[Defeated Hyuga Leek. Attempting to copy trait.] [Copy successful. Congratulations, Host! You have acquired the Common Trait Strong Fists and Feet (White): Physical strength in fists and feet increased by 10%.]
[Defeated Hyuga Rivet. Attempting to copy trait.] [Copy successful. Congratulations, Host! You have acquired the Common Trait Strong Fists and Feet (White): Physical strength in fists and feet increased by 10%.]
"Stack them!"
[Stacking... Congratulations, Host! You have acquired the Excellent Trait Hard and Soft Combination (Green): Infuses internal force into your existing physical strength in fists and feet, adding 20% extra internal damage to your attacks.]
"Hm? As expected of a clan that trains in fists and feet. This trait's pretty good."
Jin's eyes lit up. He slapped the waist of the boy blocking his way.
Smack!
The boy hit the ground and immediately fell asleep.
"Hey, you can't sleep here."
Jin said it casually, dodging a Gentle Fist strike from behind on his right. Then he spun around and shoved out another palm.
Smack!
Smack, smack, smack!
Before long, one boy after another had been knocked to the ground.
And Jin had acquired more and more taijutsu-related traits.
At one point—
[Copy successful. Congratulations, Host! You have acquired the Excellent Trait Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm (Green): Uses the Byakugan to see through an opponent, compressing air into a cannonball that strikes the enemy's vital points.]
The trait made Jin pause for a moment, then his face lit up with delight.
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm?"
"Isn't this the palm-style version of Six Paths of the Heavenly Sword?"
He drew a breath, growing a little excited.
It might look like just a Green Trait, but—this was a ranged cannonball!
Its damage depended on two things.
First, the Byakugan's precision. As long as he could hit the acupuncture points, he could even knock a couple of ribs off Susanoo.
Of course, Susanoo was generally impossible to damage.
Second, the density of the compressed air.
In other words—the strength of his Chakra.
The stronger the Chakra, the denser the compressed air, and the more powerful the palm strike!
It could be called a power that grew stronger with its user—or a human-sized version of a Tailed Beast Bomb.
And...
Jin glanced at the nearly two million Chakra inside him and silently drew a breath.
A strike with two million in power could rival a Tailed Beast Bomb, right?
Realizing this, Jin raised an eyebrow and lifted his hand, sending an air bullet smashing toward the right.
He expended 10,000 Chakra and fired!
Whoosh—
Smack!
The Hyuga boy on the right hadn't even managed to charge in before an inexplicable palm strike sent him flying!
He flew more than ten meters like a kite with its string cut.
He landed with a thud in front of Hiashi and the clan elder.
Staring at Uchiha Jin in utter shock, he no longer had even the slightest will to fight!
All that remained was pure fear. "That guy... Is he really that terrifying?!"
"He's knocked down dozens of people from the Hyuga Clan using palm techniques?!"
On the other side—
Hyuga Hiashi's eyes widened in an instant.
Veins bulged at his temples on either side of his pale eyes.
It was a rather terrifying sight.
But even so, he still couldn't believe his eyes.
He stared in shock and stammered, "Th-this... This is the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm?!"
"It... It must be, right?"
The clan elder beside him rolled his eyes, despite his advanced age.
The bulging veins were even thicker than his wrinkles.
But that did nothing to lessen his shock.
It took a good few dozen seconds for him to finally draw a breath and look at Hiashi. "Has this boy ever had any exposure to the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm?"
"No," Hiashi answered quickly and decisively.
He'd been keeping a discreet eye on the boy ever since he'd heard about Jin's exploits, back when Hinata was only two and a half.
Jin's actions seemed reckless and chaotic, but there was always some kind of purpose behind them.
And... he was one of the rare Uchiha who wasn't arrogant and conceited.
Even his emotions were remarkably steady.
But—when had he mastered the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm?
It was one of the Hyuga Clan's signature techniques. Without the Byakugan, it couldn't be used effectively!
"Right. It's the Sharingan!"
At the mention of the Byakugan, Hiashi instantly looked up at Uchiha Jin's eyes.
In their crimson depths, three tomoe slowly revolved.
"He has the Three-Tomoe Sharingan!"
Seeing the three tomoe, Hyuga Hiashi was even more stunned.
He was completely dumbfounded.
He'd guessed Jin had awakened his eyes, but—he'd never imagined that Jin had already reached the Three-Tomoe stage!
"The Uchiha... The Uchiha... They really are a clan that makes you jealous."
"First Uchiha Shisui and Itachi, and now there's Jin... He's every bit their equal, despite his young age."
"And there's the genius Uchiha Sasuke among the Newborn, too... Never mind. Compared to those three, that boy's just a bonus."
As he spoke, Hyuga Hiashi glanced at the ground.
The groans of the fallen reached his ears from every direction.
The sounds kept tormenting his mind, making him unable to stop himself from sighing.
As expected, comparing people could drive you mad.
Was there really only one person in the Hyuga Clan who could match the Uchiha's geniuses?
Thinking this, he turned his gaze toward the bandaged boy not far away.
His eyes held a hint of anticipation.
"Hm? I'll protect the young lady."
Neji only glanced at him before looking away.
His feelings toward Hiashi were complicated.
On the one hand, Hiashi was one of the people responsible for his father's death. On the other, he was the uncle who had cared for him for many years.
He wanted to hate him, but couldn't.
All he could do was stubbornly hold to the Nindo his father had left behind.
Fate.
As a member of the Branch Family, his fate was simply to protect the young lady not far away.
"Phew..."
Seeing that almost none of his clansmen were still standing, Neji drew a deep breath and slowly walked forward.
"It's Neji!"
"Thank goodness, Neji's finally stepping in!"
"Phew... Neji, you have to restore our honor!"
"Get him! Get him! Beat him, Neji!"
When they saw Neji, the Hyuga boys all breathed a sigh of relief.
He was the true genius of the Hyuga Clan!
Even quite a few of the children from the Main Family thought so.
Neji was the true genius of this generation of the Hyuga Clan!
Even Hinata unconsciously tensed up and took a couple of steps toward Jin.
Whoosh!
But the moment she moved, Neji glared at her with his Byakugan.
She stopped in her tracks, frozen in place and unsure what to do.
She wanted to say something, but she was afraid...
In the end, all she could do was speak softly, blushing, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "Be careful..."
"Hmph. Pathetic."
Neji glanced at Hinata, his gaze indifferent.
But just as he was about to make a move, Jin hooked an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close.
Whoosh!
At the faint fragrance that reached his nose, his young face instantly flushed red.
His proud posture stiffened all over, and he didn't know what to do.
Under the setting sun, the boy's blush outshone everything else.
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