Hokuto Shinken
"It's your Ice Clone!" Hinata didn't let her continue to be confused and gave the answer directly.
"Hmph," Neji chimed in with a timely sneer, "I didn't expect you'd be focusing all your energy on dressing up lately! Weren't you quite clever before?"
Sakura glared at him, clearly annoyed.
"Look closely, this thing on my forehead is a Yin Sealing Jutsu Technique, not just a decoration!"
"Pfft~" Neji let out a standard sneer, "An ornament without Chakra storage dares to call itself the Yin Seal!"
"Are you here looking for someone or just looking for trouble? Believe me or not, I can beat you up with one hand!"
These two are born with incompatible horoscopes. The moment they meet, it's a constant stream of mutual mockery.
It looks like we're about to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
Then they were both subdued by Hinata was standing to the side, looking annoyed.
Okay, does this scene seem familiar?
When Sakura was being lectured by Neji with her ears pulled up by the girl who rolled her Byakugan, she suddenly felt like she had seen this scene somewhere before.
--Yes, it's in Chapter Fifty-Four.
"... Anyway, you two better get along! We're here to get down to business!" Hinata said irritably.
Yes, business comes first.
Back to the point, Sakura had already reacted by the time Hinata created her Ice Clone.
The breakthrough point was indeed the Ice Clone.
To be more specific, it should be the medical research-grade Ice Clone pit exploration method.
As we mentioned earlier, studying acupoints in the meridian system is a very dangerous thing.
Many acupoints play an important role in the body. Opening them in the wrong way can often lead to serious consequences, or even the death of the practitioner.
This is why the only forbidden technique involving acupoints is the Eight Gates Released Formation; this forbidden technique was developed by treading on the corpses of predecessors to carve out a narrow path.
Of course, if one is willing to sacrifice a large number of ninjas proficient in Chakra manipulation, then developing another set of Eight Gates, or even Seventh Gate or nine gates, is not out of the question.
After all, the Eight Gates Released Formation is just one of many possibilities.
Hinata got her inspiration from seeing Sakura use Ice Clone to conduct highly dangerous experiments.
Unlike other clones, the medical research-grade Ice Clone is almost a complete replica of the original body, including acupoints.
Hinata naturally thought that she could use her Ice Clone to replace her original self to conduct experiments on opening pressure points, continuing the experiments that she and Sakura had not finished back then.
Sakura immediately realized that this kind of suicide mission was indeed very suitable for her Ice Clone to do.
She pondered for a moment and said, "Hinata, I understand what you mean. Using Ice Clone to test pressure points is indeed a good idea."
She recalled that "plan" that had filled her with such pride back then.
"Therefore, the 'Hokuto Shinken' project is officially restarted!"
The Hokuto Shinken Project actually has little to do with the "Hokuto Shinken" itself.
The reason it was named this is because in their plan, this Taijutsu would only open seven acupoints, one less than the Eight Gates Released Formation.
The Chakra amplification after opening the Eight Gates Released Formation is too rapid and unsuitable for Gentle Fist ninjas who need to precisely control their Chakra. Therefore, a new system needs to be developed from scratch.
The principles behind Ninjutsu like the Eight Gates Released Formation are not complicated.
Acupoints act like limiters in the human body, restricting and controlling the conversion of Chakra to prevent the excessive conversion of physical strength into Chakra, which could lead to bodily harm. This is similar to how the human body limits the maximum strength of muscles to avoid injury.
After activating acupoints, the amount of Chakra converted from the body will increase dramatically, thus greatly enhancing the user's combat power. However, this comes at the cost of increasing the burden on the body and damaging it.
Take the Eight Gates Released Formation as an example. When all eight gates are open, even a Genin can gain Kage Level power, which is indeed a very significant boost. However, the person who opens the eighth gate will die very quickly, even if they do nothing.
Of course, for Taijutsu -type ninja like Might Guy, due to his extremely high physical abilities, opening the first few gates would cause him minimal harm.
Besides, forbidden techniques like the Eight Gates Released Formation have another major drawback—
By opening the meridians and acupoints and breaking free Chakra physical limitations, the massive amount of Chakra obtained is purely composed of physical strength. This violent and unbalanced Chakra, lacking the blending of spiritual energy, cannot be used to unleash Ninjutsu; it can only be used in Taijutsu to enhance speed and power.
Sakura lost interest in the plan back then because she discovered that the amplified Chakra couldn't be used to perform Ninjutsu after the pressure point technique was activated. After the plan was abandoned, she never tried to restart it. It is precisely because she knew this that, although the Eight Gates Released Formation is very powerful and opening the first few gates doesn't cause much harm, most ninjas still don't care about it.
After all, apart from pure Taijutsu- type ninjas, most ninjas still need to use Jonin in battle.
Leaving aside other things, practical, efficient, and low-cost Ninjutsu like the Substitution Technique and the Clone Technique can't just be discarded like Guy and Lee did, right?
For the two members of the Hyuga Clan, the more important issue is that the Chakra they gain after opening the Eight Gates Released Formation is too violent in nature. Although it can greatly increase their speed and strength, it is difficult to control precisely for using Gentle Fist.
This limits the applicability of the Eight Gates Released Formation to a small number of ninjas who specialize in powerful Strong Fist.
Therefore, although Neji Hyuga was a member of Team Guy and Taijutsu- type ninja, he never learned the Eight Gates Released Formation.
As Taijutsu- type ninjas, Neji and Hinata actually envied Lee's ability to use the Eight Gates Released Formation.
Neither of them were ninjas with particularly abundant Chakra.
After Neji's relationship with Hinata improved, he learned a flawed version of the "Fist of the Hokuto Shinken" project that Sakura and Hinata had developed years ago. That pressure point technique could safely open two pressure points, thereby doubling his Chakra reserves. Moreover, its nature was gentler than the Chakra generated by the Eight Gates Released Formation, making it suitable for them to use Gentle Fist.
Even a mosquito's leg is meat; something is better than nothing. With this mindset, Neji gladly accepted the Ninjutsu.
However, when Hinata and Neji were talking about Sakura's embarrassing moments, they mentioned the Ice Clone that could almost perfectly replicate the original. Hinata still had lingering regrets about the Fist of the Hokuto Shinken Project, suddenly had an inspiration.
Hearing that the Fist of the Hokuto Shinken Project might be completed, Neji, who had always been fascinated by this pressure point amplification technique, couldn't contain his enthusiasm and came along as well.
Of course, he didn't come empty-handed; Neji also obtained information about the Eight Gates Released Formation from Might Guy-sensei.
Sakura simply rolled her eyes at Neji's shameless behavior.
Logically, developing Ninjutsu is a very private matter, and Neji's actions were quite impolite. However, since he brought the scroll of the Eight Gates Released Formation, it can be considered that he brought capital—data capital—to invest in this Ninjutsu development team.
Although the Eight Gates Released Formation is a forbidden technique, its level of secrecy is not high: even Genin can learn it. The most valuable aspect of the material Neji brought is that it contains Might Guy-sensei's learning notes, making it quite valuable and very helpful for them in developing the Hokuto Shinken.
Even if Neji isn't allowed in, Hinata will teach Neji the ninjutsu anyway after she learns Ninjutsu. Their relationship is already as close as that of ordinary cousins.
Moreover, the "Hokuto Shinken" Ninjutsu is primarily Hinata's technique. Hinata doesn't mind Neji learning it together, she doesn't care.
As another developer of Ninjutsu, Sakura herself probably won't have much of a chance to use it. After all, the Chakra generated after activating the chakra points can only be used for Taijutsu, while her main combat strength lies in Ninjutsu. It's impossible for her to give up her greatest advantage for such a small increase in Chakra.
Since that's the case, Sakura didn't say anything more.
He immediately created several Ice Clones.
The experiment has begun.
(1/, Back to my usual lazy two-chapter update routine! Requesting recommendations, comments, and chapters~~ Just checked the stats, and this month I'm actually updating 5500 words per day.)
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