This also proved that Lee was truly a genius of hard work, just like Kakashi and Might Guy — much like Shiki himself in some ways.
Even if Kakashi had exceptional talent, he could only open the first gate—the Opening Gate—of the Eight Gates. Might Guy, on the other hand, could open all eight.
In this regard, no one could surpass a genius of effort.
These past three years, Shiki had trained under Might Guy and Lee, already learning the methods behind the Eight Gates technique.
At first, Shiki thought the Eight Gates was a secret art never meant to be shared outside their lineage. But instead, Might Guy had tearfully declared, "Youth! It's the power of effort! My youth has not faded yet! Let's face the setting sun and overcome every challenge together!"
Well, Shiki thought it was pretty cringey too. But that's exactly how Might Guy passed on the Eight Gates to him.
Later, Shiki learned that in Konoha, the Eight Gates technique was officially not forbidden—but unofficially, it really just depended on who you asked. All you had to do was go to Might Guy, and he'd definitely teach it to you. Whether you could survive the training, however, was another matter entirely.
Right now, Shiki could barely open the third gate, while Lee had already reached the fourth!
What's more, Shiki realized Lee was heading toward opening the Fifth Gate. At this pace, by the time of the Chunin Exams, he might even reach the Sixth.
But recalling how long it had taken Might Guy—over a decade—to achieve this, Shiki realized his estimate had been overly optimistic. Each successive gate in the Eight Gates became exponentially harder to open. Even for Shiki himself, opening the Fourth Gate remained impossible.
"It was just some things getting in the way," Shiki explained, then preparing to start today's training.
Since he had recently focused more on ninjutsu, the time he spent here practicing taijutsu had gradually decreased.
Still, thanks to his weighted gear, his progress continued rapidly.
Lee suddenly noticed the bandages wrapped around Shiki's arm and asked, "Shiki, what happened to your hand?"
"It's nothing serious—the hospital just tends to overdo things. Honestly, it was only a minor injury," Shiki replied casually. Considering his body's healing speed, wounds like this would recover very quickly anyway.
The real reason he went to the hospital was actually just a reflexive action after a moment of confusion.
Yet he didn't tell Lee the full truth. Shiki faintly sensed an Anbu tailing him from a distance.
There was absolutely no chance he could explain everything right now. He could only push himself even harder.
Eventually, both finished their training. Wiping sweat off his forehead, Lee said excitedly, "Hey! Shiki, did you know? Guy-sensei said once we graduate from the Ninja Academy, he'll definitely become our official Jonin instructor!"
"Oh, that really is great news," Shiki responded.
Lee seemed to notice Shiki's gloominess and asked, "What? You're not happy? Guy-sensei's the coolest teacher in Konoha!"
That's only how you see it, Shiki thought. Still, recalling Guy's shining teeth, he did seem genuinely inspiring. Being his student wasn't actually that bad an idea.
Unfortunately, that was merely wishful thinking.
After Lee left, Shiki stayed behind by himself. Normally, he wouldn't stay later than Lee, but today was different—he had waited for a very long time.
He needed to find a way to resolve his current predicament.
The night gradually deepened. Sitting alone and gazing at the endless starry sky, Shiki suddenly realized he hadn't felt truly at peace since arriving in this world.
At first, he wandered with his mother; now that he's in Konoha, he trains even harder than before.
It seems his fate has always been to work hard.
Brushing away his messy thoughts, Shiki turned his attention back to what really mattered.
Three months? What could he possibly achieve?
"Found you here!" A crisp voice snapped Shiki out of his thoughts.
Looking back, a cute face peeked over. Upon closer inspection, it was Tenten.
Shiki couldn't help but inwardly laugh at himself—his alertness must have really dropped. Once he got lost in thought, he totally zoned out and lost track of his surroundings.
"Tenten, what are you doing here?" he asked, already catching a familiar scent—the aroma of Ichiraku Ramen.
Sure enough, Tenten pulled out a bag from behind her back, where the smell was coming from.
"It's because you don't take care of your meals properly. When I went to your place earlier looking for you, I couldn't even find you there! The ramen was almost gone too, thanks to Naruto."
With that, she placed the bag on the ground and began setting down bowls and chopsticks.
Watching her, Shiki realized once again why he kept pushing forward.
"Have it while it's hot. I made sure to keep it warm just for you," she said gently.
Of course, Shiki—who hadn't eaten nearly all day—wasted no time grabbing his chopsticks and devouring every last bite.
So delicious!
Even after all this time, each bite of Ichiraku Ramen still brought him overwhelming happiness.
Tenten propped her chin up on her hands and grinned as she watched him eat.
"It's amazing! Thanks so much, Tenten!"
But Tenten looked slightly annoyed. "If you keep this up, I'm going to become your personal servant, Lord High-and-Mighty! Can't you just eat on time for once?"
Shiki felt a little embarrassed—it was true that sometimes when he trained, he got too absorbed and forgot everything else.
Sometimes he skipped meals entirely, not eating for days until one time—he collapsed from starvation at the Ninja Tools Shop—that's where Tenten found him.
Since then, she had always brought him food.
Therefore, though fearless toward nearly everyone else, Shiki still carried a slight fear of Tenten—after all, she was his only steady meal ticket.
Scratching his head awkwardly, he muttered, "I'll definitely be more careful next time."
Then Tenten sighed, "Why did I end up stuck with such a terrible friend? And how did you end up with someone as great as me? Seriously, you've got talent, yet you still train like Lee does."
Shiki thought for a moment before saying, "Because I have a lot to bear."
"Tch!"
Tenten scoffed, then walked up to Shiki, pinching his cheeks and forcibly adjusting them into a smile.
She nodded with approval, "There, that works, right?"
Tenten sure knows how to take control. He cooperated accordingly and put on a smile.
But Tenten fell silent, letting the moment stretch before finally murmuring, "Shiki, come on, can't you just loosen up a little?"
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