"You seem eager to test your limits. I can see the pursuit of power in your eyes."
"Though I believe blindly chasing strength is unwise, I suppose you have your reasons, young man."
Might Dai spoke with the tone of an adult.
Kin rubbed his eyes, wondering how Dai could perceive such things. All he could see were the sleep crust in others' eyes. If one could discern intentions so easily, spotting spies would be trivial.
Unaware of Kin's wandering thoughts, Might Dai continued, "Then I'll teach you the Eight Gates Formation, and you can guide me in mastering Basic Internal Energy techniques."
His offer was straightforward, and Kin was surprised by the directness. Though he desired the Eight Gates technique, he hadn't expected it to come so easily.
Might Dai sat up, his expression turning serious as he began his explanation.
"As a Genin, I've trained relentlessly for over a decade and still haven't fully mastered this technique, but I've gained some insights."
"Using this technique requires one strict condition."
"Self-restraint."
Kin listened half-heartedly. His primary goal in training, aside from survival, was to act as he pleased—without limits. If he had to set a timeframe for such freedom, he'd want it to last forever.
Under Might Dai's guidance, Kin gradually grasped the essence of the Eight Gates Formation.
The technique was simpler in concept than he'd imagined, yet infinitely more difficult in practice.
The principles were concise and easy to understand; anyone could learn them quickly and begin training.
But mastering it was another matter entirely.
The Eight Gates Formation was about breaking through the body's physical limits—specifically, the eight gates that restrained chakra flow within the body.
These gates existed as safeguards, much like the "limiters" spoken of in his past life. In moments of crisis, people could push past these limits—like a frail woman lifting a car—but the cost was often severe injury or death.
The Eight Gates were chakra's limiters, which explained why opening them harmed the user.
Unlike overcoming limits in life-or-death situations, the Eight Gates Formation required gradually surpassing the body's limits through extreme training, cracking open the gates bit by bit to unleash the chakra within.
Surpassing one's physical limits wasn't easy. Most ninja could manage it once, but each subsequent breakthrough grew exponentially harder.
No wonder Kakashi would later express astonishment at Rock Lee mastering the Fourth Gate—it wasn't something effort alone could achieve.
The Fourth Gate meant Rock Lee had surpassed his limits four times.
The thought alone was staggering.
"This taijutsu isn't for me."
Kin shook his head regretfully. While he had the willpower to push past his limits repeatedly, the time and effort required would be better spent developing stronger ninjutsu.
Unlike those who mastered the Eight Gates in months or even days, Kin estimated it would take him over a decade just to reach Might Dai's level of opening the Fifth Gate. Progressing to the Seventh Gate would take another decade, while the Eighth Gate—though the easiest to open—would cost his life.
The Eighth Gate was unique. Unlike the first seven, it could be opened anytime after mastering the Fifth Gate, but the price was death.
This realization clarified why Might Dai's Eighth Gate paled in comparison to Might Guy's.
Might Dai likely hadn't mastered the Seventh Gate before opening the Eighth.
According to the training method, those who reached the Eighth Gate should be nearly equal in strength.
Kin studied Might Dai thoughtfully.
"Young man, there's no such thing as 'unsuitable.' Perhaps there's someone you'd want to protect by burning your youth."
Might Dai gave him a thumbs-up.
Was that a curse?
It definitely was.
Kin decided to let it go—mainly because his injuries wouldn't allow him to argue.
Now it was his turn to teach.
"How far have you progressed with Basic Internal Energy?"
Kin sat up as well.
Might Dai pondered before answering, "Weaving Seals."
Kin: "..."
That was the first step.
Looks like they'd have to start from scratch.
…
Might Dai left to tend to his wife.
Kin gazed at the sky, where the clouds bore a faint red hue.
"His aptitude is truly unbelievable."
He was still processing the teaching session. He couldn't fathom how someone could struggle so much.
It wasn't just clumsiness—it was as if someone without the makings of a ninja had forced chakra into existence.
In this world, everyone had chakra to some degree, but extracting it from cells required one prerequisite: sensitivity to chakra. Only those who could perceive it could refine it, and many clans had a natural advantage in this regard.
The Uchiha were particularly exceptional, with at least 90% of their members qualified to become ninjas.
After all, this was a world that pretended to revolve around ninjutsu but was actually ruled by bloodlines.
Those who could sense chakra could naturally control it, though precision varied. Medical ninjutsu, which demanded extremely fine chakra control, was a prime example.
But Dai's control was less than 50% efficient.
Where others used one unit of effort to manipulate chakra, he needed five. This was something Kin hadn't anticipated.
For Dai, the difficulty of ninjutsu was five times higher than for others.
"No wonder he struggles with ninjutsu and genjutsu."
A C-rank technique for Dai was equivalent to a B-rank for others—a hurdle too high for most ninja.
Basic Internal Energy, though simple (D-rank difficulty), still had its requirements.
For Dai, it was C-rank.
"So this is how much aptitude matters."
Kin now deeply understood the limitations this world placed on the average person. The Eight Gates Formation was one of the few techniques that allowed mediocrity to surpass genius.
"Good thing my aptitude is decent."
Despite appearances, Kin was a rare Uchiha with an affinity for all chakra natures, much like Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Hiruzen, hailed as the "Professor" and the "strongest Hokage," represented the peak of such talent—though Orochimaru likely knew more jutsu than him.
Hiruzen was a Kage who'd grown entirely on innate talent.
In theory, if Kin progressed steadily and unlocked the Sharingan, he could surpass Hiruzen.
But Hiruzen had the advantage of being taught by Senju Tobirama, whose jutsu repertoire was vast.
Kin had no such mentor.
So surpassing Hiruzen remained theoretical.
Not that he cared. His ambitions far exceeded competing with Hiruzen.
His goal wasn't to become a Kage, or even reach the level of Uchiha Madara or Hashirama Senju.
He aimed for the realm of the Sannin and the Sage of Six Paths.
Power wasn't the main draw—it was their longevity. His true aim?
To live for a thousand years.
But his all-nature affinity was a secret he couldn't afford to reveal. If it got out, while Hiruzen's reaction was uncertain, Danzō wouldn't allow him to grow unchecked.
Suppressing the Uchiha was Konoha's political imperative.
"At this rate, defecting might be safer than staying."
Grumbling, Kin left the area.
He wasn't serious—the shinobi world was too chaotic now. He needed to grow stronger first. Once he did, he'd be unstoppable.
Uchiha Kin didn't play by the rules!
Instead of leaving the forest, he ventured deeper.
In a dilapidated, abandoned training ground, two figures clashed at high speed.
A closer look revealed both were Kin.
Shadow Clone Technique.
One relied solely on taijutsu, while the other attacked with the Three Basic Techniques and Fire Release ninjutsu.
The Shadow Clone Technique was practically cheating.
Though it didn't increase physical strength or chakra, the memories it returned made it perfect for training and gaining combat experience.
Kin exploited this fully.
"Three shadow clones are my limit."
He could maintain three clones for a day and absorb their memories without issue.
Unlike Naruto, whose protagonist光环 (plot armor) negated the strain, Kin wasn't immune to the clones' exhaustion. Too many, and he'd die.
Another clone was at home, studying ninjutsu.
"Release!"
Kin formed hand seals, and the two clones vanished in puffs of smoke.
A flood of combat memories filled his mind.
"Fighting myself isn't as rewarding as sparring with Might Dai."
As he reflected, movement in the grass caught his eye.
He drew a kunai from his leg pouch and hurled it.
"Whoosh!"
Approaching, he found a small white snake pinned to the ground, writhing.
"Rare to see a snake like this."
Kin pulled the kunai free, and the snake slithered away—only for a shuriken to sever its head mid-escape. The headless body thrashed briefly before going still.
Kin's eyes narrowed. He drew another kunai, scanning his surroundings.
Basic Internal Energy should've enhanced his perception, yet he detected no one.
"Life is so fragile."
A voice sighed.
Then, overwhelming killing intent flooded the air, thick enough to stain it black.
Kin felt as if heavy shackles weighed him down, his breath turning labored.
In the distance, a pale-skinned man with long hair and a white kimono approached.
A man like a serpent.
Though dressed casually, his mere presence was suffocating.
"Tap... tap..."
Kin's heartbeat synced with the man's footsteps.
The man knelt beside the dead snake, his expression mournful—a stark contrast to the murderous aura he emitted.
"Don't you agree, young Uchiha?"
"Orochimaru!"
(End of Chapter)