CHAPTER 180
Everyone retreated to the edge of the clearing, their eyes filled with anticipation as they watched Guy and Minato Namikaze standing opposite each other in the center of the field.
"Minato-sensei! Go for it! Teach that guy a proper lesson!"
Obito shouted loudly from the crowd, looking as though he wished he could rush into the battle himself.
Rin stood beside him, smiling helplessly as she shook her head, but her gaze never once left the battlefield.
Unlike the noisy Obito, Kakashi, Ebisu, and Genma stood together in silence.
All three wore unusually solemn expressions.
Kakashi's sharp eyes remained fixed on Guy.
He wanted to witness with his own eyes just how powerful Guy had truly become.
For the past two years, he had trained relentlessly under Sakumo Hatake's guidance. His strength had advanced by leaps and bounds. At one point, he believed the gap between himself and Guy would continue shrinking.
Instead...
The distance had only grown wider.
And it was Guy who had left him behind.
During yesterday's spar, Guy hadn't even opened the Eight Gates, yet Kakashi had already exhausted every option available to him.
Now, he desperately wanted to know...
Just what kind of scene would unfold once Guy truly fought without holding back?
Ebisu and Genma felt exactly the same.
Despite being Guy's teammates and spending nearly every day together...
Despite fighting side by side through the bloody battles at Kikyō Pass, the Land of Waves, and the Land of Rice Fields...
Even they had never truly witnessed Guy's complete, unrestricted strongest state.
Although Guy had opened the Fifth Gate during the battle in the Land of Rice Fields...
That had been done purely to save people in the midst of a life-and-death crisis.
It was never a deliberate display of his full power.
Deep inside, both of them were filled with anticipation.
Standing in the middle of the clearing, Guy slowly inhaled before looking directly at Minato.
"Captain Minato..."
"I'm going to begin."
Minato Namikaze smiled gently and nodded.
His azure eyes were calm yet serious.
"Mm."
"Come."
Guy slowly exhaled.
Then...
He closed his eyes.
His expression entered an unprecedented state of tranquility.
Several moments later, both of his hands slowly rose before crossing in front of his chest.
His calm voice echoed throughout the clearing.
"Eight Gates..."
"First Gate..."
"Gate of Opening..."
"Open!"
The instant those words left his mouth, veins immediately bulged across Guy's forehead as the rhythm of his breathing noticeably changed.
Yet...
That was merely the beginning.
"Second Gate..."
"Gate of Healing..."
"Open!"
More veins spread across his neck and temples.
His complexion gradually reddened.
The circulation of Chakra throughout his body accelerated dramatically.
Without pausing...
Guy continued.
"Third Gate..."
"Gate of Life..."
"Open!"
Boom!
An explosive wave of Chakra burst outward from Guy's body.
Dust and fallen leaves scattered violently in every direction.
His skin rapidly deepened into a crimson hue, as though it had been scorched by intense heat.
Deep green Chakra steam slowly began rising from every pore of his body.
An overwhelming aura several times stronger than before surged outward like an invisible tidal wave.
Minato's gentle smile gradually faded.
A flicker of surprise flashed across his eyes before becoming solemn concentration.
He could clearly sense it.
Within only a few breaths...
The Chakra intensity...
The activity of Guy's body...
Even the sense of danger radiating from him...
Were all increasing at an astonishing rate.
"So this is a forbidden technique similar to Lord White Fang's..."
"A method of releasing the body's natural limiters to gain overwhelming strength..."
A trace of surprise surfaced within Minato's heart.
"What astonishing amplification."
"And this... clearly isn't the limit yet."
Almost instinctively, he shifted his footing slightly, lowering his center of gravity.
He quietly prepared himself to receive Guy's next attack.
Yet...
Guy still didn't move.
Instead, his voice continued to echo beneath the roaring surge of Chakra.
"Fourth Gate..."
"Gate of Pain..."
"Open!"
Boom!
An even more violent shockwave erupted.
Guy's skin darkened further, approaching a deep reddish-brown.
The atmosphere surrounding him twisted visibly beneath the pressure of his Chakra.
Violent gusts spread outward with Guy standing at their center.
The terrifying pressure made even those watching from dozens of meters away unconsciously hold their breath.
Kakashi's eyes widened.
His pupils shrank violently beneath his silver hair.
"So..."
"This is your hidden strength..."
"Guy..."
Shock surged through his heart.
His fists unconsciously clenched until his fingernails nearly pierced his palms.
He understood it perfectly.
The current Guy...
No.
Even earlier...
The moment Guy opened the Third Gate...
His strength had already completely surpassed Kakashi's own.
That level of speed...
That overwhelming explosive power...
Even if Kakashi unleashed Chidori...
He probably wouldn't even be able to land a hit.
Beside him, Obito's mouth hung wide open.
Looking at Guy, who resembled a human-shaped beast radiating terrifying pressure...
He suddenly remembered yesterday's tragic experience.
His entire backside tightened involuntarily.
A chill shot straight from his tailbone to the top of his head.
"I-If..."
"If Guy used that move in this state..."
"My butt..."
"It'd definitely split open..."
Obito swallowed hard.
Cold sweat quietly dripped down his forehead.
Even Minato had stopped moving completely.
Originally, he believed this should already be Guy's current limit.
After all...
Every additional Gate dramatically increased the burden placed upon the body.
The higher one climbed...
The greater the strain became.
But now...
He realized he had been mistaken.
Because...
Guy still hadn't stopped.
Minato quietly stood where he was.
His eyes never left Guy for even a moment.
At this instant...
Even he wanted to know.
Exactly where the limit of this boy...
Whom Sakumo Hatake had praised so many times...
Actually lay.
Guy did not disappoint him.
A thunderous roar burst from his mouth once again.
"Fifth Gate..."
"Gate of Limit..."
"Open!!"
Boom!!!
A roar even more violent than every previous eruption combined exploded across the forest.
Deep green Chakra steam erupted violently from Guy's body like an awakening volcano.
The dense steam was so thick it almost appeared tangible.
Hidden within that surging emerald steam...
Faint strands of an even purer...
Far more violent...
Azure-blue steam quietly emerged.
"It's here!"
"Guy's strongest form!"
Ebisu cried out excitedly, his voice trembling slightly.
They had witnessed this form before.
It was precisely the terrifying state Guy had displayed on the battlefield in the Land of Rice Fields.
The form that had allowed him to charge directly into Ōnoki's Dust Release and rescue more than a dozen Konoha Shinobi.
The same overwhelming speed that left blue afterimages.
The same terrifying power capable of shaking the battlefield itself.
It was exactly the same.
Kakashi's fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.
His joints cracked audibly.
Looking at Guy, enveloped by deep green and azure-blue steam...
Feeling that overwhelming pressure that seemed capable of tearing the very air apart...
Stormy waves surged within his heart.
"So powerful..."
"Guy..."
"Just how strong have you become?"
Whether it was the excited Obito...
The silent and focused Kakashi...
The thrilled Ebisu and Genma...
Or even Rin, whose expression was filled with both worry and expectation...
Every single person's heart had risen into their throat.
They all understood.
Guy's aura had reached its absolute peak.
The decisive battle between him and Minato Namikaze...
Was finally about to begin.
However...
Just as everyone expected Guy to launch his attack...
Minato still didn't move.
He didn't even adopt a defensive stance.
He simply stood there quietly.
His gaze remained firmly locked upon Guy.
Because...
Standing directly opposite him...
He could see more clearly than anyone else.
Guy...
Still hadn't opened his eyes.
Beneath those tightly shut eyelids...
An even more terrifying power seemed to be gathering.
The next instant...
Guy's voice exploded like heavenly thunder throughout the forest.
The determination contained within that roar seemed capable of piercing the heavens themselves.
"Eight Gates..."
"Sixth Gate..."
"Gate of View..."
"OPEN!!!!!!"
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