The next day.
In the backyard of Tsunade's house, Kiyohara formed hand seals. A large amount of Fire-nature chakra gathered in his chest.
Boom!
He expelled it all at once. Like rushing water, it rapidly condensed into the shape of a fireball.
The fireball was only about four meters across—Kiyohara had deliberately limited the chakra output.
It rose in the air, orange-red flames licking and surging, radiating scorching heat that warped the surrounding air.
Kiyohara could make it bigger—tens of meters wide, like a torrent of fire.
But there was no need.
The power of Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique depended mainly on how much chakra you poured into it.
More chakra meant a larger fireball and higher temperature.
But there was a clear bottleneck: a person's total chakra was finite. Purely stacking "more" was inefficient.
Uchiha Madara's Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation was terrifying not only because of its scale, but because his understanding of fire's nature transformation had reached an extreme—he could squeeze maximum output from every unit of chakra.
Even so, it was still a B-rank technique.
Later on, even Madara stopped relying on Fire Release.
And when Sasuke and Naruto fought at the Valley of the End, the Fire Release they used was boosted by the chakra the Sage of Six Paths had given them.
At that level, even Amaterasu was reduced to a feint.
Otherwise, the only path was shaping—like Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique, turning flame into a dragon form.
That was the two paths of advanced Fire Release: nature transformation and shape transformation.
And it wasn't just Fire Release—Lightning, Wind, Earth, and the rest followed the same logic.
Fire was just more "special."
After all, flame is essentially plasma.
Fire-nature chakra imitates that state; shinobi call it "nature transformation."
"Temperature…" Kiyohara muttered.
"The core of fire's lethality is temperature. If I can break the temperature ceiling, even if the fireball stays the same size, its destructive power will jump massively."
How do you raise temperature?
The traditional method is finer chakra control—raising the "purity" of Fire-nature chakra.
But that demands long training and talent.
Kiyohara thought of another approach: microwave heating.
Microwaves generate heat by making molecules vibrate violently and rub against each other, far more efficient than normal conduction.
If he could apply a similar principle to Fire Release…
Magnet Release…
The gourd at Kiyohara's waist trembled slightly.
Fine black iron sand drifted out—not forming a weapon, but dispersing into countless tiny particles nearly invisible to the naked eye, evenly distributed around the fireball.
They arranged themselves into specific patterns—like coils.
In the next instant, Magnet Release chakra acted like a catalyst. By controlling changes in the magnetic field, it forced a reaction in the fireball.
The principle was similar to a microwave's magnetron.
The fireball began to change.
The original orange-red flames gradually shifted toward bright yellow.
At the edges, a faint blue halo appeared—so subtle it was almost invisible.
If a thermometer were nearby, its needle would be slamming upward.
Sweat beaded on Kiyohara's forehead.
Maintaining Fire Release form and a Magnet Release field at the same time demanded extremely high chakra control.
Little by little, the flame color turned completely white-hot.
Just then, a translucent figure appeared in the corner of the training area.
Anbu Kiyohara's spirit leaned against the wall with arms crossed, watching with interest.
"A composite jutsu that mixes Magnet Release and Fire Release? Nice idea—but the risk is huge," Anbu Kiyohara commented.
"I know," Kiyohara nodded.
Anbu Kiyohara drifted closer, studying the fireball's interior.
"The chakra output you're using to maintain this could fire five normal Great Fireballs."
"Chakra cost… can be optimized later…" Kiyohara could feel his chakra draining rapidly. Even the air molecules were starting to react.
In the end, he spat the white-hot fireball forward into the corner target zone—where he'd set up Earth Release mannequins in advance.
BOOM!
The fireball exploded, producing a circular shockwave.
Even the reinforced stone floor was scorched black across more than ten meters, smoke curling up.
Kiyohara stood still, his clothes whipped by the hot wind as his Sharingan slowly returned to normal.
Anbu Kiyohara floated to the edge of the crater and looked down.
"It directly vaporized the surface rock and melted through a meter deep… That's already A-rank destructive power."
He nodded.
Kiyohara had essentially developed a new technique.
But without a bloodline limit, nobody could reproduce something like this.
And you'd need both chakra quantity and chakra control—one missing and it falls apart.
"But the charge-up time is too long, and the chakra cost is too high. Practical value in real combat is limited."
"First attempt," Kiyohara wiped sweat from his brow.
"I can optimize it later—shorten the wind-up, cut the cost. Then it'll be combat-viable."
"Got a name?" Anbu Kiyohara asked.
Kiyohara thought for a moment.
"How about Fire Release: Microwave Bullet?"
"Whatever," Anbu Kiyohara shrugged.
"But I'll warn you—high-precision composite jutsu like this… if it goes unstable in a fight, the first one it might burn is you."
"I know."
Kiyohara walked to the crater and crouched, touching the melted rock surface.
Heat prickled at his fingertips; hardened skin barely held up.
Then he began cleaning up the traces.
Overall, he was satisfied.
With a few days of optimization, it should be usable on a real battlefield.
It would be great for clearing fodder—or countering enemy Water Release.
And Great Fireball was only one "carrier." He could try applying the same method to Great Dragon Fire as well.
Once he finished cleaning up, he glanced at the sky.
Time to cook.
He turned and left.
…
Half an hour later, the first-floor kitchen filled with the smell of food.
Kiyohara wore a dark-blue apron, standing at the stove.
As the last plate of tempura came out, footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Lazy, dragging footsteps—clearly someone who wasn't fully awake yet.
Tsunade appeared at the top of the stairs.
She wore a light-purple silk nightdress. It was loose-fitting, with a slightly low neckline that showed elegant collarbones and a hint of pale cleavage.
The hem only reached mid-thigh, flashing subtly as she walked.
Her long blonde hair was fluffy and messy, a few strands stuck to her cheek.
Eyes half-lidded, she held the railing with one hand and rubbed her temple with the other—obviously she'd drunk a lot again last night.
"Kiyohara… got any hangover medicine…?"
Her voice was husky with a hangover as she wobbled toward the table.
Kiyohara turned with a bowl of miso soup in his hands and saw the scene.
From the first floor, he could see Tsunade clearly on the stairs.
The staircase was wooden—and open underneath, with wooden rails.
He'd once wondered whether Hashirama had used Wood Release when building the Senju residence, since so much of it was wood.
But that wasn't the issue right now. When Kiyohara looked up, he saw… certain things.
Yeah. Pink.
He didn't expect Tsunade to be so playful—her underwear even had a pink pig pattern.
Kiyohara remembered the Tō no Sho explaining Tonton's origin: a pet pig Tsunade kept. So Tsunade really was a pig-lover.
Kiyohara mentally turned off the auto-aim and set the soup bowl on the table, quietly concluding that his teacher's figure really was impressive.
"Hangover medicine is on the second shelf of the cabinet," he said.
"Ugh, forget it. Too much work. I'll just use the Strength of a Hundred Seal."
Tsunade stumbled to the chair and plopped down.
The diamond mark on her forehead glowed faint violet.
Chakra flowed out, circulating through her tenketsu and pathways.
Her alcohol metabolism was forcibly accelerated—her flushed cheeks visibly fading as her eyes cleared from hazy to sharp.
"Whew… back to life…"
She exhaled hard, leaning back.
More footsteps came down the stairs—lighter this time.
Shizune descended with Tonton in her arms.
The little pink piglet snorted eagerly, black bean eyes locked on the food.
"Smells amazing! What did you make today, Kiyohara-kun?" Shizune's eyes lit up.
Hearing that, Tsunade glanced up toward Shizune coming down the stairs.
From that angle, she suddenly realized something.
And she finally seemed to notice her outfit.
A flicker of awkwardness hit her, and she muttered internally that Kiyohara probably hadn't seen anything.
Then again, she was wearing something today. When she got drunk, she often wore nothing but a nightdress…
That thought made her feel slightly safer.
"Just normal cooking," Kiyohara said, handing over the last bowl of rice.
"I prepared food for Tonton too."
He brought out a small plate from the kitchen—vegetable puree mixed with grains.
Tonton excitedly hopped out of Shizune's arms and started snarfing it down.
Three people and one pig began eating.
The table was quiet, filled only with the soft clink of utensils. After a few bites, Tsunade suddenly spoke.
"Kiyohara, I heard about yesterday."
Kiyohara looked up.
"The Hokage told you?"
"Yeah."
Tsunade picked up a piece of tempura.
"The old man came to me on purpose—said my student wiped out an enemy base all by himself."
Kiyohara set down his chopsticks.
"Sensei, I—"
He figured she was about to say it was reckless to go alone.
"I'm not blaming you."
Tsunade cut him off and bit into the tempura—the crisp crunch loud in the quiet room.
"There are things you don't understand. The village has a dark side too."
She meant Danzō.
Back then, Konoha had gone through a feverish period—volunteers lining up for human experiments, trying to recreate Hashirama's Wood Release.
It was eventually shut down and banned.
But Tsunade's feelings about it were still complicated.
She suspected the base Kiyohara destroyed was something that old ghost Danzō was running in secret.
But without evidence, she couldn't do much.
All Tsunade wanted was for Kiyohara not to be targeted.
Kiyohara looked at her, surprised.
"What? You thought I'd scold you for being reckless?"
Tsunade raised a brow.
"Kiyohara, I took you as my student partly because of the old man's push. But once you're mine, I'm responsible for you."
"I understand, Sensei."
Kiyohara nodded.
Honestly, the Three Sannin all had their flaws—but when it came to their students, they were genuinely top-tier.
"Good."
Tsunade drank some miso soup.
"Anyway, your growth is ridiculous. Looks like you train every day."
She sounded a little wistful.
Even among shinobi, not everyone could keep grinding daily.
"More or less," Kiyohara nodded.
Tsunade didn't press further and instead turned to Shizune.
"Shizune, you're on hospital duty this afternoon, right? Keep an eye on the patient in Room Three. Record his post-op recovery in detail."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!"
Shizune nodded.
Lunch ended in a relatively relaxed mood.
After eating, Tsunade went upstairs to change. Shizune cleaned up. Kiyohara put on his coat and got ready to go out.
"Kiyohara-kun, heading out to train?" Shizune asked while washing dishes.
"Yeah. Third Training Ground."
"Be careful on the way."
Kiyohara nodded and left.
…
Konoha had entered early summer. The temperature was comfortable.
There weren't many pedestrians—most shinobi were either out on missions or taking a midday break.
Kiyohara followed the familiar route toward the Third Training Ground.
He didn't walk fast; his mind was still on the jutsu from the morning.
"Kiyohara?"
A crisp voice came from the side.
Kiyohara turned and saw Kurenai Yuhi step out from a narrow alley.
Today she wore casual shinobi gear, her black curly hair tied into a high ponytail—clean and sharp.
Her delicate face carried a faint smile, and she was holding… a skewer of three-colored dango.
"Kurenai. Afternoon."
Kiyohara stopped.
"Afternoon!"
Kurenai walked up and naturally fell into step beside him.
But thinking of the birthday gift Kiyohara had given her last time, her expression turned a little awkward.
Shy.
She quickly changed the subject.
"Going to the training ground?"
"Yeah. Training."
"Me too!"
Kurenai bit into a dango. A bit of sweet sauce stuck to the corner of her mouth.
"I'm practicing genjutsu though. Oh—by the way, Kiyohara, did you eat lunch? Want to try this? I just bought it, it's still warm."
She offered the skewer.
Three-colored dango—pink, white, green—neatly lined up on a bamboo stick, glazed with sweet sauce and smelling sugary-sweet.
Kiyohara looked at the dango, and a random image flashed through his mind—
A future version of Mitarashi Anko. Thirty-something Anko was basically a different person compared to her younger self—an extreme before-and-after.
Kiyohara subconsciously glanced at Kurenai.
The girl was slim and balanced, with a narrow waist and long straight legs.
Right now, she had nothing to do with the word "fat."
But every time he saw Kurenai eating sweets, he couldn't help thinking about it.
What about the future?
If she got addicted to sweets like Anko…
"Kiyohara?"
Kurenai tilted her head.
"What's wrong? Don't like dango?"
"No, it's just…"
Kiyohara took the skewer and bit the pink one.
"I suddenly thought about Anko."
"Mitarashi Anko-senpai?" Kurenai blinked. "What about her?"
Kiyohara handed the skewer back, watching her bite the second one, and said slowly:
"Anko really likes sweets—especially three-colored dango. I was thinking… if Kurenai eats like this every day, will you…"
He deliberately paused.
Kurenai froze mid-chew, eyes wide.
"Will I what?"
"Will you turn into a Yuhi sweet potato?"
Kiyohara said with a perfectly straight face.
The air went quiet for two seconds.
Then Kurenai's cheeks flushed bright red.
"Kiyohara!"
She puffed up, ruby eyes glaring, her ponytail twitching with agitation.
"What—what do you mean?! There's no way I'd get fat. I train every day!"
She waved her arms hard like she was proving it.
"And I've improved a lot lately! Ninjutsu training burns tons of stamina!"
Kiyohara looked at her bristling and couldn't help laughing.
"I'm kidding. Your figure's great—you won't get fat."
"T-that's more like it…"
Kurenai mumbled, but she still looked down at herself and pinched her waist, a little worried.
"I really haven't gained weight, right?"
"You haven't."
Kiyohara gave her a serious once-over.
"If anything, your muscle definition's clearer. If you keep training, you might even get abs."
"A-abs?!"
Kurenai's face got even redder.
"How would a girl get abs?! That's too—"
She trailed off, suddenly remembering something.
Actually… female shinobi having faint ab lines wasn't unusual. High-intensity training did that.
But Kurenai specialized in genjutsu and Wind Release, so her physical training wasn't as extreme. Her stomach was still flat and soft.
"Having abs isn't bad," Kiyohara said. "It means strong core control."
And for women, unless you're using drugs or "enhancements," it's hard to build the same bulk as men anyway. Biology just works differently.
"I mean… yeah…"
Kurenai muttered, ears burning.
Chatting like that, they reached the Third Training Ground.
Then a familiar shout rang out ahead.
"Third Gate—Gate of Life… OPEN!"
Green chakra steam erupted like a flame.
Then a sudden boom—
BAM!
A tree thick enough to need two people hugging it was snapped clean in half by a kick.
The upper trunk spun and flew more than ten meters, smashing into the ground and throwing dust everywhere.
Kiyohara and Kurenai stopped and looked over.
In the middle of the field, Might Guy held a high-kick pose, surrounded by green steam.
His skin was red with blood flow, veins bulging, but his face was lit with pure, blazing joy.
"Hahahaha! This is the power of youth!"
Guy dropped his leg and landed solidly.
The steam faded. He panted, but his eyes still shone.
Then he noticed them.
"Oh! Kiyohara! Kurenai!"
Guy grinned, showing a full set of white teeth.
"You're training too? What a youthful coincidence!"
He marched over, his green bodysuit glittering in the sunlight.
Sweat soaked it and clung to his body, outlining lean muscles.
"Guy."
Kiyohara nodded in greeting.
"That was the Third Gate?"
"Exactly!"
Guy gave a thumbs-up. His teeth flashed.
"Gate of Life! It removes the body's limiters and boosts strength and speed massively—but the burden is huge, so you can't maintain it long!"
He looked at Kiyohara, eyes blazing with excitement.
"Kiyohara—do you want to learn the Eight Gates? I can teach you!"
Kiyohara paused.
Eight Gates were great—he absolutely wanted them. There was a kind of pure stat-based beauty to that technique.
What surprised him was how directly Guy offered.
"Guy," Kiyohara chose his words carefully, "is it really okay to just… teach me the Eight Gates like that?"
Guy laughed loudly.
"Youth is meant to be shared! And Kiyohara, when we ran together last time, I knew you were born for taijutsu!"
He slapped Kiyohara's shoulder so hard Kiyohara swayed.
"But I have to make it clear: the Eight Gates aren't easy. You're forcibly striking eight chakra points to remove your body's limiters. Every gate multiplies the burden!"
Guy's expression turned unusually serious.
"The First Gate—Opening Gate—is relatively safe. But from the Second Gate—Healing Gate—you remove fatigue limits and can injure yourself. And the Eighth Gate… the Gate of Death…"
He paused, voice heavy.
"That's a flame fueled by your life. My father… opened the Gate of Death."
The mood turned solemn.
"Guy. Duy-senpai was a hero," Kiyohara said.
"Haha! It's fine!"
Guy shook his head hard, then smiled again.
"My father's youth burned bright! He protected his comrades and defended Konoha's honor—that's the meaning of the Eight Gates! Not for destruction… for protection!"
He stared at Kiyohara with scorching eyes.
"So if you really want to learn it, you have to understand this first. The Eight Gates aren't a toy for showing off power—they're the last resort, the resolve to burn yourself if it means protecting someone important!"
Kiyohara fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"I understand."
"Still, I'm not going purely taijutsu," Kiyohara added. "For me, the Eight Gates are more… a reference point. Understanding the principles of drawing out the body's potential might help me refine my current combat system."
"Huh? Reference point…?"
Guy scratched his head, clearly not following Kiyohara's technical phrasing.
His academics were… higher than Obito's, lower than Kiyohara's.
When he was young, he couldn't even pass the academy entrance test. If the Third Hokage hadn't noticed him running endless laps around the field, Guy might never have entered the academy.
So his focus had always been taijutsu—though he still knew basic ninjutsu.
"Anyway! You're right—everyone's youth is different! You can understand the Eight Gates in your own way!"
Guy's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Then how about this: I'll teach you the basics this afternoon. We start with the First Gate—Opening Gate. It releases the brain's limiters and boosts reaction speed and perception!"
Kiyohara and Kurenai exchanged a glance.
"Right now?" Kurenai asked, surprised.
"Of course! Youth means acting immediately!"
Guy gave a thumbs-up.
"Kurenai, you can join too! Even if you're a girl, improving your physical base helps chakra control!"
Kurenai hesitated, then nodded.
"Then… I'll try."
She felt weird imagining it, but she'd treat it as training together with Kiyohara. And if it was only the First Gate, the impact wouldn't be too extreme.
"Alright—let's begin!"
Guy led them to the center and cleared his throat, striking a "teacher" pose.
"Listen up! The foundation of the Eight Gates is absolute control over your body. Before you strike any chakra points, you need to understand every muscle you have!"
He pointed at himself.
"First, we start with basic conditioning. Today's goal is—"
"Wait."
Kiyohara interrupted.
"Guy, I want to do this another way."
"Hm?"
Kiyohara formed seals and quietly activated his Sharingan. Scarlet irises, tomoe slowly rotating.
"My Sharingan can see chakra flow and micro-changes inside the body. Instead of starting from external training, I want to directly observe what actually changes inside you when you open the Gates."
He looked at Guy.
"Can you open the Gate of Life again? Not full power—just enough for me to see the chakra points being forced open."
Guy blinked, then grinned wide.
"Interesting! Using your eyes to see through the principles of youth? Fine—watch closely!"
He took a breath and began molding chakra.
"First Gate—Opening Gate… OPEN!"
Green steam rose as sweat evaporated into chakra mist.
"Second Gate—Healing Gate… OPEN!"
His skin began to redden.
The air around him rippled subtly from chakra leakage.
"Third Gate—Gate of Life… OPEN!"
More green steam rose—smaller than before.
Guy maintained the minimum activation level so Kiyohara could observe.
Kiyohara's Sharingan tracked the chakra flow inside Guy.
In his vision, Guy's chakra pathways looked like glowing streams.
And at the key nodes where those streams converged, shocking changes were happening.
The Opening Gate was in the brain. When Guy opened it, Kiyohara saw the "limiter" tenketsu that suppressed and controlled chakra being forcibly blown open, sending a surge of chakra into the cerebral cortex.
Then came the Healing Gate, then the next…
Kiyohara watched those chakra points closely.
~~~
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