With a sharp crack, Tian Yu's body splintered into a burst of wood and collapsed from mid-air.
Substitution Jutsu!
Yamato narrowed his eyes slightly, having predicted such a move. His expression remained calm and composed as he refocused his chakra, once again guiding the wooden canes forward in pursuit of Tian Yu's location.
Whoosh!
The vines shot through the air, piercing through Tian Yu once more.
Another clone technique.
With a muffled pop, Tian Yu's shadow clone burst apart into smoke.
Yamato smiled faintly at the corner of his lips, raising his gaze slightly toward the sky. Without speaking, he channeled chakra more intensely into the trees around him.
The earth trembled.
From the ground, ten thick canes the size of a shinobi's wrist surged up, rising like wooden serpents. They closed in from all angles, sealing off every possible path of retreat for Tian Yu.
"This time, you won't be able to dodge," Yamato muttered.
Whizz—
Before Tian Yu could blink, vines struck from all directions. His wrists, ankles, thighs, and arms were tightly ensnared in an instant. The vines coiled and twisted, pulling him harshly toward a tree trunk.
Snap!
The vines contracted all at once, binding Tian Yu firmly to the massive tree. In the blink of an eye, his entire body was absorbed into the bark—fully fused with the living wood.
"Finally… I've restrained him."
Yamato exhaled and wiped sweat from his brow. The pressure in his heart eased. Even among shadow-level shinobi, few could easily escape this level of Mokuton entrapment.
The vines and tree bark weren't merely physical restraints—they were chakra-absorbing constructs. While the bound individual remained trapped, their chakra would be drained continuously, transferred into the living tree and used as nourishment.
This was the terrifying essence of the Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall combined with Binding Nest Jutsu, an application of the First Hokage's bloodline ability. Although Yamato's scale and finesse couldn't compare to Hashirama Senju, the level he displayed was still more than enough for an elite Jōnin's final move.
"Tian Yu, surrender!" Yamato called out from a distance. "Five minutes have passed. Even if you concede now, you'll still pass the test!"
He meant what he said.
Although Tian Yu had not truly been harmed during the battle, the strength he had exhibited was already more than sufficient to earn approval from Konoha's higher-ups.
"Oh? Surrender?"
Despite being trapped in the tree, limbs secured tightly in a shibari posture, Tian Yu's eyes held no fear. There was only calm—pure, composed calm.
He didn't resist.
He didn't struggle.
He simply stood there, suspended, as if this entire situation amused him.
"As if I would ever surrender. Hahaha!"
His carefree laughter echoed throughout the training grounds.
The sheer boldness in that voice—the defiant confidence in the face of overwhelming odds—caused even several Anbu observing from the shadows to instinctively straighten their backs.
Yamato's eyes narrowed.
"It seems I have no choice but to make you really suffer."
He clenched his fist.
The trunk and vines tightened immediately, squeezing down on Tian Yu. Yamato was no longer holding back—he was forcing the technique to extract every drop of chakra from Tian Yu's body.
If you have no chakra left, let's see how long your arrogance lasts.
But just then—
Tian Yu raised his head with an amused smile.
"Captain Yamato… haven't you noticed something strange?"
Yamato froze.
Something was wrong.
He closed his eyes briefly and focused his chakra perception.
Wait… what?!
His eyes snapped open.
Unbelievable.
The vines and tree trunk weren't draining Tian Yu's chakra… no, they were losing his own chakra instead!
The flow of chakra was reversed.
Yamato's body was losing chakra at an alarming rate—faster than it ever had while performing Mokuton techniques.
"How…?!" Yamato's face drained of color. He looked at Tian Yu with a mix of shock and horror. "What… What did you do?!"
Tian Yu remained silent, the smile never leaving his face.
What did he do?
The answer was simple—he did nothing.
A system quest had long been waiting in his backlog: Collect Mokuton Chakra. Until now, he hadn't found an opportunity.
This trap, this technique… was perfect.
As long as he made physical contact with Mokuton-infused structures, the system would automatically absorb the chakra embedded within them.
So Tian Yu intentionally allowed himself to be caught.
Letting Yamato's vines bind him was never a sign of helplessness—it was all part of his carefully set trap.
Yamato had been lured into the perfect setup.
---
Chapter 57: The Ultimate Body Technique
Ding!
System notification: Congratulations, Host, for completing the quest: [Collect Mokuton Chakra].
Quest Reward: Chakra Crystal Stone Forging Blueprint
Tian Yu's ears rang with the system alert. His eyes gleamed, and a radiant grin appeared on his face.
"It's finally time… to fight you for real."
Yamato, still stunned and weak from the massive chakra drain, could only watch.
And then—
"Eight Gates Released Formation—Gate of Opening… OPEN!"
"Gate of Healing… OPEN!"
"Gate of Life… OPEN!"
Three roars exploded one after another.
A blazing emerald chakra storm erupted from Tian Yu's body, surrounding him in a fearsome aura.
Wind whipped outward. His long black hair fluttered in the torrent of unleashed energy.
In the original series, when Might Guy or Rock Lee opened the third gate, their capillaries would rupture. Their skin would flush crimson, and blood would ooze from the strain.
But Tian Yu—he stood calm.
No bleeding.
No signs of internal damage.
His skin remained pale and pristine, yet his chakra output was several times greater than even seasoned shinobi. The control and stability he exhibited were on a level rarely seen.
Why?
Because Tian Yu had spent years forging his body—refining it not just with training but with system-enhanced modifications and chakra metallurgy.
The third gate was now as easy for him to open as lifting a kunai.
Not even Might Guy, the creator of the Eight Gates formation's modern form, had ever reached this degree of control over the forbidden technique.
In fact, Tian Yu's adaptation and refinement of the Eight Gates had become Guy's greatest pride as a teacher.
And now, as Tian Yu stood wreathed in surging green flames of chakra, the Anbu around the arena could no longer remain silent.
"W-What?! That's Lord Guy's signature technique! He even mastered the Eight Gates?!"
"This is insane! Isn't he just twelve?! How can a genin even survive the Eight Gates?!"
"That's an S-rank forbidden jutsu… How can he use it so naturally?!"
From the shadows, whispers turned to shouts. Awe turned to disbelief.
Even Kakashi—watching from a hidden perch, eyes sharp under the mask—felt his heart lurch.
Of all people, Kakashi Hatake knew better than anyone the toll the Eight Gates could take.
He had faced Might Guy many times, and suffered defeat from the very power Tian Yu now wielded.
And yet…
Kai, that madman, had actually passed this technique on to a child?!
What are you thinking, Kai?!
The Eight Gates Formation was not merely powerful—it was lethal.
The cost for its power was one's own body.
But looking at Tian Yu now, standing strong and unscathed…
Was this boy redefining the very limits of taijutsu?
Was this the dawn of something entirely new?