Might Guy did end up receiving his mission payment.
Since it was a long-term assignment, the frugal Hiruzen Sarutobi only disbursed 80,000 ryō as a "progress reward."
But he also gave Guy a new task:
"Continue monitoring Hikari. As her guardian, you must guide her ideology and behavior—strengthen her commitment to the Will of Fire…"
Payment bumped to 300,000 ryō.
Guy accepted eagerly, then literally bounced out of the Hokage's office.
With his morning training delayed by Hikari, he decided to make up for it immediately—frog-hopping down the Hokage Tower's stairs.
Hiruzen massaged his temples.
Was entrusting Hikari to this buffoon a mistake?
He could only hope she'd inherit Guy's Will of Fire… and nothing else.
---
Konoha Academy – Elite Class 1A
"Wherever leaves dance, flames will burn. The fire's shadow illuminates the village, and new leaves shall sprout again—this is our Will of Fire."
Iruka's voice boomed across the classroom.
Mornings always began with ideological indoctrination: history lessons glorifying Konoha's past, wrapped in the village's core dogma.
"Naruto, no notes needed for this lecture."
"Oh, sweet!"
Naruto chucked his notebook under the desk without hesitation.
He'd promised Hikari he'd study, but this? Dry lectures about dead people? No thanks.
"Hey, Hikari… when'll I get strong?"
He leaned over, eyes sparkling.
After watching her humiliate Sasuke yesterday, he'd barely slept—too busy fantasizing about crushing the Uchiha brat himself.
"Now."
Hikari pulled two blue-weighted leg straps from her bag and handed them over.
She'd bought these at Ninja Tool Depot—10 kg each, totaling 40 pounds of pure agony.
For a normal human? Crippling leg damage within days.
But shinobi were built different.
Chakra reinforced muscles and cushioned joints. And Naruto—a literal chakra monster—could handle even more. Still, she'd start conservatively.
"Whoa—heavy!"
Naruto's arms jerked downward, nearly wrenching his wrists.
"Wear these while running daily. Once adapted, strap them to your calves—only remove them for baths and sleep. Later, we'll add arm weights for punching drills."
Her plan was simple: brute-force physical conditioning.
The Nine Tails' chakra leakage sabotaged Naruto's jutsu control, but taijutsu—especially Guy's Eight Gates-compatible style—was perfect.
No complex hand seals. Just raw power.
Plus, it'd test Iruka's "life-force limits" theory firsthand.
"This sucks… but OK!"
After half a second's hesitation, Naruto stuffed the weights into his backpack and slung it on.
His shoulders screamed instantly—yet he gritted his teeth.
Hikari believed in him. That was enough.
Get stronger. Stronger than everyone.
Beat the bullies. Topple Sasuke. Become Hokage. And then—
His gaze flicked to Hikari.
…Yeah.
---
Hikari, oblivious to Naruto's inner fanfiction, refocused.
His path was set. Hers remained murky.
She closed her eyes.
The Byakugan's vision sliced inward, dissecting her body with clinical precision:
- Skin and fat: A thin veneer.
- Bone membrane: Dense, reptilian, inhuman.
- Muscles: Steel cables coiled around alien-tier bones.
And deeper—four sealed gates, clamping her life force tight… yet ready to blast open at will.
For now, four gates sufficed.
The Eight Gates demanded true desperation—something her "Flesh Dominion" couldn't fully simulate yet. Without pushing herself to near-death extremes (or waiting for her Byakugan to evolve further), progress stalled.
But that was fine.
Her goal wasn't suicide via Eighth Gate. She just needed a chakra reservoir for emergencies.
Mission accomplished.
---
### The Reverse Eight Gates
Yet the Eight Gates' mechanics sparked a new idea:
If chakra stems from life force… and the Eight Gates unleash it…
What if the process ran backward?
Steal others' life force.
Channel it into her cells.
Infinite chakra. Immortal flesh.
The concept felt eerily familiar.
Then—lightning struck.
"Hashirama Cells."
The ultimate cheat code:
- Healing wounds.
- Balancing Sharingan backlash.
- Restoring Mangekyō vision.
- Granting Wood Release.
Hashirama's cells were cancerous—multiplying endlessly, consuming hosts, even regrowing his face on transplant recipients.
No wonder the First Hokage was broken.
His Wood Release didn't just absorb chakra—it devoured life force itself.
Decades of war had fed him countless souls, supercharging his Asura-incarnate biology into something monstrous.
Naruto, another Asura vessel, lacked this trait. Why?
Hashirama had farmed lives.
And if he could do it…
Could she replicate it?
No need for risky transplants. Just reverse-engineer the Eight Gates into a life-siphoning art.
Her pulse quickened.
Konoha's forest-spanning walls—Hashirama's casual handiwork—required unfathomable chakra. Even her full Eight Gates might not match it.
But with Reverse Eight Gates?
Infinite fuel. Limitless growth.
A pillar of her future strength.
---