Kapitel 206: 205-Deepr Look Within

Renjiro lay on the cold floor, his chest rising and falling slowly as he allowed the fatigue to ebb away. For several moments, he simply lay there, staring up at the ceiling.

But after a while, Renjiro took a deep breath and forced himself to sit up. He crossed his legs into a lotus position, folding his hands in his lap. His back straightened as he closed his eyes and focused inward. He had to meditate to speed up chakra recovery.

He could already feel the faint pulse of chakra within him, swirling and building slowly with each breath he took. The familiar sensation of energy circulating through his body brought him comfort.

'I just need to recover a little more,' Renjiro thought to himself as he centred his focus.

Time slipped away as he sat there, his breathing even and calm. An hour passed in silence, and slowly but surely, Renjiro could feel his chakra reserves replenishing.

He opened his eyes for a moment, gauging the amount of energy he had recovered.

'This should be enough, right?' he thought, but just as the words passed through his mind, a sharp pang of memory hit him.

The intense pain he had felt from depleting his chakra made him think twice. The thought of repeating that mistake made him uneasy.

Renjiro sighed and allowed himself to settle back into his meditative state.

"Better not rush it," he muttered.

"Another hour should do the trick."

So he continued. The second hour dragged on slower than the first. His mind occasionally wandered, tempted to break free of the calm rhythm of meditation, but he resisted the urge.

When the hour and a half had passed, Renjiro finally opened his eyes, his body feeling refreshed and recharged.

He uncrossed his legs and rose to his feet, stretching his arms above his head with a soft groan. His muscles protested the movement for a moment before relaxing.

"I think it's safe to say that the multi-shadow clone jutsu is sorted," Renjiro mused aloud, rolling his shoulders as he spoke.

"I just need to keep increasing the number of clones I can create at once. Once I can surpass fifty without passing out, then I'll consider it mastered."

He felt a surge of satisfaction at the thought. Progress. It was a steady climb, but he was getting there.

Turning his attention to his next task, Renjiro began to consider his options.

"Now," he muttered, "I just need to decide between the Yamanaka clan's technique and the Eight Gates. Which one should I learn next?"

Both techniques were immensely useful, and both could elevate him to a whole new level of skill.

Yet, his time was limited. Tomorrow, he would have to return to his duties within the force. He didn't have the luxury of endless days to train in solitude.

'While it would be ideal to learn both,' he thought,

'I only have time to focus on one for now.'

Then, a thought crossed his mind, lighting up the solution.

"Actually," he murmured to himself, "while my time is limited, I can just leave shadow clones at home to train." His voice grew more confident as the idea took shape.

"Since I won't be going on any missions anytime soon, I can let the clones handle most of the grunt work while I focus on what's most important."

However, as much as the plan made sense, it quickly became clear that it wasn't a perfect solution.

"Only one of the jutsus can be learned with continuous practice," Renjiro realized, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"And that's the Eight Gates."

He paused.

"The Yamanaka clan's technique is different. I can't just train it on my shadow clones as I thought. I need a real person to practice on."

The Yamanaka technique was invasive, requiring deep concentration and precision to control the mind of another person.

He couldn't just rely on his clones to give him feedback. They were still extensions of himself, after all. And there was something fundamentally different about practicing on another living being.

"I also have to start practising on dead bodies first," Renjiro muttered, cringing slightly at the thought.

Killing and storing bodies was fine but the idea of using corpses for practice didn't sit well with him, but he knew it was necessary.

"Once I master that, then I can move on to living subjects."

He let out a soft sigh. "I wonder how the Yamanaka clan teaches its members this technique."

It was something he had pondered more than once. It wasn't like the Uchiha clan, where most things were learned through rigorous self-training or the guidance of a family member. The Yamanaka had always been more secretive about their methods.

A sly grin spread across Renjiro's face. "Maybe I can sneak into their compound and observe them. Or I can just wait until I leave the village and use the technique on a few bandits. That would be easier." He nodded to himself, satisfied with the idea.

For now, however, the Yamanaka technique would have to wait. Renjiro's focus shifted back to the Eight Gates.

He closed his eyes and began to pull the details of the technique from his memory.

The Eight Gates were points along the chakra pathway system, each of them locked by a different tenketsu point in the body.

Renjiro could visualize it clearly now—each of the first gate represented a different level of power, a different level of risk.

'So it seems I need to focus on my brain and spinal cord to open the first three gates,' Renjiro thought, piecing together the method.

'The final gate, the Gate of Death, is located in the heart, and some gates are spread throughout the stomach region, I can't remember. I just hope Duy helps me fill in the blanks.'

'But for now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'll just focus on the first gate.'

Renjiro opened his eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright," he said quietly to himself.

"To begin, the first gate is located in the left hemisphere of the brain. It frees me of my inhibitions, allowing me to push my body beyond its normal limits."

His voice was calm, and measured, as though reciting from a textbook.

"So I just need to meditate. Great!"

With a determined nod, Renjiro settled back into his lotus position on the floor, closing his eyes once again.

The air around him was still and quiet, the dim light of the room casting soft shadows across his face. He took a deep breath, centring himself, and began to focus inward.

But this time, things felt different. Renjiro could feel the subtle tension in his mind as he attempted to delve deeper.

Meditation had always come naturally to him when it involved chakra recovery. It was a familiar routine, one he had honed over the years.

But now, the goal wasn't to replenish his chakra. It was to tap into a different kind of power that resided within the core of his being. And it was proving more difficult than he had anticipated.

His brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to locate the first gate within his mind. He knew where it was—he had studied the scroll countless times—but finding it and activating it was another matter entirely.

Minutes passed, and Renjiro's frustration began to grow. He opened his eyes with a frown, staring at the floor in irritation.

'Am I doing something wrong?' he wondered, his mind racing.

'The scroll just said to look deeper within… but it's not like I have a lot to work with.'

He shifted slightly, his hands clenching into fists on his knees.

'Or maybe I'm going about this the wrong way?'

A thought passed through his mind, and Renjiro paused, considering it.

'While meditating for chakra has always come easily to me,' he thought, 'that doesn't mean the same method will work here.'

He realized now that he had been approaching this the same way he approached everything else with the same meditation technique that Miwa had taught him years ago when he had been struggling with chakra control.

Back then, it had helped him immensely, but this was different. The Eight Gates were not about chakra control—they were about raw and somewhat physical power.

Renjiro took a deep breath and allowed himself to relax. He closed his eyes once more and let go of the rigid meditation style he had been relying on for so long.

Instead, he tried something new. He visualized the first gate again, focusing on the left hemisphere of his brain, but this time, he didn't try to force it open. He allowed himself to simply observe it, to feel its presence.

Slowly, something began to shift. There was a subtle sensation in the back of his mind, like a door slowly creaking open.

Renjiro's breathing grew deeper, his heart rate quickening ever so slightly as he delved further into the feeling.

And then, without warning, a loud sound echoed through the room.

"Crack!!"

Renjiro's eyes shot open in shock.

=====

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Kapitel 207: 206-Three Way Lotus

The sky above the training ground was tinged with the fading hues of dusk. Soft purples, deep blues, and a burnt orange glow painted the horizon as the last remnants of the day slipped into the night.

Renjiro stood in the middle of the training field, his stance relaxed but ready. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was slow and steady. Despite the stillness in the air, there was an undeniable tension around him—a sense of anticipation building like the calm before a storm.

He felt the shift before he heard it. The faint, almost imperceptible sound of something cutting through the air.

"Whoosh!"

Countless kunai flew toward him, their deadly sharpness aimed directly at his unmoving form.

Renjiro didn't flinch. His senses had become sharper since opening the first gate, the Gate of Opening, and he could feel the projectiles approaching with precision.

He waited, his body calm, even as the kunai closed in. His mind was clear and focused.

At the last possible moment, his body moved with blinding speed.

Renjiro twisted to the left, avoiding the first kunai by mere centimetres.

"Whoosh!"

He ducked under the next one, his movements smooth and fluid as if he were performing a well-practised dance.

His feet barely touched the ground as he leapt backwards, dodging three more kunai that sliced through the air where he had just been standing.

His eyes remained closed throughout the entire manoeuvre, yet not a single kunai grazed him.

Renjiro landed lightly on the balls of his feet, his breathing steady. He opened his eyes slowly, taking in the aftermath of the attack. The kunai were embedded in the ground around him, some still vibrating from the force of their impact.

"This is an overall enhancement," Renjiro muttered to himself.

The sensation of power coursing through him was still new, still exhilarating. He could feel it in every part of his body—his strength, his speed, even his chakra reserves had increased significantly since opening the first gate.

It had been a couple of days since that first breakthrough, and while the temptation to open the second gate had been strong, Renjiro had made the deliberate choice to slow down.

"I need to master the first gate before moving on," he had reminded himself.

The power was intoxicating, but he knew the dangers of rushing through the gates without fully understanding the toll they could take on his body.

Renjiro clenched his fists, feeling the raw strength in his muscles.

"Everything has improved," he said aloud, his voice filled with quiet awe.

"My chakra, my strength, my endurance... even my mind feels sharper. My chakra field has expanded too, allowing me to sense things more clearly than before."

He paused for a moment, reflecting on his progress. "I was confused at first when the scroll said the Gate of Opening clears the mind of inhibitions. I thought it was just a mental buff. But now I get it. With a sharp mind, you can achieve almost anything."

In truth, the gate of opening did free Renjiro of his inhibitions allowing him to access more of his chakra and strength. It was like a limiter his body got rid of, affording him more access to various bodily functions and control

Renjiro chuckled softly to himself. "If I had to quantify the enhancement... I'd say it's about a twenty per cent increase across the board. If this is just the first gate, it's no wonder Guy became a monster after mastering all the other seven."

"Good thing I can handle the backlash," Renjiro added, his tone more serious now.

The Eight Gates technique was notorious for the toll it took on the user's body, but Renjiro's unique healing abilities made the technique more manageable for him. The enhanced healing meant that his body could recover faster from the strain, making the Eight Gates almost a perfect fit for his fighting style.

Satisfied with his progress, Renjiro exhaled slowly, allowing his body to relax.

"That was easier," he remarked, his voice filled with confidence.

"Let's go again."

He closed his eyes once more, settling back into his stance as another barrage of projectiles came hurtling toward him.

This time, there was no hesitation. The kunai flew at him with even more speed and ferocity than before, but Renjiro was ready.

"Clang!"

The sound of metal clashing echoed through the training ground as Renjiro manifested his adamantine chains with a flick of his wrist.

The chains snaked through the air, deflecting the kunai with ease. Renjiro didn't even need to move his body this time.

The chains did all the work, batting away the countless projectiles with precision and speed.

One of the many benefits of opening the first gate was the surplus of chakra it provided.

Renjiro could now use his adamantine chains without worrying about running out of chakra too quickly.

Before, he had been forced to rely on soldier pills to maintain the technique, but now he could summon the chains at will, using them with far more proficiency than ever before.

'I can't use the barrier,' Renjiro thought, focusing on the incoming attacks.

'I just need to deflect them with the chains.'

As he concentrated, he sensed something approaching. His instincts kicked in, and with a quick movement, he used his chains to propel himself backwards, just as one of his shadow clones burst from the ground, launching wind bullets toward him.

"Fwoosh!"

The wind bullets whizzed through the air, narrowly missing Renjiro as he twisted in mid-air to avoid them.

'Crafty bastard,' Renjiro thought, eyeing his clone with a hint of amusement.

'He knows the handicap I've been putting on myself whenever I use the chains.'

Renjiro dodged the next bullet with ease, his body moving fluidly through the air.

The clones had become more resilient since Renjiro had started fortifying them with the extra chakra provided by the first gate.

No longer mere distractions, they were now suitable sparring partners—stronger, faster, and far more durable than before.

He had scattered thirty of them throughout the training ground, each one poised and ready to attack.

As Renjiro was still airborne, another clone appeared behind him. It moved silently, grabbing hold of Renjiro with surprising strength. But Renjiro was quicker. Without hesitation, he summoned one of his chains and stabbed it through the clone's chest, causing it to burst into a cloud of smoke.

"Hmph," Renjiro grunted as he landed back on the ground.

'Yes, the clones are more durable now, but I can also channel more chakra into my chains, making them stronger. They might last longer, but they're still no match for this.'

Just as the first clone disappeared, three more appeared in its place, each one latching onto Renjiro with a firm grip.

"Really?" Renjiro muttered, his voice laced with irritation.

Without wasting time, he deactivated all but one of his chains, which he then used to wrap around the three clones. With a sudden burst of strength, Renjiro spun the chain, lifting all three clones into the air and sending them hurtling toward the ground.

"Boom!"

The impact was tremendous, causing cracks to spiderweb across the ground as the earth trembled beneath their weight.

Nearby shinobi in the adjacent training grounds paused mid-training, their eyes widening in shock at the tremor.

Renjiro stood over the massive crater that had formed where the clones had collided with the Earth. Dust and debris swirled around him as he surveyed the damage.

"It was good that I decided to come here after all," Renjiro muttered to himself, his voice filled with satisfaction.

The clones had been utterly destroyed by his three-way lotus technique, leaving nothing behind but the gaping hole in the ground.

Renjiro straightened up, flexing his arms as he assessed his condition.

"I also feel less pain than I expected," he said thoughtfully.

"Does the first gate negate pain too?" He pondered the possibility as he sidestepped another kunai, this one attached to an explosive tag that whizzed past him harmlessly.

The fight wasn't over yet. The remaining clones were still scattered throughout the training ground, waiting for their chance to strike. Renjiro's eyes narrowed as he sensed their chakra signatures moving in the shadows.

He grinned, feeling the familiar rush of excitement build within him.

"Alright," he muttered under his breath, his fists clenching with anticipation.

"Time to kick things up a notch."

Renjiro's body Moved faster as he abandoned the defensive stance for the offensive. He began tracking and destroying his shadow clones all over the training ground.

After all of them were destroyed, Renjiro looked at the destruction all around him. He was impressed with what he could do with just the gate of opening.

"It's time to begin working on the second gate," he said quietly, his voice filled with determination.