Eight Gates?

"Clink!"

Ceramic wine cups filled with liquor collided in mid-air, producing a crisp and pleasant clinking sound.

Satoru took a gulp, finishing the contents of his cup, his cheeks slightly flushed. He pointed at the table filled with grilled meat and said, "Come on, this time it's my treat. Eat as much as you want."

"I won't be polite then, Satoru." Anko used her chopsticks to pick up a large piece of grilled meat and joyfully stuffed it into her mouth.

Beside them, Shibi sighed helplessly and smiled. He couldn't resist the persuasive tactics of Satoru and his friends, so he had no choice but to join the feast.

After delivering the merchant caravan to their destination, Team Ryosuke had only taken a small portion of the reward, leaving the majority to Shibi's team.

Satoru decided to fulfill his promise of completing the S-rank mission and treat his team members to a meal. Duy and Guy declined, but the four of them ended up at the same barbecue restaurant once again.

Looking at the familiar layout of the restaurant, Shibi suddenly felt a headache. When Team Shibi was first formed, he had an embarrassing encounter in this very same place. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the plump owner of the restaurant kept stealing glances at him, as if he had discovered an easy target.

"Satoru said he's treating us... I hope I'm not making a mistake," Shibi shuddered. That day, he remembered feeling terrified of Satoru's appetite and the humiliation of not being able to pay the bill at the barbecue restaurant.

Satoru, unaware of Shibi's thoughts, continued to stuff himself with food. Even if he knew, he would just laugh it off.

Although Shibi had only taken a small portion of the reward from the last S-rank mission, it was already enough to cover his expenses for a long time. He didn't need to mooch off the meal, and there were other reasons for this gathering besides strengthening team bonding.

Eight Gates Release!

After learning the method from Duy, Satoru was eager to start practicing.

Consuming a large amount of food would provide enough energy for him to endure the high-intensity training.

After the dinner, he bid farewell to his friends, Satoru went to a shinobi tool shop and spent some time ordering the necessary items.

The method of practicing the Eight Gates Release was not complicated. Rather than ninjutsu, it was a technique to break through the human body's limits. The key to success lies in having a powerful physical condition.

Satoru planned to train his body intensively.

He went to the secluded training ground and started with some simple preparations.

First, he laid a sheet of metal on the ground. It was more like a metal floor, very thick and costly, making Satoru feel a bit sorry for spending so much money on it.

Once it was fixed, the open space looked like it had a smooth metal floor.

Next, Satoru put on a specially customized metal outfit according to his body. He looked like an armored warrior, but the armor was not as glamorous, and the seams of the metal plates were visible.

With everything ready, he started using the electromagnetic force to create a magnetic field.

A strong suction suddenly emerged from the metal floor, causing Satoru to stagger and almost fall. The metal armor pressed against his bones, making them creak, and he couldn't help but clench his teeth.

"It seems the magnetic field is too strong."

Satoru immediately weakened the electromagnetic force, and the pressure on his body eased.

After several adjustments, Satoru found the most suitable strength that could effectively train his body without subjecting him to excessive pressure. He estimated that it was roughly equivalent to four times the gravity.

However, since the pressure came from the contact between the metal armor and his body, this method was much rougher compared to directly increasing gravity. As a result, there were many ways to train using the pressure generated by the attraction between the metal plates.

For example, he could change the direction of the magnetic force attraction or suddenly switch it to repulsion, simulating the physical conditioning in extreme environments.

Due to the strong magnetic field from the metal floor, lightweight objects like fallen leaves were attracted to it, so after training for some time, the metal plates were covered in a layer of leaves, which affected the aesthetics.

Satoru stopped and placed his palm on the metal floor. He reversed the magnetic poles, covering the fallen leaves with the same charge as the floor.

With a dull sound, the fallen leaves suddenly flew up and quickly spread across the entire metal floor, creating what looked like a rain of leaves.

Under the repulsive force, the metal floor became smooth as a mirror, with no trace of any small objects.

After reversing the magnetic poles, Satoru continued the physical conditioning.

His physical strength steadily increased until it reached a certain limit, and Satoru stopped, panting heavily.

His body was drenched in sweat as if he had just been pulled out of the water, but Satoru was quite excited.

"Indeed, reasonably applying the electromagnetic force provides great assistance in enhancing physical strength."

He took off the cheap armor, feeling refreshed after recovering some stamina. His eyes flickered as he said, "It's almost time. I can try opening the Eight Gates now."

Taking a deep breath, Satoru began to break through the limitations of his body step by step, starting with the Gate of Opening located in his brain.

"First Gate, Gate of Opening... Open!"

Accompanied by a low shout, a faint aura surrounded Satoru.

"Huh, is it just an illusion?"

Satoru frowned. At the moment of opening the Gate of Opening, he vaguely felt the purple star in his mind tremble.

Usually, the purple star would only change when his electromagnetic force level increased, and Satoru wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.

"Never mind, this is far from the limit."

Taking a deep breath, Satoru focused his attention on the flow of chakra within his body.

"Second Gate, Gate of Rest... Open!"

"So this is the state of the Gate of Rest? The fatigue of the body is significantly reduced, as if there is an endless source of power, but this is still not the limit."

"Third Gate, Gate of Life... Open!"

A faint green aura surrounded him, and veins popped up on his forehead. Satoru cautiously clenched his fist, marveling at the power increase.

"Just the third gate, and I already feel a significant boost in physical strength. Truly deserving of the Eight Gates Release, a technique that allows ordinary humans to fight against the Six Paths."

Then, he couldn't help but think in a strange direction. When opening the Eight Gates, veins would pop up on the face, and when he activated his Byakugan, veins would also appear around his eye sockets. How beautiful would it be if he used Byakugan while in the Eight Gates state? He wondered if it would scare the kids.

Shaking his head, Satoru dismissed those thoughts and focused on the fact that his current state was not the limit.

"According to Master Duy, the danger lies in opening the Fourth Gate. That's when it truly becomes the Eight Gates Release. I wonder what changes will occur after opening it."

Taking another deep breath, Satoru mobilized the remaining chakra and opened the Gate of Wounds located in his lungs.

"Eight Gates Release, Fourth Gate, Gate of Wounds... Open!"

The moment the Fourth Gate opened, Satoru's pupils shrank, and the life energy around him ignited like dry firewood, creating ripples in his mind's purple star.

At the same time, his body underwent a strange transformation.

His hair stood on end, and sparks of electricity danced between the strands. His body floated uncontrollably in mid-air, and his clothes fluttered under the immense aura.

"What is this? This is not the Eight Gates Release!"

Satoru was shocked.