Chapter 660 - Eight Gates

With the Shadow’s guidance, Hanwu reached the vault that housed the Giant Wood Village’s various Hijutsu. Inside, a huge scroll listed the names of every Hijutsu.

“Place your palm on the scroll and focus on those that you can learn,” the Shadow instructed.

Hanwu obeyed. The moment his palm touched the scroll, darkness engulfed him. Bubbles flickered to life, their glow the sole light source. As he approached, he noticed that each bubble contained a jutsu.

[Ninjutsu: Multi Shadow Clone A]

[Ninjutsu: Lightning Cutter A]

[Ninjutsu: Magnify A]

With his current parameters, Hanwu could learn almost 90% of the Hijutsu recorded here. He knew what he specialized in, however. Since he transmigrated through the Divine Soul Transmigration option, his strongest powers were Undying and Duel. He needed a jutsu that would complement them.

He scanned the bubbles and found a suitable match.

[Taijutsu: Eight Gates A]

This Taijutsu enhanced the user’s physical strength. It was separated into eight gates, and each one would unlock a further increase in raw strength. A user who activated all eight gates would burn away their life force as their strength reached the limits of the body.

For most ninjas, this Taijutsu was detrimental. After all, training it carried a high risk of severe injury and bringing themselves very close to death.

For Hanwu, however, it was a perfect match since he had Undying. It burned life force, but with Undying, Hanwu didn’t need to fear depletion. As such, he selected it and started to cultivate it on the spot. His aptitude allowed him to grasp it without difficulty. His Tai, Power, and Speed were at ten, ten, and nine, respectively.

The Shadow and the three Masters watched as Hanwu managed to open six of the eight gates in just one night. The speed defied belief. Even Kumori, the so-called genius of the commoners, acknowledged Hanwu’s talent in Taijutsu.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

After this, the Shadow’s confidence in the mission increased.

Soon, it was time to depart. The four of them gathered their supplies and set out for Whirlpool Island.

All four were Masters, so they traveled swiftly and reached the island within half a day. From an elevated vantage point, they surveyed the Maw Giant below. Thirty-five giants, each twenty meters tall, stood behind it. Numerous mutants clustered among them. These giants formed several defensive rings, guarding the Maw Giant at the center.

“The Giant Sages are unique amongst giants. If we want to capture it alive, we must first deal with the giants protecting it,” Kumori explained.

Thirty-five giants were no small force. Each stood twenty meters tall, comparable in strength to a Master. It would be no small feat to kill them.

Natsutsuyu, who wore a revealing outfit, spoke up. “I have a better plan. I can use my Genjutsu to distract them. But there are too many giants here. I can maintain it for three minutes at most.”

Kumori weighed her proposal. With the three of them working together, they could likely capture the Maw Giant within three minutes. In the end, he nodded. “We shall do as you say.”

Sadamasa agreed with the plan as well. Hanwu also nodded. He had already received his reward, so he intended to earn it.

After confirming the plan, Kumori refined the details.

Once everything was set and each of them signaled agreement, they moved. Natsutsuyu acted first, sprinting toward the giants.

The giants caught her scent and charged like wild beasts. Natsutsuyu focused and maneuvered with fluid precision. Using their massive bodies as footholds, she jumped thirty meters into the air, completed her hand seals midair, and unleashed her A-rated Genjutsu, Confusing Miasma. The witless giants fell under its influence at once and froze in place as if stripped of their souls.

Natsutsuyu maintained her Genjutsu from atop a giant’s head and signaled to the others.

They acted swiftly. Kumori channeled his chakra to unleash a powerful lightning-based ninjutsu at a moment's notice. Meanwhile, Hanwu and Sadamasa charged forward, slipped past the immobilized ring of giants, and confronted the Maw Giant head-on.

The Maw Giant knew that it had been targeted the moment the ring of giants moved. Still, it didn’t panic. Though small for its kind, its combat strength far exceeded that of the witless giants.

The moment Hanwu and Sadamasa landed, the Maw Giant struck. Its claws tore through the air at a speed that shattered the sound barrier.

Sadamasa had anticipated the attack. He completed his seals and slammed his palms onto the ground. “Summoning Jutsu!”

A huge mammoth materialized and absorbed the blow with its body. The Maw Giant’s claws ripped into its thick hide.

Hanwu and Sadamasa attacked in tandem, but the Maw Giant’s hide was as tough as the mammoth’s. Their attacks failed to penetrate and only seemed to provoke it. Not only was it slashing at them, but it was also snapping at them with its huge maw.

The Maw Giant tore off the mammoth’s proboscis, and it disappeared with a pained cry. The giant then pushed back Hanwu and Sadamasa.

Sadamasa shouted, “Kumori, are you done?”

Dark storm clouds gathered overhead in answer. Lightning flashed and struck the Maw Giant without warning. The bolt coursed through its body and left it paralyzed.

Hanwu used his strongest attack and opened the sixth gate of Eight Gates. Steam swirled around him, and he felt weightless. At that moment, he judged himself at least comparable to an Earthsunder life form.

He dashed forward and targeted the Maw Giant’s toughest feature, its teeth. “Vortex Collapsing Fist!”

Empowered by Eight Gates, the Taijutsu’s destructive force multiplied several times over. One punch shattered the teeth that the Maw Giant prized most. Sheer agony snapped the giant out of its paralysis, and it instinctively touched its mouth, only to find empty gums. Its teeth were gone!

Enraged, it lunged at Hanwu in a frenzy. Empowered by Eight Gates, Hanwu moved with blinding speed. He could even circle the Maw Giant. At one point, the Maw Giant couldn’t react in time, and Hanwu jumped onto its back.

“Slashing Steel Palm!”

Tens of slashes rained down on the Maw Giant’s nape. Even though its hide was thick, it couldn’t withstand so many rapid slicing attacks. By the end of the assault, its nape had become a bloodied mess. The Maw Giant was in so much pain that it fainted.

Hanwu had deliberately avoided severing the key muscle in its nape that controlled its movement.

As Hanwu was about to kill it, Kumori stopped him. “Wait, keep it alive!”

Hanwu frowned. “Why?”

“Lord Shadow ordered us to bring it back to the village for research as a potential secret weapon. Its value will plummet if we kill it,” Kumori replied.

Hanwu stopped and jumped down from the Maw Giant. The battle had filled his meter five times, earning him five upgrade points.

As Kumori stepped forward to seal the Maw Giant, someone clapped from above. “Not bad, ninjas of the Giant Wood Village. We shall accept the Maw Giant now, thanks.”

Hanwu looked up and spotted two figures hovering overhead. One of them was standing atop a giant eagle, likely a summoned beast. The second figure hovered on mechanical, doll-like wings that flapped behind its back. His face was blank and emotionless, as if nothing could attract his interest.

“Rogue! You guys finally decided to show yourselves,” Kumori growled.

They had exhausted much of their chakra in the fight. If they failed to drive off the two Rogue ninjas and lost the Maw Giant, the mission the Shadow had assigned them would end in failure.