Chapter 41 – The Eight Gates Open, and the Snake Reveals Its Fangs
"Crap!"
"Lord Hokage!!!"
Every shinobi on rescue or guard duty snapped toward the VIP box.
A massive purple barrier shot up dozens of meters high, surrounded by swirling smoke.
"Four Violet Flames Formation…"
"They were more prepared than we thought."
Kakashi only spared the barrier a single glance before turning back to the real problem.
"Should we go help the Hokage?"
Guy asked, hesitation clear.
"According to the textbooks, the Third is the strongest Hokage in history," Naruto said with thick sarcasm.
"If he's the strongest, he definitely doesn't need help."
Kakashi nodded along.
"Right now, our priority is getting that tailed beast outside the village."
"If Shukaku goes on a rampage here, the casualties will be catastrophic."
Guy instantly chose the village over the Hokage.
The three of them charged Shukaku together.
"Sixth Gate of Joy—OPEN!"
The pressure from Guy's fully opened sixth gate swept the entire arena like a physical storm.
For a moment, he felt like he could stand toe-to-toe with the tailed beast.
"So that's Might Guy's Eight Gates…"
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
"Completely unreasonable power."
Feeling chakra on par with Shukaku's own rampage, Naruto made up his mind: get both monsters out of the village, fast.
An Eight Gates user was an uncontrollable disaster waiting to happen.
While Konoha descended into pandemonium,
one corner of the stands remained perfectly calm.
"That technique is insane. In just a few seconds he's already hitting Kage-level output."
Izumi's Sharingan was locked on Guy, analyzing every detail.
"Too bad the side effects are brutal. His meridians are already tearing."
In moments she had seen through most of the Eight Gates' mechanics.
"It's a forbidden technique that trades life for power. Open all eight and you briefly touch Six Paths level," Aike explained casually.
"SIX PATHS?!"
Izumi, Nami, Carina, and Kaya all jumped.
They remembered that name from Aike's lectures: Six Paths was basically godhood; power that transcended worlds and even lifespan itself.
Hearing a single taijutsu style could temporarily reach that realm was insane.
"Yeah, but it lasts seconds and you die," Aike shrugged.
He had copied the entire Eight Gates scroll last visit.
He just never bothered training it; he was already Six Paths native, and the girls had Devil Fruits planned.
But watching Guy explode with power now…
Aike's eyes glinted.
What if he remade the Eight Gates using Armament Haki instead of chakra?
Haki was a superior energy system for pure physical techniques.
The boost might actually surpass the original.
Inside the Four Violet Flames barrier.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi remained perfectly calm with a kunai at his throat.
"I never thought Sunagakure would break the alliance."
"Kazekage, it's not too late to stop. We can still salvage this."
His first words were compromise.
Orochimaru's eyes flashed with disappointment.
This weakness was exactly why he'd planned the whole thing.
He laughed mockingly.
"Heh… alliances are just tricks to lower the enemy's guard."
"This boring exam ends now."
"From this moment, the shinobi world will change forever!"
Hiruzen's face tightened.
"You're try
ing to start a war!"
"Exactly."
Two simple words.
The situation had just become infinitely more complicated.
==============================================================
Support me and be 100 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/inkshield