Rock Lee stared, dumbfounded and amazed.
What kind of punch was that?
"How did you do it? " he asked.
"Perfectly utilizing strength, combined with chakra enhancement," Chiba explained.
This was exactly what he wanted to teach.
The Eight Gates technique—basically unlocking chakra inside the body to boost physical power. If the body is strong enough, it can offset some side effects; otherwise, opening the gates leads to severe injury or death.
Chiba didn't fully understand the Eight Gates but could borrow the core principle.
"That's amazing! "Lee said excitedly, but there was also a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
"Lee, like me, you don't know ninjutsu or genjutsu, but you do have chakra. Otherwise, you couldn't climb trees or run on water. So you can't just rely on raw strength—you need to use chakra as well," Chiba said earnestly.
Lee was silent.
"I haven't taught this to anyone else yet, so I don't know if it works for everyone. I need you to practice with me."
"W-w-w-Thank you, Chiba-kun, but I..."
Lee wasn't very smart, but he wasn't foolish.
Though Chiba said it was an experiment, he was really teaching him.
Since school started, only Chiba never looked down on him. At first, it was mutual sympathy, but then Lee realized they were different.
Now...
"If you don't want to learn for some reason, that's fine. Your ninja way is about proving yourself through effort, right? "Chiba said calmly.
Lee paused, then nodded firmly.
"Do as I say, and I'll watch," Chiba instructed.
"Yes! "Lee shouted and began training.
He wasn't smart.
But he wasn't afraid of pain. Time and again, he refined his chakra and threw punches while Chiba observed and corrected his power output.
Finally...
BANG!
The tree trunk Lee had been training on cracked from the impact of his fist.
Lee stared at his fist in disbelief.
He'd done it!
It really worked!
"Remember this feeling."
"Yes!"
Lee was ecstatic.
So he could become strong using chakra!
At that moment, he cried again.
And again.
Chiba covered his face, speechless.
Guy and Lee were great in every way—except their emotions were impossible to predict.
"By the way, how's your hand? "
"My hand? Fine… ah! It hurts! "
Lee hadn't noticed earlier, but now the pain hit him.
Chiba thought for a moment, sensed with chakra, then wrote a note:
Body strength below a certain level cannot learn this taijutsu.
"Come with me."
"Where?"
"To the medical team. This taijutsu should be a finishing move. It's not just your fist—if you master it, theoretically, every power point in your body can be used."
On the way back, Chiba thought about how to optimize the technique.
He had referenced Renge and the Mighty Strength technique; overall, this was a stripped-down version of both.
The power and effect weren't as great as true Mighty Strength, but combined with taijutsu, it was quite effective. The side effects were closer to Renge—muscle damage after prolonged use.
Optimizing it would be hard.
He shook his head.
Pushing limits always comes at a cost. Even Mighty Strength has high requirements.
Shizune had spent years with Tsunade and still couldn't learn Mighty Strength—not for lack of trying, but because she lacked the conditions.
"Forget it, it'll do for now."
Chiba had no better solution.
Maybe knowing Tsunade and the full Mighty Strength could help optimize the chakra boosting and side effects—but for now, it was a pipe dream.
Lee refused to go to the hospital, thinking rest would heal him.
Ultimately, it was a money issue.
Chiba was about to persuade him again when—
BANG!
A sudden sidekick flew in. Lee didn't react and was sent flying.
A figure appeared.
"Lee, you've gotten lazy while I was away! "
"Uh..."
Chiba was speechless. An ambush like that would catch anyone off guard.
But Lee...
"Teacher Guy, I'm sorry! I'll work twice as hard! "
"That's what I want to hear! "
Might Guy was fired up.
Then he looked to the side, hesitated, and said, "Chiba, you're at the hospital, right? How do you have time to train? "
"Teacher Guy, I'm just learning—not planning to be a medical ninja. When I'm done, I still have to practice taijutsu," Chiba smiled helplessly.
Why did everyone assume he wanted to be a medical ninja? He didn't even know medical ninjutsu.
"But, I heard your skills are top-notch. Many medical ninjas aren't as good as you. It'd be a shame not to save people with those skills," Guy said, conflicted.
Personally, he thought Chiba returning to training was right, but on the whole, saving lives and preventing amputations was important.
Chiba smiled and said, "Teacher Guy, I'm a specially appointed ninja now. That technique isn't hard. I can join surgeries later. For now, I manage my own time."
"I see. Then... How about a passionate duel?! "
"Huh?"
Chiba was confused, wondering if he heard wrong. He checked his surroundings—
Kakashi wasn't around!
"Sensei, Kakashi-senpai isn't here."
"Exactly. I'm challenging you."
Might Guy ran his finger along the cracked tree trunk.
Though he hadn't seen the fight in person, as a taijutsu master, he could estimate the force from the marks. Just from the cracks, he knew how powerful that punch was.
He couldn't wait to fight.
"Then please teach me, Sensei."
"Boy, give it your all."
Chiba nodded lightly.
He wanted to show this taijutsu to Might Guy all along, but since Guy was gone, he tested it on Lee first. Now that Guy was back, of course, he'd show it to him.
He bowed slightly and formed an opposing hand seal.
The next moment...
BANG!
Using Body Flicker, he swung a horizontal punch.
Might Guy neither dodged nor blocked, meeting the punch fist to fist. Chiba staggered back one step to absorb the force, while Guy didn't budge.
Chiba wasn't surprised.
Thanks to the Bodhi seed and years of study and training, he could now easily control most of his body's strength, close to an "open gate" state.
This state could be maintained continuously.
However, there was an upper limit—physical strength.
"Even with taijutsu enhancement, I'm still no match for your strength," Chiba sighed.
In pure taijutsu, Might Guy was truly powerful.
"How old are you? To have this power, it's already terrifying."
Guy shook his hand.
Even he struggled taking that punch directly.
"Again."
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/Shinazuki