Chapter 101: The Strength of Eight Gates and Breathing Technique
Before leaving with Asuma, Mugetsu used his appraisal on the Hokage.
He was curious just how extensive the skill set of the so-called "Professor of Ninjutsu" really was—a man who claimed to have mastered all of Konoha's techniques.
[Name: Hiruzen]
[Chakra: 170,000]
[Skills: Combination Ninjutsu (Proficient: 13,000/15,000), Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficient: 6,200/15,000), Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficient: 950/15,000), Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficient: 200/15,000) …]
The skill list was indeed long—practically overflowing. Mugetsu estimated there were thousands of Ninjutsu recorded there.
From a purely quantitative standpoint, the title "Professor of Ninjutsu" was well-earned. Without a Sharingan to copy techniques, Hiruzen had learned every single one on his own.
However, most of them were only at the introductory stage, with far fewer at the skilled level, and even fewer at proficient.
Mugetsu had assumed the Hokage's Nature Transformations would be proficient in all five elements, but in truth, only three had reached that level, with the remaining two hovering just below it.
It seems the system's "proficient" rank is far stricter than I thought, Mugetsu reflected.
In Fire Release and Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation, he even surpassed the Hokage.
Of course, in a real battle, he would be crushed instantly—Hiruzen completely outclassed him in chakra reserves, Taijutsu, combat experience, and the breadth of his Ninjutsu arsenal.
After seeing the panel, Mugetsu finally understood what a true all-rounder ninja was. Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Sealing Techniques, Secret Arts, Forbidden Jutsu—Hiruzen's skill list covered them all.
When it came to evaluating that panel, Mugetsu could only think of one word—overwhelming.
---
After finishing Asuma's training, Mugetsu returned to the main district and called Minato and Kushina over, showing them the full process of making Illusory Mapo Tofu.
They finally got to see how soybeans could be turned into something that tasted like meat.
Even after watching and tasting it, Kushina still looked amazed.
"Mugetsu, how did you even come up with the idea to make soybeans taste like meat?" she asked, unable to hide her curiosity.
"Just a sudden flash of inspiration," Mugetsu replied after a short pause.
He couldn't exactly say these recipes had been taught to him by someone else—that would raise too many questions—so he shamelessly claimed them as his own creations.
Minato then asked how his Sealing Technique practice was going, since it had been about a week since he'd given him the scroll for the Five Fingers Seal.
Mugetsu shared some of his early thoughts.
"The Five Fingers Seal is much more difficult than the One-Finger and Three-Finger versions," Minato explained. "But if you study more sealing theory and keep practicing, you'll master it in time."
This technique was a significant step up in difficulty, and Minato worried Mugetsu might lose confidence if he didn't see quick results.
Mugetsu nodded, smoothly steering the discussion deeper into sealing theory and asking about general principles rather than specific hurdles.
If he had mentioned his actual sticking points, both Minato and Kushina—given their expertise—would have been able to guess his exact progress.
---
That Saturday night, with no disciples training under him, Mugetsu went alone to the South Border Forest to practice.
"Five Fingers Seal!"
Chakra condensed along the five fingers of his right hand before he struck his Shadow Clone.
Black sealing marks spread across the clone's body—success.
Next, I can start on the Five Elements Seal, Mugetsu thought, glancing at his panel where the Five Fingers Seal now showed as introductory.
With that, he could finally consider himself a sealing-type ninja… even if, for now, he couldn't use any formal sealing jutsu in actual combat.
However, Mugetsu didn't care—he wasn't learning Sealing Techniques to broaden his skill set, but to solve the problem of the Curse Tounge Eradication Seal.
Once he reached the introductory level in the Five Elements Seal, he would immediately use a proficiency scroll to raise it to the skilled level before moving on to the Contract Seal, which he would also raise to the skilled level.
With both techniques at skilled level, his knowledge of sealing arts would increase significantly, giving him the foundation to begin researching Root's cursed seals.
Mugetsu walked deeper into the forest, keeping his Sensing Ninjutsu active. Today, he intended to test the limits of his ultimate strength.
It had been a month since he'd reached proficient level in Rock Breathing.
Once a Breathing Technique reached the introductory level, one could drastically enhance their abilities through Total Concentration Breathing. At the skilled level, Constant State allowed the body to remain in a weakened version of that form for twenty-four hours straight.
For Mugetsu, Constant State was vital—it meant his body was being trained continuously.
Over the past month, he could clearly feel his physical condition improving, far more than what he could achieve through Taijutsu practice alone.
Even his natural chakra growth rate had slightly increased as a result of his strengthened body.
Now, he was ready to attempt combining the Eight Gates with Rock Breathing.
He had already mastered the first three Gates. These were considered the Eight Gates' "safe zone" and would not put excessive strain on the body.
"Gate of Opening—open!"
Mugetsu lacked Might Guy's mastery over the Eight Gates and could only open them gradually, starting from the first.
As he activated them, it felt as if a restriction deep within his body had been unlocked. The restrained chakra burst forth, his body strengthening rapidly as his speed and power surged.
By the time he opened the third—Gate of Life—his skin was flushed red, chakra roared within him, and a faint green aura radiated from his body.
Mugetsu appraised himself in this state.
[Name: Hayate Mugetsu]
[Chakra: 23,200]
His chakra had broken past twenty thousand, but it felt extremely violent, making precise control or the use of delicate Ninjutsu impossible.
This was expected.
Taking a deep breath, he drew in a massive amount of oxygen, shifting into the Total Concentration Breathing state of Rock Breathing. His physical abilities surged even further.
Mugetsu threw a casual punch. The shockwave alone toppled over a dozen massive trees.
Without even reinforcing himself with chakra, stone shattered in his grip like tofu.
His running speed rivaled the Body Flicker Technique.
"Hoo…" Mugetsu exhaled a stream of white air, releasing both the Eight Gates and Rock Breathing states. A crushing wave of fatigue washed over him.
The combination was indeed terrifying, but he had refrained from going all out—any greater commotion might have drawn the attention of the Anbu or Root operatives.
Still, the strain was immense. Just three minutes of use left him exhausted.
And this was without the Cursed Mark. Mugetsu suspected that if he had activated it along with these techniques, he would have collapsed on the spot once it ended.
Even so, the experiment proved his theory—Rock Breathing paired perfectly with the Eight Gates, pushing his limits even higher.
With another trump card for explosive power, his sense of security grew stronger.
Now, aside from his limited chakra reserves and lack of battlefield experience, he already had a considerable arsenal of methods at his disposal.
The training plan is nearly complete. I can start teaching my disciples the Breathing Techniques, Mugetsu thought.
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