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"Eight Gates of Ninjutsu!"
"First Gate, open! Open!"
"The door to the Second Gate, open!"
...
As Might Guy unleashed his technique, an intense, visible steam of power radiated from his body, a terrifying force that was almost unbearable to look at.
The expression of the Kaguya clan leader shifted from mocking amusement to growing solemnity.
This brat from Konoha... what kind of monster is this? He was originally at most an elite jonin—how could he suddenly explode with such overwhelming power?
Asuma Sarutobi had already recognized it.
This was the Eight Gates!
As the son of the Hokage, his knowledge was broader than most.
The Eight Gates!
Even within all of Konoha, it was considered one of the most formidable ninjutsu.
The problem was that it was incredibly difficult to control perfectly.
What stage had Might Guy reached?
"Sixth Gate, open!"
Might Guy's momentum and strength surged further, but the pain he endured was excruciating, his body on the brink of collapse at any moment.
Yet his madness and determination pushed him onward.
"Open the Seventh Gate!"
Now, Might Guy's entire body was engulfed in blazing blue steam, appearing as if he were a god or demon, unstoppable.
Faced with such power, the Kaguya clan leader paled.
He had always been exceptional.
Among the younger generation, except for Kakashi and one other, no one matched Might Guy's level.
But now he realized he had been arrogant.
He had overestimated himself and underestimated Might Guy.
In a true life-or-death fight, Might Guy wouldn't have needed to open the Seventh Gate at all. Perhaps he might not even stop at the Fourth Gate...
Even the Kaguya clan leader was growing nervous.
This Konoha kid was truly twisted. What kind of monster was 613?!
Yet at that moment, Might Guy charged forward.
"Ah!"
Might Guy roared, the blue steam swirling like a deity or demon. His speed was incomprehensible.
They were dozens of meters apart.
But in a blink, Might Guy was already in front of him.
The raging blue steam shredded everything around it.
Even the bone spurs growing from the Kaguya clan leader's body trembled with sharp creaks.
"Go to hell!"
Might Guy struck a powerful punch.
Like lightning and thunder!
The impact shook the air and unleashed a tremendous roar.
Chief Kaguya tried to dodge.
But his speed was too slow.
He couldn't even see clearly—how could he evade?
Suddenly, a black figure appeared in front of Chief Kaguya.
Fist met fist—Bang!
The massive impact sent shockwaves through the air, stirring up soil, sand, and stones.
Even the huge bone spurs protruding from the ground were thrown into the air.
Asuma was stunned; the shock destabilized him, nearly blowing him off balance.
The blue steam burning on Might Guy's body blazed fiercely.
The person before him stood completely still.
He had actually blocked the attack.
Silence fell.
So quiet that even the faintest whisper of wind could be heard.
There was another figure beside the Kaguya clan leader.
Draped in a loose black robe, he stood like an unyielding mountain, impenetrable.
He did not move or utter a word, yet his presence suffocated the entire area with oppressive power.
Asuma's face darkened, his heart gripped by shock.
With six gates already opened, Might Guy was already a warrior of Kage-level strength.
And now, with seven gates opened, ordinary Kage-level shinobi could hardly hope to stand against him.
Yet this person blocked him with ease.
Black robe...!
Who was this man?
Might Guy himself was deeply shocked.
To be stopped so effortlessly at the Seventh Gate—that was beyond his expectation.
Could it be... that it had truly come to this?
When Konoha's Blue Beast vanished and turned into the Red Beast...
Night Guy!
Only Yuhi Kurenai, trapped in her temporary cage of bones, showed a flicker of confusion in her eyes.
She felt something strangely familiar about that figure's back, as if she had seen it before.
"Everyone, long time no see."
Just as everyone was lost in thought and preparing countermeasures, the man in the black robe spoke calmly, his voice detached.
"Who are you...?"
Might Guy also felt a strange familiarity.
Asuma stared intently at the black-robed man, wary of trickery.
"Uchiha Haru!"
Kurenai Yuhi shouted, her eyes welling with emotion as she stared at the black figure standing before her. Though it had been over a year since she last saw him, there was no mistaking that familiar posture, that unmistakable voice—etched into her heart and never forgotten.
"Uchiha Haru?"
"Asuma… Might Guy…" Asuma Sarutobi and Might Guy both narrowed their eyes, sensing something familiar in the man's presence.
"It's me," the man in the black robe said calmly. Slowly, he removed his hat, revealing an exquisitely delicate, flawless face—handsome and composed. Uchiha Haru.
The faces of Yuhi Kurenai, Might Guy, and Asuma brightened with relief.
"Haru… I'm glad you're here," Might Guy said, then the fierce blue aura of steam that had engulfed his body suddenly vanished. His muscles weakened, and he nearly collapsed, but vines and branches burst from the earth beneath him, twisting together into a soft, sturdy chair that caught him just in time.
The Eight Gates technique was an incredibly powerful ninjutsu, but the cost was devastating. Every gate opened brought increasing physical toll; opening all eight could mean death.
"Thank you," Might Guy whispered through clenched teeth, enduring the searing pain coursing through his body.
Meanwhile, a vine slithered toward Yuhi Kurenai, who remained trapped in a cage of jagged bone spurs—deadly and unforgiving. The spurs had the power to tear through earth and shatter trees; nearly indestructible. Yet before Uchiha Haru's vines, they seemed brittle, vulnerable. Like a serpent flicking its tail, the vine brushed the bone spurs lightly, cracking them with crisp, precise snaps as if breaking twigs.
Yuhi Kurenai was gently wrapped in the vines and pulled free. She gazed at Haru, her eyes shining with tears and aching with longing. For so long, she had imagined this reunion countless times—what she'd say, how she'd greet him, what she'd do—but now, faced with reality, her mind went blank.
After a long moment, she whispered softly, "Haru…"
At that moment, Asuma hurried over, clutching his left arm where he'd been wounded by the bone spurs. He grasped Yuhi's wrist firmly, cautioning, "Yuhi, don't go over there."
"He's no longer Uchiha Haru," Asuma warned in a low voice. "He's allied with that white-haired man."
Yuhi frowned, retreating a step as she wrestled with her shock. The man in black stood stoically with his hands behind his back, unshaken. Behind him, the arrogant white-haired man—the very one Haru had shielded moments ago—stood with an air of servitude, his respect undeniable.
The punch Haru had absorbed on the white-haired man's behalf echoed in her mind.
The distance between Yuhi and Haru was mere steps, yet an invisible chasm yawned between them.
The Uchiha clan had left Konoha. They were no longer on the same side.
"Come on! Hurry, get over here!" Might Guy called out weakly from his vine chair, bewildered. "We haven't seen Haru in so long!"
But Yuhi's heart ached. Why was Haru standing apart? Why wasn't he coming to her?
Haru noticed the conflicted looks on Asuma and Yuhi's faces.
Yes, things were no longer as they once were. He could choose to acknowledge them—or ignore them entirely.
But they represented Konoha's interests. And he was no longer part of that world.
"Let's go," Haru said quietly to the Kaguya clan leader, then with a blur of motion, they vanished from sight.
Asuma rushed to Might Guy's side, concern etched deep into his features. Yuhi remained rooted, staring blankly in the direction Haru had disappeared, her expression a mixture of loss, sorrow, and complicated emotions that defied description.
"What was that all about?" Might Guy groaned. "Haru's right here, and you didn't go to him…"
"Haru isn't Uchiha Haru of Konoha anymore," Asuma interrupted firmly. "That white-haired man is from the Hidden Mist Village. Haru's working with him—and that man wants to kill us."
Might Guy fell silent.
He was stubborn, sure—but not foolish. Even he could understand that.
After a long hesitation, he said, "But… no matter what, he's still Haru."
"He's one of us."
"Even if he's on another side, he wouldn't harm us."
"He's Uchiha Haru," Might Guy repeated, voice thick with conviction.
Asuma hesitated, lips moving as if to speak, then sighed heavily.
How he wished things could be simple, like Might Guy's unwavering loyalty.
But was it possible? Could he still call Haru a comrade?
In this world, there were harsh words: "no choice."
Since the Uchiha clan left Konoha, everything had changed.l
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