Originally, Raihō had planned to use a Clone Jutsu the moment Ryosuke dodged, allowing his real body to hide away. Then, when the opportunity presented itself, he would strike again with a Fireball Jutsu. That was his only real chance at victory.
But to his shock, Ryosuke had actually cleaved his fireball in half. So stunned was Raihō that he forgot to even use the Clone Jutsu.
In hindsight, Ryosuke's use of a clone to test him had been unnecessary—yet it also highlighted Ryosuke's caution and strategic thinking.
When Ryosuke's clone charged in and launched an attack, Raihō was prepared to disperse it.
After all, clones typically only had a tenth of the original's strength. Even if he couldn't beat Ryosuke himself, he could surely destroy a mere clone with ease.
He threw a punch.
But unexpectedly, the clone dodged and retaliated with a swift attack.
Raihō's expression shifted. This clone wasn't weak.
Realizing that, he began fighting seriously. Even then, it took more than a few hits to make the clone vanish.
Clearly, Ryosuke had poured a significant amount of chakra into this clone.
Eventually, Raihō destroyed it, and the clone dispersed in a puff of white smoke.
Ryosuke watched calmly. Now that the clone had been defeated, the one standing there must be the real Raihō.
Still, Ryosuke didn't attack. He simply stood there silently.
And Raihō, equally still, made no move to strike back—because frankly, he had no idea how to beat Ryosuke.
His proud Fireball Jutsu had been split clean in half.
Taijutsu was clearly off the table.
As for genjutsu, he had already tried that. Ryosuke's Sharingan had stronger visual prowess—his illusions were ineffective.
Worse yet, Ryosuke was now thoroughly dominating him in every aspect, and fighting with extreme caution. Launching a surprise attack would be nearly impossible.
Raihō let out a sigh and admitted defeat.
"I give up."
There was regret in his voice. He had lost even worse than last time—and hadn't even forced Ryosuke to go all out.
Meanwhile, Ryosuke had gained a better understanding of his current strength.
Taking down a jonin was easy. If he opened the Fourth Gate, his strength would multiply fourfold—maybe enough to challenge someone at Kage level.
That was just a feeling though—whether he could actually match a Kage was still uncertain.
Unfortunately, there weren't many chances to test that out.
In the village, the only real Kage-level powerhouses were the Third Hokage and Danzo.
Challenging either of them would be suicide.
If he couldn't test himself on outsiders, then maybe he could look within his own clan. The most likely candidate? The clan leader.
As the head of the Uchiha clan, he had to be near Kage-level, if not already there. And he had even awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Still, Ryosuke figured that even in a sparring match, Fugaku likely wouldn't use the Mangekyō. In the original story, he never used it—not even at the end.
But even without that, he'd be a worthy opponent.
It would be a good way to test his current limits.
Ryosuke turned to Raihō, who was still standing there awkwardly.
"If you've got nothing else to say, then leave."
He didn't like people watching while he trained.
Raihō hesitated, then spoke.
"Ryosuke… can you teach me the Eight Inner Gates Technique?"
Even though he had lost, Raihō didn't feel discouraged. In fact, he was more excited than anything.
Of course, he also wanted to grow stronger.
Ryosuke glanced at him. He wants to learn the Eight Gates?
If it had been some other high-level technique, Ryosuke might've hesitated to share it.
But the Eight Gates?
If he could learn it, that was his own achievement.
And besides, Raihō was a fellow clansman.
"I can teach you," Ryosuke said. "Whether you can master it is up to you."
Raihō's face lit up with joy.
"Thanks."
Ryosuke began his explanation.
"Alright. Let me explain what the Eight Inner Gates Technique really is."
"The Eight Gates is a taijutsu technique that temporarily boosts physical strength by unlocking the chakra pathways within the body."
"In the chakra circulatory system, there are eight gates that regulate and limit chakra flow: the Gate of Opening, Gate of Rest, Gate of Life, Gate of Pain, Gate of Limit, Gate of View, Gate of Wonder, and Gate of Death."
"These gates suppress chakra output. But by forcibly opening them, the Eight Gates Technique allows you to exceed those limits—unlocking strength many times greater than normal."
After finishing, Ryosuke looked at Raihō.
"Did you get all that?"
Raihō nodded. "Yeah, I understand."
It actually sounded pretty simple. Unlock the limiters, unleash chakra, and gain power.
Seeing that Raihō understood, Ryosuke continued.
"Now I'll demonstrate. Use your Sharingan and observe how my chakra flows. Focus on where the First Gate is located."
With that, he clenched his fists, gathered chakra, and directed it to the left side of his brain—toward the Gate of Opening.
Boom!
The gate burst open.
Bulging veins popped up on Ryosuke's forehead. His skin darkened, and a powerful aura surged from his body.
He spoke slowly.
"Did you see that clearly?"
Raihō had activated his full visual prowess to observe everything. It looked straightforward.
"I saw it."
Ryosuke nodded and continued.
"Next is how to close the First Gate."
"It's simple. Just stop refining chakra. The gate will close on its own."
He stopped channeling chakra. The aura faded. His veins relaxed. His skin returned to normal.
Raihō's face lit up. The First Gate was easier than he expected!
He quickly asked, "What about the other gates, Ryosuke? Can you explain those too?"
Ryosuke gave him a look.
"Learn the First Gate properly first. Now, try what I just did."
Raihō didn't insist. He followed Ryosuke's instructions and began refining chakra.
He aimed it at the Gate of Opening.
At first, the chakra was too weak to have any effect.
He increased the output. The gate started to crack open slightly.
And then—blinding pain surged through his head.
"Argh! That hurts!"
He immediately stopped refining chakra.
His face was filled with disbelief. How could it hurt that much?
Just that one moment had him doubting if he wanted to continue with this training at all.
Compared to ninjutsu and genjutsu, which were tough but manageable—especially for someone with the Sharingan—the Eight Gates were something else entirely.
Now he understood why Yatsushiro had told him not to waste time thinking about learning it.
This technique really was brutal.
And that was just the First Gate.