The Power of Forbidden Jutsu!

"Perfect... practice some taijutsu with me!"

Shinichi Hyuga invited Keisuke Hyuga, the eldest among them, to spar. Though it was their first meeting, Shinichi had already gleaned their differing personalities from their manners and expressions.

Although Keisuke Hyuga was from the Branch Family, his strength was outstanding. While he showed Shinichi basic courtesy and respect, that respect was for the Main Family, not for Shinichi Hyuga himself.

With the Caged Bird Seal and the Clan System in place, Shinichi naturally had no concerns about Keisuke Hyuga's loyalty. But commanding him would probably not be as easy as he imagined.

Though these people had been assigned by Hiashi as his guards, in a sense, they had also become Shinichi's subordinates.

There were some matters Shinichi could not conveniently handle himself and needed others to take care of. For that reason, it was essential to have a group of capable and obedient subordinates.

For the moment, Shinichi did not know what kind of personality the woman named Mio Hyuga had, but Keisuke Hyuga and Kazutaka Hyuga were far too easy to read.

One was an exceptionally strong Branch Family expert with a proud spirit; the other most likely fully endorsed the Hyuga Clan's Clan System and was an absolute supporter of the Main Family.

Though it was merely a first impression, Shinichi intended to start with Keisuke.

People like him were actually easy to understand and easy to manage.

His confidence and pride came from his own strength. To bring a subordinate like that under control, Shinichi needed to give him a small shock through sheer strength.

As it happened, Shinichi had learned several jutsu recently and wanted to test their effects.

"Practice taijutsu?!"

"Um... Lord Shinichi, I rarely train with companions, so I may not know how to hold back."

"If you need a sparring partner, why not let Kazutaka do it?"

"Someone at Kazutaka's level should be enough to serve as your sparring partner."

The three clan members clearly knew one another. Hearing Shinichi's request, Keisuke Hyuga scratched his head, put on an awkward expression, and politely declined.

His first few words did not sound particularly problematic, but that final remark revealed what he truly thought deep down.

This Keisuke Hyuga respected only Shinichi's status as a member of the Main Family. He did not take Shinichi himself seriously at all.

"Keisuke, you've only just returned from the battlefield, so it's understandable that you don't know much about Shinichi."

"How about this? Have a brief exchange with Shinichi and get to know each other a little."

Hyuga Hiashi, who had always kept a stern face before the clan members, rarely showed a faint smile. Judging by his tone and manner when speaking to Keisuke Hyuga, this ninja's strength and status were indeed somewhat unusual.

Shinichi stepped into the center of the Training Ground. Mio Hyuga and Kazutaka Hyuga tactfully moved to the side as well.

Since Hiashi had already said so much, Keisuke Hyuga helplessly scratched his head before slowly walking up to Shinichi Hyuga.

"Since Lord Hiashi has said so, I'll be your opponent."

"Lord Shinichi, please stay on your guard."

As he spoke, Keisuke Hyuga formed a one-handed seal and activated his Byakugan.

Across from him, Shinichi nodded. After activating his own Byakugan, he made the first move and formed hand seals.

Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!

Thick white mist rose through the Training Ground, and ten Shinichi Hyugas appeared before Keisuke Hyuga in an instant.

Shinichi Hyuga's original body stood faintly at the back of the crowd. The ten additional Shadow Clones moved at once, surrounding Keisuke Hyuga from every side.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu?"

Keisuke Hyuga was deeply surprised at Shinichi's jutsu. As a member of the Hyuga Clan, this was the first time he had seen anyone in the clan use this technique in battle.

And... as far as he knew... wasn't Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu a Forbidden Jutsu?!

Though confused, the battle-hardened Keisuke did not show any fear even when faced with enemies several times his number. He spread his arms and assumed a stance.

The very next moment, just as he finished preparing himself, the Shinichi Hyugas surrounding him suddenly raised both hands. Azure lion-shaped Chakra immediately enveloped their fists.

Every Shadow Clone used the Gentle Step Twin Lion Fist, then charged at Keisuke Hyuga at high speed beneath his astonished gaze.

"This..."

There was no time to speak. The Shadow Clones' attacks arrived one after another. Shadow Clones might not withstand much damage, and they divided the original body's Chakra, but their forms were identical to the original. Even the Byakugan could not distinguish the real body.

At the same time, the Shadow Clones' strength was not much different from the original's, making their attacks tremendously threatening to Keisuke Hyuga.

Besides... Gentle Fist did not care about so-called "attack power" at all.

Even if a Shadow Clone's attack hit him, the acupoints that should be sealed would still be sealed.

In a sense, this jutsu was exceptionally compatible with the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist.

Because Shadow Clones increased the chances of Gentle Fist landing a hit.

Though Keisuke Hyuga could not locate the original among the many Shadow Clones, the Byakugan's nearly 360-degree vision allowed him to respond accurately as Shinichi's Shadow Clones besieged him.

As a fellow Hyuga, Keisuke's taijutsu abilities far surpassed those of the young Kakashi who had fought Shinichi before. As he shifted, leaped, and dodged attacks, he often found chances to counterattack as well.

In just a few breaths, nearly half the Shadow Clones surrounding him had already been destroyed.

The Shadow Clones turned into white smoke and vanished when struck. Shinichi carefully felt the pain transmitted back to his original body. It felt like being pricked by needles, nowhere near as intense as he had imagined.

This was his first time using Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu in actual combat. Side effects at this level were nothing at all.

Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!

As Shinichi Hyuga formed hand seals again, white mist filled the entire Training Ground. When it dispersed, Shinichi's Shadow Clones packed the Training Ground in dense rows.

Faced with hundreds of enemies using the Gentle Step Twin Lion Fist, even Keisuke Hyuga could not help feeling his scalp tingle.

"Th-This many!"

Even he, who had seen plenty of grand scenes, could not help marveling at the scale of this Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. Even he had no confidence he could avoid being hit under the assault of so many people.

As the Shadow Clones surged forward together, Keisuke Hyuga was swallowed by them.

Though he was powerful, two fists could not beat four hands, much less hundreds of hands. Under their siege, Keisuke inevitably had moments when he could not defend in time.

If he had been an ordinary ninja, whether a Genin, Chunin, or even a Jonin, the pain of fists and kicks would not have reduced his combat ability given Keisuke's durability.

But Shinichi Hyuga's Shadow Clones were different...

Even the most ordinary punch could seal off a small portion of his acupoints and obstruct the flow of Chakra.

Under Shinichi's siege, his movements gradually became slower and slower. Eventually, all the Chakra in his body was sealed, and he could no longer use Gentle Fist.

Even then, dozens of Shadow Clones still remained in the Training Ground, undispersed.

"Lord Shinichi..."

"I... I lost..."

Keisuke Hyuga was not a super genius like Neji. He could not independently develop advanced Gentle Fist ninjutsu, and as a member of the Branch Family, he had not mastered techniques such as Kaiten that only the Main Family could learn.

In battle, he had used nothing but ordinary Gentle Fist. He was exceptional, but he had no particularly good way to deal with the Shadow Clones' siege.

If it had been Hiashi, all it would have taken to resolve the Shadow Clones' siege was a single Kaiten.

But Keisuke Hyuga could not do that...

The Byakugan greatly raised the Hyuga Clan's lower limit, but its upper limit was not all that high either...

Unable to sense the Chakra in his body, Keisuke Hyuga decisively admitted defeat. However, his expression was extremely unpleasant.

He had lost badly, and it was utterly frustrating...

"You're very strong!"

"What you lack is neither strength nor talent. What you lack is ninjutsu."

"From now on, I'll call you Uncle Keisuke."

"Don't worry. Since you've become my guard, I'll find a way to make you stronger!"

Shinichi Hyuga did not become smug because of his victory. Instead, he walked up to Keisuke Hyuga and made the promise solemnly.

His words made Keisuke raise his head and look at Shinichi in surprise. At the same time, Mio Hyuga, who stood by the side, finally showed a slight ripple in her eyes as she looked toward Shinichi Hyuga.

Kazutaka Hyuga, on the other hand, looked at Shinichi with even greater admiration after seeing him defeat Keisuke Hyuga.

"Lord Shinichi, you're too polite. Just call me by my name." Keisuke Hyuga knelt on one knee again in salute. This time, it was far more sincere than before.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu... This technique's boost to my strength has exceeded my expectations."

Shinichi himself was somewhat surprised that he had defeated Keisuke Hyuga so easily.

Seeing Naruto's low-quality Shadow Clones so often had given Shinichi a mistaken impression of this technique's power.

Only after using it himself did he understand just how terrifying this Forbidden Jutsu truly was. It gave the terrifying amount of Chakra within Shinichi an outlet.

And... this technique's compatibility with the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist far exceeded Shinichi's expectations.