Taiji vs. Gentle Fist

Kurenai could not refuse Genma's kindness and accepted his suggestion to secretly practice with a sword.

In truth, this could have started long ago. As a member of Konohagakure's great Yuhi Clan, her childhood education had been exceptionally strict.

She had already reached a high level in things like Shuriken throwing and Taijutsu.

Therefore, watching Kurenai tirelessly hit the bullseye with her Shuriken every day, often rubbing her hands raw, Shiranui Genma made up his mind.

During the days Genma trained so hard, Kurenai became even more diligent as well.

Other than Might Guy, Genma and Kurenai were the only ones in class who often had bandages wrapped around their hands.

After school that day, Genma took Kurenai to the training ground.

"Here, hold it. Mm, grip it with this hand, and move the other one a little lower. Good, that's just right. Keep your eyes forward..."

Come to think of it, although he and Kurenai had been together for quite some time, Genma had never even hugged her. At most, he had held her little hand.

Yet simply touching her hand made every cell in Genma's body seem to cheer with joy.

It was hardly his fault. After all, he had never held a girl's hand before. It was an incredibly fresh experience.

The two were practically together from morning to night, so Kurenai naturally noticed Genma's changes. But she did not understand why he was so excited. Still, she did not want to be distracted while practicing swordsmanship, so she could only let him be.

After teaching Kurenai the first basic sword technique, Genma let her practice on her own.

Without a sword, Genma could only begin practicing the Limitless Fist he had gone through countless times.

Unlike ordinary Taijutsu such as Shuriken techniques, where it became difficult to improve after reaching a certain level, every session of the Limitless Fist gave him a different insight.

He always remembered what his master had said: practice the fist while comprehending the essence of every move.

Though he had not experienced much actual combat, he still had many subtle insights.

With Kurenai nearby, his Limitless Fist was several times faster than the version practiced by old men and women.

The soft, flowing fist technique, performed at an appropriate speed and backed by Genma's deep understanding, gave him the air of a martial arts master.

"Wow, what kind of fist technique is that? It looks pretty good~"

"Th-this... isn't that the Gentle Fist? Could that person be from the Hyuga Clan?"

"He doesn't have the Hyuga Clan crest, so probably not."

Just as many people were marveling at Genma's fist technique, a boy in loose white clothes approached him. A striking flame-shaped clan crest adorned his back.

The boy had a pair of pure white eyes without pupils. His handsome face only made those eyes stand out even more.

"Hey, that one really is from the Hyuga Clan. That flame-like crest is their clan symbol. I've seen it before."

"Really? Could that person without the Byakugan also be from the Hyuga Clan?"

"So that's someone from the Hyuga Clan? As expected of a member of a great clan~"

The people who had been playing around stopped one after another and looked toward Genma with anticipation.

As more and more gazes gathered around him, and someone approached closer and closer, Genma finally reacted despite being immersed in the Limitless Fist.

"What kind of fist technique are you using? Why is it so similar to my Hyuga Clan's?"

The boy's tone was extremely unfriendly the moment he approached, but Genma did not mind. Instead, he answered with a gentle smile. "The Limitless Fist. It is said that Taiji was created before the Gentle Fist, and that the Gentle Fist was created by drawing upon the essence of the Limitless Fist. The two are somewhat related, I suppose."

But the boy did not become polite just because Genma was being friendly. "Hmph. Aren't you being a little too arrogant? I've never heard of any Limitless Fist. By your logic, if someone learned your Limitless Fist, there'd be no need to learn the Gentle Fist?"

Genma had never considered such a question before. Besides, it sounded like the other party was deliberately picking a fight.

In his view, there was still a huge difference between the Limitless Fist and the Gentle Fist. Especially the Acupoint Strike that could decide a battle with a single blow—he had never incorporated that into the Limitless Fist.

For an ordinary person to identify acupoints through clothing, they would need at least a decade of study in acupoints.

"But I don't have the Byakugan. Even if I learned the Gentle Fist, what good would it do?"

At the mention of the Byakugan, the boy seemed to bristle. Although the success rate of awakening it in his clan was high, he was already in his third year at the Ninja Academy and still had not awakened it.

Now, being reminded of the Byakugan by someone who did not have it but used a fist technique resembling the Gentle Fist, the anger in his heart flared uncontrollably.

"Enough nonsense! Since you say the Gentle Fist originated from the Limitless Fist, let me see what you can do. But if you lose, you are forbidden from using that fist technique again!"

He clearly had no intention of giving Genma a chance to refuse. Raising his palm, the boy charged at him.

Kurenai sheathed her sword and wanted to step forward to help, but Genma stopped her.

"It's fine. This isn't the first time. I'll handle it."

"But..."

Before Kurenai could continue, the boy had already reached Genma and struck out with his palm.

Genma reacted quickly, instantly crouching down and sweeping at the boy's legs.

The boy had attended school for three years, after all. With a sharp sideways flip, he avoided the attack.

"Not bad speed, but not enough!"

The boy shouted coldly and pressed forward again, preparing to engage Genma in close combat.

It had to be said that this Hyuga Clan child knew well how to make use of his advantages. His timing was just right as well.

Of course, the Limitless Fist was also suited for close combat. The boy rushing in played right into Genma's hands.

The other party seemed eager to defeat Genma. As he closed in, he still attacked with his palm.

Genma saw through the direction of his attack, grabbed his hand, then gathered Chakra at the tips of his feet and dragged his opponent rapidly backward.

"Waaah!!"

The boy's balance was thrown completely off, and Genma yanked him straight to the ground.

After doing all that, Genma released him.

The boy, who had been knocked down in two moves, looked utterly awful. His teeth clenched so tightly they seemed ready to crack. Then, unexpectedly, the veins around his eyes suddenly bulged.

"My Byakugan awakened! It actually awakened! Hahaha, brat, you're facing me with the Byakugan now! Just admit defeat!!"

The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan could indeed awaken through stimulation. Genma had not expected it to happen at a time like this, and even he felt somewhat uncertain.

Still, the other boy's speed was about equal to his own, and having just awakened the Byakugan, he might not necessarily know Acupoint Strike yet. The outcome remained uncertain.

Unlike his previous relaxed stance, Genma now seriously assumed the opening stance of the Limitless Fist.

Seeing Genma remain stubbornly defiant, the boy charged straight at him again.

"You reckless fool!"

Another palm came flying at him, but Genma clearly felt the air trembling. It should have been caused by Chakra being released externally along with extraordinary speed. Continuing to fight at close range might put him at a disadvantage.

Genma was not an inflexible person. Knowing that the Limitless Fist was not his greatest strength, he began fighting while retreating.

As he retreated, he used Shuriken to harass his opponent.

The first time the boy caught up to him, Genma suddenly retreated and returned the favor with a Shuriken. The second time the boy caught up, he sent another Shuriken back at him.

When the boy caught up for the third time, Genma swiftly threw a Shuriken and rapidly formed hand seals with both hands.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Waaah!! So hot, so hot!"

The Great Fireball struck the boy with perfect accuracy. However, because the other party's clan was not one to provoke lightly, Genma deliberately aimed below the chin and did not hit his face.

"Eh? That Hyuga Clan member lost? He doesn't seem that impressive~"

"A member of the Hyuga Clan actually lost? That's so unexpected. Who's the person who defeated him?"

The boy put out the flames himself. When he stood back up, he looked like a beggar, and quite a few people began pointing and whispering about him.

Knowing that he was no faster than Genma, he realized that continuing to fight would only make him a bigger joke.

He glared at Genma with a twisted expression, forcing himself upright despite the stinging pain throughout his body.

"Just you wait. I'll tell my clan about this. Just wait for their revenge!"

Genma was not afraid in the slightest. Someone had said the same thing to him before, yet nothing had happened.

"Actually, before you, someone else fought me because my fist technique resembled the Gentle Fist. Hyuga Himon. Do you know him?"

"Even... Himon..." The boy's gaze at Genma became complicated. Himon had already graduated, and it was said that his strength was close to reaching Chunin level. He was one of the clan's rare talents.

But now that he had awakened the Byakugan, and was two years younger than Himon, he would definitely have a chance to surpass him in the future!

Patting the black ash off his body, the boy seemed to calm down considerably, and his gaze became more confident.

Genma had thought he would fight again, but to his surprise, the boy turned around to leave.

"My name is Hyuga Hashiri. One day, I'll surpass Hyuga Himon. And sooner or later, you'll be defeated by my hands too!"

Shiranui Genma felt helpless. This Hyuga Clan member seemed rather hot-blooded. His future days might become difficult.

Still, Hashiri's decisive retreat showed that he knew his limits. Although he was still far inferior to Himon, he was not bad.

"Oh, right. Himon also told your clan about me, but your clan didn't react at all. And if you want to challenge me, you get one chance every day. I don't want to waste time, but sparring with the Hyuga Clan should be a rare opportunity, right?"

The Hyuga Clan had not targeted Genma because of his master, Str. After all sorts of ancient secret formulas and diagrams showing the effects of silver needles on acupoints were presented to them, the Hyuga Clan had practically welcomed Genma and Str with open arms.

Genma's attitude was not bad at the moment, but to Hashiri, his words sounded almost like mockery.

"Hmph, I'll be back!"

After leaving behind that threat, Hyuga Hashiri departed.

Having watched Genma easily deal with Hyuga Hashiri, Kurenai finally let go of the worry she had been holding onto and walked over to Genma.

"Genma, have you fought members of the Hyuga Clan before? How did you win back then?"

"Ah, back then? It wasn't that I was particularly strong. I just had better stamina. Might Guy's father had been putting me through crazy training for a long time."

Genma pointed at Might Guy, who was running laps, and suddenly remembered the days when Hyuga Himon had chased him around.

Back then, he was fast and had good endurance, so he never panicked at all.

Suddenly, he felt that he should probably improve his speed even more. If he could not win in the future, running away would still be necessary.

Uh... I can't change the chapter title...