Chapter 29: The Steel Gate and the Hidden Arts

Is there anyone who can take a Tailed Beast Bomb head-on with their body? Yes, there is—a monster like the Third Raikage. But it would never be a mere child barely past infancy.

Yet today, Hanzo witnessed this marvel with his own eyes.

Though it was only the weakest Tailed Beast Bomb, its destructive power still surpassed ten thousand explosive tags. A white-haired boy flew toward it, seemingly doomed to be pulverized in the next second, like a dung beetle blocking a cartwheel. However…

The reality was that the entire Tailed Beast Bomb was absorbed as if swallowed by the sea. A transparent shield appeared around the boy, devouring the bomb completely and leaving not the slightest ripple behind.

For Bai Mu, the process felt less like a game animation and more like the Hungry Ghost Path absorbing a jutsu’s power. It must have been adjusted to fit the shinobi world more seamlessly.

Since the Tailed Beast Bomb didn’t explode… would Minato Namikaze be able to sense the battle here?

Bai Mu’s question was swiftly answered.

A flash of golden light.

“Elder Hanzo, we meet again.” As expected, the greeting was nearly identical to Bai Mu’s imitation—but this time, it was the real Minato Namikaze who appeared in a flicker.

“So this time, it’s truly you…” Hanzo took a deep breath. Even though he’d suppressed the Tailed Beast Bomb to its lowest power, he hadn’t expected it would still be sensed.

What concerned him more, however, was how easily Bai Mu had absorbed the Tailed Beast Bomb. What kind of jutsu was this?

“The Tailed Beast’s power shines like the sun in my perception,” Minato replied with a confident smile.

“Now that you’re here, it’s time for me to go.” Hanzo turned away, slowly sinking into the earth, step by step.

“Next time, I won’t let you off so easily.” Minato gazed at the devastated village, his fists clenched in silent resolve.

He truly had no good way to deal with Hanzo. The Rasengan alone wouldn’t break through the molten shield, and the splattering magma made close combat a nightmare. Perhaps only a powerful Water Style could counter him.

“Sensei!” The three young survivors, overjoyed to see their teacher, felt the security that came only from overwhelming strength.

“It’s over now. You’re safe,” Minato said gently, ruffling their hair.

“Sensei… everyone in the village…” Obito began to wipe his tears. Even as a newly promoted Chunin, he couldn’t help but cry in front of his elder.

“Everything will be alright…”

“Could you all spare a thought for me?” Bai Mu was sprawled on the ground. Even though his life force had recovered, the pain of a thousand years still lingered in every cell of his body.

“I’m doomed… Will this affect my bowel movements?” Afei was so anxious he looked ready to split his own forehead.

“What just happened? How did the Tailed Beast Bomb get absorbed?” Minato had been away, rescuing at various distress signals. Trusting Kakashi to handle things, he hadn’t wasted chakra to check on them, never imagining they’d encounter Hanzo.

The moment he sensed the Tailed Beast’s chakra, he’d used Flying Thunder God to rush over, only to see Bai Mu absorb the bomb.

“That’s a profound secret—one of the greatest mysteries of our ancestral Ninja Village. It’s tied to the very workings of this world. Knowing more would do neither of us any good… Could someone help me up first?” Bai Mu’s legs trembled so hard he dared not move, feeling as if a tunnel boring machine had drilled through him.

“We’re coming!” Kakashi and Obito hurried to support him on either side.

“Easy… easy… Obito, how did you ever get through this?” Bai Mu decided to consult Obito.

“The first time was just like yours. After a while, the pain fades and you get used to it…” Obito scratched his head sheepishly.

“Obito, enduring what others cannot—someday you’ll accomplish great… ahhhh!” Bai Mu gave a thumbs-up mid-sentence.

“Sorry… for the pride of the Hatake clan, I went all out this time,” Kakashi glanced away, embarrassed.

“Bai Mu, should I help heal you?” Rin’s cheeks blushed crimson.

“No! Absolutely not!” Bai Mu shook his head violently.

“He’s just shy. Let Mama help you put on some medicine,” Afei cooed with motherly affection.

“I’d rather die!!!”

“What I’m more curious about,” Kakashi mused, stroking his chin, “is what kind of secret technique requires the Thousand Years of Pain to activate?” He habitually began analyzing the tactics, but couldn’t fathom why his family’s signature move would be connected to a secret technique from a distant village.

His father had once said the Hatake clan didn’t originate in the Land of Fire. Could they be related to that ancestral Ninja Village?

“Um… I just didn’t have enough chakra to activate the jutsu. I have another secret move, the ‘Steel Gate Eight Gates,’ which draws out all my potential through extreme pain. It can momentarily double my chakra… but could we please stop talking about this?” Bai Mu was running out of plausible explanations.

“Unlocking the Steel Gate Eight Gates with the Thousand Years of Pain?” Kakashi nodded thoughtfully. With his intellect, he might actually develop such a technique.

“Enough idle chatter. This is still a war zone. I have to support other areas. Be careful—there may still be many Stone Ninja nearby.” Though Minato was intrigued by Bai Mu’s secret technique, he didn’t have time to linger and instantly dashed off to provide aid elsewhere.

Hanzo had left. Minato was gone too. Only the ruins of the village remained, with a few numb, weeping villagers staring blankly at their shattered homes, unable even to find their loved ones’ remains amid the hardened lava.

Such is the cruelty of war—powerless civilians are swept into disaster at a whim, suffering utter devastation.

The three young shinobi rescued all the survivors, helped set up tents, searched for food, and tended to the wounded, toiling until dawn before their mission was finally complete.

Bai Mu also received his mission reward, though once again, it wasn’t the offensive skill he desired.

“Summoning: Neeko of a Thousand Faces”

“Skill acquired: Natural Glamour”

“You can perfectly disguise yourself as anyone you know. The disguise is dispelled if you take a certain amount of damage.”

“So it’s just Transformation Jutsu… They really want to steer me onto the ninja path,” Bai Mu sighed helplessly.

But there was one good thing—the mission’s experience reward let him level up again, gaining 100 dual attribute points and another EX skill point.

“If I can only reach level fifteen in this life, and leveling up gets harder and harder, these points must be precious—I can’t waste them,” Bai Mu pondered for a long time.

Fear was a powerful genjutsu-type skill. Since he already invested in Fear, there was no need for Contempt or Taunt.

As for his only offensive move, Virus Cleaver, the two evolution paths weren’t that meaningful. One focused on charging up for a more powerful strike—essentially a variant of the Fuma Shuriken—while the other added chains to the cleaver, changing its mode of attack.

That would basically turn it into a weapon like Hanzo the Salamander’s chained scythe.

He could just have a blacksmith at camp forge one for him. As for mastery, practice would suffice. With his intelligence, in two and a half years he’d be a Salamander Butcher.

The “Potential Burst” that amplified power through pain was also tempting. If he took a Thousand Years of Pain before every battle, his attributes could hit their peak…

Damn it! What am I even thinking?

In the end, Bai Mu chose “King’s Valor,” a buff skill similar to the Eight Gates that could serve him to the end.

“EX King’s Valor: For every sit-up completed, all attributes increase by 1%, up to a maximum of 75%. If there are women present, the maximum is 100%. Note: This greatly increases stamina consumption.”

Although the buff’s activation time was somewhat lengthy, surely no one would interrupt someone so devoted to exercise.