One hour later.
Under Uchiha Gen's direction, Might Duy, having bustled about in the kitchen for an hour, placed a bowl of medicinal soup that emitted a pungent odor onto the table, his expression anxious.
"Jonin Gen, it's brewed. Is this how it's supposed to be?"
Uchiha Gen took a sniff and asked, then reached out, dipped his finger in the medicinal liquid, and dabbed it onto the tip of his tongue.
Hmm, it wasn't bitter, but very astringent, and it had a nauseating quality that made one want to retch.
No wonder Might Duy had that expression; he thought he hadn't brewed it correctly.
"That's right, this is exactly the taste. The medicinal properties are well-balanced. Dai, thank you for your hard work."
After saying this, Uchiha Gen pinched his nose, closed his eyes, and gulped down the pungent medicinal soup.
"Phew... that's good."
Might Duy breathed a sigh of relief.
With a gulp, Uchiha Gen forcibly suppressed the urge to spit out the medicine and swallowed the last mouthful.
"Dai, here is your payment of 10,000 ryo. Could I trouble you to come again at this time tomorrow? The reward remains the same."
"This... Jonin Gen, you could have someone else do this kind of thing, right? Why specify that I should do it?"
Might Duy said, feeling somewhat uneasy.
He only looked a bit rough and unrefined, but he wasn't stupid. As an adult with over ten years of experience as a Ninja, he instinctively felt suspicious of these things that seemed like pies falling from the sky.
"You brewed the medicine very well today, and I am a bit curious about you, Dai."
Uchiha Gen flashed a gentle smile at Might Duy.
"Uh... curious?"
"You must have practiced some extraordinary Taijutsu, right? It's just that due to a poor foundation, and practicing it forcibly, you've depleted your body, which has led to your current state. Otherwise, you shouldn't just be a Genin."
Might Duy looked up in surprise, stuttering: "Jonin Gen, how did you..."
Uchiha Gen closed and opened his eyes, revealing the slowly rotating Three-Tomoe Sharingan, gazing at Might Duy.
"Don't forget, I am an Uchiha; very little can escape the gaze of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Moreover, I am a student of Orochimaru-sensei and a successor of the successive Hokage."
Uchiha Gen's two sentences dispelled the slight wariness that had arisen in Might Duy.
It was mainly the last sentence.
The identity of being a direct disciple of the Hokage was the most useful golden signboard in Konoha.
"Actually, it's not an impressive technique. After Nidaime(2nd)-sama passed it down back then, because the requirements for Taijutsu were too strict, everyone else gave up. Only I, because of my lack of talent, have been stubbornly sticking to this Taijutsu."
Hearing this, Uchiha Gen slowly nodded.
Yes, that's it.
Under Uchiha Gen's guidance, Might Duy seemed to open up, recounting his past experiences.
That was the last year before Tobirama died. Uchiha Gen hadn't even been born yet, the Sannin would graduate after Tobirama died in battle that year, and Might Duy had also entered the Ninja Academy that year.
The Eight Gates technique was something he received from Tobirama at that time, along with other Ninjas of the same cohort.
Perhaps because Tobirama wanted to research the Eight Gates and it wasn't complete, he selected some Ninja students with talent in Taijutsu to try practicing it.
But over a decade later, the only one still persisting with this training program was Might Duy.
And Tobirama, who died early, could not witness Might Duy's cultivation process.
Lacking understanding of the Eight Gates and knowing very little about this project, the batch of Konoha higher-ups naturally ignored Might Duy, this potential talent.
Uchiha Gen sat in the chair, listening to Might Duy's narration across the table, and the entire process of this matter was completely outlined in his mind.
If Tobirama had lived a few more years and seen some of Might Duy's results, perhaps he could have changed his life, allowing him to be reused and receive more resources for cultivation.
"So, this is a Taijutsu that is unfinished but has an extremely high ceiling. It's just that I lack talent; in over ten years, I haven't been able to complete the Taijutsu left behind by Nidaime(2nd)-sama."
Uchiha Gen listened to Might Duy finish the last sentence and slowly nodded, indicating he understood.
The Eight Gates that Tobirama brought out originated from the Hagoromo Clan of the Sengoku era, but the latter's Eight Gates was a family secret technique unique to them. For an outsider to practice it, it was like a Ninja who was not from the Akimichi Clan trying to practice the Multi-Size Technique; the difficulty of entry was extremely high, so it naturally needed to be modified.
This work, even for Tobirama, was only initially completed in his later years.
The first one or two gates were relatively perfect, and as they spread outside with that batch of students back then, the subsequent parts were just roughly polished embryos, incomplete, and no one practiced them.
Only Might Duy was continuing to practice while perfecting this technique.
"So Dai, to what extent can you perform this technique now?"
"If I try my best, I should barely be able to open the Sixth Gate. It's just that my physical foundation is too poor to bear such immense pressure. Moreover, each subsequent gate is harder to open than the last, and I don't know if I have the ability to continue perfecting it."
"You will."
Uchiha Gen nodded at Might Duy.
In the original timeline, in another ten years or so, Might Duy would possess the ability to open the Gate of Death.
"Although I don't know how much power your current Sixth Gate can unleash, if I can confirm that you are also a talent worth molding, I will also recommend you to Sandaime and Orochimaru-sensei."
"Really?"
Might Duy said, pleasantly surprised.
Uchiha Gen returned a look of affirmation, nodding.
For such a pearl covered in dust with a clean background, he must try his best to recruit him into his own faction as early as possible. In the future, he would definitely be another pillar-level general.
If he were to lose his life for the four Ninja Swordsmen like in the original timeline, that would be too much of a pity.
Just having bloomed with a dazzling spark that shocked the Ninja World, he had to fall rapidly like a shooting star.
"Hmm, you don't need to have any concerns. If you are worried about the damage caused to your body by the pressure of the Sixth Gate, I can also use Medical Ninjutsu to treat you."
"Jonin Gen, I, I..."
Might Duy was somewhat incoherent.
He knew that he had met a benefactor.
"Alright, you go back and rest for a while first. For now, wait until my injuries are healed. At that time, I will personally test your Eight Gates. Take good care of yourself these few days; don't let me down."
After pacifying Might Duy, who had been nervous for a long time, and sending him away, Uchiha Gen curled up and lay on the bed.
Meeting Might Duy was purely an unexpected joy.
These few days, he needed to heal his injuries, so normal Ninjutsu and Taijutsu training definitely couldn't be carried out, otherwise, it would affect his recovery.
His main energy could only be put into Genjutsu, which was just perfect for studying those few Sharingan Genjutsu.