By evening, Tenten returned in her usual valiant form.
Though fatigue still lingered between her brows and her clothes were soaked with sweat, her energy was high—clearly, she was still able to keep up with Guy-sensei's rigorous training schedule.
In the original timeline, Tenten's physical endurance couldn't keep up initially. It took long-term training before she gradually adapted, increasing her chakra reserves substantially.
During the second Chūnin Exams, she summoned a sea with a scroll, and by the Fourth Great Ninja War, she wielded the Bashōsen (Banana Fan) several times. Her chakra level was definitely on par with a jōnin.
But now, Tenten's physical strength was far superior to her original counterpart.
Once she had taken a shower, it was time for dinner.
At the table, the shop owner wore an indecisive expression. He kept sneaking glances at Tenten, but seeing her eating so cheerfully, he held back and said nothing.
Natsuki almost burst out laughing.
Totally expected. Though he had already told his "cheap father-in-law" about Tenten's situation, the old man still wanted to hear it from her personally. After all, nothing sounded better than your own daughter telling you directly.
Under the table, Natsuki quietly reached out and pinched Tenten's knee.
Startled, she looked up from her bowl and glanced at her boyfriend, only to see him subtly nod toward her father with his chin. She followed his gaze and saw her dad's awkward expression—instantly getting the message.
That's when Natsuki spoke up. "Ahem! Hey Tenten, how was training today? Your dad and I were curious."
The shop owner immediately perked up—but then realized what Natsuki just said and glared at him sideways.
"Your dad," huh? You sure got comfortable calling me that.
Thankfully, Tenten picked up the conversation immediately: "Oh, training was tough, but I managed to keep up. Guy-sensei said sweating more in training means bleeding less on missions. Oh, and Dad, one of my teammates is a Hyūga prodigy. I fought him the other day, and guess what—I totally had him on the ropes the whole time..."
Suddenly, Tenten was talking nonstop—like she'd gone back to being the sweet girl who used to share everything with her dad.
The shop owner kept nodding, asking a few questions now and then, and couldn't stop smiling. His gaze toward Natsuki softened noticeably.
This future son-in-law... is actually pretty thoughtful. Guess I'll stop glaring at him so much from now on.
After dinner, the sky had grown dark.
Tenten glanced outside, then at Natsuki, her face showing rare hesitation.
Natsuki noticed. "What's wrong, Tenten?"
She leaned against his shoulder and said softly, "You finally got the Eight Gates scroll. I know you're dying to go home and train it... but it's dark out now. It might be dangerous."
Her concern wasn't unreasonable.
Since the Uchiha clan's downfall, Konoha's internal security had significantly weakened. Spies were everywhere, and reports of missing children weren't uncommon. So, Tenten had become extra cautious—once night fell, she never let Natsuki walk home alone.
But she also knew him too well.
He had been dreaming of learning the Eight Gates. Now that he finally had the scroll, of course he'd be itching to dive into it.
She didn't want to stop him, but she couldn't help worrying. Even though she knew he was strong, concern was concern.
Natsuki hugged her and playfully pinched her nose. "Worrywart. Who said I'm going home tonight? Sure, I want to train—but I need to study the scroll thoroughly first. And tonight, we'll study it together. With your physique, opening the first three gates shouldn't be a problem. That's more than enough to deal with most enemies."
Tenten finally relaxed, a smile blooming on her face.
She immediately pulled Natsuki to her room, pushed him onto the bed, and jumped into his arms, pulling the covers over both of them.
Natsuki was stunned. "Tenten, w-wait—this is way too fast. You're only twelve, I'm only eleven, and even if your dad's dying to have a grandkid, this is—"
Tenten shot him a glare. "Didn't we say we'd study the Eight Gates together? Get the scroll out!"
Oh, that's what this was about. Still, even if they were just studying, did they really have to share a blanket? Anyone would get the wrong idea...
Natsuki wasn't about to object though—he certainly wasn't losing out here. He hugged her tightly, opened the scroll, and the two of them began studying the Eight Gates together. Good thing he was still young—otherwise, temptation might've gotten the better of him.
Then again, with her already in his arms... well, there were some perks to enjoy.
Tonight's kiss tasted like mint—probably her toothpaste.
A few days passed. Then came the first of the month.
Natsuki had been waiting for this.
Sure, he was eager to train the Eight Gates—but he was also very cautious.
Over the past days, he had memorized every detail of the scroll—techniques, gate mechanics, everything. He even mentally rehearsed the routines, refining his understanding. All that was left... was for the Special Training Lab to open tonight.
He'd already informed Tenten ahead of time, so she wouldn't expect him home tonight.
She knew he had a habit of pulling all-nighters for training on the first of each month, so she didn't ask questions.
At exactly 7:00 PM, Natsuki activated the entrance to the special training chamber. He didn't waste a second—he went straight into practice.
"Eight Gates Formation: First Gate, Gate of Opening—Kai!"
Buzz! It was like a shackle in his mind had snapped open. He could feel all the power in his body at his command.
He mentally summoned a practice dummy and whoosh! appeared before it in a flash, landing a powerful kick right under its chin that launched it into the air.
Whoosh! He reappeared beneath it—this was Shadow Leaf Dance, the prelude to Front Lotus.
Since he wasn't wrapped in bandages, Natsuki simply hugged the dummy from behind and began spinning it downward toward the ground.
"Omote Renge (Front Lotus)!"
Boom! A crater appeared where the dummy was smashed—completely torn apart.
But Natsuki wasn't satisfied. "The Front Lotus is powerful, sure—but it has too long a startup. Doesn't suit me. Besides, I don't need to stick to the scroll's techniques—I should develop my own."
The earlier gates mostly just boosted speed and strength. Techniques like Front and Reverse Lotus were fast, sure, but not exactly complex. Natsuki's Rokushiki (Six Powers) could already achieve similar results.
But the later gates were different—they involved manipulating air. By either friction or compression, they created devastating attacks.
He could totally use that concept to develop new moves—maybe even something like Dragon Ball's Kikoho (Tri-Beam). The power potential was massive.
That said, Natsuki would still learn Asa Kujaku (Morning Peacock) and Hirudora (Daytime Tiger) first. Why rack your brain creating new techniques when great ones already exist?
Plus, by mastering those moves, he could understand the key concepts—how to generate friction with speed, how to compress air properly to maximize damage. Once he grasped those fundamentals, creating new moves would be far easier.
Great structures rise from the ground up. A house without a foundation is just floating driftwood—that's how it is.
"Second Gate, Gate of Rest—Kai!"
"Third Gate, Gate of Life—Kai!"
"Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain—Kai!"
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