First Showing of Talent

"Eight Trigrams: Two Palms!"

"Eight Trigrams: Eight Palms!"

"Eight Trigrams: Sixteen Palms!"

"Eight Trigrams: Thirty-Two Palms!"

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"

The torrential chain of strikes started with a few awkward hits that nearly got read, parried, and countered by Kokone Hyuga, but Yuzuru Hyuga then revealed astonishing talent. Since he was self-taught, he didn't rigidly follow the system's prescribed combo sequence at all.

You throw a punch, he hits the acupoint on your arm. You turn sideways, he hits the acupoint on your flank. After just three consecutive strikes, Yuzuru Hyuga's unexpectedly precise blows had already stripped Kokone Hyuga of his ability to resist.

The core of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms lies right here: once the first hit lands on you, your chakra stalls and freezes, forcing your body into a stiffened state. What follows is a flashy combo like a fighting game, each strike carrying a stun lock, forcing you to eat all sixty-four palms in a row.

This is also one of the cores of Hyuga Style Body Technique. Against ranged attacks or unstoppable close-range assaults, you block with Heavenly Turn. Once you close in, you can always use the Sixty-Four Palms to stun your opponent and then follow up with a full combo.

Most opponents who take this full Sixty-Four Palms set end up with chaotic chakra, dizzy from the physical blows, or even dead on the spot.

Even Yuzuru Hyuga himself hadn't been able to move after eating the full Sixty-Four Palms—except he hadn't actually taken the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms at all. He'd substituted other acupoints for the target points of the technique, or used muscle and bone to absorb the impact. It still hurt like hell, but the fatal stun lock wasn't triggered, and his chakra wasn't completely disrupted.

Then, using a method no one in the Hyuga Family had ever thought of, he dispelled the chakra chaos and sluggish stiffness.

Genjutsu: Release.

Heavenly Turn.

Genjutsu: Release is actually a low-level ninjutsu, more systematic than the simplest genjutsu-dispelling method. Its purpose is to instantly accelerate the flow of chakra inside the body, causing a sharp pain in the meridians to forcibly rouse the spirit and break a genjutsu.

Heavenly Turn, on the other hand, releases Gentle Fist chakra from all the body's acupoints in a burst, forming a 360-degree defensive barrier.

Combined, they allowed Yuzuru Hyuga, who had been struck by acupoint sealing, to forcibly break the stun lock in an instant and seize the initiative.

But Kokone Hyuga couldn't do that.

Yuzuru Hyuga's fists were shockingly heavy.

The hell—he's four!?

That was the first thought in Kokone Hyuga's mind when the final blow struck his chest and he barely held back from spitting blood.

He desperately tried to calm his chakra and break the stun lock, but found he couldn't activate Heavenly Turn at all. His chakra was completely unresponsive—it would take at least two or three seconds to recover.

Just like any other opponent who had taken the full Sixty-Four Palms, he was a lamb for the slaughter.

"Konoha Style Body Technique: Shadow Leaf Dance!"

Yuzuru Hyuga pressed the attack without a hint of mercy. He charged forward the moment Kokone Hyuga was defenseless and unleashed the taijutsu Shisui Uchiha had taught him.

The instant he closed in with Body Flicker Technique, he kicked his opponent high into the air, then used Body Flicker again to catch up midair, even appearing above Kokone Hyuga.

At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck him. He suddenly recalled the Lion Combo Sasuke had used in the anime, and the Front Lotus and Reverse Lotus Rock Lee had followed up with after Shadow Leaf Dance. Combining all his abilities, a wild idea came to him for the finishing blow.

Heavenly Turn!

Have you ever seen a Heavenly Turn falling from the sky?

He raised his hand in the air, aiming straight at Kokone Hyuga, then spun his entire body 180 degrees, tilting backward like a leap of faith.

The next moment, a massive blue vortex appeared out of nowhere, and the spinning Yuzuru Hyuga drilled into his opponent like a screw, driving him into the ground.

Dust exploded everywhere. The terrifying impact made teeth ache.

Kokone Hyuga, hit head-on by the move, lost consciousness without a sound. He lay on the cracked ground, spitting blood as his eyes closed.

"Medical Ninja!"

Hyuga Hiashi shot to his feet, shouting for a medical ninja to intervene.

Yuzuru Hyuga gasped for breath, barely managing not to stumble and fall. The accumulated injuries and massive chakra drain left his body weak. Fortunately, Life Return rapidly refined chakra while also replenishing his stamina in reverse.

[Experienced an excellent battle. Personal Experience Points +459.]

That's a lot of experience!

Yuzuru Hyuga thoughtfully pondered why the Free Experience Points were so high, while instinctively trying to calm the slightly tense atmosphere.

"I didn't hit any vital points, and I held back at the end."

Yuzuru Hyuga reached up to straighten his glasses, which had gone askew from the high-speed spin, and panted heavily. "So. No need to worry."

Hyuga Hiashi didn't reply. He just stared at Yuzuru Hyuga with complicated eyes. For a moment, a flicker of killing intent surfaced, but he jolted and withdrew it.

Yet, in that instant, Hizashi Hyuga keenly sensed something. He didn't move a muscle, kept his expression calm, and pretended to know nothing. Instead, he roared in fury: "Yuzuru! How could you hit so hard!"

"And when did you secretly learn Heavenly Turn?"

He struck first to seize the initiative, giving no one a chance to scold Yuzuru Hyuga.

Yuzuru Hyuga just wore a bitter smile, lowered his head, and looked dejected. "Father."

As expected of my dad.

Yuzuru Hyuga had already figured out the purpose and reason behind Hizashi Hyuga's sudden reprimand. Far from feeling upset, he instinctively played along.

Hizashi Hyuga was furious. He stood up angrily and walked over to Yuzuru Hyuga, his tall figure radiating pressure. "Did you teach yourself Shadow Leaf Dance too?"

"Don't think I don't know—you're always hanging around those Uchiha!"

He looked as if he wanted nothing more than to beat the Yuzuru Hyuga standing before him—head bowed, utterly exhausted, and bearing no small number of injuries himself—to a pulp.

"From today on, you're not setting one foot outside this house! Do you hear me?! And when Shinon wakes up, you will go to his door and apologize, understand?!"

"Yes, Father." Yuzuru Hyuga kept his head low, biting his lip tightly. The way he gently adjusted his black-rimmed glasses seemed like an attempt to wipe away a stray tear that had fallen.

Hyuga Hiashi stepped forward, placing a hand on Hizashi Hyuga's shoulder, and offered a gentle admonishment: "Hizashi, don't be like this."

"I believe Yuzuru's explanation."

Hyuga Hiashi looked around, putting the final verdict on Yuzuru Hyuga's Heavenly Turn.

He declared in a clear voice: "Just like the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms from earlier—if anyone had told me before today that someone could master those techniques just by watching them once, I'd have called them crazy. But clearly—"

Hyuga Hiashi raised Yuzuru Hyuga's hand high into the air: "—the Hyuga Clan does have a genius capable of this!"

"I have decided to make an exception and permit Yuzuru Hyuga to train in and use both the Heavenly Turn and the Eight Trigrams Palms. I hope all of you will take pride in this."

"Whether Main Family or Branch Family, Yuzuru Hyuga will always be a member of the Hyuga Clan!"

Meanwhile, the Medical Ninja had finally finished examining Shinon's injuries. He let out a sigh of relief and announced loudly: "Shinon is in no danger. Just a few broken ribs and some shock from the fall that knocked him unconscious. He'll be fine after some rest."

A few broken ribs were hardly a serious issue for a ninja. A month of recovery would be enough to set things right. Though by the standards of the Hyuga Clan's traditional 'sparring,' it did seem a bit severe, it was ultimately nothing major.

Hyuga Hiashi smiled warmly, looking down at Yuzuru Hyuga, who remained silent and seemed dejected. He said gently: "But that Shadow Leaf Dance—did you really learn it from someone in the Uchiha?"

"Mm." Yuzuru Hyuga didn't deny it, keeping his head low.

"Don't trouble your friend anymore. The Hyuga Clan is the strongest family in Konoha. Whether it's ninjutsu or taijutsu, if you want to learn, you can do so within the clan."

"Your father is also a powerful ninja. Don't always be angry with him. Ask him humbly for guidance, and I'm sure he'll be willing to teach you everything he knows."

"And... that falling Heavenly Turn combo from earlier—did you come up with that yourself?"

Though Hyuga Hiashi spoke as if chatting with Yuzuru Hyuga, his voice carried clearly to everyone present.

"Mm. It just came to me in the moment. Thinking it over, there's probably a lot of room for optimization and improvement." Yuzuru Hyuga answered simply.

Hyuga Hiashi let go of his hand and laughed heartily, looking at the clan members with their complicated expressions. He announced loudly: "Truly a genius worthy of the Hyuga Clan!"

"Yuzuru, do you want to become a ninja?" Hyuga Hiashi's gaze burned with intensity.

Hizashi Hyuga's expression shifted slightly. He was about to refuse on his son's behalf, but the next moment, Yuzuru Hyuga declared clearly: "I do!"

"Excellent!" Hyuga Hiashi laughed heartily.

Yuzuru Hyuga smiled as well. He glanced at his father, then lowered his head, lost in thought.

Become a ninja.

A simple phrase, but beneath it, turbulent currents ran deep.