I, Konoha's Sage of Life-Chapter 85 - : The Dragon God of Konoha, Teacher Chen

Standing at the front, he gestured to the left and right.

"The Eight Gates and the Breathing Activation Technique each have their strengths and weaknesses. I'll keep it simple—The Eight Gates are more difficult to master. Even opening just the first two gates isn't something everyone can achieve. It requires you to constantly push your physical limits."

Kyoichi paused, giving everyone ample time to process his words.

The Jonin present all turned to look at Might Duy.

Recently, Might Duy had been promoted to Special Jonin, and in the short time since, everyone had already witnessed this new Jonin's rather bizarre habits—

Extreme physical training every day, combined with his loud, embarrassing motivational shouts. His behavior was practically a form of performance art.

So...

When Kyoichi mentioned pushing one's limits and they saw Might Duy's name written under the Eight Gates section, their minds immediately conjured up his various eccentric training methods. A collective shiver ran down their spines.

Did they have to train like that to learn the Eight Gates?

"Ahem! Everyone, don't misunderstand! There are many ways to push your limits. My training methods are just my personal preferences, not a requirement."

Might Duy was all too familiar with their expressions.

He stepped forward to clarify.

"Duy-senpai, are there any other methods?" Jonin Tekuno asked immediately.

"Well, I just kept increasing my training load little by little, and after a while, I naturally managed to open the First Gate, so..."

Might Duy looked slightly embarrassed.

This was the truth.

It was also how he had taught Might Guy.

The Jonin fell into silence.

So you just train and train... and eventually, the gate opens?

Simple. Brutal.

But...

If they wanted to master it quickly, they clearly couldn't rely on this slow and steady method. Their eyes shifted away from Duy and onto Kyoichi instead.

Kyoichi's reputation as a brilliant educator had already spread throughout Konoha.

If nothing else, the various educational programs he had implemented recently had gained widespread recognition. Any parent with children knew of his contributions and their significance.

To Kyoichi, these Jonin were no different from the academy students he had taught before.

"There are other ways," Kyoichi acknowledged. "But most of them are far from conventional. For example... rock climbing—using only one hand, without chakra."

The crowd stirred.

Kakashi had trained like this.

By scaling a rock face with pure physical strength, without relying on chakra, he pushed his body to its limits and ultimately succeeded in unlocking the First Gate.

As for the Second Gate, the Gate of Rest—

Once someone had opened the First Gate, the Second Gate became much easier to access.

"...One-handed rock climbing?"

Upon hearing the requirement, Tekuno could immediately imagine how difficult it would be.

No wonder opening the First Gate was so rare.

The room fell into silence again.

And this was just the First Gate.

The human body had eight gates—just how monstrous would someone be if they could open all of them?

They had heard rumors...

That Might Duy was capable of opening all Eight Gates.

Their gazes shifted to Duy again, but this time, their eyes were filled with admiration and respect.

There were plenty of strong people in the world.

But...

Very few had reached this level of strength purely through effort and perseverance. Across the entire shinobi world, warriors like Might Duy were a rarity. He deserved their respect.

"So, shall we move on to the Breathing Activation Technique?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"Jonin Kyoichi, please go over the Breathing Activation Technique. I feel like this one might be easier to grasp, and it seems more compatible with our ninjutsu training."

"Agreed..."

The moment Kyoichi finished speaking, a wave of Jonin chimed in. Some of them even wondered...

If the Eight Gates were that difficult, what about the Breathing Activation Technique?

Would it be easier? Or...

Even harder?

They had heard before that Kanda Kyoichi had a bit of a mischievous streak when it came to education. Maybe this was another one of those times.

However...

Their doubts didn't last long.

Because once Kyoichi began explaining, they realized that while the Breathing Activation Technique was difficult, it was far easier to start learning compared to the Eight Gates.

The real challenge lay in balancing the technique—ensuring that the increased cellular activity was evenly distributed across the body, rather than having some areas become overly active while others showed no improvement.

This required precise chakra control, which was exactly the barrier Kyoichi had been trying to lower.

Yet, after months of research—almost completing the Fourth Activation Stage—he had been unable to lower the entry barrier to his satisfaction. In the end, he had to abandon that goal. The version the Jonin were seeing now was the finalized form.

"Increasing cellular activity by boosting oxygen intake... is a lower entry barrier compared to the Eight Gates," Tsunade remarked. "But at the same time, the cost is greater. The first two gates—Opening Gate and Rest Gate—cause only mild damage to the body. The overall impact isn't significant. But the Breathing Activation Technique... shortens lifespan."

"Surviving is what matters most."

Someone spoke up. "If we just limit how often we use it, a little bit of lifespan is a small price to pay. Besides..."

The man suddenly stepped forward and bowed deeply, his voice filled with sincerity.

"Duy-san, I have a request. If my student has the potential to learn the Eight Gates, could you teach him the full technique?"

At first, Kyoichi didn't recognize the man. His appearance was completely different from the one in the anime—almost like an entirely different person. But the moment Duy addressed him by name, Kyoichi immediately remembered.

"Chen-san, please, there's no need for that." Duy quickly helped him up and explained, "I never intended to keep the Eight Gates a secret. It's just... this technique inflicts severe damage on the user. And the entry barrier is so high that I've only released the first two gates publicly."

Chen?

That Taijutsu master?

Kyoichi's mind instantly recalled the name.

"My student only knows Taijutsu. He can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu—everyone said he'd never become a shinobi. But he did."

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"He made me believe that even a Taijutsu specialist can become a proper shinobi. I want to give him a wider path to walk."

Chen spoke about his disciple.

In terms of pure Taijutsu skill, Chen was currently even stronger than Might Duy or Might Guy.

But once the Eight Gates were opened... they were on entirely different levels.

In this reality...

During the Third Shinobi War, Master Chen's disciple had died in battle because he lacked ninjutsu or genjutsu. Devastated, Chen lost his will to fight and staged his own death to retreat into seclusion.

Kyoichi fell silent.

Chen was a warrior worthy of respect.

He glanced toward Duy and the Third Hokage but didn't intervene.

Chen wasn't requesting a forbidden technique for himself—he was asking on behalf of his disciple.

That made all the difference.

"I can trade my own Taijutsu techniques in exchange!"

Chen suddenly remembered what he had to offer.

That was all he had to give.

"Would you be willing to demonstrate?" Hiruzen asked.

It wasn't that he wanted to hoard Taijutsu techniques—rather, he couldn't set a precedent where forbidden techniques were given away freely. Otherwise, anyone could claim a special reason and demand access, rendering the concept of forbidden jutsu meaningless.

"Chen-san, allow me to be your opponent." Kyoichi stepped forward.

"While we're at it, I'll also demonstrate the practical application of the Breathing Activation Technique alongside the Opening and Rest Gates."

In pure Taijutsu... Might Duy was undoubtedly stronger than Kyoichi.

But...

When it came to highlighting an opponent's skills and making them stand out, Duy couldn't match Kyoichi's showmanship.

"Alright. I'll hold back..."

"No need, Chen-san." Tsunade interrupted with a smirk. "Go all out—don't worry about hurting him."

The others also chuckled knowingly.

Indeed...

Kyoichi himself was a medical expert. And with Tsunade—the most renowned medical ninja in the entire shinobi world—present, as long as he didn't die, everything else was fixable.

Chen bowed deeply in gratitude before forming the Seal of Confrontation.

The next moment...

He launched his attack.

"Normal state."

Kyoichi didn't draw his sword. He engaged purely in Taijutsu.

At the last possible moment before Chen's strike landed, he barely dodged—but it was so close, he had no time to counterattack.

This wasn't acting.

He genuinely had no opening to retaliate—

Because Chen was too fast.

"So fast..."

One of the Jonin gasped.

Even without using Body Flicker or Substitution Jutsu, they wouldn't have been able to dodge Chen's attack. Yet Kyoichi had relied purely on his natural speed and reflexes to evade.

Just that alone...

Made them completely rethink their perception of Kanda Kyoichi.

There wasn't a single ounce of exaggeration in his Jonin rank.

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