Chapter 52: Hiruzen Sarutobi's Shock
Chapter 52: Hiruzen Sarutobi's Shock
"Right, senior, the Hokage wants to see you."
After Maple Night's candid admission, he remained mentally calm and turned to Might Guy.
The jonin hesitated for a moment before replying, "I was just about to report to the Hokage as well. Let's go together."
"Okay."
Might Guy acknowledged with a grateful glance at Maple.
Maple smiled and gave him a thumbs-up before turning to leave the Hokage Building.
Instead of rushing to the meeting point, he first headed home.
...
Inside the Hokage's office.
Might Guy and the jonin from the Mission Assignment Desk, Asuma Sarutobi, entered together.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, puffing on his pipe, sat behind his desk with his eyes closed in thought. He was contemplating the upcoming troop deployment, knowing it wouldn't be as simple as just sending Orochimaru to the front lines in the Grass Country. The Rain Country also required a certain amount of manpower to guard against the Sand Hidden Village, and he couldn't afford to let his guard down against the Cloud and Mist Hidden Villages either.
"Hokage-sama."
As Asuma entered, he bowed to Hiruzen and reported, "I have something to report. The two-man team composed of Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy, who undertook a C-rank escort mission, encountered an attack by Iwa ninjas in the Grass Country... Kakashi killed the enemy jonin, and his identity has been confirmed as Iwa jonin, Hidero!"
Hiruzen barely paid attention to the first half of the report, merely glancing up subconsciously while deep in thought. However, the latter half of the report completely shattered his train of thought.
Hiruzen looked at Asuma in surprise and asked, "Kakashi... killed an Iwa jonin?"
Asuma took a breath and continued, "Yes, and that's not all. Working together with Might Guy, they annihilated the entire ten-man squad."
"..."
Hiruzen was momentarily lost for words.
He had thought that Kakashi's escort mission in the Grass Country had failed, and since it was only a C-rank mission, he hadn't paid much attention to it. He never expected that not only would Kakashi encounter an accident along the way, but he would also resolve it and successfully complete the mission! In comparison, the Iwa ninja advance team that had been encountered in the Grass Country, who had chosen to return to report instead of acting rashly, seemed insignificant.
"That kid..."
Hiruzen turned his head to look out the window, his heart stirred by a wave of emotions.
Ten years old!
At nine, he had killed an elite scout from an enemy village, and now, at ten, he had taken down an Iwa jonin! Even the young Might Guy and Orochimaru in their prime had only achieved such feats at the age of twelve or thirteen.
Kakashi's performance had completely outshone Sakumo Hatake and Orochimaru, the two geniuses of their time!
"Alright, I understand."
It took Hiruzen a few seconds to calm his emotions. He signaled for Asuma to withdraw and turned to Might Guy, asking, "Guy... how many of the Eight Inner Gates have you managed to open?"
Among the things Maple had told him about Might Guy was that his combat strength surpassed his own, and that he could use the Eight Inner Gates technique.
After all, for a lifelong genin to suddenly possess strength surpassing even that of jonin, he must have mastered some secret technique.
When a ninja's taijutsu reaches a certain level, they become aware of the existence of the eight gates within their body, and Hiruzen had indeed sensed them before. However, he had never pursued the path of breaking through these gates.
"Oh, no wonder you could..."
Hiruzen, still deep in thought about Maple Night, trailed off mid-sentence as realization struck him. His eyes widened as he stared at Guy, exclaiming, "...Wait, did you say the eighth gate?!"
He gazed at Guy in utter astonishment.
The eighth gate!
This taijutsu, known as the Eight Inner Gates, undoubtedly made the eighth gate the final and most extreme stage of the technique.
Each of the inner gates, when cultivated to its limit, yielded formidable power, and Hiruzen could fathom the consequences of unlocking them all.
Reaching the eighth gate was no easy feat!
"Yes," Guy admitted.
Hiruzen was stunned.
He found himself doubting Guy's words, but the man's demeanor showed no signs of deception, and lying about such a matter would be pointless anyway.
"...Have you ever opened the eighth gate?!" Hiruzen asked, still struggling to believe it.
Guy hesitated, then replied, "No, this technique has significant side effects. I can sense that opening the eighth gate would likely result in... death."
Hearing this, Hiruzen inhaled sharply, any lingering doubts dissipating.
Unleashing the power of the Eight Inner Gates came at a cost; each gate carried side effects, and it was reasonable that pushing the technique to its limit would result in death.
However...
The fact that Guy could reach the eighth gate, pushing the technique to its absolute limit, was something Hiruzen had not anticipated. This was no ordinary achievement and could be considered a talent in its own right!
Although he wasn't sure exactly how powerful the Eight Inner Gates would be at the eighth gate, the strength gained by burning one's entire life force would undoubtedly be immense! Perhaps it could even rival that of a Kage!
It might be enough to match his own strength!
"...Might Guy, I hereby promote you to the rank of special jonin, bypassing the usual requirements. Thank you for your hard work on the previous mission, but there is no time for rest. I need you to head to the front lines immediately."
Hiruzen spoke solemnly to Guy.
Given Guy's formidable combat prowess, he was an ideal candidate for the front lines and especially well-suited for a vanguard role. His ability to handle various unforeseen situations meant that even in the worst-case scenarios, he could ensure the safe retreat of his comrades by opening the Eight Inner Gates.
"Yes!" Guy replied, his voice filled with excitement.
Just as Maple had predicted, he had been promoted to a special jonin, leaping directly from a genin to one of the village's elite jonin!
Moreover, from Hiruzen's demeanor, Guy could sense the weight of the Fire Shadow's regard—a recognition that filled him with a burning passion.
He felt his blood coursing with fervor—the fervor of youth.
In this moment, even if he were ordered to charge into the front lines, to open the Eight Inner Gates and sacrifice his life to inflict casualties on the enemy, he would not hesitate for a second!
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
