Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

"I'm done training; good luck to you guys!"

After sustaining 10,000 shadow clones for an hour and recalling all of them, Naruto's mind was flooded with a massive influx of nearly identical memories. He felt utterly exhausted, especially his body, which was covered in grime and dirt, leaving him looking disheveled and weary.

"You're giving up so soon?"

Kakashi teased with a hint of sarcasm.

He had planned to leave, but seeing Naruto creating 10,000 shadow clones and doing repeated push-ups piqued his interest, but he didn't expect that Naruto would give up in just one hour.

Kakashi is ready to give Naruto a lecture on his short-lived enthusiasm, and he must make Naruto learn the spirit of perseverance.

But before he could say more, Naruto waved his hand dismissively and replied, "Give up? Who said I gave up? I'm really done with my training."

Guy said in a serious tone, "The Eight Gates requires unremitting efforts. One hour isn't nearly enough. You'd better keep training for another eight hours."

He initially doubted Naruto's resolve since not everyone could endure the grueling requirements of Taijutsu. But Naruto's innate talent in Taijutsu was something he had never seen before.

In just an hour, Naruto managed to unlock several gates, proving himself to be a true Taijutsu prodigy. Guy saw hope in Naruto, the possibility of taking Taijutsu to an even higher level.

He simply couldn't allow Naruto to waste this rare talent, even if it meant forcing him to continue training.

"It doesn't matter what I say if you don't believe me. So, watch carefully and see for yourselves."

Naruto took a deep breath and tossed his coat to Sasuke.

No one could guarantee that his clothes wouldn't tear when opening the Eight Gates, so Naruto took off his coat to avoid being left with nothing to wear.

"Who would have thought... you've got quite a physique." Sasuke muttered, scratching his nose.

Naruto was always clad in the large coat that Mebuki had given him, hiding his figure and only hinting at his slender frame.

But now, without the coat, his muscular chest and chiseled abs were evident, his well-defined arms even more striking with the prominent veins showing a raw, powerful aesthetic.

This kind of build wasn't surprising on someone like Lee, but on Naruto, it was startlingly out of place.

Because the Kyubi is under control, Naruto's skin had become pale enough to make even young girls envious.

The whisker marks on his face had long disappeared, and his features resembled a younger Minato. His medium-length blonde hair, which he hadn't bothered to cut, fell freely around him, giving him an almost princely appearance reminiscent of a British's prince.

An angelic face paired with a devilish physique, perhaps that best described Naruto at this moment.

However, this beauty was about to vanish quickly.

Clenching his fists tightly, Naruto took a deep breath and bellowed: "Gate of Opening, Open!"

A wave of air pressure exploded around him, his hair starting to stand up slightly.

"Gate of Rest, Open!"

Naruto's aura intensified, his presence becoming almost overwhelming.

"Gate of Life, Open!"

At this point, Naruto's hair was fully standing on end, his muscular physique swelling further, every fiber of muscle looking solid and robust. Right now, he was like a Super Saiyan.

Seeing this scene, Guy was not too surprised. He simply said seriously, "I know you can open up to the Gate of Life, but the Eight Gates get harder as you go. You need to train with serious focus."

"Why are you in such a hurry? The fun's just getting started."

Naruto's mouth curled slightly. His skin had turned a sickly red, and was faintly emitting a green glow.

"Gate of Pain, Open!"

As his words echoed, the veins in Naruto's neck bulged out prominently.

Seeing this, Guy became anxious.

"Stop now! You've reached the danger zone of the Eight Gates. Don't push it too far!"

Naruto didn't reply, choosing instead to demonstrate with sheer strength.

"Gate of Limit, Open!"

With a low growl, Naruto's aura surged once more, and the ground under him sank from the sheer force he unleashed. The once solid terrain of the training field crumbled like paper, chunks of earth flying up from the air pressure alone as Naruto sank.

In an instant, dust and gravel scattered everywhere.

However, before the dust cloud could obscure everyone's view, Naruto's voice echoed again, "Gate of View, Gate of Wonder, Open!"

A thick burst of blue steam erupted from Naruto, and combined with the powerful shockwave, it instantly blew away all the dust.

As Naruto seemed ready to say more, Guy's face turned pale, "Stop, stop, stop right now!"

He couldn't let Naruto open the Gate of Death, after all, opening it means death.

But it was too late to intervene. With a defiant roar, Naruto bellowed, "Gate of Death, to hell with it, open!"

With the system's support, Naruto had no fear of dying from opening the Gate of Death. He knew that he only needed to control his time carefully.

Boom!

In an instant, the blue steam around Naruto turned a fierce crimson, and an overpowering aura radiated from him, as if he could obliterate anything in his path.

Bang!

No matter what, it was Naruto's first time attempting to open all Eight Gates, and he couldn't resist testing its might. He raised his fist and smashed it into the ground with all his strength.

The earth groaned under the impact, shaking violently as if crying out in agony!

"Everyone, get back!"

Guy shouted, grabbing Lee and retreating hastily, while Kakashi quickly grabbed Sasuke and Sakura, retreating as fast as he could.

At the next moment, cracks began to rapidly form with Naruto at the center, extending for a full hundred meters.

And that wasn't the end. The ground then caved in, forming a massive pit as deep as a three-story building.

'I never thought that an ordinary punch from opening the Gate of Death could create such a huge pit. The power is simply horrifying.'

With no time to process what had just happened, Naruto immediately shut down the Eight Gates as his five-second limit over, preventing any further damage to his body.

Yet the tremors continued for several more seconds before the land finally settled.

Before the dust even cleared, four figures leaped into the crater, searching for Naruto. It was Kakashi, Guy, Sasuke, and Neji.

Seeing them approach, Naruto felt a surge of warmth. While Guy's concern was clearly related to the Eight Gates, the other three genuinely seemed worried about him.

"Sasuke, hand me my coat."

Naruto wanted to brag about it, but when he opened the Gate of Death just now, his clothes had disintegrated in the red-hot steam. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to cover himself up...

Once he'd wrapped himself in his coat and emerged from the pit, Naruto smirked proudly, "See? I told you I finished my training, but you guys didn't believe me."

"Uh… this…" Kakashi was at a loss for words.

'He learned the Eight Gates in an hour?! This is just absurd!'

'How had this monstrous talent stayed hidden, allowing everyone to think he was the class's bottom-ranked?'

'Even the greatest actors couldn't pull off this kind of act, right?'

Swoosh!

Guy, however, wasn't concerned with any of that. He instantly appeared in front of Naruto, beginning to check him over.

Naruto surviving was good, but unlocking the Gate of Death surely meant his body would be ruined. The thought of such a promising young talent being cut down prematurely left Guy with a sense of deep sorrow.

Guy was already resolved to do whatever it took to heal Naruto, convinced Naruto was vital to the future of Taijutsu.

Yet after inspecting Naruto for a while and finding him completely unharmed, Guy was utterly dumbfounded.

"This doesn't make sense. How could this… this… this isn't right at all?"

Guy instantly turned into a man with a hundred thousand whys, with countless question marks appearing across his face.

He had spent decades training in Taijutsu, yet had never seen anything like Naruto's situation. Opening the Gate of Death without injury? Guy could survive it briefly, but Naruto was completely unscathed.

It must be known that from the moment the Gate of Death was opened, it would start depleting life force, making a full recovery impossible.

After a long silence, Guy managed to squeeze out just one sentence.

"You are a freak..."