We reached 55 power stones, so here's the chapter. I'll be uploading two more today, so stay tuned.
...
The Wood Dragon Jutsu was interesting because it could be countered rather easily by just destroying the head of the creature. In that regard, Hidetada could place the Fuinjutsu seal somewhere else on its body to prevent the chakra absorbing property from vanishing; yet, if the head were destroyed, as it was the part most enemies would attack first, the chakra absorbing factor would be reduced by dozens. Of course, its skull could be regenerated by supplying the necessary chakra, but that would grant the enemy enough time to dart away and launch a counterattack.
Maybe he had been wrong about not enhancing the overall structure of its body? That was another factor to consider. While reinforcing the entire frame would require more chakra, it was not truly a problem for someone of his caliber.
A few more seconds passed as he pondered the question before he decided to try a different approach. Going through the hand seals once again, Hidetada re-created the immense creature of wood and timber.
There was no longer a visible seal written on its forehead; instead, it looked completely normal from a distance. Commanding it to come closer, he observed the minute markings that had become engraved on every inch of its frame. The script for 'Absorption' was etched into every part of its wooden surface, ensuring that even if the head were obliterated, the power to strip away his enemies' chakra would remain the same as it was before. The wood itself seemed to pulse with a faint, rhythmic vitality, the grain of the timber swirling in patterns that mimicked the flow of chakra pathways.
Satisfied with his creation, he patted the dragon on its head before cutting off the chakra supply and preventing it from siphoning the nature chakra from its surroundings to sustain its existence. That was another curious factor about his and Hashirama's Wood Release. Most jutsu would fade once their creator stopped fueling them, yet it was not the same for the entities birthed by Mokuton.
Hopping off the moss covered rock, he landed on the ground with a soft thump before walking toward the withered remains of the tree he had destroyed. It was beyond saving.
Forming a Snake hand seal, he flooded the nutrient rich soil with chakra. Soon, a sapling pushed through the dirt, beginning its instantaneous evolution into a matured form. Standing in the place of the decayed husk was a brand new, monstrous oak, its leaves and branches shimmering with newfound vigor. The emerald leaves unfurled with audible snaps, stretching toward the hidden sun as the bark thickened and grooved in a matter of heartbeats.
Walking toward it, Hidetada patted the bark comfortingly, listening to the full, solid thump that echoed back through the quiet clearing.
That was why the trees created by his grandfather were still alive and thriving even long after his death. It was just another piece of evidence that fueled his hypothesis on their existence.
Now, what other jutsu could he modify with Fuinjutsu?
Before Hidetada could answer his own question, he was interrupted by the familiar chakra signature of Might Duy heading straight toward him. It was almost terrifying how fast he could run even with those weights on his legs. Within a few seconds, the self proclaimed Green Beast of Konoha was standing on top of a tree branch, his thumb pointed upward and his teeth flashing brightly in his trademark grin.
"Hidetada-sama! I felt the burning energy of your spirit from the other side of the village!" Duy roared, his voice booming with enough force to startle birds from the trees three miles away. "To see a youth of your caliber sweating and striving in the dirt... it brings tears of pure passion to my eyes! Don't let the embers fade! Let us stoke the furnace of our souls together until the very heavens tremble at our persistence! WHOOOO-HAA!"
With that shout, Duy leaped from the thick branch of a tree, his body a blur of green spandex that landed with a heavy, precise thud right in front of Hidetada. His hair cut waved comically on the way down, settling back into its rigid shape the moment his feet hit the dirt. The impact sent a small cloud of dust and dried leaves spiraling into the air around his feet.
The Senju heir stared at the man, still lost for words even after having spent hours training with him. He somehow managed to give a decent response quickly. "It's good to meet you as well, Duy. I was just working on perfecting my jutsu before you came here. Truly, the spirit of youth burns brightly in me today."
Hidetada finished with an awkward grin while scratching his cheek with a finger. Might Duy seemed to become even more energized after hearing him, pumping his fist into the air with enough vigor to displace the oxygen around them. "As expected of my eternal rival, Hidetada-sama! Our flames of passion for training shall never dim!"
Nodding at Duy's words, Hidetada remembered the conversation he had with Mito yesterday. "Say, do you recall when I asked you yesterday about the Eight Gates?"
Might Duy furrowed his thick, bushy eyebrows as he searched his memory. His face lit up with recognition and he nodded. "Indeed I do, Hidetada-sama. Unfortunately, I still do not know anything about them," he muttered the last part with a palpable regret.
Waving his hands to dissuade Duy's worries, Hidetada informed him of what he had discovered. "Worry not, my friend. I did my research and found the details. You see, the Eight Inner Gates are points located inside your body that limit the flow of chakra. They can be released to improve one's physical capabilities to an immense degree, with some side effects, of course. I think I could help you unlock them if you're interested." He pursed his lips in thought before continuing in a serious tone. "I think the technique would be perfect for you."
A grim expression overcame Might Duy's face as he considered the offer. These Gates were not something he had ever heard mentioned in his entire lifetime. The prospect of enhancing his body to an immense degree sounded like a dream tailored specifically for someone with his limitations. Like all great things, it felt almost too good to be true.
With a respectful tone, Might Duy voiced his concern. "I do not mean any disrespect when I say this, Hidetada-sama, but this deal sounds a little too perfect. What is the catch?"
The heir to the Senju clan folded his arms. "As I said, for someone who hasn't been training as rigorously as you, it would mean the intense tearing of muscles. But because of your regimen, your body is already four times the strength of a normal shinobi. This jutsu is made for you." He paused, his expression hardening as he reached the most important part. "Forgive me, but I forgot to mention: the more gates you open, the more stress it puts on your body. Once you open the final gate, the eighth, you would become more powerful than anyone alive in this entire world. That includes me, the current Lord Hokage, and the previous ones as well. But you will die. That is certain."
Duy's eyes widened, the sheer scale of that statement hitting him like a physical blow. The power to surpass the gods of shinobi, offered to a man the village mocked as the Eternal Genin.
A tense silence enveloped the forest as Duy looked down at his own calloused, scarred hands. For twenty years, he had lived in the shadow of a world that didn't want him. He had felt the stinging whispers of his peers and the pitying glances of those who saw his lack of Ninjutsu as a terminal illness. Every morning at dawn, as he ran until his lungs screamed and his vision blurred, a small, dark voice at the back of his mind told him it was all for nothing. It told him that no matter how many laps he ran or how many thousands of punches he threw, he would never be enough to protect the things he loved. He was a man trying to fill a bucket with a hole in the bottom.
But now, Hidetada was offering him a way to plug that hole. He was offering him the opportunity that he had always dreamed of, a chance to turn his decades of unrecognized agony into a weapon that could shake the foundations of the world. The thought of death didn't frighten him; the thought of dying without ever having the strength to stand in front of those he cared about was far more terrifying. If the price of becoming a shield for the innocent was his own life, he would pay it a thousand times over.
Tears of pure, unadulterated happiness gushed from his eyes. He didn't wipe them away, letting them soak into his spandex as he looked up with hope shining brightly, "I agree, Hidetada-sama! I would give up everything to learn about the Eight Inner Gates!"
The Senju Heir smiled before moving up and clasping the man on his shoulder with his hand. "Then let us begin, Duy. The first thing that you will need to do is locate the Gate of Opening located in the brain." He paused, thinking for a second before continuing. "You would need to direct your chakra inwards and around the gate to create pressure on it."
Might Duy nodded as he said those words before remembering something and smiling sheepishly. "Hidetada-sama, I had given up hope on using any sort of Ninjutsu, so my chakra control is not in the best shape."
With a wave of his hand, Hidetada spoke, "Worry not, we have more than enough time." That actually reminded him, it was the perfect opportunity to test his newfound ability to mix Fuinjutsu and Mokuton. "Say Duy, how about I create a dome around you to block any sounds from disturbing you while you remain focused on unlocking the first gate?"
Thinking for a fraction of a second, Might Duy nodded.
"Don't worry, I'll know when you want to get out."
Hidetada's hand formed the Rat hand seal before switching to Ox and finally landing on the Tiger hand sign. The ground beneath Duy rumbled as his chakra was poured into it. Pillars of wood engraved with Fuinjutsu emerged, locking themselves around him.
"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall Jutsu."
The Green Beast of Konoha was contained inside the technique's numerous pillars, in complete sensory deprivation from his surroundings due to the Fuinjutsu. It was just another modification to help him locate the First Gate of Opening even more easily. Sensory deprivation was a common choice for learning how to control your chakra with no external obstacles coming in your path to disturb you.
The clearing returned to a heavy silence, save for the distant, muffled sound of the wind moving through the upper reaches of the forest canopy. The wooden dome stood like a strange, prehistoric egg in the center of the training ground, its surface etched with glowing, Fuinjutsu scripts that hummed with a low, barely audible frequency.
Having some thinking to do, Hidetada sat back on the ground, leaning against the oak tree that he himself had created. Would Duy be able to successfully open the Gates? While he did not know much about them, he could guess things through pure logic alone.
Eventually, Might Duy should be able to open the First Gate, but with his chakra control being abysmal, it would take quite a long time. A better approach to this would be putting him in a life or death situation. With the pressure already being applied on the gate through chakra building up around it, it would open even more quickly if he was in a risky situation; this was basic biology. But the question was, how would Duy be put in a life or death situation?
The obvious choice was to make him train until the brink of death, but Might Duy did that to himself every other day, thus reducing the effect that it would have on his psyche. Another method could be if Hidetada himself fought Duy, but even then, the man would know that the Senju Heir would never seriously harm him. Sending him on a dangerous mission was another lost cause because of his status as the Eternal Genin; he would barely be provided with anything that could be even remotely dangerous.
Hidetada tapped his cheek in thought.
Decisions, decisions, so many of them, yet he did not know which one to pick. Perhaps the best possible method would be just letting Duy brute force his way through the First Gate slowly.
'I suppose only time will tell.'
...
Read up to 20 chapters ahead on my patreon: Patreon.com/Dekiru77
...
Word Count: 2174.