"Third Hokage, sir."
Upon reaching the training field, Mokgetsu and Might Duy greeted Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was admiring the scenery.
Sarutobi Hiruzen turned around, smiled, and said to them:
"Dai, I vaguely remember that you were the most diligent in cultivating the Eight Gates back then. It seems your hard work has finally borne fruit."
As Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke, he stroked the small beard on his chin, his face showing a kind smile, like an ordinary old man pleased with the younger generation's efforts bearing fruit.
"Third Hokage, I didn't expect you to still remember me." Might Duy was surprised that Sarutobi Hiruzen remembered that period; he thought Sarutobi only remembered him as the eternal Genin.
"Haha, although I wasn't the Hokage then, I was already learning diligently from Teacher Tobirama. How could I forget someone as special as you, Dai?" Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a chuckle.
His words weren't solely for favor; he indeed remembered Might Duy. After all, his appearance and behavior were quite distinct from the average person.
"Hahaha, thanks for the support!" Might Duy gave a thumbs-up, laughing while revealing rows of white teeth.
Mokgetsu couldn't help but appreciate the benefits of high status. Sarutobi Hiruzen's position ensured that gaining favor was relatively simple; apart from people like Mokgetsu, few in Konoha Village could resist the Hokage's proactive friendliness.
"I've long heard from Teacher Tobirama about the power of the Eight Gates. Unfortunately, I've never had the chance to witness it firsthand. I wonder if today you, Dai, can fulfill this regret of mine."
Habitually building a bit of goodwill, Sarutobi Hiruzen began to address the main issue.
"Since it's the Hokage's regret, there's certainly no reason to refuse. The View Gate, open!"
Might Duy clenched his fists, his whole body bursting with chakra, and with a roar, he directly opened the Sixth Gate, his entire being enveloped in green energy.
Originally, the Eight Gates should be opened one by one; you need to open the preceding gates before the succeeding ones. But if you reach a certain realm of mastery with the Eight Gates, you can skip previous ones and directly open the subsequent gates. Might Duy's current limit is skipping the first five gates to directly open the Sixth Gate.
Whoosh!!
The powerful chakra burst from Might Duy instantly stirred the air currents, bending the green grass around and blowing Sarutobi Hiruzen's gray-black hair.
"Is this the Sixth Gate of the Eight Gates?" Feeling the imposing aura emanating from Might Duy, Sarutobi Hiruzen showed an intrigued expression.
Though he had no special eyes to directly see which gate Might Duy's body had activated, based on descriptions related to the Eight Gates, he could determine that Might Duy was currently at the Sixth Gate.
With the use of the first five gates of the Eight Gates, the outside of the body doesn't undergo noticeable changes. From the Sixth Gate onwards, each gate brings about a transformation. The Sixth Gate engulfs the body in green energy, the Seventh Gate emits blue steam, and opening the Death Gate results in crimson steam.
"Attack me, you don't need to hold back." Sarutobi Hiruzen said.
To test strength, the best method is combat.
Although it was just a Shadow Clone, Sarutobi Hiruzen assigned it a generous amount of chakra, around thirty percent.
Might Duy's eyes gleamed with excitement. Since mastering the Eight Gates, he had only sparred with Mokgetsu. He hadn't expected to face the Third Hokage so soon.
Following Sarutobi Hiruzen's wish, Might Duy held nothing back, harnessing the full extent of the Sixth Gate's power to launch an assault on Sarutobi Hiruzen.
With a swoosh, Might Duy vanished from his spot, aiming a kick at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression remained composed, betraying no sign of panic. Just as Might Duy's leg was about to strike him, Sarutobi Hiruzen's figure disappeared, leaving Might Duy's attack to miss its mark.
"Your speed is indeed impressive, surpassing many Jonin," Sarutobi Hiruzen mentally acknowledged while using the Instant Body Jutsu to dodge.
Despite missing the first strike, Might Duy wasn't disheartened. After all, this was the Third Hokage. He quickly locked onto Sarutobi Hiruzen's position and continued his pursuit.
This time, Might Duy used his fists, and under the powerful punch, merely swinging his fist could produce air shockwaves surging toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!" Sarutobi Hiruzen swiftly weaved signs and spewed a mass of earth to form a sturdy rock wall.
Crash!!
Might Duy's fist struck the hardened rock wall fiercely, causing it to wobble and crack slightly.
Mokgetsu wasn't surprised by the scene. The strength of Ninjutsu depends on the user. If it were the Earth Flow Wall of an eight-year-old Kakashi, Six Gates Might Duy could punch through it, but this was Sarutobi Hiruzen's Earth Flow Wall, and the cracks appearing were because Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't being serious.
"Your strength is commendable, too." Sarutobi Hiruzen continued to comment on Might Duy's performance.
Then, Sarutobi Hiruzen took the initiative, using the Instant Body Jutsu to appear on top of the rock wall, before quickly weaving signs and unleashing a gusty wind.
Facing a powerhouse like the Third Hokage, Might Duy dared not slack even a bit. Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's impending attack, he promptly darted aside.
Following this, Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to flaunt his techniques, using various high-level Ninjutsu of different elements, turning the battleground into a chaotic state.
After nearly seven minutes of combat, Sarutobi Hiruzen took the initiative to say: "Let us stop here."
Sarutobi Hiruzen then smiled, stroked his beard, and said, "The Eight Gates are indeed powerful. Even with just the Sixth Gate, it is sufficient to defeat many Jonin."
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that the true power of the Eight Gates lies in the Seventh and Eighth Gates, but the costs for those two are significant. Opening the Seventh Gate inevitably leads to injury, to the extent where touching it with your hand would cause pain; opening the Eighth Gate leaves only one path—death.
However, he could roughly estimate the strength of Eight Gates Might Duy through the abilities of Six Gates Might Duy.
"If the Eighth Gate is opened, he might have power equal to mine for a short period of time," Sarutobi Hiruzen thought to himself.
Of course, not the Shadow Clone, but his full-strength self.
Sarutobi Hiruzen finally understood Senju Tobirama's wish to form an Eight Gates team at that time.
If this really succeeded, Konoha would have a major deterrent in the war. They could directly carry out decapitation strikes against enemy leaders without sending many troops; just two Eight Gates ninjas and several Jonin would suffice.
At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen also considered training Eight Gates ninjas, but with the ongoing war, the timing wasn't right. In times of war, everything must be done with caution.
"Dai, originally your achievements weren't enough to be promoted to Chunin, but since you are the first in Konoha to successfully cultivate the Eight Gates and fulfill Teacher Tobirama's last wish, I am promoting you to Chunin," Sarutobi Hiruzen said seriously.
"Thank you, Third Hokage-sama!" Might Duy clenched his right hand into a fist, feeling extremely excited.
He was very grateful to Mokgetsu, thankful that Mokgetsu was willing to create such an opportunity for him. He also thanked Sarutobi Hiruzen for the special promotion.
But Might Duy felt that the person he needed to be most grateful to was himself—the person who wasn't swayed by others' gossip, the person who practiced a Taijutsu for ten years consistently, the one who believed that hard work would eventually pay off.
"This is all you deserve," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a cheerful smile.
It can be said that blessings come with misfortune; if not for continuously cultivating the Eight Gates, Might Duy wouldn't have ended up as a much-maligned eternal Genin, but without cultivating the Eight Gates, Might Duy might not have become a strong ninja, nor would he receive a special promotion to Chunin as he did now.
"Dai, go to the Hokage Building to collect a Chunin uniform and promotion form," Sarutobi Hiruzen finished speaking and dispelled the Shadow Clone, allowing the memories to flow back to the original body.
The difference between a Konoha Genin and a Chunin is that a Genin only gets a forehead protector, while a Chunin receives a green ninja vest.
"Congratulations, Senior Dai," Mokgetsu said with a smiling face.
"Thanks to your help, Mokgetsu!" Might Duy gave a thumbs-up in gratitude to Mokgetsu.
At this moment, Might Duy wanted very much to take the uniform and promotion form back to show Might Guy, so that Might Guy would know this great news.
So the two of them quickly headed to the Hokage Building.
Sarutobi Hiruzen moved fast; after they arrived at the Hokage Building, they didn't have to wait and received the Chunin set, including the vest and promotion form.
The Chunin standardized vest was sealed in plastic; Might Duy thought for a moment and then tore it open, instantly putting on the green vest, so that Might Guy would notice it as soon as he got home.
However, when Might Duy was about to head home with the vest and form, Mokgetsu stopped him.
"Senior Dai, pardon me for asking, today is Guy's birthday, what gift did you prepare for him?" Mokgetsu asked as he stopped Might Duy.
Might Duy pulled out a matching green tight-fitting garment from somewhere and, laughing loudly, gave a thumbs-up, saying:
"Of course, a practical and useful bodysuit!"
Mokgetsu finally understood why Might Guy would give bodysuits as gifts on Shisui's birthday.
"Senior Dai, I have a suggestion, like we could write some Taijutsu training insights to give to Guy, so he could follow the advice and train even when on missions," Mokgetsu suggested with a smile as he adjusted his glasses.
The gap between Master Level and Perfect Level is quite significant; Mokgetsu feared it might not be enough to perform a perfect skill, so he thought of jointly creating a gift for Might Guy.
"You're thoughtful, Mokgetsu; let's do as you suggest," Might Duy nodded heavily, thinking this was indeed better than giving a bodysuit.
...
Evening, Might Guy's house.
By this time, Mokgetsu's disciples had basically arrived; Obito, Nohara Rin, Shisui, and Kakashi were all at Might Guy's home.
"Hey, where did Teacher Mokgetsu go, why isn't he here yet? It's already past seven," Obito looked at the time, scratching his head in confusion.
"Teacher Mokgetsu must have a reason for being delayed," Shisui said thoughtfully.
Kakashi glanced at Shisui; Shisui was the only one among them who he wasn't familiar with, but he remembered Shisui and Might Guy used to go jogging together, so they should be friends from the Ninja Academy.
"Could he have encountered a lost old lady too?" Obito speculated, assuming others felt like himself.
"Probably not; even if he met five old ladies, Teacher Mokgetsu could use Shadow Clones to help them and return himself," Nohara Rin guessed Mokgetsu wouldn't be late for such a reason.
"Maybe he's doing something with my dad," Might Guy recalled what Might Duy said yesterday.
Might Duy hadn't appeared either; he felt they should be together, just unsure what mighty and youthful thing they were up to.
"I'm back!"
Might Duy's robust voice echoed through everyone's ears.