Tai Chi Palm

Biodata

Power Progression

History

Tai Chi Palm originated as the evolution of Xuan Ye’s Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams Palm. Although the earlier technique had already reached maximum proficiency and could destroy a tree with its One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Palms, it initially provided no reward or further advancement 50.

While repeatedly practicing the maxed-out Gentle Fist, Xuan Ye sensed the same change that had previously enabled him to advance from sixty-four to one hundred and twenty-eight palms. After persisting for two hours, the System announced that the technique had been fully comprehended and upgraded it into Tai Chi Palm 51.

The evolution implanted its usage knowledge directly into Xuan Ye’s mind. He immediately tested both modes against rocks: Fast Mode left dense palm marks, while Slow Mode implanted Hidden Strength that later shattered a separate rock from ten meters away 52.

Abilities & Skills

Fast Mode

Fast Mode uses Open Strength, emphasizing direct offense, speed, and physical enhancement.

• Produces rapid palm strikes with considerable destructive force. 52 190
• Amplifies the user’s physical attributes, including strength, movement speed, and reaction speed, but does not increase Chakra. 214 219
• Can seal an opponent’s Chakra points and obstruct Chakra circulation; the seal’s strength and duration depend on the user’s mastery. 190 214
• Is most suitable against opponents near the user’s own level, as demonstrated when Xuan Ye used it to pressure Might Guy. 52 53
• At Xuan Ye’s tenfold level, its enhancement has no stated time limit and consumes no stamina or Chakra. 220

Slow Mode / Full Mode

Slow Mode—also referred to as Full Mode—prioritizes defense, redirection, weakening, and Hidden Strength.

• Uses “four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds”: minimal force redirects an incoming stronger force. 52 53
• Appears slow to observers, but its movements and strikes are actually fast. 189 216
• Lets the user answer an opponent’s attack with “stillness counters motion” and “slowness counters speed.” 52 67
• Can weaken incoming power substantially; Jiraiya describes the reduction as applying not only to physical strength, but also Chakra and other forms of power. 181 219
• Offers superior defense to Fast Mode, though its direct power is lower by comparison. 67
• Cannot reliably inject Hidden Strength into opponents significantly stronger than the user, as shown against Tsunade. 190 194

Hidden Strength

Hidden Strength is dormant force generated by circulating Chakra through the muscles and converting it before implantation.

• Is infused into a target through Slow/Full Mode strikes. 52 189
• Remains undetected inside the target until the user detonates it. 183
• Accumulated Hidden Strength can cause severe internal damage; Xuan Ye reduced a large tree to powder after five infused strikes. 189
• Requires repeated practice to execute and cannot be implanted in targets far stronger than the user. 189 190

Tai Chi Shockwave

Tai Chi Shockwave is a powerful trump card that emerged as Xuan Ye’s Tai Chi Palm proficiency increased.

• Requires the user to expend their entire bodily strength. 70
• Was reserved for a decisive moment against the Vicious Wolf. 71
• Killed the Vicious Wolf, though Xuan Ye was left severely injured and weakened afterward. 71

Notable Uses

• Against Might Guy — Xuan Ye activated Fast Mode after being suppressed, becoming several times faster and stronger; when Guy raised his physical strength to Jonin level, Xuan Ye changed to Slow Mode and redirected Guy’s spinning kick to throw him aside. 52 53
• Against the Vicious Wolf — Xuan Ye used Slow Mode to redirect the wolf’s attacks and implant Hidden Strength, then shifted to Fast Mode when the wolf’s speed and power made defensive fighting untenable. 67 69
• Against Tsunade — Even while unable to use Hidden Strength on her, Xuan Ye used Slow Mode’s core redirection principles to reduce an attack that began at ten percent of Tsunade’s power to roughly three percent on impact. 181
• Against Jiraiya — Xuan Ye’s tenfold Fast Mode enhancement increased his speed and reaction time enough to evade Jiraiya’s Needle Jizo. 220

Known Practitioners

• Xuan Ye (Namikaze Genya) — The technique’s original user and teacher; achieved tenfold amplification and weakening through continued practice. 51 217 218
• Tsunade — Learned both modes from Xuan Ye; could seal Chakra points, apply Hidden Strength, and double her own attributes or weaken an opponent by double. 189 192 194
• Shizune — Trained alongside Tsunade and gained a preliminary command of both modes, including Chakra-point sealing and Hidden Strength. 190 192
• Jiraiya — Learned from Xuan Ye and attained threefold amplification and weakening after three years of study. 216 218 219

Trivia

• Xuan Ye initially believed he had developed Tai Chi Palm himself because his amnesia prevented him from remembering that the System had implanted its methods into his mind. 189
• Tai Chi Palm’s starting stances and movements are described as unusual and difficult to understand, making the technique challenging even for Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiraiya. 190 216