The Gates {Private, Flashback, Solo training}

Gates. Gates were everywhere in Ukita Hideyasu’s life. There was the village gates, the garden gates and the academy gates. But, the most powerful and sturdy of the gates Ukita had encountered were the gates that lay within his body: the eight inner gates. It was these gates that allowed Ukita unparalleled power and he had only reached the threshold of that power. In total there were eight gates, but Ukita only knew how to open three. The only problem was that Ukita had no clue how to go about opening the others. The first three gates had been taught to him by his grandfather at a very young age, however since that time he had refused Ukita’s hopes of advancing further through the power of the eight gates. Each day Ukita hoped that he would teach him the secret to go further. Each day brought hope. Especially the days on which his grandfather taught him about the uses of taijutsu. Recently Ukita had learned how to use the quick draw technique for kenjutsu, which supposedly complimented Taijutsu rather well-Ukita was not too fond of it; he preferred his fists above all else. Another technique he had learned was the deadly lariat, which could be used in many different ways in different situations. And, thus, on a Tuesday morning Ukita waited eagerly for his grandfather to awake, so that they may start the lesson.

Ukita’s grandfather was a taijutsu master, however he was getting on in years. As such he had made it his duty to train Ukita in the ways of taijutsu. So, when he finally made it downstairs and saw Ukita waiting diligently he wore a contented simile. His only hope was that the power of tiajutsu be passed on to the next generation. Unbeknownst to Ukita today was the day he would start his journey to become a true taijutsu master himself. His grandfather took a seat across from Ukita and spoke up in a sage like voice: “Ukita my boy! Tell me all you know about Taijutsu.” Ukita was used to this question as he had been asked it every day since he had started living with his grandfather. And each time he took a moment to compose his thoughts and recited his response: “Taijutsu is the art of using ones body to fight as opposed to using the kneading of chakra into an attack. Furthermore it is a noble art that allows one to keep both mind and body at peace. However, one must not misuse taijutsu as it can create a superiority complex that can lead to defeat.” Ukita could have stopped there and his grandfather would have been happy, however he wanted to push the envelope regarding the eight gates-he needed that power to help him in the chuunin exams. “…Also the most powerful and versatile taijutsu technique is called the eight inner gates. This technique involves opening the gates within the body to make the user more powerful. Thus, helping the ultimate taijutsu user combat ninjutsu and genjutsu users who more often than not have the advantage over taijutsu users.” Ukita knew he was going to get chewed out for that last part, but it was always worth a try: right?

Ukita’s grandfather sat across from Ukita silently for a minute until he spoke up in a reproving manner: “Ukita, you always assume those other two jutsus have the edge. They do not. Only a fool would think that and I do not take you as a fool-I’ve known you too long to think you a fool. Now, I have decided it is time: I will teach you to open the next two gates. I feel that you will need them in the chuunin exams. I do not want you to go using these gates willy nilly as you are prone to do. The eight gates are meant to protect yourself and other, but if worst comes to worst then I feel it will help. Plus seeing as I cannot go to the exams I feel I owe you something….Now let us begin.” Ukita’s grandfather got up from his seat and walked to the back room-presumably to the small zen garden where Ukita’s grandfather liked to practice taijutsu in his spare time. Not really sure what just happened, save for the fact that he was going to learn to release the next two gates in the eight gates, so he merely got up and followed his grandfather out to the garden.

The house Ukita lived in was a small town house that was made in the old Japanese style with a modern twist for the new era. There were sliding doors and traditional decorations and embellishment. All in all it was a nice house and the rent was not too expensive. So, Ukita walked out to the back and threw open the sliding door and walked out into his grandfather’s prized garden. Various trees grew here and there and the rocks were raked perfectly. The crowning achievement of the garden was the small cherry tree that seemed to always be blossom-it gave the whole garden a very old yet beautiful look. Looking around the garden Ukita quickly located his grandfather. He was standing on the small wooden platform where he often practiced various forms of taijutsu. It was on the platform that Ukita had lost his first tooth when he was sparring with his grandfather-there were some fond memories there. Walking to the platform expecting a lecture Ukita prepared himself for a long boring talk. However, upon stepping onto the platform Ukita could tell that his grandfather had activated the the first three gates of the eight inner gates as his white hair had spiked up and Ukita could just make out a vein on his grandfather’s face.

It seemed this would be a battle to start. It would not be a off the walls crazy spar as the trick in this spar as Ukita had learned many times was to use the eight gates in a controlled manner. If one were to concentrate the incredible power into each attack then they could become unstoppable in theory any way. Ukita knew he would have to open the first three gates to even have a chance of standing on level ground with his grandfather. Reaching inside of himself UKita opened the first gate and felt the power surge through his body, but he was not done. He opened the second one and felt even more power flow around his body. And at last the third and final gate for Ukita right now was opened with an internal click. Ukita’s hair spiked to match his grandfathers and in a heartbeat Ukita stood on the small wooden platform. Ukita knew what was coming next: he was about to be put through his paces.

His grandfather moving at blinding speeds would appear in front of Ukita and aim a solid punch at his chest-it was a rather straightforward attack, which seemed odd, but Ukita soon saw why. In tandem with stepping into the punch his grandfather had moved to trip Ukita with his right foot-the old man was a tricky devil. Luckily Ukita had combated this attack pattern before. Ukita hit aside the fist with ease and then did a slight jump like a hopscotch to avoid the foot sweep. Ukita came out unscathed and in a good position to launch his own attack. Using the lariat technique Ukita moved with an speed almost on par with his grandfather. In an instant he slammed into his grandfather’s chest-he had never scored a hit like this before. And in an instant he knew why. He had activated those crimson eyes that he had kept from his grandfather. Looking down at his fallen grandfather Ukita saw a single tear run down his grandfather’s eye. But, it was not a cry of loss; it was of pity. Ukita sat down and his grandfather sat up it seemed it had come to explanation time-this would no doubt be fun.

His grandfather finally spoke in a solemn voice: “…Ukita…I am sorry. I was hoping it would skip a generation, but it seems that was merely an old man’s folly. The Uchiha blood runs strong through you veins.” To make his point Ukita’s grandfather blinked and in an instant he had the same red eyes as Ukita. He then nodded knowingly and continued his explanation: “Your parents were both Uchiha, but they experienced too much pain and turned to the vices you no doubt know about…They would never admit to being Uchiha, so they tried to forget it in drink and gambling. So, when I took you in I vowed that you would never know your true lineage…I am sorry. I should not have concealed it from you, but as I said before I hoped you would never have to bare the torture of being part of the Uchiha clan….” With that Ukita’s grandfather trailed off, which allowed Ukita some time to speak up in a slow controlled voice: “ …Well that tells me a lot. I will not ask why or how, because it does not matter. More importantly what do these eyes allow me to do besides see chakra?” Ukita only knew that he could see chakra with them and nothing else. Ukita’s grandfather put on a smile and wiped the tear from his eye and spoke in a weak voice: “Very well, you are such an understanding boy, the eyes of the Uchiha are unique indeed. As you know it allows you to see chakra, but it does so much more. It allows one to track speeds and something even more intriguing: it can allow you to copy techniques with the greatest of accuracy. Furthermore it permits the use of genjutsu. However, be warned: keep those eyes safe. There are many people who would kill for those eyes. Your last name will not give you away, but be warned. Also…I would avoid connections. They can lead to greater power, but it is not worth it. Avoid it if possible. I believe that sums up most of the sharingan. Use it wisely and you will go far. Don’t and you will find yourself on the wrong end of a kunai with your eyes gouged out…Now back to the eight gates. I cannot train you to open the next two. You will have to do it on your own. I can guide you, but not teach you. The rest of the gates will involve personal hardship. Will you accept that?” Ukita nodded without a second thought: he had learned more about the sharingan and was going to be guided on the next two gates all in all it looked like this was going to be a good day.

Ukita’s grandfather got up and motioned for Ukita to follow. Wordlessly Ukita followed him as they left the garden and walked out to forest. The two of them walked without word out of the village. Naturally they checked out with the gate guards who seemed like they could care less about where a kid and an old man were going. They two walked for quite a while until they came to the bottom of a high cliff. Instantly it became apparent what Ukita was going to have to do. There was a strong waterfall that fell down from the cliff-Ukita had heard of training like this, but never done it. Ukita grandfather spoke up: “Ok, Ukita. You no doubt know what it coming next. You shall sit under the waterfall and attempt to stand up. You, at your current strength, will need up to the fifth gate. I have no doubt you can do it good luck and dig deep.” With that Ukita’s grandfather walked over to a tree and sat down under it. Mean while Ukita took off his shirt and stepped into the pool at the base of the waterfall.

The water was cool, but not cold. However, the sound of the fall was deafening-this would be no easy task. Mustering up his strength UKit walked into the stream of water and was instantly forced down onto his stomach-he was drowning. The water was over his head and he just took in a large quantity of water. But, Ukita the remained strong. He activated three gates he had access to as he had deactivated them after hitting his grandfather earlier. In an instant he had the strength to push himself into a cross legged position on the waterfall-no longer was he drowning as he sat in the stream of the water, but it had been hit or miss earlier. For now all he could feel was the almost overwhelming force of water on his back. Though it did not feel too strong until Ukita tried to stand up and could not move a muscle-he needed more power from the next couple gates, but he had no idea how to get at those next gates. No one had told Ukita what he had to do all he knew was that he somehow had to get at that power that was stored within him.

Closing his eyes Ukita dug within himself and did some soul searching in every sense of the word. He recalled everything he had ever learned about the gates. The first thing that came to mind was that the gates he was trying to open the gate of pain and the gate of limit. They both seemed like daunting gates to open when just considering their names. It was odd to think that these gates had such odd names yet granted so much power. Hopefully these gates did not feel the same way they sounded otherwise Ukita would be in for a surprise-a painful one at that. Giving it some thought, which was rather hard Ukita went to an internal world where all his experiences lay. An idea had occurred to him: would looking back on his past experiences that were involved with limits and pain be helpful to him? There was only one way to truly find out and that was to delve back into the past-Ukita’s painful past that was filled to the brim with pain and limits. However, two events stood out in his mind as both limiting and painful.

In an instant Ukita could no longer hear the pounding of the waterfall. Time had moved to the interior at this point he was going through a flashback. Now, instead of the crash of water Ukita heard the crack of thunder and saw the flash of lighting. Following that came the slow trickle of the rain. It pelted softly on Ukita’s window. He was only five, but the experience that was about to happened has been etched into his very psyche forever. The door to the house was opened up after the person on the other side tried multiple times to open it with a key. The person trying to open the door was Ukita’s father: an epic drunk who could not control himself. It was on nights like these that Ukita usually hid in his room. That way he could keep the door locked and stay away from his out of whack father who was rather unpredictable. However, tonight would be a fateful night indeed as Ukita had forgotten to lock his door and it was too late to run and lock it as the knob was already turning. His father usually came to check on him, but finding the door always locked he would leave in a drunk stupor. Though that night would be different as he would find that the door was unlocked.

The door would slowly swing open with an ominous squeal that set Ukita’s teeth on edge. As if to accent what was about to happen a flash of lightning would flash across the sky followed by the trailing thunder. A scared Ukita would cower in the corner with naught, but a blanket over his head. Naturally he would be no match for his fully grown father who was powered by the drink that sat in his stomach. When his father talked it came out as a gargled mess: “YO Youuu t-there wha…what…what…come and give your dad a big h-hug.” A scared Ukita could do nothing, but comply. Coming out from under his covers Ukita neared his father to give him a hug, but instead Ukita got a punch on the cheek. Ukita’s father had done some time in service to the cloud village and come out the worse for it. As such he often had PTSD flashbacks as if he were still in combat. Alcohol always seemed to make them worse as Ukita was finding out. His own father was beating the shit out of him and ranting about how Ukita was the enemy. After ten minutes he promptly stopped. Ukita was in pretty bad shape he had two black eyes and one crack rib. Normally he would have just sucked it up and maybe bandaged his rib, but it was different this time. It was not another kid his age who had beaten the shit out of him-it was his father. This sad and simple fact made the pain that Ukita experienced all the worse as he could not really reconcile why it had happened. He would have been able to get over it if say he had done something wrong, but Ukita had done nothing and his own dad beat him up. The rest of that night Ukita lay on the ground in a heap. It was also that night that he hatched the plan to run away from home.

Upon reviewing this harrowing experience Ukita felt something click inside him, but alas, his self created journey through a personal hell was not just done yet. He still had to review the time he reached his limit. This instance was not as graphic as the other memory, but it was just as strong emotionally. Ukita was never good at ninjutsu. He struggled with it at times in the academy. It was the hardest thing he had ever tried to do. And his classmates would make relentless fun of Ukita for his lack of ability. It was these sad times when Ukita felt limited. He could only use taijutsu effectively and that was never tested on the genin exam. So, Ukita was forced to perform his decidedly mediocre ninjutsu for the whole class. It was the most embarrassing moment ever for Ukita. He only just passed the exam and that probably because the proctor felt sorry for him. The limit of not using ninjutsu would always be there. That was why he needed to unlock these eight gates. It was then that he felt another click and then a massive flow of pure power through his body.

This power was easily five times more than what he had at the third gate. He had reached the gate of limit. Now, came the fun part. Flexing his muscles he shot upward and instead of just standing up he shot upwards against the waterfall in an epic jump that left back in the basin of the waterfall once again after he fell down. The power was amazing. He felt faster and stronger. This was the true power of the eight gates. It was truly incredible. Never before had Ukita felt this much power coursing through his veins. Looking around he saw that his grandfather had taken a battle stance and had his eight gates activated as well. This would be an epic fight indeed as it would take place in a place where both fighters would not have to hold back in the least-the middle of nowhere. This was the first time Ukita would be able to use his full power without restraint. He knew his grandpa could take whatever he threw at him, so that left Ukita a full latitude it do as he wished and better yet not hold back anything as he had done before.

Ukita blinked and in an instant he had three tomes swimming in his eyes like koi from hell. He could see that his grandpa had done the same. This spar would be no normal fight. And Ukita was going to be the one to start it off with a bang. Using his full speed Ukita closed the ten meters between him and his grandpa in fairly short order. He threw a punch aimed right for the older man’s head. If it hit him it would kill, but his grandfather seemed unphased as he simply moved his head to one side and allowed Ukita’s fist to travel right into the tree that he had been sitting on. For a second Ukita freaked-he could not punch a tree and come out on top; could he? Either way he was about to find out as his momentum brought him through into contact with the tree. The tree was fairly weak and splintered into pieces upon Ukita hitting it. Completely surprised Ukita got his footing back together and rounded on his grandfather who was launching his own attack at this point. His grandfather moved with a crazy round house kick maneuver that would knock Ukita’s chest out if it hit. Rather worried about what would happen if it were to hit Ukita matrixed it. And had the leg just skim his nose, but that was not all. The round house kick did the tree in-it had been weakened and then cut in half by Ukita grandfather’s kick. The tree started to fall right onto the combatants. This occurrence halted all combat as it was more important to escape the falling tree than to continue a fight that would mean nothing if they were both crushed.

Both Ukita and his grandfather made it out safely thanks to the speed the eight gates allowed them to have. They now both stood on either side of the fallen tree that had kicked up quite a bit of dirt. The dust acted as a perfect smokescreen and both combatants must have thought of the same thing as they met in the middle and got into a grapple of sorts. They were both grabbing each others shoulder and trying to flip the other one. It was an odd grapple, but a hard one none the less. Even with the fifth gate open Ukita found it very hard to combat his grandfather. In all honesty it should have been easy for Ukita to flip the old man, but his grandfather’s training had given him strength that he retain even in his old age. It was an incredible feat really-old age seemed to never catch up with him. Ukita tried with all his might to flip the man, but could not move him an inch. Knowing he had to improvise Ukita kicked upward with his right foot aiming for the groin area-a rather cheap shot, but his grandfather had told him to do whatever it took to win and this is what it would take. However, the attack never connected as his grandfather moved released Ukita and sent him flying backwards, thus making Ukita’s kick useless. The two shinobi stood ten meters apart again, so far no one was thee worse for wear, which in a way was good. Ukita would start to worry about his gramps if he could not hold his own. Yet again time moved to the interior as Ukita recalled his grandpa’s feats as a younger man.

His name was Haru. He had served as a samurai and carried on the olden art of the samurai. In fact Ukita worse the armor that he had once worn. Apparently he had not been slouch either as he had reached the rank of captain and led a battalion in a battle against a few gruesome bandits. That was where he lost many of his allies and finally hung up his armor and retired to the boring life of a retiree. But, in battle Ukita could see his true skill. He had never seen Haru make use of a sword, but it was no doubt a sight to be seen. Maybe one day Ukita would get to see it, but for now he needed to return to the fight before he got his ass handed to him. Time yet again returned to exterior and Ukita looked at this battle in a new light: not a business like fight, but a fun and enjoyable one. After all he would not be killed, so it would be better to make them here than in a real battle, so being a bit reckless would not be too bad.

To prove this point to himself Ukita charged at his grandfather again. He made it look like he was going to make the same punch move again, but this was not the case. Instead Ukita dropped down into a clean sweep for his opponent’s legs. Alas his grandfather was already onto him as he simply jumped up and over Ukita who was left on the ground. Trying to get up Ukita found that he could not get up as he had a foot on his chest. It was his grandfather: he had moved way faster than before. Was he using more than the fifth gate? Ukita could not tell in all honesty, but he did know what was coming next. He quickly deactivated all the gates he had and the sharingan went away. His grandfather did the same and held out a hand to the fallen Ukita. Taking it he pulled himself up and waited for the lecture that was about to be incurred upon him. For as long as he could remember he had been lectured by his grandfather after making a mistake. He could see the lecture coming like an ominous storm.

The storm came all at once in all its glory when his grandfather began to talk in that stern and sage like voice he had: “Ukita, you were getting cocky there. You could have easily had me, but instead you go for that foolish ass move. Had I had a sword I would have gutted you in a heartbeat. You need to step up your game at least ten fold if you want to stand a chance at these chuunin exam. In fact I think I will instruct you in the art of kenjutsu it will further id you in battle. At the very least I want you to be able to use the quick draw technique with some proficiency. Your use of it right now is pitiful-a child could see through it. And you will not even be facinjg children in the chuunin exams. You will be facing fully capable genin. I expect you to come back as a chuunin or not at all. Now here go grab that branch and get those gates back open.” Ukita grabbed the straight branch and brandished it like a sword. He then opened up his five gates and started quick drawing the sword. He sat there doing that under his grandpa’s supervision till twilight came. Ukita was exhausted, but he still had one last task and that would be the hardest: dragging the tree that had been knocked down during the spar back to the house. It was a daunting task as it would require strength and stamina, which he would need the eight gates for. The power that still raged through his body was starting to make it ache to no end and this last task may leave him in a comma state, but he knew he had to do it.

Grabbing one end of the tree he began to pull slowly at first, but then he started to build his momentum. He got going faster until he found it hard to slow down. It was an odd feeling despite his body protesting so much he was able to push on with more and more strength. He could no longer feel his legs as the pumped onward and closer to his destination. He got a few odd looks from the village guards, but that was all. After all, Ukita’s feat was rather impressive. At last he reach the last street, but it was all uphill-it was going to be hell. With a sigh Ukita started going at it with all his strength and gusto. His grandfather was walking right next to him, which kind of irked Ukita just a wee bit as he wondered why he would not help. The answer was obvious, but Ukita’s mind was not working properly in the least. It had been strained past its breaking point and was about to quit. Luckily, before that happened, Ukita arrived back home. Placing the tree down he fell down in a heap and his grandfather carried him inside with an understanding look on his face like he had been through the same thing once. IT was a ice feeling and for a second Ukita slipped out of consciousness- he was dead beat tired.

Alas, he was awoken from his passed out state by a cool splash of water. His whole body hurt, but he found he was none the worse for wear. It could have been much worse, but he felt like he had ripped a few muscle. In fact, he found it hard to talk, so it was lucky his grandfather did not say a word and merely nodded and allowed Ukita time to reflect on what he had accomplished that day. Really he had accomplished a ton. With two more gates under his belt he was all ready for the chuunin exams. He was getting internally pumped for that as he sat there thinking about how he would use these gates to attain a win, because there would no doubt be a battle of sorts that would test his skill in the battlefield. That would indeed be a surprise for whomever he was battling. He already had a ton stratgeies he would use. Alas, he could not write all of them down right now, because he could hardly move a muscle without a searing pain ripping through his body.

Finally struggling to move Ukita unclasped the armor he had been wearing and handed it off to his grandpa who would put it in a safe place for later use. For now Ukita needed all the rest he could get. Pointing to his room he hoped that his grandpa would understand his simple sign language. By chance he did and he helped Ukita to his feet and slowly walked him to his room. Letting Ukita into his room He lay him down on his bed and left in a blur of speed. Still struggling to move Ukita straightened himself out and relaxed his entire body and allowed his mind to flow to the challenges ahead. He would travel to the village hidden and the leaf take the first exam-ace it. He would then move onto the second exam and pass with flying colors. And finally he would dominate the third test. It was this positive visualization that Ukita hoped would allow him to pull off a win. He had no idea what the tests would be or what they would test, but he knew he was ready. It was going to be epic indeed. Even if he did not become a chuunin he hoped that it would be a good experience that would allow him to grow both physically and mentally. Plus it would be an amazing opportunity to visit the Leaf village-a village that he had never visited before. Ukita loved going to see new places and one as renowned as the Leaf would be a special treat.

It was at this point Ukita closed his eyes and felt that he was falling into an abyss of dreams and semi consciousness. He could feel all he learned being organized in his head. The gates were often triggered by emotion in accordance with the emotion attached to them. He would have to keep that in mind when he trained to fight with the last two gates. He recalled that the eighth gate killed the user. Deep down he wondered why anyone would ever go to the eighth gate. Was it worth fighting with death in view? Ukita doubted he could consciously make that choice to go to that eighth gate and condemn himself to death. After all, what would happen if the eighth gate was not enough? You would die and not have defeated your foe. In a word you would have failed. There was no coming back from dead. Even jutsu could not do that permanently. Ukita vowed in the twilight of consciousness that he would never pull the trigger on himself unless it meant saving one he truly cared for more than his own life. It was not worth taking his life in exchange for another-the math simply did not work out. An eye for an eye and a life for a life was not a way to live.

Falling deeper into the realm of sleep Ukita could barely control his thoughts as they filled with an odd mish mosh of weapons. However, one weapon seemed to be calling to him. It was a sword that was ornately decorated and seemed to be that of a samurai. For some reason it felt like it was whispering “find me find me find me…” over and over again. Not really being able to shake the voice Ukita was left to look at it. It was decorated with a dragon on its hilt and had some gold leaf on it. It was the weapon of a dynamo. Really confused Ukita watched as all the other weapons went away leaving just the sword. It felt odd, but in his dream Ukita grabbed the sword gave it a swing. Even though nit was a dream it felt real. The blade seemed to exude power. It was an odd feeling like one of the eight gates being opened, but without the overwhelming rush that usually came with opening the gates. At last the sword itself was gone and Ukita was left in blackness.

The last bit of his consciousness slipped away into nothingness and it all went black. Ukita could no longer control his thoughts. Much like his body it was tired from the intense workout and strain of opening the gates. He now lay in bed with all his clothes on and the cool moonlight spilling over him like a blanket. If one were to see him they would say he was dead, but upon closer inspection they would find he was breathing very deeply and very slowly. In essence Ukita had entered another gate: the gate of sleep. This was a peaceful gate and allowed for rest and infinite possibilities where one could be a kage and at the same time be a peasant. That was the power of sleep. It allowed one to see what could be. And from those dreams ambition were born and from ambitions came action and from action came change. It was a self perpetuating chain that would always fuel each and every shinobi. The dream that one day their dreams will be realized. And that was where Ukita was somewhere between reality and dreams. Probably hoping to one day bridge the two into one world where dreams could come true. For now his only dream was to become a chuunin and the training he had done that very day would allow him the ability to make that dream come true all he had to do was reach out and grab it. And grab it he would. He would take the exams by storm if it meant actually studying he would do it, because in the end it would be worth it. Victory was always worth it. No matter how it came it was deserved. And, thus ended the training of Ukita the next day he would hit the road for the Chuunin exams. It would take him a few days to get there, but he would make it just in time for the first test.

{TWC: 6069, unlocked fourth inner gate (2000 words) and fifth inner gate (4000 words), +60 JP, +30 stats. Exit.}

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Approved.