Memories of the young rogue's training filled his head as he was exiting the bamboo forest, it had taken him several days to master it but he finally obtained mastery of up to five gates.
Hayato was meditating on the nature around him in the center of a bamboo forest, it was calm and quiet. There was peace and harmony in the solitude of silence among the lands, the young looking rogue was sitting with his legs crossed and his fists placed together in a motionless form as his eyes were closed. His mind was focusing on the surrounding spiritual energy known as Chakra, which was an essential to even the most basic Jutsu; it is a mixture of the physical energy present in every cell of the body and the spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience.
These were all things Hayato knew well, he had spent his entire life learning about the laws of chakra and what it was capable of. Once mixed, it can be channeled through the chakra circulatory system, which is to chakra as the regular circulatory system is to blood, to any of the 361 chakra points in the body called tenketsu. These were pressure points within the body from which chakra can be released although ninja use chakra regularly, very few ninja possess any great control over their tenketsu. Even Jōnin are only capable of releasing a small amount of chakra through their hands or feet to increase the power of punches, jumps, or kicks. However, Hayato had far more understanding of this than many others did even though he wasn’t even close to a Hyūga’s level of understanding.
Through various methods, the most common of which is hand seals, the chakra can then be manipulated to create an effect that would not be possible otherwise, such as walking on water, summoning objects or even creating illusions. However it seemed that Hayato had been studying all that he knew for an eternity, he is an expert on chakra manipulation and the various effects it has on people. Normal chakra is a form of energy all living individuals naturally produce to some degree. Contained in the "chakra coils" that mainly surround and connect to each chakra-producing organ, the energy circulates throughout the body in a network called the chakra circulatory system. The chakra pathway system is enmeshed into the body and like blood vessels it touches and interacts with every single living cell and passes through every organ. If the chakra flow to a section of the body is blocked then that portion of the body will be unable to release any chakra from any of the tenketsu.
Proper application uses the system as a conductor sending harmful chakra directly to vulnerable vital organs. As there is no way to train a person's organs to resist physical or energy attack this method of fighting is extremely effective. An analogy could be made by comparing it to being attacked with a tazer; which would leave your body feeling in major pain. Certain groups, such as ninja, have learned to generate more chakra and release it outside their bodies through their "chakra points" in order to perform Justus successfully. Chakra is not normally visible to the naked human eye, though chakra can be seen in situations where a person releases as much of their chakra as possible.
However, is rarely seen due to the restrictions of certain chakra points known as the Eight Gates, limiting the amount of chakra an individual can release at a single given time. Chakra can also be visible when doing a specific Jutsu which take a high degree of chakra control to perform. Hayato knew this all too well, he was very well educated in both the chakra system and shinobi history of its use. This was due to the fact that his old sensei whom died a few years ago trained him well with this knowledge as well as the thousands of scrolls which he has read in his lifetime.
Chakra is the resulting form of energy when two other forms of energy are mixed together. The two energies are referred to as "physical energy" and "spiritual energy". Physical energy is collected from the body's cells and can be increased through training, stimulants, and exercise. Hayato knew this all too well from all the years of training in his lifetime. Spiritual energy is derived from the mind's consciousness (i.e. the soul) and can be increased through studying, meditation and experience. Having these two energies become more powerful will in-turn make the created chakra more powerful. Therefore, practicing a Jutsu repeatedly will build-up experience, building up one's spiritual energy, and thus allowing more chakra to be created. As a result, the ninja is able to do that same Jutsu with more power. This same cycle applies for physical energy, except this time, instead of doing things like meditation, the ninja could perform various exercises.
All these things rushed through Hayato’s head while he meditated; this was a way to charge his own energy by calming his mind with information. Information was one thing Hayato loved, if he wasn’t off doing an assassination mission for money he had his nose buried in a book. Now it was time to expand the Jutsu limitations which he had stored in his body, by using the chakra from Earth itself. This was chakra that contains the energy found in nature itself. It's a powerful source of energy, able to grant a ninja increased strength, speed, and endurance for Taijutsu, as well as enhancing the power of one's Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. However the Genjutsu enhancement didn’t apply to Hayato; simply due to the fact that the young warrior wasn’t a coward whom hid behind illusions, he preferred a more headstrong approach when it came to battle.
Remaining completely still for a period of time takes a great deal of concentration and patience, requiring a highly motivated and calm state of mind. Luckily Hayato was an expert at doing this, he was extremely calm and focusing on his physical energy and spiritual energy, as well as the natural energy from the atmosphere in the air along with the surrounding terrain and bamboo. Green chakra began emitting from the young warrior’s body, this was his own personal Nature chakra showing its true form. His eyes still remained closed as he pondered to himself while gathering the surrounding nature chakra. The young rogue continued to gather huge amounts of energy from all chosen surrounding life forms, and conduct that energy into a lime green armor which surrounded his entire body with astounding destructive power. This had a side effect of a cool breeze which lightly blew the rogue’s afro and headband in the wind.
Suddenly there was a noise coming from within the bamboo forest while the young warrior’s eyes remained closed shut, Hayato kept a calm composure on his face as he lightly tapped his feet together in order to produce the Dome Method Formation which created a spherical detection barrier with Hayato at the center. The sensory dome then expanded around the open area surrounding the young rogue, he felt a presence approaching from a close distance; exactly 10 meters to the East. Hayato remained calm with no expression on his face whatsoever. As the mysterious person approached the lime green chakra was still surrounding Hayato’s body and his eyes still remained closed shut.
Suddenly a voice of an old man uttered the words “Well boy that is some impressive chakra you’re producing from your body. I can’t say that I’ve seen anything like it, especially from one as young as you.” Hayato’s eyes opened to see a light skinned old man with a bamboo hat on who was smiling at him with an impressed look, however Hayato was simply giving the man a blank expression. Hayato’s focus was broken, however his mastery of the Nature chakra allowed him to maintain the armor around his body before it faded away into his skin. This meant that now all the Nature chakra was successfully placed into his body, and all of its energy was now in him.
Hayato hopped to his feet, he stood at 5 foot tall with his afro included in his height, and Hayato’s growth was stunted at a young age by experimenting with Nature chakra which left him remaining with a child-like appearance. “I must say young one, I myself am an Ex-ANBU sensory type ninja and when I got a whiff of your pure Nature chakra I simply had to check it out” the elderly man explained to the rogue in a friendly tone “I am curious to know how somebody at your age could obtain such raw power, this is a surprising discovery to say the least and I can’t believe my eyes”
Hayato looked up at the man and finally decided to say something “A wise man once said ‘your eyes can deceive you, don’t trust them.’ It seems to be getting harder. Distinguishing reality from the illusions people make for us, or the ones we make for ourselves.” The elderly man raised an eyebrow at these words with a somewhat shocked look on his face “Those are wise words boy, I may not know who you are but you seem wise beyond your years. You are such an articulate young man” Hayato simply shrugged and said “Eh” with a calm expression
The elderly man smiled once again “I may not look like much boy but I possess vast knowledge about chakra and what it can do, after seeing what power you possess I would like to teach you what I know if you are interested.” Hayato’s expression shifted to be somewhat interested once the elderly man made his offer “Oh where are my manners?” the elderly man said before Hayato could even say a reply “My name is Hamato Yoshi, a former Shinobi from Konoha. Are you a Genin from around here in the leaf village?” he asked to the young rogue.
Hayato took this as an insult, although he didn’t take to too seriously due to the fact that he knew the man meant no harm by his remark because his height and outward appearance was that of a young kid. The young rogue looked at the man maintaining his emotionless expression “I am far more superior than any Genin you would ever know, I’m not from any village as I have trained myself by growing up in the wilderness. My name is Hayato, it is nice to meet you Yoshi” The elderly man smiled at Hayato’s words and laughed slightly “I would appear we have similar names my friend, if you wouldn’t mind I would like to be your Sensei for the day” Hayato raised an eyebrow, there was no way that this old man could be any better than his previous master Kento Uchiha. Hayato looked the man in the eyes “What exactly could you teach me? I’m not exactly a sensory type ninja like you”
“I could teach you many things young one, I see you have a sword at your side like a samurai. That is a trait of a true warrior, most ninja keep them on their back without realizing that you have the advantage when it comes to Taijutsu” Yoshi Said to the young rogue, which was true. Most ninja didn’t know this but with the sword at your side you were able to not only draw you sword, but attack at the same time with a single swift slashing movement. Hayato was an extremely skilled swordsman, mastery of his style enables him to exercise superhuman speed and reflexes, study and predict his opponent's movements in battle, as well as perform many powerful sword techniques. Hayato’s swordsmanship allows him to quickly overpower and dispatch most opponents with his sword before they even have time to react. Most of his techniques were originally intended to be lethal while he trained with his old Sensei.
“You are right about one thing Yoshi, I am an expert in Taijutsu. The surrounding chakra which fuels the world is my power source and I use it freely to enhance my abilities.” Hayato said plainly to the elderly man as he began to walk past him so they were back-to-back with each other “So unless you have anything which would further improve my skills as a warrior then I’m afraid you are wasting my time.” With these words being said there was a slight chuckle being made by Yoshi “Ah, you wish to learn something to enhance yourself as a true warrior. I have just the thing for you then boy, have you ever heard of the Eight Gates of Opening?”
Hayato’s eyes widened with excitement as he actually expressed a form of happiness, this was a rare occasion indeed. Not many people knew about the true capabilities of the Eight Gates of Opening. Retaining his calm composure Hayato turned his head around slightly as he knew that nothing was free “What is the catch?” the young rogue asked the elderly man “You must hit me with that sword” Yoshi said plainly with a smile on his face, still as friendly as ever.
Without a moment’s thought, warning or hesitation Hayato drew his sword with a twisting backslash which had an additional step with the left foot, which added an instantaneous acceleration and weight to the sword. Hayato was aiming to simply slash the man, however Yoshi weaved the slash easily. This was expected as Hayato had a smirk on his face, this was a simple trick used by his own personal swordsmanship style which he developed himself. In addition, when the initial strike was avoided, the force of the unusually fast slashing motion displaces the air around it, generating a vacuum in its wake and sucking the opponent in; as this happened, Hayato spun his body around for a second strike, with the previous action adding force and momentum to the swing, making the subsequent strike far stronger. This successfully slashed open Yoshi’s stomach, although the young rogue was careful enough not to slash deep enough to cut any vital organs. But he was sure that this would be good enough to impress the self proclaimed Shinobi standing before him.
Yoshi backed up slightly while holding his stomach with an expression of pain on his face while the swift warrior placed his sword back into the sheath to his side. Hayato then walked up to Yoshi and placed his palms on the inflicted wound, he then began to speed up the body's natural healing process by sending some of the nature chakra from his hands into the wound on the afflicted body part. This would completely heal the sword slash which Hayato himself had inflicted upon Yoshi’s stomach. The elderly shinobi looked at the young rogue in disbelief as the cut healed and the bleeding stopped “You are something else boy, it is unreal that a mere child managed to both strike me with your sword and heal me with an A Ranked Jutsu. I would be honored to train you in the form of the eight gates of opening” Hayato simply looked at the elderly man and smirked a bit “I am small not young, my growth process was disrupted when I unlocked my Nature Affinity.”
Yoshi looked down at the intellectual young man whom he was speaking to with a bright friendly smile “Well it would seem that I have been talking to a young man” Yoshi said with a loud uproar of laughter “Either way I am humbled to be in your presence Hayato, your training begins now.” Hayato now looked at the man fully aware and alert of whatever he had to say, he listened attentively to Yoshi’s explanation of how the gates worked “The Eight Gates are eight specific points on a person's Chakra Pathway System. They limit the overall flow of chakra within a person's body. The basis for the idea of the chakra gates comes from the body's limits on the functions within it. This makes the body much weaker, but it keeps the body from expiring too soon. By opening these gates, the user can surpass their own physical limitations at the cost of extreme damage to their own bodies.”
These words made Hayato slightly nervous about actually performing this technique, he wasn’t used to such a backfiring effect to an ability but knew the power which he would receive in return would probably be worth whatever cost was required “I understand the chakra system very well Yoshi” Hayato explained “Just tell me what to do and I will do my best to master the technique.” Yoshi then said “It isn’t as simple as that boy, the state of having all Eight Gates open is known as Eight Gates Released Formation. Any shinobi who activates this state will temporarily gain powers greater than a Kage could even dream, however they will soon die because of the damage done to their body would be beyond repair by any medical ninja in the shinobi world”
This was slightly scary for the young rogue, if he didn’t maintain full control of this ability it could do serious substantial damage to his body. As a result of the Eight Gates of Opening, the user's base chakra level, as well as their strength, speed, and senses, greatly increases for a certain amount of time. It appeared that this technique could be used to increase the effect of the Gates to higher multiplications by opening each individual one. Hayato looked the man in the eyes “Ok… I think I’m ready to try it now” the young rogue said to Yoshi with confidence in his voice with full acknowledgement of the technique’s substantial flaws.
Yoshi nodded “First you must unlock The Gate of Opening, which is located in the brain’s left section. This gate removes the restraints of the brain on the muscles so 100% of their strength can be used whereas normally, a person can only use 20% of their muscles' strength to keep them from disintegrating. Unlocking this gate allows the user to use the Front Lotus.” The elderly man explained, Hayato focused his energy which fully unlocked the Gate in no time at all, his headband and afro rose upward with strong winds “Good! Now quickly unlock Gate of Healing, located in the brain’s right section. It forcibly increases one's physical strength and temporarily re-energizes the body.” Yoshi instructed to the young warrior.
Hayato did as instructed by opening the second Gate of Opening within his brain, which cause the lime green chakra to once again emit from his body although it was more like an aura which outlined his body rather than a flow of chakra being emitted out forcefully. The young warrior wasn’t struggling too much with this one due to the fact that this was the easiest Gate to unlock and control. This caused the surrounding bamboo to begin shaking along with dust that began rising.
Yoshi nodded once again, he had a surprised look that Hayato was unlocking these techniques so quickly “Now unlock the Gate of Life, located on the spinal cord.” The young rogue focused on his spine and unlocked the third gate which caused furious winds to be surging from his body as the surrounding chakra expanded outward causing a miniature shockwave. The increased blood flow turned Hayato’s light brown skin into a dark red complexion and made his afro rise up into the air along with his white headband “RAAAAAAAAAAH!” Hayato exclaimed as both his irises and pupils were no longer visible and his eyes were pure white.
Hayato felt like pure rage consumed him, he could no longer maintain his calm composure and was losing control of his actions. The massive amount of forced energy being brought into his body stripped him of his calm and laid back attitude as he was now zooming around the bamboo forest destroying anything in his path. The young warrior’s speed was already naturally advanced from an average shinobi, but now he was moving at inhuman speed which made his physical appearance seem like an unreal blur of green energy.
Hayato continued to do this until the open field around the two was expanded even further than before and he stopped directly in front of Yoshi, although the young warrior’s strength, speed and power was increased drastically he could already feel a stinging sensation around his body. Yoshi’s eyes were widened, he didn’t expect the outburst of power to be so drastic and without warning. Hayato was breathing heavy as the gate slowly began to wear off, his body felt as if it was about to break apart. “No! You must not give up now young one!” the elderly man demanded “Quickly, open the Gate of Pain located on the spine directly under the third gate!”
Hayato nodded as he stopped breathing heavy in order to listen to Yoshi, the nice instructor from before was gone and replaced with a strict tone which would help the young rogue maintain and master the technique. Once activated, Hayato’s speed and power increased even more than before as he let out a furious uproar of raw energy. Hayato managed to maintain his position as the green aura surrounded his body expanded, however what the young rogue didn’t know is that this technique’s fourth gate would cause his muscle tissue to tear upon use.
However that was after excessive use and this was merely unlocking the gates for the first time, meaning that if he was pushed this far in battle then he wouldn’t have much hope to keep his muscle tissue intact. Hayato’s afro and headband along with the rest of his attire was rising up from the pure of the air current surrounding his body, Yoshi looked at the young warrior with much approval on his face “I don’t want you pushing your body beyond its limit boy, so after the next Gate I don’t want you trying to unlock anymore today” the elderly man warned “It could be dangerous to unlock various gates with excessive use so be careful Hayato”
Hayato’s mind was usually calm but he was just struggling to maintain control of what was happening, he had basically unlocked secrete gates of chakra within his own body which made him gain tremendous raw speed and monstrous powerful strength. “The Gate of Limit is the fifth and final Gate you will be learning about today young one” Yoshi said in the voice of a true instructor “Located in the abdomen which constitutes the part of the body between the chest and pelvis. That is where the key to further increases speed and power to another extent lays, The Gate of Limit”
Focusing his chakra to the point which Yoshi indicated to him allowed the young rogue to unlock his fifth gate of opening. Hayato zoomed around at an untraceable speed, destroying everything in his path of destruction without showing any mercy to the natural environment around him. This was unusual as Hayato was known to love and respect nature, but due to his current state of mind he could care less about what he was doing. His raw tremendous power was actually allowing him to cut through the bamboo with his bare hands and swift kicks, this whole experience had literally converted his body structure into a living weapon.
Hayato couldn’t stand the pain the stress of the fifth gate of opening was causing him, so he felt that it was now time to release all of the energy with one final blow. With a swift and powerful punch to the ground the young rogue forced all of the Gate’s power to be channeled into the punch which made the ground under the two shake in a powerful shockwave.
Hayato’s hair, eyes, aura and overall appearance appeared to be back to normal. The young warrior fell to his knees and began breathing extremely heavy as sweat ran down his face, all he could hear was the sound of clapping “Good job Hayato” Yoshi said as he approached and began healing Hayato’s damaged body with a powerful medical Ninjutsu which would return the young rogue’s body back to its original healthy state before the training even began. The two then parted ways, they would meet again whenever Hayato was ready to complete his training of the Eight Gates of opening.
