The Terror in His Heart

With the 'Tenseigan's' sudden pull helping him, Neji completed a full 'Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms' in one seamless flurry, giving Ranmaru no chance to catch his breath.

Thump, thump, thump.

Amid a series of muffled impacts, Ranmaru was sent flying like a sack of hemp struck by a heavy fist.

"Hah... hah..."

After finishing the Gentle Fist sequence, Neji was breathing hard too.

The strain of the 'Tenseigan' was even heavier than he'd expected. Though activating it had given him unprecedented insight and granted him miraculous abilities such as 'attraction' and 'repulsion,' its Chakra consumption had also reached an unbearable level.

Kimimaro asked, "Is he taken care of?"

"My Gentle Fist has sealed all the tenketsu in his body. He should—"

Neji suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

In his field of vision, Ranmaru, whom his 'Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms' had just sent flying, was staggering to his feet.

"How is that possible?!"

Neji's expression changed at once.

He hadn't held back at all with his 'Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.' By all rights, his Byakugan Chakra should have crushed every tenketsu in Ranmaru's body, including those near his heart.

Under those circumstances, an ordinary person couldn't possibly get back up.

Kimimaro, who also had a 'Tenseigan' between his brows, said slowly, "It must be 'Nether Release.' The Chakra you sent into his body was probably neutralized by his 'Nether Release.'"

The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist attacked and sealed an enemy's tenketsu with Chakra, swiftly stripping them of their ability to fight back.

So, under normal circumstances, once a Hyuga landed a hit, the fight was practically over.

But Ranmaru had completed the 'Bloodline Fusion Ritual.' Along with 'Steel Release' and 'Swift Release,' he also possessed 'Nether Release,' which could absorb Chakra. In terms of how their abilities worked, it was the perfect counter