After dinner.
The children gathered around Nonō to receive their gifts, while Sora leaned against the doorframe, silently observing her.
Nonō's smile was still gentle, but a trace of weariness was hidden in her eyes.
"Sora, this is for you." Nonō walked over and handed him a small box.
Sora took it and opened it. Inside was a meticulously crafted kunai, its blade gleaming coldly, with intricate patterns carved on the handle.
"This is...?"
"I bought it during the mission journey. I thought it suited you." Nonō smiled. "Do you like it?"
"Mm, thank you." Sora gripped the kunai tightly. He hesitated for a moment before asking in a low voice, "The mission... was it smooth?"
Nonō's smile froze for an instant before returning to normal as if nothing happened. "It went quite smoothly. I was just a bit tired. Thankfully, after this mission, I won't need to go on any missions for the next two years."
Sora knew she was lying, but he didn't press further.
In Sora's memory, the missions Danzo assigned to Nonō were mostly espionage activities, even including assassinating important targets. Although she showed no physical injuries this time, the mental toll must have been significant.
"Sister, you go and rest. Ichirō and I will wash the dishes." Sora said.
Nonō was taken aback for a second, then smiled. "Alright, then I'll leave it to you and Ichirō."
...
Sora returned to his room, lay down on the bed, and thought back to the original plot.
'Danzo wouldn't let Nonō go so easily. This mission is just the beginning.'
'I hope it's really as Nonō said, that she doesn't need to go on missions these next two years! That way, I'll also have time to improve my strength.'
Currently, Sora's strength, while using the Eight Gates Released Formation, was firmly at Chunin level. In two years, he was confident he could develop the Azure Dragon Fruit to the stage where he could freely undergo dragon transformation on any part of his body. This was the second stage in Sora's plan: Partial Beast Transformation.
As for the Eight Gates Released Formation, because of the Azure Dragon Fruit's bodily recovery properties, Sora was also confident he could at least open up to the Sixth Gate, the Gate of Joy, after two years!
This speed could be considered quite fast. In the original work, Rock Lee started training in the Eight Gates Released Formation at age 12, barely managed to open the Fifth Gate by age 13, and fully mastered the Sixth Gate by age 17.
In other words, it took Rock Lee roughly four years to train the Eight Gates Released Formation to the state of the Sixth Gate.
Sora was confident he could open up to the Sixth Gate, the Gate of Joy, within two years, which showed the high compatibility between the Azure Dragon Fruit and the Eight Gates Released Formation!
Not to mention Sora also had the Uzumaki Sage Body as a foundation. Although he wasn't sure exactly how much Uzumaki bloodline he had, after learning the news from Sarutobi Hiruzen, he carefully examined his body. He ultimately estimated his bloodline concentration to be roughly between thirty to fifty percent. That meant one of his parents or ancestors should have been a pure-blooded Uzumaki clan member.
Of course, his so-called Uzumaki Sage Body definitely had a gap compared to other Uzumaki clan members. Not to mention the top-tier level like Karin and her mother, whose bite could fully restore someone's health, even Naruto's Uzumaki physique was probably slightly superior to his. But Sora felt the gap between them shouldn't be too large.
It was like with Hashirama Senju. Although others belonged to the Senju clan, their Sage Bodies were worlds apart from his.
Sora estimated that even though he would only be eight years old two years later, and without mastering ninjutsu and with his body not fully matured, he could at least reach the level of a Tokubetsu Jōnin or a Jōnin. If he opened the Eight Gates Released Formation, he could firmly stabilize at the Jōnin level.
And by then, although he would still be no match against the vast organization of "Root," he could at least provide some help to Nonō, unlike now where he could only stay at the orphanage and do nothing.
Actually, Sora in his previous life was someone with an inherently "solitary" nature at his core. Not unsociable, but accustomed to acting alone.
Growing up in an orphanage, he had no blood-related family around, nor did he make any truly close, heart-to-heart friends. After entering society, it was even more so. Colleagues were limited to work interactions; he never spoke more than necessary privately. In everything he did, he always thought first, "Don't cause trouble," "Don't owe favors," like a plant growing close to a wall, silently confining himself within a safe little world.
He often thought, if when he arrived in Konoha, he hadn't entered the orphanage and met Nonō, but lived alone in a single apartment like Naruto, he would probably have maintained his previous life's demeanor in this lifetime too: polite to everyone, yet always separated by an invisible membrane.
But tonight, for the first time, Sora didn't do his dragon transformation training. He just lay on the bed, closed his eyes, and recalled the days of the more than a year since he came to Konoha. The warm milk Nonō handed him, the fruit Kurenai passed him during training, Might Duy shouting hoarsely about "youth," Guy waving his fist saying they should get stronger together...
These names and images swirled in his mind, becoming clearer and clearer.
He found that he could no longer regard these people as "strangers in a story" like he did in his previous life. The thought of watching them step by step walk towards those known tragic fates made his heart feel as if gripped by something, aching dully.
"Is this what's called bonds?"
...
Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
By the river behind the training ground, early morning.
Sora, bare-chested, sat cross-legged on the ground. His body trembled slightly, emitting rapid breaths.
"Once more!" Might Duy stood nearby, his expression serious. "The key to breaking through the Third Gate, the Gate of Life, lies in the explosive force of chakra. It must be like floodwaters breaking through a dam!"
"Hang in there, Sora!" Guy, standing to the side, clenched his fists in encouragement, as if he were the one training the Eight Gates Released Formation.
"Understood!" Sora gritted his teeth and responded.
For these past two months, he had endured such torment almost daily.
Since first opening the Eight Gates Released Formation, a trace of chakra had actually been born within Sora's body. Although the amount was small, it was enough to perform a few simple Clone Techniques. More importantly, his physical fitness had also leaped forward a notch.
However, the difficulty of breaking through the Third Gate, the Gate of Life, far exceeded his expectations.
Sora let out a low roar. The chakra within his body began to gather towards his neck.
Intense pain instantly assaulted him, as if someone was stabbing a red-hot iron awl into his neck. Sora groaned, veins bulging on his forehead, but the movement of his hands never stopped.
"Hold on!"
"Imagine the chakra is a hammer, smashing open that gate!"
Sora closed his eyes tightly, controlling the chakra with all his might.
Once, twice, three times...
Each impact brought heart-wrenching pain, but Sora stubbornly gritted his teeth and endured it.
"This kid..." Might Duy watched Sora's stubborn back, inwardly shocked. "He's clearly trembling all over in pain, yet he won't even let out a single cry of agony."
In the original work, even Rock Lee fainted from the pain while training the Eight Gates Released Formation. Sora's willpower was actually more tenacious than Rock Lee's!
"Haah—!"
Suddenly, Sora shouted explosively. The chakra within his body surged towards the node of the Gate of Life like a breached dam.
Boom—!
A loud noise seemed to echo in his mind. Sora only felt his whole body lighten. His originally utterly exhausted body was instantly filled with power.
"Success!" Might Duy shouted excitedly. "The Third Gate, the Gate of Life, is open!"