"Muscle strain?"
Nono adjusted her glasses and studied Ren carefully. The gentle expression on her face did not change, but her eyes moved across his shoulders, arms, and legs with the precision of an experienced medical-nin.
Ren had described the lingering stiffness that followed his recent training. The pain was not severe enough to interfere with his movement, yet it returned every morning and grew worse after intense exercise.
Nono listened without interrupting.
"For this kind of strain, the safest solution is to receive regular examinations from a medical-nin," she explained. "Medical ninjutsu can identify small tears or hidden injuries before they become serious. Proper massage can also prevent scar tissue from reducing your flexibility."
Ren nodded attentively.
"If regular treatment isn't possible, then you should at least perform a set of gentle stretches before sleeping each night," Nono continued. "The goal is not to train harder. You need to loosen your muscles and joints so your body can recover properly."
She raised one finger.
"A warm drink before bed can help as well. Milk is fine if you can afford it. Most importantly, you need enough sleep. Training damages the body; rest is what allows it to become stronger."
After glancing along the quiet corridor to make certain they would not obstruct anyone, Nono stepped back and demonstrated a simple recovery routine.
She slowly rotated her shoulders, stretched her arms above her head, and bent from side to side. She then moved through several gentle leg and hip exercises designed to loosen the muscles without placing additional pressure on them.
The routine looked almost too simple to matter.
However, Ren could sense the logic behind every movement. The stretches targeted precisely the areas that had been aching after his training with Might Duy.
As he watched, an awkward memory surfaced.
Only a few days earlier, Ren had used the Transformation Technique to assume Nono's appearance while testing the limits of Perfect Form. At the time, he had carefully copied her posture, voice, and physical details.
Seeing the real Nono perform the stretches made him uncomfortably aware of how closely he had studied her.
His expression stiffened.
Nono noticed but misunderstood the reason.
"Does one of these movements cause pain?" she asked.
"No," Ren answered quickly. "I was only trying to memorize everything."
"That's good."
Nono finished the final stretch and walked to a nearby table. She tore a page from a small notebook, wrote down two names, and handed it to him.
"The Nara clan's pharmacy sells these," she said. "Tendon-Soothing Ointment and Bone-Revitalizing Oil. They are commonly used by shinobi after demanding physical training."
She pointed to several places on Ren's arms, legs, waist, and abdomen.
"Apply a small amount around the joints and along the most heavily strained muscles. Massage it in slowly until the area becomes warm and the medicine is absorbed. Don't use too much, and never apply it directly to an open wound."
Ren accepted the note with both hands.
"I understand. Thank you, Nono-sensei."
He bowed politely before leaving the corridor. Rin and Obito were waiting nearby, and the three departed together once Nono confirmed that Ren's condition did not require immediate treatment.
That afternoon, Ren visited the Nara clan's pharmacy.
The medicines were not cheap. He spent the entire ten thousand ryō he had earned from tutoring Kurenai and left with several small jars wrapped carefully in paper.
Ren kept only a portion for himself.
He gave one jar to Rin, whose recent training had become almost as demanding as his own. The rest went to Might Duy and Guy.
Rin accepted the medicine with a warm smile and promised to follow Nono's instructions.
Duy's reaction was considerably more dramatic.
He held the jar in both hands, stared at it with trembling lips, and burst into tears.
"Ren!" he cried. "You endured difficult training, sought the wisdom of a medical-nin, and then shared the medicine obtained through your own hard work!"
Tears streamed down his cheeks as his teeth flashed beneath the sunlight.
"This is undeniable proof of the bonds of youth! With our muscles nourished and our friendship strengthened, our passion shall burn even more fiercely!"
Guy immediately began crying beside him.
"Father! Ren! I can feel the warmth of youth flowing through my heart!"
Ren stood between them, holding the remaining jars.
For a moment, he regretted his generosity.
When it came to turning an ordinary act into an overwhelming emotional spectacle, the father-and-son pair truly had no equal.
Nevertheless, the medicine worked.
Over the following weeks, Ren continued training with Duy and Guy while carefully following Nono's advice. He stretched before bed, treated his muscles after intense sessions, and allowed himself enough time to recover.
His progress accelerated.
Days passed amid sweat, aching muscles, and the constant circulation of chakra. By the time January of Konoha Year 46 arrived, Ren's endurance had reached an entirely new level.
Early one morning, a thin layer of mist covered the road leading toward Konoha's main gate.
Three figures emerged from the haze.
Two were moving upside down on their hands.
The third was running normally beside them.
Duy and Guy advanced through handstand steps with absurd speed, their legs perfectly straight above their bodies. Ren followed beside them, his breathing heavy but controlled.
The village wall came into view.
Ren forced his exhausted legs through the final stretch and crossed the agreed finishing point.
The three came to a stop near Konoha's entrance.
Ren bent forward, placed his hands on his knees, and dragged air into his lungs. Sweat rolled from his face and dripped from his chin onto the road.
Despite the exhaustion, his eyes were bright.
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
The "Ten Days, Ten Laps" endurance challenge was finally complete.
Duy flipped upright and landed with his feet together. He turned toward Ren, and his eyes erupted with a brilliance that seemed more dazzling than the rising sun.
His white teeth flashed.
"Excellent, Ren!" he declared. "Every step you endured has become a shining medal of youth! I, Might Duy, have witnessed your burning sweat and received your iron determination!"
He thrust one fist toward the sky.
"Now, let us proceed to the sacred training ground of youth!"
Ren straightened and wiped the sweat from his face.
"All right."
Guy landed beside his father and raised both fists.
"Today, our youth shall reach a new height!"
Rather than returning home, the three left the main road and entered the forest bordering the village. They traveled deep between the enormous trees until the sounds of Konoha faded behind them.
Eventually, Duy led them into a secluded clearing.
The area was surrounded by thick trunks and dense foliage, making it difficult for anyone outside to observe them. Old impact marks covered several trees, revealing that Duy had used the location for private training many times.
He gestured toward a large exposed root.
"Sit."
Ren and Guy obeyed.
The transformation in Duy was immediate.
His exaggerated smile disappeared, and the playful energy surrounding him faded. When he turned toward the two boys, his expression carried a solemnity Ren had rarely seen.
This was not another endurance exercise or a contest of youthful spirit.
Duy was about to entrust them with the result of his life's work.
"Ren. Guy," he began. "Listen carefully to every word I say."
Both boys straightened.
"The Eight Gates is the ultimate taijutsu technique for removing the restrictions placed upon the human body. These gates regulate the flow of chakra and prevent the muscles from using power beyond what they can safely endure."
Duy pressed two fingers against the side of his head.
"The First Gate—the Gate of Opening—removes the brain's restraints on the muscles. It allows a shinobi to access far more of their physical strength than the body would normally permit."
His hand moved lower.
"The Second Gate—the Gate of Healing—forces the body to temporarily overcome exhaustion and restores physical energy. The Third Gate—the Gate of Life—greatly increases blood flow and releases an even larger amount of power."
Duy's expression became more severe.
"Beyond those are the Gate of Pain, the Gate of Limit, the Gate of View, the Gate of Wonder, and finally, the Gate of Death. Every opened gate brings greater strength, but it also inflicts greater damage upon the body."
He clenched his fist.
"It took me twenty years of training to understand this technique. With each gate, a person's power can increase several times over. If all Eight Gates are opened, even an ordinary shinobi may briefly obtain strength capable of rivaling a Hokage."
Duy was being modest.
The ultimate power of the Eight Gates depended on the person opening them. Duy himself was officially only a Genin, but opening all eight gates would allow him to overwhelm most opponents at the Kage level.
His future battle against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would prove that.
Guy's eventual mastery would reach an entirely different realm. As an elite Jonin with a body refined through decades of training, he would become powerful enough to nearly kill Madara after the latter had obtained the power of the Ten-Tails.
For several moments, the Eight Gates would elevate Guy to a level beyond the Five Kage.
But that power carried the highest possible price.
The final gate guaranteed death.
Even the earlier gates could tear muscles, fracture bones, and damage the chakra network if used carelessly. The technique offered overwhelming power, but only for a short time.
If the user failed to defeat the enemy before the body collapsed, the Eight Gates would merely hasten their death.
Ren had no intention of recklessly pursuing the Eighth Gate.
His short-term goal was much more practical. If he could safely open the first three gates—and eventually the fourth—he would possess a trump card capable of saving his life when ordinary methods failed.
Duy's voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"The Eight Gates must never be treated as an easy path to strength," Duy said. "To open them, you must accept pain. To master them, you must possess discipline. And to use them in battle, you must be prepared to burn everything for the sake of protecting what is precious to you."
His eyes sharpened.
The force of his conviction seemed to press down upon the entire clearing.
"Ren, tell me. Is your resolve as firm as stone?"
Ren met his gaze.
"Yes, Uncle Duy," he answered loudly. "I've already made my decision."
Duy studied him for another moment.
Then he nodded.
"Good. Today, I will teach you the method for opening the first three gates."
Duy began by pointing out the gates' locations within the chakra pathway system. He described how the user should direct chakra, how the restraints felt when approached, and what warning signs meant the body was nearing its limit.
Ren had encountered basic information about the relevant tenketsu in Konoha's library. That gave him enough background to follow the explanation, though reading about the points was very different from forcing them open.
Duy was not a naturally gifted teacher.
He frequently described sensations through phrases such as "make your youth surge upward" or "strike the barrier with the determination of a thousand sunsets."
Fortunately, Guy was present.
Whenever Duy's explanation became too abstract, Guy provided a simpler description based on his own training. Between Duy's experience and Guy's supplementary explanations, Ren gradually understood the fundamental process.
The Gate of Opening was the starting point.
Located within the brain, it restricted the maximum output of the muscles. Opening it required the user to drive chakra into the gate with enough precision to release the limit without losing control.
The Gate of Healing and Gate of Life demanded even finer control and a far stronger body.
Ren memorized every instruction.
However, part of his attention remained fixed on the system.
It had not reacted.
That was not entirely unexpected. When Ren acquired the Great Fireball Jutsu, the system had only responded after Obito personally demonstrated the technique.
Hearing an explanation was insufficient.
Duy would have to activate the Eight Gates in front of him.
As if responding to that thought, Duy stepped into the center of the clearing.
"An explanation alone will not allow you to understand the Eight Gates," he said. "Watch closely. I will demonstrate the first three."
Ren and Guy focused on him.
Duy spread his feet shoulder-width apart and clenched his fists. His breathing slowed as chakra began circulating through his body.
The atmosphere changed.
"First Gate…"
The muscles along Duy's arms tightened.
"Gate of Opening—open!"
A pulse of force rolled through the clearing. Dust lifted around his feet, and the nearby leaves trembled despite the absence of wind.
Duy's chakra surged again.
"Second Gate…"
The veins along his forehead and neck bulged.
"Gate of Healing—open!"
The pressure intensified.
His fatigue vanished, his posture straightened, and chakra rushed through his body with enough force to become faintly visible.
Ren held his breath.
Duy lowered his center of gravity.
"Third Gate…"
The ground beneath his sandals began to crack.
"Gate of Life—open!"
A violent eruption of chakra exploded from Duy's body.
His skin reddened as his blood flow accelerated. His short black hair lifted beneath the pressure, and invisible shockwaves spread across the clearing in expanding rings.
Branches shook.
Leaves tore free and spiraled through the air. Flocks of birds burst from the surrounding treetops, fleeing the forest in panic.
Duy moved.
His fist vanished from Ren's sight.
A thunderous impact struck the air several meters ahead, and the resulting pressure blasted leaves away from an entire section of the clearing.
Duy followed with a kick.
His leg left overlapping afterimages as it carved through the air. The shockwave struck a distant tree hard enough to make its trunk groan.
This was only the Third Gate.
Duy had not attacked anyone, yet the raw force of his movements made the clearing tremble.
At that exact moment, the system finally responded.
[Ding! Exceptional-grade affinity target detected: Eight Gates.]
[Limited Encounter Mission activated!]
Ren's vision blurred.
The forest disappeared.
In its place, he saw another training ground beneath a blood-red sunset.
A young woman stood alone at its center. She had short crimson hair, sun-bronzed skin, and a body hardened through years of brutal training.
Her fists were split and bleeding.
Her breathing was ragged, yet she continued striking a wooden post with enough force to splinter its surface. Every punch carried the sound of something breaking—wood, bone, or perhaps the limits of the human body itself.
Fire burned within her eyes.
Not metaphorical determination, but something wild and almost tangible, as if one glance from her could ignite another person's soul.
New lines appeared.
[You are drawn toward an explosive aura of youth on the training ground west of Konoha.]
[The target is tempering her body through a nearly self-destructive training method. Every strike contains her desire to shatter her limits.]
Then the final warning emerged.
[Warning: This target is extremely proactive. Establishing a bond with her may involve severe risks and could cause irreversible changes to the host's body and mind.]
[Proceed with the encounter?]
[Yes / No]
Ren stared at the two options.
Within the vision, the crimson-haired woman stopped punching.
Slowly, she turned her head.
Her blazing eyes seemed to pierce through the system itself and lock directly onto Ren. Then her bloodied lips curved into a dangerously enthusiastic smile.
For the first time, Ren suspected that the system's warning might actually be understating the danger.
This did not feel like a choice between "Yes" and "No." It felt like a choice between meeting her willingly—or waiting for her to come find him.