In the end, Reiji still managed to get his hands on the scroll for the Earth Grudge Fear secret technique from Danzō, who looked utterly defeated.
Back home, Reiji opened the scroll and began studying it closely.
It was clear Danzō had been thoroughly played.
The scroll not only laid out the training method for the Earth Grudge Fear in detail but also pointed out key things to watch for and the difficult parts of the process.
In one word: considerate.
Training in Earth Grudge Fear was no easy feat—in fact, it was outright painful.
After all, stuffing foreign matter into your body wasn't something most people could even imagine.
And the constant pain from having that inside you was something few could endure.
But enviable power always came hand-in-hand with unbearable suffering.
Still, for Reiji, none of it was a big deal.
Before long, the first black thread emerged inside his body.
But then came the trouble.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode didn't just temper the skin, muscles, and bones—it also trained the toughness of internal organs.
Reiji found, to his dismay, that this frail black thread was struggling to move through his resilient body.
This... this was such a pain in the ass!
Still, he had the time and patience to work through it.
Soon enough, the stubborn thread burrowed its way into his brain.
Sensing it nearing its target location, Reiji didn't hesitate. He went straight to Tsunade and asked her to show him where to open the gate.
Under Tsunade's strange expression and reluctant guidance, the black thread followed his meridians precisely and struck the acupuncture point that opened the first gate.
In that instant, Reiji felt a surge of dense chakra erupt from within.
Open the gate—open!
Suddenly, a powerful aura exploded from his body.
Right after, Reiji withdrew the Earth Grudge Fear thread from the gate.
He'd already memorized the exact spot.
Next time he needed to open it, he could just recreate a short thread at that location.
After all, Earth Grudge Fear's purpose for him was to physically open gates and channel chakra.
Soon, with Tsunade's help, the shirtless Reiji successfully pinpointed the Gate of Healing, Gate of Life, Gate of Pain, Gate of Limit, Gate of View, Gate of Wonder, and Gate of Death.
But realizing this was Tsunade's private quarters, he knew opening the first seven gates here would be a disaster.
He grabbed Tsunade's slightly flushed hand, formed a seal with his other hand, and vanished.
In a dizzying spin, the two reappeared deep in a secluded forest.
"Tsuna, I'm going to open the first seven gates. After that, show me where the eighth, the Gate of Death, is."
Tsunade frowned, clearly worried, and hesitated.
"Reiji... the first seven should be more than enough. Why go so far for the eighth?"
"No way. It's not enough for Old Duy and Lee to knock—youth was made to burn bright!"
Reiji grinned wildly, his face brimming with anticipation.
Tsunade, not all that familiar with the Eight Inner Gates technique, could only nod.
From her perspective, if even a pierced heart couldn't kill him, opening the Eight Inner Gates probably wouldn't either.
While she pondered, Reiji vanished briefly and reappeared moments later—he had used Flying Thunder God to send Kitty to the Land of Iron, a vacation spot she knew well.
Back in place, excitement lit up Reiji's eyes.
Finally, the day had come!
It had been a long road—from scheming to get the Eight Inner Gates, to the frustration of not being able to open them, and now finally discovering how. Each step had been a struggle.
No more thinking. Reiji clenched his fists and activated the chakra inside him.
Black threads burst from his flesh, tearing through the first seven gates of the Eight Inner Gates.
"Here it comes! Old Man Duy's knocking—open up!"
In an instant, the surging chakra shattered his physical limits, turning into an overwhelming force that blasted outward in a violent shockwave.
Blue steam rose from Reiji's skin.
He looked down, scratched his head, and sighed.
Damn, he'd been sunburned so badly in the Land of Lightning, even the skin flushing from chakra couldn't be seen anymore.
Still, the power surging through his body was absolutely monstrous.
Next was the eighth gate—the Gate of Death!
Furrowing his brow, Reiji formed a seal with both hands, targeting the meridians surrounding the Gate of Death near his heart.
Several twisted black threads suddenly burst from his flesh, converging and spiraling before slamming into the gate.
In the next instant, the world seemed to fall eerily silent.
Then, red blood vapor slowly but steadily rose, and shockwaves erupted one after another.
Adrenaline spiked.
An overwhelming power—dozens of times stronger than Kage-level—raged through his body, roaring and tearing away at his life force.
But the terrifying regenerative power of his undying cells didn't yield, relentlessly repairing the carbonized tissue.
Judging by the current rate of destruction, he could probably last at least ten days, maybe even two weeks!
Hurry!
Bring me my speaker—I'm ready to take on ten guys!
Just as Reiji got hyped and was about to fire off a few air blasts into the clearing, the chakra flooding his body suddenly vanished.
He froze.
What the hell?
What just happened?
Did I lose connection?!
I'm not even using Iron Telecom—why the hell would I lose signal?
After a moment of careful sensing, he was utterly speechless.
His body could handle the load of the Eight Gates just fine, but Earth Grudge Fear was absolute garbage!
The black threads had been incinerated by the intense energy.
And before he could react, his cells' monstrous regeneration had already sealed the Gate of Death shut.
What... what the hell is this?
Is my youth just a damn trial pass?!
What the hell, man!
Stumbling, Reiji collapsed into Tsunade's arms as she rushed over, covering his forehead with an exasperated look.
Forget it. Let Old Man Duy knock on the door—I'll figure out another way to deal with the Gate of Death.
...
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
That morning, as Reiji lay on the tatami mat, his eyes suddenly shot open.
He sensed it—one of the markers he'd left behind was moving northwest!
The Third Mizukage had left the village!
Not only that, he was leaving the Land of Water at an alarming speed, heading toward the Land of Lightning?
No—toward the Land of Iron!
What's in the Land of Iron?
Why would he go there?
Just then, a vaguely familiar name surfaced in Reiji's mind:
The Graveyard of Mountains!
The rumored hiding place of Madara Uchiha, and also where the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was hidden.
In a flash, Reiji's mind began racing, working through the possibilities.
It was currently Year 28 of Konoha, still at least four years before the Second Shinobi World War and the moment when Nagato would reveal the Rinnegan to Jiraiya.
In other words, Madara Uchiha would obtain the Rinnegan within those four years.
And according to what he told Obito, he awakened the Rinnegan when he was on the brink of death.
No! You can't trust anything Madara said to Obito!
That means... I need to be ready—there's still a fight to be had with Lord Madara!
At that thought, Reiji shot upright, eyes gleaming as he stared in the direction of the Land of Water.