Mastery of all five chakra natures… Shadow Clone Jutsu… and the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique…
Might Guy trailed behind Hikari, carrying his leg weights while mentally recording every detail about her. By tomorrow morning, this intel would be compiled into a written report for the Third Hokage—part of a covert operation to dismantle Hikari's unknown agenda.
"You already know, don't you, Guy?"
"Huh? Y-yeah! …Wait, know what?"
Guy, lost in thought, answered reflexively before jerking his head up in alarm.
Hikari continued walking ahead at her usual unhurried pace, her calm voice cutting through the air like a blade:
"That depends on what Kakashi or the Third Hokage told you."
Tap… tap… tap…
Silence settled between them as they crossed the empty street. The golden glow of sunset stretched their shadows long, making the sparse crowd fade into the background until it felt like only the two of them remained.
"I—I didn't—"
"You're a terrible spy. And an even worse liar."
Hikari ignored Guy's forced composure. Her dead-gray Byakugan saw right through him—his pounding heart, the sweat beading on his skin—every sign of tension laid bare.
She'd noticed his odd behavior back at the shop when they bought chakra paper. The usually boisterous Guy had gone uncharacteristically quiet. No questions about the leg weights. No real joy upon learning she possessed all five chakra natures—just surprise.
Clearly, Kakashi or the Third had already shared their suspicions with him. And if she had to guess, Guy had likely been assigned to monitor her—with strict orders to guard the secrets of the Eight Gates, no matter what.
"You waited for me on that street yesterday on purpose, didn't you?"
Guy's heartbeat steadied. He was never cut out for this kind of work. Getting caught was inevitable.
"Yes. I waited there all afternoon."
Hikari's reply was unnervingly frank.
Not that lying would've helped—Kakashi had watched the whole thing from the trees.
"Just to get the Eight Gates?"
Guy's voice darkened, fury simmering beneath his words.
However brief their time together, the joy of having a "daughter" had felt real. To him, family was sacred. And Hikari had exploited that—tainting the one pure thing he had left.
"And enrollment at the Academy," Hikari corrected flatly, her indifference only stoking Guy's rage.
"I'll never let you master the Eight Gates!"
"Today, Iruka-sensei taught us about a shinobi's limits."
Hikari spoke as if Guy's outburst hadn't happened.
"Chakra is tied to vitality. The stronger one's life force, the greater their reserves. But no matter how much you train, an ordinary person can never surpass a natural prodigy. That's when I understood the Eight Gates' true secret."
Guy's expression twisted in disbelief as she continued, her tone clinical:
"The body has eight gates—Open, Close, Life, Injury, Limit, View, Shock, and Death—eight locks forged by survival instinct. They seal away the body's latent energy, preventing reckless exhaustion. The Eight Gates technique trains the body to endure agony, breaking these locks one by one. It burns life itself to unleash chakra beyond human limits. And if not used in battle, that energy seeps back into the user's flesh… pushing their physical capabilities further each time."
She didn't even glance at Guy's horrified face.
"Practitioners of the Eight Gates shatter their limits again and again. As long as their vitality holds, their strength grows indefinitely. A stronger body harnesses more chakra—a cycle that continues until all eight gates open, culminating in the ultimate technique: the Eight Gates Released Formation."
"You—! How?! Did you—last night, when I was bathing?!"
Guy's eyes bulged. She'd just recited the Eight Gates' core principles verbatim.
"Guy, you didn't actually think hiding the scroll under your bed was a good idea, did you?" Hikari smirked.
She'd located the scroll the moment she stepped into his home using her Byakugan. While Guy showered, she memorized every word.
The technique itself wasn't complex—just instructions on gate locations and the brutal training required to unlock them. The true challenge was the relentless discipline, the willingness to trade one's future for power.
The Eight Gates was both a fighting style and a training method. Each breakthrough consumed life force. Every session risked death. Users thrived under the shadow of their own mortality—until age caught up, and their bodies crumbled like spent kindling.
Now she understood why Guy and his father clung so fiercely to their "eternal youth" mantra. And why so few in Konoha dared to learn this art.
"Burning youth"—that was the Eight Gates' ultimate truth.
"You got what you wanted." Guy's voice was hollow.
He'd been a fool to think moving the scroll to Kakashi's place would help. Hikari had stolen its secrets in a single night.
She hadn't even waited.
"Almost."
Hikari stopped walking and turned to face him.
Guy blinked. Without realizing it, she'd led him into a secluded grove—a perfect spot for an ambush.
"…Are you going to kill me?"
Clatter.
Her cane hit the ground. She shed her white cloak, revealing a black bodysuit underneath.
"Guy… My parents, my family—they're all gone. Even if our meeting was staged, you're the only family I have left. That much is real."
She untied the cloth covering her eyes, then retied it tighter. The sharp lines of her brow stood out against the dark fabric. Beneath her skin, her bone structure grew denser.
"I'm not a spy. I came to Konoha with no ulterior motives—just a ghost desperate for strength. But I did deceive you. For that, I'm sorry."
She spread her arms wide, like a martyr on a cross.
"If you can't forgive me… then hit me until you're satisfied. I won't fight back."
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