Crossing Blades with Hizashi Hyuga

Hiashi and Hizashi had known ever since they saw Soji awaken the Byakugan that they could no longer treat him like a child in this spar.

"Then I'll..."

Before Hiashi could finish, Soji interrupted him.

"Brother Hizashi, would you be willing to give me some pointers?"

Hearing Soji's words, Hiashi froze for a moment. Just as he was about to say something else, Soji's next sentence left him speechless.

"The Young Clan Head's right hand still can't move flexibly, can it? That wouldn't be very meaningful for instruction."

Hiashi, the Young Clan Head, considered this before looking toward his younger brother, Hizashi Hyuga.

Receiving his brother's gaze, Hizashi nodded.

"Then, Lord Soji, excuse me."

"Fine, but Brother Hizashi, don't hold back from the very start like you did when sparring with the Young Clan Head just now."

Soji gave Hizashi a warning beforehand.

"Mm, I'll take it seriously."

Though Hizashi said that, he was thinking something entirely different. Although Soji had awakened the Byakugan, he did not believe the boy could pose any threat to him.

Hizashi still intended to go easy on Soji during their spar, subtly and without drawing his notice, so as not to discourage this little genius of the Main House who had only just awakened the Byakugan.

As Soji and Hizashi assumed their stances and prepared to exchange blows, two figures slowly approached from the corridor by the distant entrance.

At that moment, no one—including Hiashi, who was watching from the side—noticed that others were observing this spar.

"Elder Kumokawa, you're truly unfair. Soji awakened the Byakugan, yet you didn't even tell us old men of the Main House."

The speaker was none other than Hyuga Ryusuke, the Clan Head, who had just concluded the Hyuga Clan Main Family meeting.

It was not difficult to hear the half-teasing, half-envious tone in Hyuga Ryusuke's words.

After the Main House meeting ended and the other elders departed one after another, Hyuga Kumokawa had also been preparing to take his grandson home. He had not expected to witness this scene.

"Hahaha, Clan Head, you're still in the prime of your life. How could you call yourself old? Soji's Byakugan only awakened when he fainted last time. I had planned to tell everyone after some time, but this boy was too impatient and exposed it right away. Sigh."

Although Hyuga Kumokawa appeared to be criticizing Soji for being rash, the pride in his voice was completely undisguised.

"Hmph, you old fellow were actually planning to keep it hidden?"

The sourness in Hyuga Ryusuke's voice was obvious. He did not even call Kumokawa Elder anymore, replacing it directly with "old fellow."

However, Hyuga Ryusuke did not mean any disrespect toward Hyuga Kumokawa. On the contrary, as Clan Head, he sincerely respected these elders of the Main House who continued to devote themselves to the clan and the Main House.

Because they were close, their forms of address were sometimes more casual.

Just as in daily life, people often say thank you and sorry to strangers, yet rarely use such words with family and friends.

"Still, if I could choose, I would rather Soji had never awakened the Byakugan and his parents could return to life. Then I wouldn't have to push Soji so hard, and he wouldn't have to train so painfully."

As for his grandson Soji's growth, this old man, Hyuga Kumokawa, felt both joy and sorrow.

What elder did not hope for their younger generation to grow up healthy and happy? If he had been born in a peaceful era without war, Hyuga Kumokawa would have even hoped that Soji could live his entire life as an ordinary person. Unfortunately, this cruel world had no ifs.

Hyuga Ryusuke also fell silent afterward. He understood Hyuga Kumokawa's thoughts.

As Hyuga Ryusuke and Hyuga Kumokawa fell silent, Soji and Hizashi's spar was about to begin.

Soji did not immediately use the Gentle Fist—Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms, and Hizashi likewise had no intention of deciding the match right away.

Soji wanted to defeat his opponent in a single strike, while Hizashi felt there was no need to get serious from the start against Soji, who was four years younger than him.

Hizashi adopted a defensive stance, clearly intending to let Soji attack first.

Soji did not stand on ceremony. After all, in an instructional spar, it was generally understood that the weaker side attacked first.

Soji formed his right hand into a blade and chopped toward Hizashi's left forearm. Hizashi likewise formed his right hand into a blade and blocked Soji's attack path.

Their left hands both remained on guard against the other's sneak attacks.

The two wrestled with their right arms, but Soji was younger after all and was gradually forced back by Hizashi.

From the center between them, their locked arms slowly neared Soji's chest.

Just as Hizashi was considering whether to pull back some Chakra and strength, he suddenly saw the corner of Soji's mouth curl upward.

Not good, it's a trap?

The thought had barely surfaced in Hizashi's mind when Soji clenched his right hand blade into a fist and leaned his body slightly backward. Hizashi's right hand instantly lost its point of leverage, causing him to lose his balance and topple forward.

Soji naturally would not let go of this hard-earned opportunity. He knew that if he confronted Hizashi head-on, he would definitely lose. Even if Hizashi held back a little, he was still not someone Soji could contend against right now.

Thus, Soji had prepared to win through trickery from the very beginning.

Seeing Hizashi falling toward him, Soji drove his clenched right fist straight toward his opponent's forehead.

As the fist grew larger before his eyes, Hizashi's pupils rapidly contracted. Just as Soji's fist was about to strike his forehead, Hizashi forcibly threw his head backward and narrowly avoided the killing blow.

Then, just as Hizashi was about to fall to the ground, he suddenly saw a foot kicking toward him again.

Soji had immediately changed tactics after his first strike missed, using his foot to deal with the current situation.

Although members of the Hyuga Clan primarily used the Gentle Fist, no one had ever said Hyuga Clan members could not use their feet against enemies, right?

Looking at the incoming kick, Hizashi knew there was nowhere left to dodge. He had not expected that after holding back just a little, he would now be pressed so hard by Soji that he did not even have room to retaliate.

He could not help regretting it, feeling ashamed of his initial idea to go easy on Soji.

In the span of those thoughts, Hizashi considered how to escape the current situation with the least possible damage, then regroup and face Soji seriously.

Suddenly, Hizashi seemed to think of something. Just as Soji's kick was about to hit his chest, Hizashi clenched both hands into fists and crossed them before his chest, forcibly taking the blow.

However, this allowed Hizashi to break free of Soji's continuous suppression. Soji's kick even prevented him from falling directly to the ground.

The kick sent Hizashi flying five or six meters away.

In the distance, Hizashi crouched on the ground, panting heavily with both hands braced against the floor. Then he slowly rose, his hands still trembling slightly.

This showed that Soji's kick had caused Hizashi quite a bit of trouble.

But honestly, Soji himself regretted the kick as soon as he threw it.

Perhaps he had been too influenced by his previous life. Whenever he fought, he always used whatever was convenient. Thus, when the opportunity appeared, Soji kicked without hesitation.

He seemed to have completely forgotten that his empty left hand could also use the Gentle Fist. But regretting it now was useless. The spar had to continue.

"Brother Hizashi, how about it? Can you get serious now?"

Soji had been well aware of Hizashi's cautiousness and restraint. This kick was just the right lesson to teach Hizashi not to underestimate him.

Hizashi clenched and unclenched his fists, finally easing the numbness caused by the heavy blow to his hands.

Then he raised his head, looked Soji in the eyes, and said seriously, "Lord Soji, I apologize for my behavior just now. I never expected Lord Soji to possess such strength at only five years old. But it is still too early for you to defeat me."

"Gentle Fist—Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms ×2."

"What?!"

When Hizashi saw Hyuga Soji assume the opening stance of the Gentle Fist just like him and shout Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms at the same time, he was truly stunned.

He had thought he was already overestimating Soji, but he had still underestimated him. What kind of monster was this?

When he and his brother were five, it seemed their Clan Head father was still teaching them physical training.

What sort of demon had appeared before him now?

Had the Hyuga Clan ever had a five-year-old awaken the Byakugan?

Had the Hyuga Clan ever had a five-year-old who not only awakened the Byakugan, but also mastered the Gentle Fist—Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms?

It was not just the two fighters. Even Hiashi, watching from the sidelines, looked as though his jaw was about to hit the floor.

There was no time to think further. Soji and Hizashi charged toward each other from five or six meters away. Such a short distance meant they were already entangled within about a second.

They traded blows back and forth. Soji struck one of Hizashi's acupoints, and Hizashi returned the favor with a hand blade.

However, Soji fought rather dishonorably during the exchange. Though he had clearly called out the Gentle Fist—Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms at the end, he occasionally slipped in a kick to the groin, an elbow to the solar plexus, and even, at the final moment, rammed forward with his head, performing a rocket headbutt right in front of Hizashi!

Naturally, the result of the spar was obvious. After both sides completed a set of Eight Trigrams—Gentle Fist Sixteen Palms, Soji had sixteen of his acupoints struck, while he had only struck nine of Hizashi's.

The victory naturally belonged to Hizashi Hyuga, but the spar left Hizashi extremely frustrated. There was still a considerable gap between their strength, yet he had fought with his hands and feet tied.

To guard against Soji's groin kicks, elbows to the solar plexus, and rocket headbutts, Hizashi's limbs were now numb and his bones ached faintly.

Still, Hizashi had to admit that Soji had gained a considerable grasp of the Gentle Fist—Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms. With some training, he should be able to overcome his other minor flaws.

Only...

"Lord Soji, unless there is a real necessity in the future, I never want to spar with you again. Let my brother train with you instead."

After the match ended, Hizashi complained with a bitter expression.

"Hahaha, a ninja's battles should use every means possible."

Afterward, when Soji recalled what he had just done, he felt rather embarrassed as well. He scratched the back of his head, then looked toward Hyuga Hiashi at the side.

Seeing Soji notice him, Hiashi hurriedly shook his head in fright. "No, no, Soji. I think Hizashi and I are already completely unqualified to train you. You should ask one of the clan elders to give you special training."

Hiashi had been thoroughly frightened by Soji's methods even as a spectator. What kind of proper Hyuga Clan member fought like that?

If the Byakugan had not clearly confirmed that Hyuga Soji before him was the real person, Hiashi would have suspected someone else had transformed into him with the Transformation Jutsu.

As for his "good younger brother" kicking such a "dangerous" person toward him like a ball, Hiashi wanted absolutely no part of it!

Then Hiashi and Hizashi exchanged a glance and made the same decision: even if it killed them, they would never accompany Hyuga Soji in training again!

Soji did not know that today's spar with Hizashi had directly caused the two brothers to never dare train with him again.