After leaving Hoshigakure, it was nearly dusk. Kaito found a modest restaurant nearby to eat, then checked into a small hotel for the night.

He paid in Fire Country ryo—currency from one of the Five Great Nations, which was universally accepted across the shinobi world. The money from minor nations like Bear Country didn't hold the same weight. This alone reflected the influence and dominance of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

The room was small and unimpressive. It couldn't compare to the comforts of his own home, but Kaito wasn't concerned with luxury. He came here with one goal in mind—to break through the next gate.

Lying on the tatami floor, he closed his eyes and shifted his consciousness inward, diving into his personal mental training space.

The environment formed around him was still the same—the Shikkotsu Forest—humid, eerie, and pulsating with life. By now, he was used to the atmosphere.

Kaito walked to his usual spot and sat cross-legged, closing his eyes once more.

The seventh gate he sought to unlock was located in the brain—the second gate in the Eight Gates Formation. Originally, this gate was meant to relieve bodily fatigue and overload the user with renewed stamina. But ever since he began practicing a reversed form of the Eight Gates, every door he unlocked brought a permanent increase in his strength, chakra, and even mental capabilities.

At this stage, the traditional Eight Gates no longer served as a proper reference for his evolution.

Through trial and error, Kaito had learned that unlocking each bodily limiter brought him significant growth—it was just a matter of how much.

Now, the seventh gate waited—buried deep within his mind. The brain was the most delicate and complex part of the human body. Mistakes here didn't cause broken bones—they shattered sanity.

With precise control, Kaito guided ultra-fine drills of condensed lightning chakra toward the invisible threshold in his mind. These weren't attacks. They were instruments—designed not to break, but to wear away.

If the sixth gate had been a wooden door, the seventh was made of solid iron. And it sat in the most guarded place in the body—the mind.

Brute force wouldn't help him here. It would take time, patience, and relentless pressure. Just as water slowly carves through stone, he would slowly grind down the resistance.

One day passed. Then two. Then ten.

Kaito grimaced. Ten days of effort hadn't left so much as a scratch.

Is this what the eighth gate will be like? he wondered grimly. No... better not to think that far ahead yet.

He returned to the real world, exhausted. That night, he fell into a deep, heavy sleep. The setback weighed on him more than he wanted to admit.

---

Meanwhile, in Konoha—

Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was tense. The elders of Konoha," were gathered around a report on the desk.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply, a long pipe in hand. Smoke curled around him as he scanned the document Jiraiya had sent from the border.

It contained detailed intelligence on Kaito's confrontation with Ōnoki—the Third Tsuchikage—and the two unconscious Jinchūriki.

"Koharu, Homura, Danzo—take a look at this," Hiruzen said, passing the file across the table.

The three reviewed it. After a few moments, they looked up in stunned silence.

"Is this report accurate?" Koharu Utatane asked gravely.

"It is," Hiruzen confirmed. "Jiraiya had it sent from the front lines."

"If this is true... I doubt even you could stand against him," Homura Mitokado muttered.

Hiruzen didn't respond. He didn't have to—they all knew it was true.

He could handle a Jinchūriki, even Ōnoki on his own... but not all three at once. And definitely not someone who had defeated them alone.

"For now, gather more intelligence on this masked shinobi," Hiruzen ordered. "Learn about his personality, his habits—anything that might help. And most importantly, alert all shinobi of Konoha: do not provoke him under any circumstances."

"That's wise," Koharu nodded. "Our war with the Sand Village is already pushing us to the brink."

"Ōnoki and the others might be injured, but the Jinchūriki will recover eventually," Homura added. "And then, Iwagakure will be at our gates again."

"Not to mention the Fourth Raikage just took power in Kumogakure," said Koharu. "And we've heard whispers from the Mist Village... it's all unraveling."

The room fell into grim silence.

Konoha was standing on a knife's edge—surrounded on all sides by rival nations.

"Enough for today," Hiruzen said finally. "Issue the warning immediately. No one is to interfere with the masked man."

"As you command," Danzo replied. As he turned to leave, a glint of scheming intent flickered in his eyes. He was clearly planning something.

Once everyone had gone, Hiruzen sat alone, puffing on his pipe. Smoke filled the room like mist in a forgotten valley.

The shadow of Kaito's power hung heavy over him, like a looming storm.

"I just hope... he doesn't turn against us," Hiruzen murmured, staring out the window at the lights of the village. "If he does... Konoha may not survive."

---

The next morning—

Kaito awoke feeling groggy but determined.

He washed up, grabbed a quick breakfast, and returned to his training. This time, he didn't bother with his mindscape. He simply sat cross-legged in his hotel room and let the chakra flow.

One day. Two days. A week passed.

Including the time spent inside his training space, Kaito had now been working for seventy-seven days straight.

And he was finally seeing results.

A crack had appeared on the mental "gate." It wasn't much, but it was progress.

Kaito figured that within half a year, he might advance entirely.

Just as he was about to resume, a chill ran down his spine.

Through electromagnetic sensing, he detected a strange disruption in the area.

The hotel had been surrounded.

Worse, the magnetic field that belonged to the kind old innkeeper was gone—snuffed out.

He was dead.

Kaito's face darkened. The old man had been annoying at times, sure—but he'd been kind. He didn't deserve this.

Kaito rose slowly and walked to the door.

As he opened it, a man greeted him with a pleasant smile. "Ah, you're awake! I trust your stay has been comfortable?"

Kaito didn't answer.

His eyes were already glowing faintly with suppressed fury.

---

He's opening the gates in reverse.

The One he's currently working on is the 2nd Gate, Gate of opening.

__

Be a good boy/girl, and send Powerstones 🙂