NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: New talent
Chapter 6: New Talent
"Four hundred and ninety-seven... four hundred and ninety-eight..."
Kiba punched the training post, knocking down layers of wood chips. Kakashi had brought him back to Konoha Village that day. Instead of sending him directly to his home far from the village, he let him spend a day in the village hospital.
During his stay, Shinusuke Hyuga, Yukina's father, visited him. "Come to my house when you have time," he said. This made Kiba overjoyed. "Come to be a guest at home when you have time" meant that Kiba's existence was recognized, and even the door of the Hyuga clan's house was open to him.
He didn't expect the Hyuga family to make such a grand gesture for saving Yukina. Kiba thought he had misheard.
"What is Yukina's identity?" Kiba wondered as he punched his five hundredth punch and then began to do squats.
At the academy, after Kakashi reported the matter to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, he gave Kiba a five-day vacation and asked him to keep this matter confidential. The potential chaos if it were known that an enemy ninja had abducted a member of the noble Hyuga clan under Konoha's nose was too great. The Third Hokage insisted this matter be concealed.
On the day Kiba was hospitalized, the Third Hokage explained a few things to him. Kiba nodded in agreement, though the vague sentence "Unknowingly, I have grown so big" when the Third Hokage left at the end made Kiba a little concerned.
Listening to the tone of the Third Hokage, Kiba realized he didn't have any doubts about him because of his identity as the son of a traitor. In fact, he felt a bit embarrassed, which made Kiba feel uneasy. However, he chose not to dwell on it; there were more important things to focus on.
Through this battle, Kiba discovered his own weaknesses. The joy of developing the Eight Gates technique was gone. A seriously injured Jonin still had the strength to kill him. Without Yukina's cooperation, he might have died instead of the Jonin. His strength was far from enough!
In the hospital, Kiba wasn't idle. He began to adjust his usual training schedule in his mind:
1. Basic physical strength training.
2. Training of the Eight-Gate mode.
3. Ninjutsu training.
Ninjutsu training was an unexpected joy. Bored in the hospital, Kiba kept thinking about the battle and learned from it. Surprisingly, he remembered the order of the final ninjutsu seals of the Jonin. He only glanced at it lightly and remembered the complete sequence.
When he left the hospital, Kiba returned home and immediately experimented with this ninjutsu in life gate mode. It was a success. Kiba realized he had a talent for ninjutsu, a very powerful one. He couldn't believe it.
Now, Kiba understood that it wasn't that he lacked the conditions to become strong but that he hadn't developed his potential. With this realization, he had stricter requirements for himself. Although he had ninjutsu talent, the most basic necessity was chakra. Without enough chakra, any ninjutsu was just for show.
The Eight Gates technique still needed further development. When opening the Life Gate mode for the second time, Kiba discovered a problem: to open the Life Gate mode, he had to open the Life Gate mode first and then switch to the Life Gate mode. Although it wasn't as difficult as the first time, it still consumed a lot of chakra and time. This distressed Kiba.
After all, not all battles allowed him to open the Life Gate mode first. Sometimes, it was necessary to activate the Life Gate mode during the battle. He had to enter the Life Gate mode directly when the Life Gate opened; otherwise, the Life Gate mode would be impractical.
However, Kiba thought of a way. He could open the Life Gate and transform into the Life Gate mode while making seals and performing ninjutsu. The goal was to enter the mode and perform a successful ninjutsu when a set of seals was complete. Kiba wasn't slow in making seals now. He had practiced various seals, taking about two or three seconds to complete a set. He needed to transform the Life Gate into the Life Gate mode; otherwise, ninjutsu couldn't be performed.
In this way, the Eight Gates technique, the speed of making seals, and ninjutsu could all be practiced simultaneously, improving the utilization of Kiba's limited time. During these five days, Kiba practiced diligently and finally achieved results.
"Five hundred side kicks, five hundred punches, five hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run, it's over! Now, let's start that!" Kiba dropped the weight, opened the door, and started making seals. At the same time, the Life Gate in his body opened, and the green chakra appeared on the surface.
Just when the green chakra appeared, a set of seals was formed, and at this time, the green chakra disappeared without a trace, and the quasi-Jonin level chakra flowed rapidly in his body. Kiba pressed both hands. Earth Release, Earth Dragon Spear! A soil cone protruded from the ground. Less than two seconds! Kiba's mouth curled into a smile.
Now, the Life Gate mode could be used in actual combat! But...
Kiba looked at the soil cone and sighed in his heart. Compared with that Jonin, it was still far behind! Indeed, the size and length were much smaller and shorter than that Jonin's Earth Dragon Spear. Well, it didn't matter! In the future, Kiba would have Jonin-level chakra, so he could naturally create the same soil cone. For now, this size was enough in terms of lethality.
Kiba nodded in satisfaction but wasn't completely content. He started figuring out how to open the fourth gate.
"Gurgle..."
Just as Kiba was thinking about it, his stomach growled. "Before that, let's eat first!" Kiba looked up at the sky—it was already dark—the last day of his holiday was ending, and he was going to the academy tomorrow. Kiba walked into the wooden house, grabbed the leftover Konoha steamed buns from lunch, and gnawed on them. As he ate, he thought about how to open the fourth gate.