracture would soon expand. The same was true of the Caged Bird Seal. The first step was painfully slow, but the more it eroded, the faster the process would become.
And as Riku's chakra continued to strengthen, the corrosive power of his Evil Breaking Seal would only grow stronger.
With his current chakra level — already comparable to that of a Jōnin — Riku estimated he could completely shatter the Caged Bird Seal in just a few more months. And he was still growing. Every day, his physical potential increased, his chakra reserves thickening and refining. That meant the time required to completely destroy the curse mark would shorten even further.
"Originally, it would take half a year to dissolve the Caged Bird Seal with Evil Breaking," he murmured to himself, determination flashing in his eyes. "But if I push myself… maybe I can do it in three months!"
With a clear plan forming in his mind, Riku's motivation blazed anew.
"No more sleep! Time to grind for freedom!"
It was nighttime, and although he had spent the entire day training Taijutsu with Might Dai and his son, his body still retained plenty of chakra. It was the perfect time to focus on ninjutsu practice.
Riku spent the night cultivating, refining his chakra and experimenting with jutsu until exhaustion left him drained. Only when he could no longer draw out even a single thread of energy did he finally collapse onto his bed and fall asleep.
Just before losing consciousness, however, a strange thought flickered in his mind — a faint sense that he had forgotten something. But fatigue quickly drowned the notion, and he drifted into deep rest.
At dawn, Riku awoke with a jolt — a perfect carp jump from his bed. His body felt light and refreshed, fatigue washed away entirely by a night's sleep.
After breakfast, he headed to the edge of the village, where he usually met Might Dai and his son, Might Guy. Soon enough, the familiar sound of their spirited shouts echoed through the morning air.
A new day of training had begun.
For the next month, Riku's daily life revolved around hard training and cultivation with the Might father and son duo.
At first, Dai and Guy treated him like an outsider. But gradually, their attitudes shifted — proof that Riku's persistence and sincerity had begun to earn their trust.
Both father and son had suffered years of ridicule for being "Ninjutsu failures." They specialized in Taijutsu, not because they wanted to, but because they lacked talent in Ninjutsu. Though they carried that stigma with remarkable pride and patience, deep down they still longed for acknowledgment.
Through his dedication and humility, Riku gave them that recognition.
Yet it wasn't mere personality that won them over — it was his astounding Taijutsu talent.
Despite being from the Hyuga Branch Family, Riku's understanding of close-combat techniques far surpassed the norm. Years of training, enhanced by the absorption of Hashirama cells, had elevated his physical condition and chakra control to new heights.
In short, Riku was a natural-born Taijutsu genius.
As they trained together, Riku often shared clever new training insights — small optimizations that significantly improved efficiency.
For Taijutsu practitioners, training efficiency was everything. Every small gain meant a faster path to power. And so, Riku's advice quickly became invaluable.
Within a month, Riku had become part of their tight-knit trio.
Might Dai, in particular, impressed Riku deeply. Despite his carefree personality, Dai possessed the mind of a true martial artist. Every new idea Riku introduced — concepts of leverage, grappling, or joint manipulation inspired by his previous life — Dai refined with remarkable insight.
When combined with his Iron Fist techniques, these ideas produced entirely new Taijutsu variations.
Soon, Dai had developed techniques like Konoha Meteor and Konoha Great Steel Lock — attacks that blended raw strength with technical precision.
These fresh moves not only diversified Dai's fighting style but also greatly enhanced his combat efficiency.
Naturally, Riku studied these moves as well. Through his system, he could record them directly into his Status Panel as new Taijutsu skills.
With steady grinding and constant sparring, Riku's proficiency in these moves soon exceeded even their creator's!
If not for his still-growing physique and relatively smaller chakra pool, Riku might have already surpassed Dai completely.
But Riku never forgot his ultimate goal — mastering the Eight Gates Released Formation.
Though this forbidden technique would one day be known throughout the ninja world, at this point in time, it was obscure. Without any legendary feats tied to it, few understood its true value.
Fortunately, Dai and Guy were generous and unpretentious. Once they recognized Riku's sincerity, they held nothing back.
After subtle probing and countless hours of joint training, Riku finally gained access to this legendary forbidden art.
[Taijutsu: Eight Gates Released Formation (S): Lv.1 (346/10000)]
The notification appeared on Riku's status panel, glowing faintly in golden text.
His heart surged with joy.
An S-rank skill — his very first.
Just seeing the rank alone told him how transformative it would be. Of course, an S-rank skill also meant the experience requirement was monstrous. Even the first level demanded ten thousand experience points!
Maxing it out would require an amount that might make even a Kage faint.
But high cost meant high reward. Riku knew that better than anyone.
This was, without question, worth every drop of sweat and chakra.
During that month of training, Riku also noticed another significant change — the rate at which he earned Taijutsu experience had skyrocketed.
Having Might Dai, a master-level mentor, and Might Guy, a relentless sparring partner, meant his improvement speed was astonishing.
Each session of guidance or battle yielded thousands of Taijutsu experience points and hundreds of free points.
After only a few weeks, the Taijutsu skills he had recently learned surpassed many of his older techniques in proficiency.
Even the S-rank Eight Gates Released Formation quietly leveled up again!
At Lv.2, Riku could now open the Third Gate — the Gate of Life.
When activated, his physical strength and speed increased nearly fourfold — a terrifying boost by any standard.
For Riku, this was a monumental leap in power.
He checked his status panel with anticipation:
Status Panel
[Ninjutsu]
Clone Technique (E): Lv.10 (MAX) (Breakthrough possible)
Transformation Technique (E): Lv.10 (MAX) (Breakthrough possible)
Substitution Technique (E): Lv.10 (MAX) (Breakthrough possible)
Spirit Devour (B): Lv.10 (MAX) (Breakthrough possible)
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique (C): Lv.3 (572/1200)
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough (C): Lv.3 (426/1200)
Body Flicker Technique (C): Lv.8 (2971/3200)
[Taijutsu]
Hyuga Gentle Fist (C): Lv.9 (2786/3600)
Iron Fist Basics (C): Lv.9 (2786/3600)
Konoha Style Hard Fist (B): Lv.5 (1457/5000)
[Sealing Technique]
Sealing Pulse Seal — Evil Breaking (B): MAX (Breakthrough possible)
[Dōjutsu]
Byakugan (A): Lv.7 (24897/51200)
Byakugan: Intimidation (A): Lv.6 (11264/25600)
[Forbidden Technique]
Eight Gates Released Formation (S): Lv.2 (5632/30000)
[Free Experience Points]: 31,349
[Evaluation]: Jōnin? No — your potential surpasses all expectations. Your bloodline seems to be evolving…
Riku couldn't help but grin.
Every stat, every skill, every number represented his relentless grind. The progress was tangible — visible proof of his growth.
He clenched his fists, feeling the dense chakra pulsing through his body like molten fire.
From a cursed Hyuga branch member to a near–Jōnin-level ninja at such a young age — the journey had been brutal, but it was only just beginning.
Freedom was within reach.
And with the Eight Gates Released Formation, even the heavens would tremble before him.
As the sun dipped beyond the horizon that evening, Riku trained under the orange glow, body drenched in sweat, mind sharp as a blade.
Every punch, every kick, every chakra burst was another step toward liberation — from the Caged Bird Seal, from weakness, from the fate the Hyuga elders had tried to chain him to.
Riku wasn't just training anymore.
He was rewriting destiny itself.
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