Naruto: Heaven Rewards Diligence

Just as the two were speaking, a sudden surge of power erupted!

Green energy flared around Lee, veins bulged across his forehead, the ground beneath him cracked, and his skin flushed a blood-red hue. His expression twisted into something ferocious.

"This is…?"

Lee had opened the Fourth Gate—the Gate of Pain!

The Fourth Gate surpassed the safe limits of the Eight Gates, vastly amplifying power beyond the Gate of Life. But with that power came terrible consequences.

"Unbreakable Golden Body! Open! Gate of Pain—open!"

Lee invoked the Unbreakable Golden Body to reinforce himself. The moment he stepped into the Fourth Gate, a torrent of power surged out of him, his strength multiplying in an instant.

But this was Lee's first time entering the Gate of Pain, and he could feel it tearing through his body, each heartbeat accompanied by sharp, searing pain.

This was the price of gaining power.

Lee slammed his fist into the ground—BOOM! The earth cratered instantly beneath the strike.

Whoosh!

"Lee! Stop using the Eight Gates, now!"

Might Guy and Kakashi appeared beside him in a flash.

At Guy's urgent command, Lee reluctantly stopped. Though he wanted to continue testing the Fourth Gate's power, he held back.

Something surprised him, however. With the Unbreakable Golden Body reinforcing his frame, the burden of the Fourth Gate felt only slightly greater than the Third. It was nowhere near the crushing strain Guy had always warned about.

"Lee, don't push yourself. Forcing the Eight Gates can put your life in danger!" Guy said gravely, worry in his eyes.

Lee opened his mouth to argue, but when he saw his teacher's sincere concern, he swallowed his words.

"Guy, calm yourself," Kakashi interjected. His sharp gaze lingered on Lee. "This boy carries traces of another Taijutsu discipline. It overlaps with the Eight Gates. His endurance is far stronger than normal, and the usual side effects are greatly reduced."

Lee's heart skipped. Kakashi had seen through him! As expected of the genius shinobi Naruto so often praised.

"You're right," Guy admitted, finally relaxing. "I was too hasty." Now that he paid closer attention, he could feel it too—a unique aura clinging to Lee's body. He had always admired Lee's flawless fundamentals and once suspected a family inheritance, but Lee was an orphan. Though Guy was often oblivious, he wasn't blind. He knew Lee carried his own secrets. And he never pried.

After all, everyone has their own secrets.

Kakashi, however, gave Lee a look so piercing that it made him feel utterly exposed.

"Could it be," Lee thought nervously, "that Mr. Kakashi—the one Naruto-kun teases as 'Mr. Fifty-Fifty Split' and 'Kidney-Deficient White-Hair'—already knows I've been hiding my strength?"

Even the thick-browed, honest Lee had started picking up bad habits after hanging around Naruto!

But in truth, Kakashi wasn't suspecting what Lee feared. Instead, he was fairly certain the training method Lee had mastered came from Naruto.

Ever since overhearing fragments of Naruto's true strength, Kakashi had been paying much closer attention. Lee spent a great deal of time training with Naruto, and Kakashi knew full well Naruto wasn't as simple as he seemed. Guy, of course, never noticed—his concerns lay elsewhere.

Suddenly, Kakashi spoke. "Lee… how about a trade? I'll exchange my Lightning Release—an S-rank technique, the Chidori—for your Taijutsu training method."

"Kakashi, you…?"

Guy was stunned. For Kakashi to make such an offer was astonishing. Not only was it abrupt and somewhat inappropriate, but it was also shocking in value—an S-rank Lightning Release Ninjutsu!

S-rank techniques were exceedingly rare in the shinobi world. And for a veteran like Kakashi to approach a junior with such a deal… it was nothing short of unbelievable.

"Has Kakashi been acting strange lately?" Guy muttered under his breath.

Not only had Kakashi approached Lee about the Eight Gates, but he had also picked up the White Fang Sword Technique once more.

In Might Guy's eyes, this was proof that Kakashi had finally stepped out of the shadows of his past and now sought strength with renewed resolve.

"Kakashi, my eternal rival—well done!"

Guy's thumb shot up, his trademark grin flashing bright white in the sunlight. The gleam of his teeth was so dazzling it made Kakashi squint. Did he misunderstand something again…?

It was true Kakashi had begun training seriously again, but his reasons were practical. His Sharingan constantly drained his chakra reserves, leaving him unable to sustain long sessions of ninjutsu. Developing new techniques under such conditions was simply unrealistic.

If he wanted to grow stronger, he could only pursue progress in Taijutsu.

That was why Kakashi had dusted off the White Fang Sword Technique he had abandoned years ago.

Not only that, he had sought out Guy for instruction in the Eight Gates. Though Kakashi had studied them before, he had only ever managed to open the First Gate. He had never intended to pursue that path—until now.

It was late to be devoting himself to Taijutsu, but Kakashi reasoned that if he could at least master the first four Gates, combined with his Sharingan and the White Fang Sword Technique, his strength would reach the level of a true Kage.

And Kakashi's motivation was clear. His investigations had led him to one conclusion: his father's death was tied to Danzo Shimura.

Naruto's words had hinted at this before, but Kakashi needed to confirm it with his own eyes.

To confront Danzo, he would need strength. Danzo was surrounded by countless Root operatives, and even Uchiha Shisui, wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan, had fallen to him. If Kakashi wanted justice for his father, he had no choice but to grow stronger—even if that meant lowering himself to ask a junior for help.

He knew Lee was a Taijutsu specialist, but he also knew that Uchiha Sasuke—Naruto's companion—needed Lightning Release ninjutsu. Kakashi's Chidori was a perfect match with the Sharingan, and in exchange for Lee's training method, he could pass it on to Sasuke.

From his perspective, it was a fair trade.

Before Lee could reply, Might Guy interjected loudly.

"Kakashi! Even though I'm glad to see your renewed spirit, my disciple is like me—he doesn't rely on ninjutsu! I believe that even without ninjutsu or genjutsu, he can still become a splendid shinobi!"

Kakashi ignored Guy's words. Instead, he told Lee calmly, "If you decide, find me at this training ground."

Then he turned and resumed his training. Time was precious—he had to seize every moment to grow stronger.

"Kakashi! My eternal rival, let us have a training match!"

Guy's voice boomed with passion. Seeing Kakashi throwing himself into training filled him with excitement. A Kakashi devoted to training was far better than one idly reading Jiraiya-sama's books!

With fiery enthusiasm, Might Guy leapt in to join the training.

Lee, left standing behind them, could only watch in silence—deep in thought.

Might Guy never once doubted Kakashi, nor did he doubt his own disciple. To Guy, trust was absolute.

...

TN:

⚒️ Pa-treon-com/LordMerlin