When Ryosuke arrived, Guy greeted him with a smile. Judging from Ryosuke's diligent personality, Guy figured he had been practicing the Eight Gates training method he'd taught him.
He asked casually, "Ryosuke, how's your training going? Even if you haven't succeeded yet, don't let it bother you."
"The First Gate of the Eight Gates can't be rushed."
Based on his interactions with Ryosuke, Guy knew he was the impatient type. After all, he'd invented a method of training that involved getting stronger by taking hits.
That sort of training was basically masochistic.
Only someone who truly thirsted for power would come up with such a brutal training approach.
Still, even with Ryosuke's intense efforts, opening the First Gate shouldn't have been easy.
Guy himself had taken two years to unlock it.
But Ryosuke replied with a smile, "I already opened the First Gate yesterday. I'm here to learn how to open the Second Gate now."
Guy was caught off guard. He'd taken two years—Ryosuke had needed only three days?
That was an absurd difference.
He must have been even more resilient than Guy had been in his youth. Back then, Guy had trained his body and endured the pain because he was afraid of it—and only after that was he able to succeed.
Maybe Ryosuke's body was simply far stronger than Guy's was back then, which made opening the First Gate seem easy.
But the pain involved didn't lessen, no matter who you were.
Training in the Eight Gates wasn't something ordinary people could endure. That's why it was never widely taught.
Even if it were shared openly, few would survive the agony.
Guy couldn't help but admire Ryosuke.
"Ryosuke, it seems you're really suited for taijutsu."
"But now that you've opened the First Gate, there's no rush to continue. It's best to solidify your foundation before moving on to the next stage."
Ryosuke nodded in agreement.
He wasn't sure how long he could maintain the First Gate once opened. To hold it longer, he had to become proficient.
After the joy of opening the gate yesterday, he'd relaxed, even gone on a date with Kurenai in the evening.
Still, it wasn't a total loss—he'd gained more chakra.
And chakra capacity was directly related to how long one could sustain the Eight Gates, and whether they could open the higher gates later.
In the original story, even Rock Lee only managed to open up to the Sixth Gate by the end, likely due to his limited chakra reserves.
Without a large amount of chakra, the Seventh and Eighth Gates were simply out of reach.
So, following Guy's advice, Ryosuke focused on mastering the First Gate before advancing.
He refined his chakra, aimed it at the gate in his mind, and whoosh—the First Gate opened once again.
It was his second successful attempt. He wouldn't call himself proficient yet, but it didn't feel too difficult anymore.
The vein bulged on his forehead, and his skin darkened—clear signs of the First Gate being active.
His aura surged.
Guy watched as Ryosuke opened the gate again so easily. Even though he already knew Ryosuke had succeeded yesterday, seeing it happen in front of him still shocked him.
Now it was just a matter of how long Ryosuke could maintain it.
Ten minutes passed. Ryosuke still held the gate open, his face calm and composed.
Guy was stunned again. When he first opened the gate, he barely lasted a minute before his body gave out under the strain and the gate closed automatically. Back then, his chakra reserves were far lower than what Ryosuke clearly had now.
Half an hour went by. Ryosuke was still in his First Gate state, though his expression was strained.
Even so, it was enough to deeply impress Guy.
Ryosuke was truly a taijutsu prodigy—even more suited for the Eight Gates than he was.
Three days of training and he could already hold the First Gate open for more than thirty minutes. That spoke volumes about both his talent and his physical condition.
Guy finally spoke.
"Ryosuke, that's enough. I'll teach you the Second Gate now."
He was fully convinced. Since Ryosuke wanted to learn, Guy would honor that.
Ryosuke stopped refining chakra. The gate closed on its own, and his face returned to normal.
He did feel a wave of weakness, though—that was the aftermath of opening the Eight Gates.
But as his body continued to grow stronger, he wouldn't fear that weakness anymore.
As long as he managed his active time properly, he could avoid entering a weakened state. That meant the technique wouldn't have any fatal flaws.
Guy began to explain the Second Gate: the Gate of Rest.
Like the First Gate, it was located in the brain—but while the First Gate was on the right side, the Gate of Rest was on the left.
Guy activated it as a demonstration. Two thick veins bulged on his face, and his skin darkened even more than with the First Gate.
He explained its function.
"The Gate of Rest removes the limits on fatigue. It forcefully restores stamina by overdrawing bodily energy. It counters the rapid exhaustion caused by the First Gate."
Ryosuke activated his Sharingan to study Guy's chakra flow and locate the Gate of Rest precisely.
After recovering a bit, he began training again.
This time, he proceeded cautiously, slowly refining chakra and channeling it into the Second Gate.
That way, he wouldn't black out right away.
As he pushed chakra toward the Gate of Rest, the pain surged—far worse than the First Gate.
But thanks to his earlier experience, he managed to stay conscious.
Gritting his teeth, he endured the agony and kept channeling chakra toward the gate.
The difficulty and pain of the Second Gate were on another level.
But Ryosuke refused to give in. He gritted his teeth and persisted.
After an hour of this brutal training, his face was drenched in sweat.
Guy couldn't help but shiver as he watched. Ryosuke was going all out.
Was this really how he trained?
He didn't seem worried at all about possibly damaging his brain from opening the Gate of Rest.
Honestly, even though Guy could endure pain himself, he never dared to train this recklessly. He finally spoke up in concern.
"Ryosuke, don't be reckless."
He was genuinely afraid Ryosuke would injure himself beyond repair.