Sparring with Gai

The two of them headed to the Forest of Death together.

The Forest of Death was rich in resources and produced many medicinal herbs, which were used as ingredients for recovery medicines. The production of Soldier Pills also required some of these herbs.

Thus, many genin began their careers with missions to search for these herbs in the Forest of Death. They were basically all D-rank missions.

Some rarer herbs that were harder to find would raise the mission rank to C, though they were still relatively easy to complete.

There was little danger involved, and the pay was not bad either. They were missions many genin enjoyed!

Certainly better than looking for pets or picking up trash...

With his Byakugan, Yei could find herbs much faster than other shinobi. However, the herbs around the outskirts had already been nearly picked clean by the village's genin. If they wanted more, they could only venture deeper inside.

The Forest of Death was not exactly dangerous, but near its depths, there were still fierce beasts, venomous snakes, insects, rats, and ants. To genin, they posed no small threat.

After heading into the depths of the Forest of Death, Yei and Gai searched around and found quite a few herbs. However, that had not been Yei's original purpose. After casually gathering some herbs, he returned with Gai.

However, Yei made a discovery. Not far from his underground laboratory, he spotted through his Byakugan quite a few venomous snakes coiled nearby...

What's going on? There weren't nearly this many venomous snakes the last time I came here... Could it be... After seeing this, countless thoughts flashed through Yei's mind. He narrowed his eyes as he began to speculate.

However, because Gai was with him, Yei did not approach that area and merely remembered the discovery...

After returning to the village, Yei gave some of the herbs to Gai, and the two arrived at an open clearing.

Gai had mentioned before that the best way to grasp the intricacies of the Steel Fist Style was through sparring!

That was also why Gai had always wanted to fight Kakashi. Only by sparring with the strong could one improve faster.

Naturally, Yei had no objections. The two stood in the clearing, facing each other.

Gai looked seriously at Yei. "Yei, be careful! Facing a genius like you, I won't hold back!"

"Come at me. As a member of the Hyuga Clan, I won't lose to anyone!" Yei activated his Byakugan and looked at Gai with a relaxed expression.

Excitement appeared on Gai's face. This was his first time sparring with Yei. Although they had been classmates and gotten along well, they had never truly competed against each other!

Taking this opportunity, Gai also wanted to experience the strength of the Gentle Fist. It would be helpful to him.

"Then be careful!" Gai called out. In the next instant, with a whoosh, his figure vanished from where he stood and lunged straight at Yei!

Such speed. He didn't use the Body Flicker Technique, nor did he use any special technique. Can he reach this level purely through the explosive power of his body? Yei's Byakugan locked onto Gai, and he was somewhat surprised by Gai's speed.

This was speed achieved purely through physical explosiveness, with almost no technique involved...

In pure Taijutsu, Yei might not necessarily be Gai's match!

However, Yei was not a pure Taijutsu specialist. He also knew ninjutsu. Although the Gentle Fist was a type of Taijutsu, it could only unleash even greater power when used in conjunction with Chakra!

If Gai's Steel Fist was pure Taijutsu, then the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist was more accurately described as ninjutsu-infused Taijutsu!

Blue Chakra swirled around his right hand. Yei's Byakugan caught Gai's movements, and his body moved accordingly.

Trying to bypass the perception of a shinobi with a dōjutsu bloodline limit through speed was impossible!

Even when Sasuke had been suppressed by Rock Lee in the original timeline, it was not because his eyes could not see Rock Lee's movements. It was because his body could not keep up with what he saw!

But Yei would not find himself unable to react in time!

He thrust out his right palm, blocking Gai's fist perfectly.

Bang...

Fist and palm collided. Chakra scattered as both of them retreated immediately after exchanging a blow.

"As expected of you, Yei!" Gai's eyes lit up. He crouched down and swept out with a low kick.

"Your movements have nowhere to hide in my eyes!" Yei smiled. He leaped over the sweeping kick, then spun around and lashed out with a roundhouse kick.

With a muffled bang, Gai reacted instantly, crossing his arms in front of himself to block Yei's strike. However, the force of the blow still drove him back, his feet carving a trail several meters long across the ground!

Every one of Yei's attacks released Chakra from the corresponding chakra points!

This was Yei's own application of the Gentle Fist. The released Chakra enhanced the power of his attacks, making them even sharper!

"So strong! But I won't lose!" Gai looked invigorated. He pushed off the ground, and his body suddenly accelerated. In an instant, he closed in on Yei, raised his right leg, and whipped it down like a whirlwind. "Leaf Whirlwind!"

Feeling the fierce wind from his side, Yei did not dare be careless. Without using his lightning stimulation technique, he was at most a Special Jonin. In terms of physical abilities, he was far inferior to the current Gai.

Of course, in other aspects, Yei still surpassed Gai by far!

Especially since Gai's movements could not escape his perception at all!

"Eight Trigrams Palm!" Yei smiled faintly. Chakra gathered in his palm as he raised his hand and fired a Chakra shockwave, colliding with Gai's incoming right leg!

With a boom, Gai was hit at close range. A sharp pain shot through his right leg, and the shockwave blasted him backward. His body spun four or five times before crashing onto the ground!

"Eight Trigrams: Air Bullet!!" Yei did not let up. With a flick of his fingers, he fired several Chakra bullets like concealed weapons straight toward Gai!

A sense of danger struck him. Gai's reaction was not slow. As soon as he landed, he darted aside and evaded Yei's attacks, then charged forward again and clashed with Yei.

The dense sounds of bang bang bang—fists and palms striking each other—rang out as the two figures darted back and forth across the clearing. Every collision sent dust flying from the ground!

With another bang, the two exchanged another blow before retreating again.

Gai steadied himself, looking somewhat excited. He had long known that Yei was strong, but this was their first real exchange!

Although Yei's palm techniques differed somewhat from the Gentle Fist, they were ultimately derived from it. Their essence had not changed!

This series of exchanges had also made him realize that the Gentle Fist truly had its unique strengths. One could not allow oneself to be hit easily, or the Chakra that entered the body would damage the internal organs. No matter how strong one was, the internal organs remained a fatal weakness!

Yet Gai still firmly believed that the Steel Fist Style was the strongest. Since he could not allow himself to be hit, then... he only had to block the attacks. That was exactly what he had done!

Fists tempered through grueling training were not so fragile!