Naruto: System of Zoro

**Chapter 8 - First Steps in the Eight Gates Technique**

Might Duy stood with his arms crossed, his gaze steady as he studied the young man before him. The weight of the conversation was clear in his eyes. The Eight Gates were not a technique to be taken lightly. To wield their power was to walk a path lined with suffering and the possibility of death. Yet, despite the risks, Kazane stood firm.

Duy took a deep breath before speaking.

"The use of forbidden techniques always comes with risks. The Eight Gates, in particular, require a steep price—the ultimate cost is your own life. I'll as again, are you certain you still wish to learn it?"

Duy had to make sure Kazane fully understand what his getting into.

"I can accept that."

Kazane's voice was calm, without the slightest hesitation.

For a moment, silence hung between them. Then, to Kazane's utter lack of surprise, Might Duy's eyes welled up with tears once again, and he lunged forward, wrapping Kazane in a crushing embrace.

"Oh! Oh! This is wonderful! So wonderful!"

Kazane's face twitched slightly as he endured the suffocating grip of the older man. He had been expecting something like this, but that didn't make it any less overwhelming. Still, at least now his mentor confirmed his conviction despite the cost.

Might Guy, standing nearby, wiped away tears of his own. "Father… this is truly the beauty of youth!"

Kazane sighed. The father and son duo were certainly something else.

---

**The Method of Training the Eight Gates**

After regaining his composure, Might Duy led Kazane to a clear patch of land and sat down cross-legged. His expression had changed from one of excitement to one of absolute seriousness... Again.

"For this technique, the most crucial factor is the state of your body. The stronger and more durable you are, the easier it becomes to open the gates, and the greater the power you can wield after unlocking them."

He tapped his chest for emphasis.

"I've already noticed that your physique is incredibly robust. That means you are capable of beginning the initial training to open the first gate."

Kazane listened intently.

"However, if your body isn't properly conditioned and you forcefully open a gate beyond your limit, the consequences will be severe," Duy continued. "The strain could tear your muscles apart, rupture your veins, or worse—destroy you completely. Do you understand?"

Kazane gave a firm nod.

Might Duy nodded in approval before continuing.

"The Eight Gates training focuses on pushing your body beyond its natural limits. You will go through extreme endurance training, constantly breaking down and rebuilding your muscles until your body is strong enough to handle the strain of opening a gate. Every day, we will push you to exhaustion, and then you will recover and do it all over again."

Hearing this, Kazane's mind began racing with possibilities.

He had always assumed that ninja in this world trained according to methods passed down from their predecessors, following rigid traditions without questioning them. But he wasn't originally from this world. He had the advantage of knowledge beyond what was considered common sense here.

*Jutsu are man-made techniques. If they were created, that means they can also be improved.*

A thought took root in his mind.

*If the Eight Gates require endurance, what if I push my body far beyond the necessary threshold? Would that reduce the damage caused by opening the gates?*

A wild idea formed.

With his enhanced physicality—more akin to a character from *One Piece* than a standard shinobi—his body had already shown unnatural resilience. As long as he ate well and rested, he could recover from most injuries at a ridiculous rate.

*If that's the case… what if I trained to the point where I could open the gates every single day?*

The logic was simple. Open a gate, sustain injuries, eat enough food to restore energy, sleep, and repeat the next day. If he could perfect this cycle, wouldn't he be able to master the Eight Gates without suffering the crippling drawbacks?

*And if I combine it with Haki-like reinforcement…*

Which is quite the possibility thanks to the system of Zoro, mixing both Naruto and One-Piece in his capabilities.

Kazane's lips curled into an involuntary grin.

Might Duy, seeing the boy suddenly grinning to himself, assumed he was simply overjoyed at the idea of learning the Eight Gates. Overcome with emotion, he felt tears welling up again.

"Ah! Such a passionate youth!"

Kazane snapped out of his thoughts just in time to see Might Duy crying yet again.

From the side, Might Guy watched the interaction in confusion. His father was crying. Kazane was laughing to himself. Neither of them looked normal.

"What is happening right now?" Guy muttered.

Unable to make sense of it, he clenched his fists and declared, "Ah! This is the passion of youth!"

Kazane exhaled slowly, already resigning himself to a future filled with emotional outbursts from the two of them.

But none of that mattered.

Because today marked the first step toward mastering the Eight Gates.

**Nightfall – The Hatake Household**

After receiving the training method from Might Duy, Kazane wasted no time returning home. His body was exhausted from the day's intense training, yet his mind remained alert, brimming with thoughts. As part of his daily routine, he still went through his usual sword training, refining every movement with precision. Only after completing his drills did he finally allow himself to collapse onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling in contemplation.

For the first time since arriving in this chaotic world of shinobi, he felt like he was beginning to grasp real power—not just fleeting strength, but a solid foundation upon which he could build his survival.

The Eight Gates technique was fascinating in its mechanics. It functioned by unlocking the body's natural restraints, allowing a person to push beyond their normal limits.

Kazane closed his eyes, mentally reviewing what he had learned. The eight gates were positioned along the body's energy pathways, each one acting as a limiter to prevent excessive strain. Starting from the head, they were:

The Gate of Opening.

The Gate of Healing.

The Gate of Life.

The Gate of Pain.

The Gate of Limit.

The Gate of View.

The Gate of Wonder.

And finally, the Gate of Death—positioned at the heart.

The final gate was the ultimate limit. When opened, it would unleash power beyond imagination, but at the cost of life itself. The overwhelming surge of energy would cause the heart to burn out, leading to an unavoidable death.

"If the heart is destroyed, there's no way a person can survive," Kazane murmured to himself.

Yet, his mind refused to accept that conclusion.

"But… if the heart is the weakest point, what if I reinforce it?"

A crazy thought began forming. In his previous world, he had knowledge of Haki—particularly Armament Haki, which allowed users to harden their bodies against attacks. If he could apply that same concept to his heart, strengthening it to withstand the strain, could he bypass the fatal drawback of the Eighth Gate?

Opening the gates endlessly, without paying the price…

The idea was exhilarating. However, there was a problem—Haki wasn't something that existed in this world, at least not in the way he knew it. He had no way of knowing if others could train in it, and right now, he wasn't even strong enough to openly use it without drawing attention. Until he had more power, he had to keep it a secret.

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, exhaustion finally took hold, and Kazane drifted into sleep.

---

# **One Month Later – Ninja Academy**

"Kazane! After school, you always disappear. I even went to the forest behind the academy to look for you, and I couldn't find you! Where the heck have you been?"

Kurenai Yuhi stood in front of him, hands on her hips, her sharp red eyes glaring at him with frustration.

Kazane met her gaze but remained silent for a moment. He understood her concern, but they were still just kids. Right now, with war looming on the horizon, his priority wasn't friendships or socializing—it was survival.

Still, when it came to Kurenai, he had learned how to handle her.

Without a word, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a piece of milk candy, and casually held it out toward her.

Kurenai narrowed her eyes.

"Don't think you can just bribe me with candy—"

"Come on, Kurenai," Kazane interrupted, his tone relaxed. "Let's go to the back of the mountain. I'll show you the results of my secret training—something even Kakashi doesn't know about."

Then, without waiting for a response, he turned and started walking away.

Kurenai stared at the candy in her hand, mumbling under her breath, "He always does this… treating me like a little kid."

Yet, despite her complaints, she clutched the candy tightly and followed after him.

---

# **Forest Behind the Academy – By the River**

"Kurenai, watch closely. I'll show you what I've been training for."

Standing in the clearing, Kazane unsheathed three wooden swords, gripping one in each hand while biting down on the third. The weight felt familiar, comfortable like an extension of himself.

Kurenai's eyes widened slightly. Seeing him wield three swords at once made it clear just how much effort he had put into this style... Still, she can't help but also think it's a bit ridiculous. Isn't two swords enough?

"Hngh!"

He adjusted his stance, his feet digging into the dirt, and in the next instant—he moved.

"Three-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!"

Kazane lunged forward in a blur, striking at a massive tree with a precise and controlled motion. The instant his swords made contact, he twisted his body, adding momentum to his attack before landing in a crouched position behind the tree.

Kurenai blinked. It had happened so fast that she barely caught the movement.

Then, as Kazane stood up and turned toward her, a sharp cracking sound echoed behind him. Bark and wood chips began to fall, revealing deep, intricate gashes along the trunk. The pattern resembled the fierce stripes of a tiger.

Kurenai stared at the tree in awe.

"You… you actually cut through that with wooden swords?"

Kazane smirked slightly. "Not bad, right?"

Kurenai hesitated before nodding. She couldn't even begin to imagine the level of training—and pain—he must have endured to reach this point.

---

Eventually, the sun had started to set, casting an orange glow across the riverbank. A small fire crackled between them, the scent of roasting fish filling the air.

Kazane, having spent so much time training in the mountains, had perfected the art of cooking over an open flame. Now, he sat back, watching Kurenai as she took small bites of the grilled fish.

"Well? How's my cooking?" he asked with a smirk.

Kurenai, still chewing, glanced at him before looking away.

"...It's alright, I guess."

Kazane chuckled. "You always act tough, but I can tell you like it."

She pouted slightly but didn't argue. Instead, she continued eating, occasionally stealing glances at the boy across from her.

The flames flickered, the sound of the river filling the silence between them.

Suddenly broken by a sudden rustle.