Imperial Shadow (Part 2)

"A chart of the human meridian system—what do you need that for?" Before leaving the ward, Koga did not expect Hanyu to suddenly make such a request.

"It's nothing, I just want to study it a bit. I don't have anything else to do here anyway, so I might as well pass the time... I haven't been a ninja for very long, and as someone with ambition, I should take this opportunity to supplement my basic understanding and knowledge of ninjutsu." Hanyu said. Because of an offhand remark the other had made, he had suddenly developed a unique idea regarding the application of Lightning Release.

Hanyu's idea could be called bold, but whether it could succeed was another matter entirely. Experimentation was unavoidable, and for the first step, he needed a deeper understanding of the ninja body.

"The medical ninja department shouldn't be short on something like that, right?"

A meridian chart was certainly not a rare item that required secrecy, but Koga had never heard of anyone wanting to study human meridian charts to pass the time. He looked at Hanyu with hesitation before continuing, "I can certainly find a chart for you, but... you won't cause any trouble, will you?"

"How could I? I just want to further understand the flow of chakra." Hanyu had no choice but to explain it this way.

In truth, he wanted to say, "I'm slightly confident in mixed ninjutsu," but he feared that if he said such a thing, the other would turn around and leave immediately.

"Then that's no problem. I'll have someone bring it to you in a moment." Hearing Hanyu say this, Koga felt relieved; besides, a studious attitude was worth praising.

In terms of personality, Hanyu was not the type to act impulsively or stir up trouble. However, what Koga did not know was that people who usually don't stir up trouble often do so in ways that defy human logic when they finally do.

Koga turned and left, and soon, someone delivered the meridian chart Hanyu had requested, along with a handwritten research record regarding the flow of chakra.

Buy one, get one free? This was something Hanyu hadn't expected. He hung the meridian chart at the head of his bed, not in a hurry to study it, but instead flipping through the notes first.

This material was likely the product of some basic research conducted by medical ninja, and it was very likely authored by Koga himself... In fact, he guessed correctly; part of the material was indeed Koga's research, though what Hanyu received was a copy, not the original.

To Hanyu's surprise, after only a few glances, he became immersed in the knowledge and began to read it through in detail.

On the other side, Hatake Sakumo, who had already begun his intravenous drip, saw Hanyu reading so intently and curiously leaned over to take a look, but within two minutes, he was effectively discouraged.

After all, Hatake Sakumo still possessed the common traits of a child his age. He wasn't the type of person like Orochimaru; how could he have the patience to read such dry research material?

The research material was not thick, and Hanyu finished reading it in less than an hour. Contrary to its limited length, the viewpoints were profound, explaining the principles of chakra refinement and basic circulation very thoroughly, which gave Hanyu a sense of sudden enlightenment... It was a very valuable piece of material.

Strictly speaking, only a part of it was valuable. The material was divided into two sections: the first half was titled "The Circulation of Chakra in Meridians and Pressure Points," and the second half was "Nature Transformation of Chakra, Mutual Restraint, and Principles of Practice and Application." It was the first half that truly benefited Hanyu; as for the second half, it was mediocre, and he even felt that it was filled with useless drivel.

Hanyu set the second half of the research material aside and reread the first half several times. Only after confirming that he had accurately memorized all the knowledge did he lift his head and turn his gaze toward the meridian chart he had requested.

Compared to the unexpected value of the research material, the meridian chart was merely a reference.

"Do you know? There are over three hundred pressure points on the human body, and they cannot be protected..." Looking at the meridian chart and the densely packed pressure points marked on it, Hanyu whispered to himself. He was by no means talking to anyone; he was simply voicing the thought that had struck him at that moment.

But Hatake Sakumo, who was nearby, thought Hanyu was speaking to him and replied, "Yes, that is indeed the case, which is why the Gentle Fist of the Hyuga Clan is peerless in the ninja world."

"Indeed, peerless in the ninja world." Hanyu turned his head to look at Hatake, said nothing more, and turned back, immersing himself in the unremarkable meridian chart.

His bright eyes startled Hatake Sakumo. The latter had known Hanyu for quite some time, yet he had never seen such a look of curiosity on him... Hanyu was, to put it nicely, steady, or to put it bluntly, a bit lifeless. But at this moment, Hanyu was completely different.

Could a meridian chart really be that interesting?

Unlike blood vessels, which are tangible tissues and organs, "meridians" are "energy pathways" that do not exist on a physical level. Since the Sage of Six Paths founded the Shinshu, the chakra within every ninja has circulated according to these paths.

Ninjas use hand seals to guide the flow of chakra within the meridians, either to perform nature transformations to release elemental jutsu, to perform special configurations to release ninjutsu, or simply to concentrate and enhance it within the body to release taijutsu.

As for pressure points, they are special nodes on the meridians. Like the meridians, pressure points do not physically exist, but the difference is that pressure points have relatively precise locations on every person.

Meridians cannot be found, but although pressure points "do not exist," they can be "found." By using certain special methods to stimulate specific energy nodes, powerful taijutsu like the Eight Inner Gates can be born.

Although meridians are drawn on charts, they are not easily perceived, but pressure points are different; in terms of chakra, they have a more obvious "sense of existence." It is precisely based on this special attribute that the Gentle Fist, a special taijutsu that specifically attacks pressure points, exists.

Hanyu slowly closed his eyes, carefully sensing the pressure points within his body—those "points" with a strong sense of chakra existence—and then, he sank the impression of these points deeper into his consciousness.

Next, his hands began to form the "Bird" seal to guide Water Release. However, this time he was not trying to release a jutsu externally, but rather attempting to generate minute, materialized Water Release within his body. Then, he would attempt to use the Water Release to connect those deeper "points."

At this point, Hanyu's idea was fully revealed—although his initial and ultimate goal was to fully utilize Lightning Release, what he was attempting to do was far more exaggerated and ambitious than the goal itself.

The ninja world has existed for countless years, and the number of jutsu used by ninjas is beyond counting, but the circulation of chakra and the foundation of performing jutsu have never changed.

What Hanyu was attempting to do was subvert this foundation... No, "subvert" is too strong a word, as Hanyu was not going beyond that foundation; compared to subversion, what he was preparing to do was merely a "refresh." But even so, his idea and approach were unprecedented:

Using his own meridians as a template, the mirror images of his pressure points as markers, and Water Release as the medium, he was attempting to create a second (pseudo) meridian system beneath his existing one.

The Sharingan is merely a fake copy, remaining only at the level of the jutsu, but a true copy requires copying the foundation of the ninja.

Suddenly, Hanyu opened his eyes with a twisted expression. The first attempt failed, as expected, but Hanyu was not discouraged; on the contrary, his eyes shone brilliantly.

Because once his experiment succeeded, he would become the only one in the entire world, peerless in the ninja world...

A dual-threaded ninja.