Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms

"Step down, Liuhuo. Keep a closer eye on Neji's movements from now on."

Hyuga Hiashi waved a hand.

"Yes, Clan Head!"

Hyuga Liuhuo lowered his head respectfully and carefully withdrew. Though he was a Branch Family member, he was more like an obedient dog. Seeing this, a trace of satisfaction appeared in Hyuga Hiashi's placid eyes.

The reason a mere Branch Family member could learn secret techniques such as the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms—

Was not merely because of his talent, but because Hyuga Liuhuo was obedient enough.

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After leaving the courtyard and entering his own yard, Hyuga Liuhuo finally let out a breath. "Looks like I'll need to keep a closer eye on Neji from now on. Not only do I need to watch him, but if I discover that Neji's strength has improved, I must report it to the Clan Head immediately!"

His gaze turned cold as he muttered, "What the Clan Head wants is merely an average Hyuga Neji!"

As someone beneath others.

His most important skill was discerning the thoughts of those above him. That was precisely why he had risen to his current position.

And now.

An even better opportunity for advancement had appeared before him!

But suddenly, his vision went dark. He instinctively raised his head, and terror instantly filled his eyes. "Uchiha Akira, why are you here?!"

But the moment the words left his mouth.

The wariness in his eyes vanished without a trace before a pair of scarlet shuriken-patterned Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Lord Akira, what are your orders?"

"Come. Demonstrate the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms for me, and write down its key points and precautions."

Uchiha Akira chuckled. Before the Mangekyō Sharingan, a mere Hyuga Branch Family member was even more obedient than a dog bound by chains.

"Yes, Lord Akira."

Hyuga Liuhuo looked incomparably respectful and immediately began his demonstration. Afterward, he recorded the intricacies and meridian diagrams of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms in painstaking detail. Any Hyuga Branch Family member with sufficient talent—

Would definitely be able to learn it.

Akira continued, "What other secret techniques do you know?"

"Reporting to you, sir, I don't know any others." Hyuga Liuhuo remained utterly respectful.

Uchiha Akira fell silent for a moment. "Damn, it wasn't just my past life that was competitive. The world of the Hokage was just as bad. Even being a dog was competitive—selling out the entire Branch Family for one ninjutsu."

"All right, get lost. You'll forget everything that happened today."

With that, he vanished into the vast night like a black shadow, as though he had never come at all.

The next day, around 10 a.m.

Sunlight shone upon Uchiha Akira's home in the Senju Clan grounds. He lay asleep on the bay window, and rather than waking him, the sunlight only made his sleep more comfortable.

"Teacher, are you here?"

Hyuga Neji could not find anyone, so he called out and woke Uchiha Akira. His hair was a complete mess.

"Oh, Neji."

Seeing the breakfast in Hyuga Neji's hand, he took it with satisfaction and bit into a fried dough stick. "I nearly forgot I was supposed to teach you today."

Hyuga Neji: "..."

In truth, he had not held out any hope. How could his teacher, as a member of the Uchiha Clan, possibly know the Hyuga Clan's secret techniques?

As long as his teacher could teach him some taijutsu, he would already be more than satisfied.

"Wait here. I need to take care of something first."

With that, his figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

In the distance, Hyuga Liuhuo watched cautiously through a telescope. "Whether I can earn the Clan Head's trust depends on this time. I must keep a close watch on Hyuga Neji!"

But the moment he raised the telescope, a pair of scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan appeared in his field of vision.

"Y-you, who are you?!"

He screamed in terror. Just as he was about to lower the telescope and see the enemy's true face, his consciousness sank into darkness.

"Tsk, NPCs shouldn't waste time saying useless things. Wouldn't it be better to just follow the script?"

The scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan slowly turned. With a fried dough stick hanging from his mouth, Uchiha Akira gave a muffled command, "Nothing unusual happened today. Neji merely learned some simple taijutsu."

"Yes... Lord Akira."

Whoosh—!

A piercing sound tore through the air as Uchiha Akira returned to Neji's side once more.

"Come on, Neji. I'll teach you something simple first today."

Uchiha Akira chuckled. After quickly washing up, he went downstairs.

The Senju Clan grounds were now deserted.

So every place was an excellent training ground.

Hearing Akira's words, Hyuga Neji had already assumed that his teacher did not know the Hyuga Clan's secret techniques. Otherwise, how could he use the word "simple" to describe them?

"Watch carefully, Neji."

Uchiha Akira took his stance, his expression turning serious. An aura of natural ease, blending hardness and softness, immediately emerged around him. "This is the first Gentle Fist technique I'll teach you!"

He moved like a rabbit and stood still like a maiden; every gesture contained the essence of harmonizing hardness and softness.

When fierce, it was like Mount Tai collapsing beneath a punch!

When gentle and calm, it carried a natural, effortless force. Hyuga Neji could not help but stare in stunned disbelief, his eyes widening. "Th-this is impossible. This is... the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. You really know it?!"

His heart pounded wildly.

This... was what his teacher called "simple"?

This was clearly a secret technique that was beyond his reach for now!

Yet now, it had appeared before him in its entirety!