Upon hearing that all external methods were ineffective against Terrifying Death Limit, both Hoshiyomi and Tsunade nearly collapsed.
So there was no solution? Then why did Mito just go on explaining all that in the first place?
"Grandma…" Tsunade muttered helplessly.
Mito, unfazed, continued:
"Ah, I wasn't finished yet. That ancestor of ours, after failing to find any method to undo Terrifying Death Limit, eventually resorted to a desperate, all-or-nothing solution.
He gathered every last ounce of his chakra, endured the searing pain, and forcefully overwhelmed the curse seal from within. He used his own chakra to directly blast through Terrifying Death Limit's restraints and forcibly dispelled the curse."
At that, a cold sweat formed on Hoshiyomi's forehead. That method of dispelling the curse was beyond extreme.
Tsunade turned to him and said seriously,
"Hoshiyomi, maybe you should try it too. That ancestor succeeded—you might be able to as well. And with both Grandma Mito and Hiruzen-sensei here, we can stop things immediately if anything goes wrong."
Hoshiyomi wiped his brow and gave her a dry look.
"Uh, Tsunade... have you considered something?"
"Considered what?"
"That the ancestor in question... was an Uzumaki."
"...Oh. Right. Never mind."
That so-called "hardcore solution" might have been viable for an Uzumaki, who were naturally gifted with massive chakra reserves and ridiculously fast recovery rates.
But if Hoshiyomi tried to copy that method, he'd probably just end up as a smoldering corpse.
In terms of strength, physique, and chakra reserves, he and that ancestor were worlds apart. Applying the same method to Hoshiyomi would be suicide.
The room fell silent again. No one knew what to say. Tsunade, glancing sideways at Hoshiyomi's tightly furrowed brow, suddenly felt a strange pang of sadness.
How could someone so talented, someone with greater potential than all of them, be ruined by a cursed technique?
No. There had to be a way. If they kept searching, kept working, one day they'd find it. She believed that.
Tsunade clenched her fists tighter and tighter, just as she was about to stand and shout something inspirational—Hoshiyomi unexpectedly spoke:
"Grandma Mito... if I were to acquire a powerful body and vast chakra reserves, could I break through the curse the same way that ancestor did?"
Huh?
Tsunade froze, her half-risen body slowly lowering again. That... wasn't what she had expected at all.
Mito paused for a moment, thinking, then said,
"There are no records about what happened to him afterward. But the fact that this method was preserved in the Uzumaki archives suggests he likely succeeded. If you met the same physical conditions, it should theoretically work."
"And what about the tailed beast chakra? Would this method work on that as well?"
"In most cases where people died after consuming tailed beast flesh or chakra, the root cause was their bodies being too weak to handle the immense chakra load.
In theory, if someone had a body strong enough to withstand the chakra's corrosive effects—and if their own chakra was vast enough to suppress the tailed beast's—they could indeed negate its negative impact.
Take Tsunade's grandfather, Hashirama Senju. He could probably bite down on the Nine-Tails' leg and walk away fine. Though he likely wouldn't end up with a chakra cloak like the Gold and Silver Brothers.
That's because his physical strength and chakra reserves were already at the very limits of what exists in this world. Getting a small dose of tailed beast chakra wouldn't affect him at all."
Emmm. That's one way to describe dominating a tailed beast—chewing on its leg. Poor Kurama must've had nightmares.
But Hoshiyomi was too focused to be distracted by that image.
"So... if I were to acquire a powerful enough body and enough chakra, I could, in theory, solve both problems?"
Mito hesitated, but fearing Hoshiyomi would do something reckless, she answered plainly:
"The logic is sound. But in your current state, the most you can do is improve your physical body. Under the curse of Terrifying Death Limit, you simply can't refine chakra—that's impossible."
Hiruzen added in a stern tone,
"Hoshiyomi, this isn't something to take lightly. Terrifying Death Limit is extremely volatile. If you accidentally trigger it, things could spiral out of control fast. Don't do anything rash."
Hoshiyomi quickly waved his hands in reassurance,
"No, no—I'm not planning anything reckless. I just have some ideas. I wouldn't risk myself unless I was sure it was safe."
Seeing his calm and rational attitude, both Hiruzen and Mito relaxed slightly. Then Hoshiyomi explained his thought process:
"I'm friends with Might Duy, who's about to graduate soon. One day, he told me he found a secret taijutsu technique in his home—Eight Gates Release.
It's supposed to grant a massive surge in chakra and physical strength when activated. If I can learn this technique, could I use its explosive chakra boost to break through the restraints of Terrifying Death Limit?"
The moment he'd heard about the Uzumaki ancestor's feat, Hoshiyomi had thought of the Eight Gates. To him, it seemed like the most practical path to breaking the curse.
To most shinobi, the Eight Gates were considered an ultimate suicide technique—nearly impossible to master. But Hoshiyomi, familiar with future events, knew its conditions and limitations well.
And it wasn't like he intended to open the final Death Gate. He figured reaching the Sixth Gate—Gate of View— would be enough to do the job.
The amount of Two-Tails chakra in him was limited, and his own chakra reserves weren't small either. More importantly, the Eight Gates' power scaled with the user's strength.
And Hoshiyomi had a secret weapon—the Sword Heart System. As his swordsmanship leveled up, so did his overall power. By his estimates, once he reached high-level kenjutsu, he'd be comparable to an Elite Jōnin.
So if he could stack the Sixth Gate's explosive power on top of that, breaking through Terrifying Death Limit might not be as far-fetched as it seemed.
———
Mito and Hiruzen both fell into deep thought after hearing this.
They weren't unfamiliar with the Eight Gates. In fact, it had been Mito herself who had authorized transferring the technique to Duy's family.
Even Tobirama had once attempted to train in it. But the demands of the higher gates were so harsh that, in the end, Tobirama—more devoted to ninjutsu research—had given up.
Still, Hoshiyomi's idea wasn't without merit. If he could truly train his body to such an extent, then breaking through with the chakra surge granted by the Gates just might work.
At the very least, it sounded more promising than forcibly trying to mobilize chakra under the curse's suppression.
Author's Note:
This follows the Eight Gates setting I've established earlier in the story. Since the technique's original creator was never revealed in canon, I figure this version is fair game and not too far-fetched.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin