"Blargh—"
The first experience with spatial travel was not pleasant. The intense acceleration instantly turning into a sudden stop caused a violent wave of dizziness and nausea.
Even though learning the Flying Thunder God Technique directly from the system gave Night a solid foundation in spatial awareness, the physical side effects varied from person to person. Clearly, his body needed time to adapt.
More importantly, Night realized a critical issue: he didn't have Minato's innate neural wiring or god-tier reflexes.
In high-speed combat requiring continuous teleportation, he might not be able to react fast enough.
Still, the Flying Thunder God was a powerful ace up his sleeve. After all, even Izuna Uchiha, who had the Mangekyō Sharingan, was "spawn-killed" by this technique.
He tried it a few more times. Supported by the powerful Uzumaki physique, the nauseating feeling of weightlessness faded quickly. He was adapting fast.
He carefully hid a kunai marked with the Flying Thunder God formula on a roof beam.
"Does this count as setting a spawn point?" Night joked to himself.
The Next Day.
As dawn broke, Night's biological clock woke him up.
He put on his training uniform and headed to the training grounds, wondering why Might Duy hadn't shown up outside his house today.
As soon as he entered the training grounds, he heard the familiar "Roar of Youth."
"YOUTH! LIMITER RELEASE! FIFTH GATE: GATE OF LIMIT — OPEN!"
Might Duy's aura changed instantly. Thick green chakra erupted from his body.
He sprinted forward at blinding speed. With this immense boost, the target dummy in his path shattered from the wind pressure alone before his fist even made contact.
Then, Duy deactivated the Eight Gates Released Formation. He leaned over, hands on his knees, gasping for air. The toll on his body was immense.
Even though he knew what to expect, seeing it in person shook Night to his core.
Unlike flashy, colorful ninjutsu, this raw, explosive power came purely from physical training. It truly was the strongest taijutsu in the ninja world—the ultimate "cheat code" for commoners.
If Night's original body hadn't been too weak to keep up with Duy's training, he would have tried to learn this "cheat" much sooner.
"Duy-niisan, what was that?"
Seeing Night approach, Duy struggled to raise a hand and give a thumbs-up, grinning. "That was the test of my training results! The Eight Gates Released Formation! What do you think?"
"Incredible. To reach that level with just taijutsu..."
"Let's train together! I'll teach you!" Duy's tone suddenly became serious. "If I don't come back from a mission... at least this technique won't be lost."
Night learned that Duy had been drafted for a mission.
Since Duy wasn't married yet, the first person he thought of was Night—the only one who acknowledged him. He demonstrated the Eight Gates because he wanted to pass it on.
Although Night's initial approach to Duy wasn't purely altruistic, after spending time together, he had come to genuinely respect the man.
Even when mocked, Duy stuck to his ninja way. He was a true ninja.
Night accepted the scroll for the Eight Gates. Since Duy was exhausted from opening the Fifth Gate, he skipped his usual routine and spent the day guiding Night through the basics.
---
Land of Water. Kirigakure (Mist Village).
"What? Those lunatics from the Kaguya clan went to Konoha to assassinate Nawaki Senju?" The Third Mizukage squinted, his perpetually half-closed eyes widening slightly in disbelief.
But on second thought, it wasn't impossible for the battle-crazed Kaguya clan to do something that stupid. Plus, the letter from Konoha included irrefutable proof: a Kaguya bone spike.
The Mizukage tossed the strongly worded letter onto his desk, feeling a headache coming on.
They had just finished the war to destroy the Land of Whirlpools. Although the loot was good, the losses were real.
The Uzumaki ninjas had fought to the death, taking many Mist elites down with them using suicide sealing jutsus.
Like the Sand Village, the Mist followed an "elite soldier" policy. Losing a single ninja was costly.
The difference was that the Sand did it because they were broke; the Mist did it because their bloodline clans kept killing each other.
The Mizukage summoned an attendant and ordered him to deliver the letter to the Kaguya clan, demanding an explanation.
Kaguya Clan Compound.
Naoto Kaguya, the clan head, looked at the letter in shock.
Someone from his clan crossed the ocean, infiltrated the Land of Fire, and tried to assassinate the Senju heir?
It sounded absurd, but Naoto convened a clan meeting anyway.
When he explained the situation, the crowded meeting hall went strangely silent for a moment. Clan members looked at each other in confusion.
Then, the room erupted in cheers. Some even lamented that such a bold operation had failed.
Naoto had to shout for order, emphasizing that Konoha was pressuring the Mizukage for an investigation.
Hearing this, the clan exploded again.
"The Mizukage? Who does he think he is?!"
"I've been sick of him for a long time! Does he think the Kaguya clan is afraid of him?!"
"Is he Konoha's dog? Helping them demand answers from us!"
Seeing the clan's fury rising, Naoto feared they might grab their bone spikes and march on the Mizukage's office right then and there.
"SILENCE!"
Naoto unleashed a powerful aura. As a clan that worshipped strength, the Kaguya respected power above all else. They quieted down and looked at their leader.
"I need to know: Who was absent from the clan compound during that time?"
Normally, Kaguya members rarely left unless they were fighting, so checking attendance should have been easy. Assuming they cooperated.
"It was me! I was gone for a few days. I went to the Land of Fire!"
"Kid, don't lie. I saw you training yesterday. It was actually me!"
"Actually, it was..."
The Kaguya members started shouting over each other, trying to take the blame to protect the non-existent "hero."
Even an old man hobbling on a cane tried to claim responsibility.
Naoto, one of the few rational minds in the clan, realized they were in big trouble.
Just as he feared, the argument spiraled. One particularly radical member shouted:
"If the Mizukage wants an answer, why make things difficult for the clan?!"
Before anyone could react, he thrust a bone spike from his palm straight into his own heart. He died instantly.
The Kaguya compound fell deathly silent.
The clan, already resentful of the Mizukage, turned their hate-filled eyes toward the Mizukage's tower.