"Are you kidding? We offered these delicacies to Lord Shibi!"
"How can this be? It's too much!"
"Exactly..."
Seeing Satoru's blatant disregard for their offerings, the caravan members gritted their teeth. Jinshan Taro, the caravan leader, motioned to them and spoke in a low voice.
"Since they're Lord Shibi's students, letting them eat is the same as offering it to him. As long as we leave a good impression on Lord Shibi, our journey will be safer with him protecting us."
Hearing this, the caravan members nodded, smiles appearing on their faces.
No matter what, their goal was achieved. After presenting so many delicacies and flattering him extensively, Lord Shibi's favorability towards them must be maxed out.
If the caravan encounters danger, Lord Shibi will certainly not stand by idly.
With this thought, the caravan members finally returned to their posts, satisfied.
On the side, Shibi Aburame finally unclenched his trembling fist within his wide sleeve and let out a long breath.
Just a little more, and he was ready to explode, wanting to feed these people to his insects.
He couldn't understand why, despite his clear rejection, they continued to pester him. Dealing with people was truly troublesome. Compared to that, killing was much simpler.
Shibi Aburame shook his head helplessly.
After calming his emotions, he looked towards Satoru, who was walking alongside Might Dai, happily devouring the food in his hands.
Curiosity flashed in his eyes as he thought, "Satoru must have his reasons for wanting them in the team. What could it be?"
After finishing the watermelon, Satoru tossed the rind behind him and contentedly wiped his mouth.
"Dai-senpai, Guy, are you full?"
"Full, very full."
The two rubbed their bellies comfortably.
Dai, looking embarrassed, said to Satoru, "Satoru, I can't thank you enough for this. Not only did you let us join the team, but you also shared such good food with us. I don't know how to repay you."
"No need to say that, Dai-senpai. Guy is my classmate, so helping you is the least I can do."
Satoru smiled somewhat sunny and then added, "But actually, I do have a training question I'd like to ask you."
"Training? I'm just a Genin. I might not be able to guide you properly," Dai hesitated.
"It's fine, Dai-senpai. As long as you're willing to guide me."
"Alright! As long as I can help, feel free to ask." Dai laughed heartily.
Satoru's lips curled into a slight smile. It was as easy as he had imagined.
To others, Might Dai was just an ordinary Genin, but Satoru knew the true extent of his terrifying strength.
The strongest in the caravan wasn't Shibi Aburame but Might Dai when he opened the Eight Gates!
In the original series, he kicked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist from a full basket of fruits into the Three Treasures of Auspiciousness, and the surviving three were too scared to set foot in the Land of Fire for the rest of their lives.
It showed just how terrifying Might Dai was when he opened the Eight Gates!
Seeing Dai repeatedly bowing and apologizing to the team leader earlier, Satoru felt a strange sense of incongruity. Through his electromagnetic sense, Dai's biofield was as terrifying as the sun!
He was undoubtedly the most robust biofield he'd ever encountered among all ninjas, even surpassing the Hokage.
In contrast, the arrogant Jonin was like a firefly.
The robustness of the biofield was closely related to physical strength. Considering this, Dai's body must have reached an extraordinary level after practising the Eight Gates.
After pondering for a moment, Satoru asked, "Dai-senpai, I've been training in taijutsu recently, and whenever I'm near exhaustion, I vaguely sense some boundaries, like..."
He paused and looked at Dai, "Some sort of shackles restraining my body's strength."
"Shackles?" Guy looked puzzled. "Do those really exist? I never felt anything like that during my training."
"That's because you're not working hard enough, Guy!" Dai rolled his eyes at him, then turned to Satoru, surprise in his eyes.
"Satoru, I didn't expect you to have such talent in taijutsu. You've already touched the boundaries of the Eight Gates."
"Eight Gates?"
Satoru pretended to be puzzled.
Dai, straightforward by nature and without any intention of hiding, laughed, "When the body is trained to a certain extent, you can feel the presence of shackles inside. I call these shackles the Eight Gates. Breaking these shackles unleashes extraordinary power."
Guy was equally surprised, having never heard of this before. The academy teachers had never taught it.
"Father knows such taijutsu?"
"Of course."
Dai raised a thumb, "This is the only ultimate technique I mastered after twenty years of hard training. I planned to teach it to you once you grew a bit more."
Filled with joy, Satoru remained calm, looking hesitantly at Dai, "Even if I can sense the shackles, forcibly breaking them might cause damage, right?"
"Yes."
Dai nodded, his expression serious, "To be honest, I wouldn't recommend trying to open the Eight Gates at your age. But since you can sense them, it means you're at the threshold of practising the Eight Gates Technique..."
Dai didn't even consider keeping it a secret. In his eyes, the Eight Gates Technique wasn't a particularly valuable secret. Given his character, Satoru's help warranted repayment.
Upon hearing Satoru's question, Dai unreservedly explained the key points of training the Eight Gates, making Satoru feel enlightened.
"Thank you for your guidance, Dai-senpai."
Satoru bowed slightly in gratitude.
"No, no, no! I'm just a Genin. I'm already thrilled to help you, and I should thank you for letting us join the team." Dai was flustered.
"Guy."
Satoru looked at Guy seriously, "I believe Dai-senpai's Eight Gates Technique isn't as simple as it seems. You should learn it well."
"Really? But my father is just a Genin!" Guy scratched his head, still doubting the technique as he had never trained in it before.
However, seeing how seriously Satoru took it, Guy made a mental note to pay attention.
Taking a deep breath, Satoru felt a premonition that mastering the Eight Gates Technique would drastically change his strength.
He wasn't sure where this feeling came from; it was just a gut instinct.
Once this mission is complete, I must find time to practice the Eight Gates, he thought.
Having learned the Eight Gates Technique, Satoru returned to the middle of the group, and Uchiha Rin curiously approached.
"Satoru, were you asking Dai-senpai for guidance? But he's just a Genin!"
From a distance, she had seen Satoru at the rear of the caravan, seemingly seeking Dai's advice, but hadn't heard the details.
"Never underestimate Konoha's Genin." Satoru looked deeply at her.
Uchiha Rin: ???
What could be so impressive about Konoha's Genin?
She was puzzled and was about to ask more when Shibi suddenly stopped, frowning as he looked at a distant part of the forest.
"Sensei, what's wrong?" Satoru asked.
"My insects detected an ambush," Shibi said gravely.
Hearing this, Satoru frowned and activated his Byakugan.
In the next moment, his expression turned serious.