"Hey, Garou, you and Kakashi made it back to the village?" Might Guy's eyes lit up with his usual boundless enthusiasm.
"Yes, Guy-sensei, we returned yesterday," Garou replied politely, stepping forward to greet him.
Guy cleared his throat. "You lot go ahead and train. I need to have a quick word with Garou."
Neji, who had looked slightly worn out, suddenly picked up his pace the moment Garou entered the field. Within seconds, he'd disappeared from sight, clearly pushing himself harder than before.
"Neji! As long as you train with dedication, you can surpass your limits!" Guy bellowed with a bright thumbs-up.
"I'll work hard too, Guy-sensei!" Lee shouted with equal fervor, matching Neji's intensity. Only Nami let out a soft sigh before jogging after them.
Garou couldn't help but smile at the scene.
"How's Lee doing with his training?" he asked casually.
"He's started grasping the basics of the Limit State," Guy replied proudly. "Nami's lagging behind, but what can you do? Girls tend to struggle more with this type of physical training."
Garou nodded politely, but said nothing.
He gave a few suggestions, more out of courtesy than expectation. Guy's teaching style was hands-on, intuitive, experience over theory. Their philosophies didn't align much, and Guy knew it.
That was partly why he believed Kakashi was a better fit for Garou.
He gave Garou a once-over, then nodded with visible approval. "You've filled out. Taller too. A lot stronger than last time."
Garou scratched his neck. "Growth spurt, I guess. Usually starts around twelve, right?"
Then, a sudden realization hit him.
Over the past few weeks, his muscles had developed quickly, his stamina had surged, and even his height had jumped. He had assumed it was normal adolescence.
But what if it was the effect of the Fifth Mark?
Could it be enhancing his body directly?
"That makes sense," Guy said, considering the thought. "Graduating at twelve might have some biological reasoning. Ninja bodies tend to mature earlier than civilians."
He paused, then met Garou's eyes seriously.
"When you're stronger, I'll teach you a special technique."
"You mean the Eight Inner Gates?"
Guy chuckled. "Yeah, that's the one."
He didn't deny it.
Aside from the Gates, most of his techniques were simplistic, rooted in brute strength and repetition. But the Eight Gates were different, dangerous, powerful, and truly advanced.
"Thanks, Guy-sensei," Garou said sincerely.
He did want to learn the Eight Gates. Even if he never mastered it, understanding its principles could open countless doors.
"It's no big deal. I just feel like with your potential, maybe you could figure out how to overcome the technique's limits."
Guy turned and jogged away, likely to check on his students. Being a jōnin-sensei was a full-time task.
Garou watched him leave, his expression thoughtful.
After running laps for two straight hours, Garou made his way toward Tenten's house.
She was in the courtyard, tinkering with ninja tools again.
With his sensory perception, Garou easily detected the Anbu watching from nearby rooftops. Hidden, patient, ever-alert.
He wasn't surprised.
The Four Ninja Tools were no joke. If anything went wrong, it would reflect poorly on Konoha. The fact that Tenten was even allowed to study them was a favor, one directly from the Third Hokage.
"Garou, here to see Tenten?"
Her mother greeted him with a warm smile.
"No need, Auntie. I'm just passing by. Could you give her this book? It's about tool crafting," Garou said, handing it over.
"Really? Don't want to come in for a bit?"
"No, thank you."
He handed the book off quickly and retreated.
Tenten's mom had that look again. The one that hinted at matchmaking mischief.
Studying the tools wasn't something solved in a few weeks, and Tenten's current understanding was only a starting point. She had a long road ahead.
But Garou's thoughts were elsewhere.
The Fifth Mark had begun glowing again inside the Bodhi Seed.
That was significant.
Every time a mark evolved, the entire system changed. So what if he gathered five more? What would happen when ten marks were unlocked?
'A full transformation?'
He needed to test it.
But first, he needed a suitable technique for the Sixth Mark.
And no matter how he turned it over in his head, he kept coming back to one answer:
The Rasengan.
Not to master it like Naruto did, he lacked the talent for nature transformation.
But maybe... he could apply its principles to taijutsu.
He had already developed a high-impact move inspired by Tsunade's strength, a concussive burst through muscle and timing. It worked, but wasn't sustainable.
Precision chakra molding was rare. Those who could pull it off usually used ninjutsu instead.
That style would never catch on widely.
But what if…
What if he injected spiraling chakra directly into the opponent's body, like a hybrid between Rasengan and the Hyūga Clan's Gentle Fist?
It was worth exploring.
So he spent the rest of the afternoon testing the concept.
"Trying a new jutsu again?"
Garou turned.
"Kakashi-sensei." He gave a respectful nod, then returned to his stance.
Kakashi watched quietly. To the untrained eye, it looked like regular taijutsu.
But Garou was refining every movement, testing chakra flow through his limbs, rotating spirals beneath the surface.
"I need your help," Garou said after a moment. "Do you know the Shadow Clone Technique?"
"I do. Want to learn it?"
"Yes. The technique I'm developing... I need to study its effects up close. A shadow clone would be ideal."
Kakashi leapt down and explained the hand seals step-by-step.
Garou listened closely. It didn't take long before he formed the seals and produced a perfect clone.
Kakashi wasn't surprised.
If Garou had failed, now that would've been shocking.
Without delay, Garou resumed training, this time on his clone.
As the sky dimmed, hour by hour, he didn't stop. Sweat poured down his brow. His arms ached, but he pushed harder.
"Come on," Kakashi said eventually, "let's grab some ramen. My treat."
They walked side-by-side through the quiet evening streets toward Ichiraku.
"You're trying to merge Rasengan with taijutsu?" Kakashi asked, hands in his pockets.
"Exactly," Garou replied.
He described his theory, targeted spiral chakra injection to cause internal damage. A method to bypass physical durability and assault the chakra system directly.
Kakashi stayed silent for a while.
"Chakra doesn't usually damage the body unless you're targeting the internal pathways, like the Byakugan does."
That was the secret behind the Gentle Fist. With the Byakugan, the user could see tenketsu, the chakra nodes, and precisely shut them down.
Garou's concept was dangerously close.
And if he perfected it…
It might be even more brutal.
"Or," Kakashi added, "focus the spiral to a single point."
He recalled Garou's chakra needle technique. Point-based damage followed by spiraling energy could act like a drill, piercing, then detonating beneath the surface.
"Yes, that's what I'm thinking too," Garou nodded. "I've also studied chakra nodes. Most of them follow fixed placements in the body. A few are close to the surface."
Kakashi didn't respond immediately.
He held his book in one hand but didn't flip a single page.
Finally, his voice came, low and flat:
"Your idea is dangerous."
Garou shrugged. "The Hyūga Clan doesn't need to worry. Everyone knows where chakra points are in theory, but actually hitting them is another story. Without a Byakugan, it's like fighting blindfolded."
He exhaled slowly.
"The Caged Bird Seal made them powerful… but it also made them fragile."
Kakashi didn't comment.
But deep down, he agreed.
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