HGBW: Ch. 128

"You overpraise me."

For Tanaka, simply winning over the Inuzuka clan was not enough—he needed to establish his character as well.

"The war is imminent. The only ones we can rely on are the companions by our side." As soon as he said this, not only did he win the deep admiration of the Inuzuka clan's ninjas, but he also helped bridge the divide between the ninja clans and the civilian ninjas.

Even the proud Uchiha members restrained their arrogance somewhat. Just as Tanaka had stated, war with Suna was on the horizon. They could not rely on the distant Konoha; they had to depend on the Konoha ninjas standing right beside them.

"This is a part I dismantled from Chiyo's puppet."

Tsunade took out a puppet arm from a scroll.

In the past, she had fought Chiyo multiple times. But against her monstrous strength, puppets would either be damaged with a single touch or completely shattered upon impact. Even the elite puppets of the Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets had been destroyed by her.

Naturally, the puppets she broke were not simply discarded; instead, she kept the parts for potential future use.

"You hid this quite well."

Shikaku gave a deep, knowing look at the two people working seamlessly together. Even he was unaware of this. Not only that, but none of the clan representatives knew either. Yet, Tanaka was fully informed and had already coordinated a plan with Tsunade.

There was certainly more going on behind the scenes. Every Konoha ninja present was at least of elite chunin level—none of them were fools.

They immediately noticed the sequence of events: first, Tanaka resolved the problem of locating Suna forces; then, Tsunade conveniently produced Chiyo's puppet components. This clearly indicated a strong connection between the two.

"I leave our ninja hounds in your hands."

Yuto suppressed his thoughts and led the accompanying ninja hounds to stand before Tanaka.

A total of 43.

Not every Inuzuka ninja was like Kiba, who only raised a single ninja hound like Akamaru. Some raised two, or even more. Because of this, while only 15 Inuzuka ninjas were participating in the battle, they brought a total of 43 hounds.

"Release them."

Tanaka nodded slightly, then activated his Byakugan to observe the hounds. At the same time, he expanded his ROOM technique, encompassing all 43 hounds.

It was well known that the Inuzuka clan's combat strength was split equally between themselves and their hounds. If he wanted to locate Suna forces, he could not afford to let their hounds be weakened.

I've found it. Open the gate.

Tanaka examined the chakra flow, tenketsu, and chakra pathway systems within the ninja hounds.

In the shinobi world, humans were not the only ones capable of refining chakra—other creatures could as well. For example, the snakes of Ryūchi Cave, the toads of Mount Myōboku, and the slugs of Shikkotsu Forest, as well as the Inuzuka clan's dogs.

Since they could refine chakra, it was only natural that their bodies contained chakra pathway systems and tenketsu points.

If humans had the Eight Gates that limited their chakra, then animals did as well. However, what Tanaka intended to do was forcefully open the Eight Gates for the Inuzuka's hounds.

His gaze locked onto a specific tenketsu point within one of the hounds. He then raised a finger and tapped the Gate of Opening on the hounds' body. Although it looked like acupuncture, in reality, he was using his Op-Op Fruit abilities to forcibly open the first of the Eight Gates, which suppressed chakra.

Sizzle…

As soon as the Gate of Opening was released, the hounds' entire body tensed up. It bared its teeth and snarled, its fur standing on end like sharp steel needles. A fierce and untamed beastly aura surged from its body.

"This is… the Eight Gates!"

Among the Konoha ninjas, the only genin present, Duy, widened his eyes in shock and cried out. As one of the only two Konoha ninjas in the original story to master the Eight Gates Released Formation, he recognized it at a glance.

The ninja hounds that Tanaka had touched had just opened the first gate.

"How is this possible?"

Hioka's Sharingan flared wide in shock as he stared fixedly at the hounds before him, his mind overwhelmed by waves of astonishment.

If he remembered correctly, Tanaka had only obtained the Eight Gates Release Formation from the Scroll of Seals after passing the jonin Exam.

But how long had it been?

Not even two months!

If Tanaka had merely opened the Gate of Opening for himself, Hioka might have barely accepted it. But the fact that he could forcefully open the Gate of Opening for a hound—that was an entirely different level of mastery.

What kind of taijutsu expertise would such a feat require? The others were equally stunned. The only one who remained composed was Tsunade.

After all, every time Tanaka trained in the Eight Gates, she had been by his side, tending to him. From a medical-nin's perspective, she had even provided him with suggestions. She was fully aware of just how deeply he had mastered the technique.

Mikoto gazed at Tanaka's back.

I see… Once the hounds' Gate of Opening is unlocked, the brain's natural restraints are lifted, allowing it to exert 100% of its physical capabilities.

The Inuzuka clan's hounds already possess olfactory senses thousands of times stronger than a human's. Opening the first gate will only amplify that further.

The weather conditions of the Land of Rain will no longer hinder them.

Shikaku instantly grasped the implications.

That brat… I wasn't surprised when he mastered the Eight Gates in such a short time. But the fact that he can use it on others—not just people, but hounds—that's completely insane!

Watching Tanaka forcibly open the Gate of Opening on a hound, the Konoha ninjas first reacted with shock and disbelief—before gradually shifting to pure admiration.

Even better than I expected. Tanaka observed the physical condition of the hounds through his Byakugan. After confirming that its muscles hadn't suffered any tears from opening the first gate, he wasn't too surprised.

For a normal animal the Gate of Opening would have been far too much to endure. Even though the first three gates were considered safe zones, the sheer strain would have been overwhelming.

But Inuzuka hounds were different. Everyone in Konoha knew that Inuzuka hounds lived better than civilian ninjas.

Not only did they train chakra, but their diet consisted of premium beef, venison, and mutton—sometimes even tiger, bear, or leopard meat.

On top of that, they regularly underwent medicinal baths infused with herbs, tiger bone, bear gall, and leopard bile—all to fortify their muscles, skin, and bones.

And combined with the Inuzuka clan's secret techniques…

Every fully trained Inuzuka hounds was essentially a monster wearing a dog's skin.

Let's keep going. Tanaka's gaze sharpened. He raised a finger and tapped another point on the hounds's body—

ROAR!!

The Gate of Healing burst open!

The hounds' eyes turned bloodshot, its voice rumbled with a low growl, and its muscles bulged slightly beneath its fur. Beneath the thick coat, its skin flushed red, radiating an overwhelming, intimidating aura that warned all living things to stay away.

The Gate of Opening removed the brain's natural restraints, boosting the hounds' olfactory perception several times over.

The Gate of Healing removed the body's fatigue limits, exponentially increasing its physical strength and allowing it to fight tirelessly.

With this, they would be able to locate Suna's movements in no time.

As they witnessed the transformation, both clan ninjas and civilian ninjas alike were utterly shocked.