Reconstructing Rotation

At first, Shingetsu was taken aback.

Then she repeated, "The border? You're going to the border?"

"That's right. I came especially to invite you along. I thought you'd agree."

Akashi looked utterly sincere.

Shingetsu, of course, knew the state of affairs. Sunagakure kept testing the limits, hoping to take advantage of Konoha's weakened state after it had only just escaped the quagmire of the front lines and then suffered the Nine-Tails' attack.

But she hadn't expected Uchiha Akashi to go on the expedition, too.

And he'd come to ask me specifically?

"Hmph. Don't get ahead of yourself." Shingetsu turned her face away. "Why should I say yes just because you invited me? I... I mean, if you can really work out the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms and Rotation, I might consider it."

"That's easy enough."

Akashi smiled at Shingetsu and assumed the opening stance.

At the same time, his Sharingan began to spin.

"You..." Shingetsu's expression grew serious. She knew that movement all too well. It really was the opening stance of the Gentle Fist Style's Eight Trigrams Palms, and even the angles of his arms and body were perfectly correct.

The Gentle Fist Style had no written records; it was passed down orally within the clan.

The rules of great clans were strict, especially when it came to controlling their techniques. The reason so many clans had endured to this day was that each had something unique that others couldn't replace.

For a technique like the Gentle Fist Style's Eight Trigrams Palms, letting it leak was already a grave offense.

And she had even told Akashi its secrets.

But she hadn't expected him to perform it so perfectly. She'd already put the consequences of being held accountable by her clan out of her mind. Instead, she was filled with anticipation, eager to witness the so-called miracle.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

Akashi gave a low shout. An Eight Trigrams Formation Map seemed to form beneath his feet. Each step connected to a different direction, with endless variations; everything within striking range was under his control!

Compared to Might Guy's bold, forceful style, the Gentle Fist placed greater emphasis on precision.

Still, Shingetsu had been right: without the Byakugan, the Hyuga Clan's techniques couldn't unleash their true power. Effects like Tenketsu Strike and attacks on the chakra pathways required the ability to see through the body.

Akashi was only performing the Gentle Fist's techniques, so he didn't need the Byakugan.

Once he was ready, his palms struck one after another. He didn't seem rusty in the slightest.

Two palms, four palms...

All the way to thirty-two palms!

That was the limit of the Gentle Fist he'd learned so far, all of it copied from Shingetsu's movements by his Sharingan. But beyond that lay a future he could foresee: the variations of the Sixty-Four Palms were connected to the Eight Trigrams.

Combining footwork and changes in the trigrams with the techniques of the palms, he continued his assault.

An endless stream of chakra gathered, linking the sequence of strikes just as it was about to falter. After thirty-two palms, Akashi really did strike out with all sixty-four!

Shingetsu gaped in astonishment.

When the entire set of Eight Trigrams Palms was over, she stood stunned for a long while before murmuring, "That can't be..."

Akashi smiled modestly. "It may not be the authentic version. So, can I help you?"

Shingetsu's feelings were complicated, and she fell silent.

It was hard to put into words.

Even the Gentle Fist Style was controlled by the Main House. The Branch House could only learn ordinary techniques; many secret moves could only be inherited by the Main House.

Besides them, a few descendants who were exceptionally talented and utterly loyal to the Main House might also be granted the privilege.

And even then, they were expected to be grateful.

Yet a member of the Uchiha Clan, without the Byakugan and with only part of the Gentle Fist Style's teachings, had actually worked out the techniques that followed—and even deduced the secret art, Rotation.

It was simply unbelievable.

Akashi himself wasn't particularly surprised. After all, no technique could be separated from the use of chakra. The Gentle Fist Style might be kept secret, but it wasn't all that extraordinary.

The Sixty-Four Palms really were just twice as many as the Thirty-Two Palms.

Rotation was even simpler: release chakra from the tenketsu across the entire body, then use the Byakugan's insight and one's own rapid spinning to repel attacks.

The Main House simply chose not to reveal the secret.

If there was a difficult part, it was probably the amount of chakra required.

The continuous sixty-four strikes and the sustained rotation of Rotation both required sufficient chakra. Sometimes, the problem with performing a technique wasn't the technique itself; it could simply be a lack of chakra.

Shingetsu was a genius in her own right.

From their previous exchanges, Akashi could tell that her chakra reserves weren't small.

Mastering the Sixty-Four Palms and Rotation was only a matter of time.

Akashi pressed on while the iron was hot. "Next is Rotation. I can't demonstrate it without the Byakugan, so I'll explain the principle and let you figure it out yourself."

The principle was simple. He explained it clearly in just two minutes.

As for how to release chakra from the tenketsu, the Hyuga Clan members obviously knew that better than he did.

After listening, Shingetsu understood.

She tried to imitate it a few times in the air and made some initial progress. Akashi then jumped to the top of a tree and began throwing ninja tools.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

In the forest, an astonishing number of shuriken and kunai flew toward the same spot from different angles. To avoid injuring her, Akashi deliberately aimed a little wide and reduced the force, creating a massive attack from all directions.

Apart from the Uchiha, Shingetsu had never seen such a dazzling throwing technique.

It was like a torrential downpour.

But she saw every attack clearly, each one reflected in her eyes. She stepped forward, her hair fluttering in the breeze, then spun like a dancer.

Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin!

A hemispherical chakra barrier formed into an airtight defensive sphere, the so-called "absolute defense"!

A secret art reserved exclusively for the Hyuga Main House had now appeared in the hands of someone from the Branch House.

The shuriken and kunai flew off in every direction and fell to the ground, soon clattering all around them.

But this was her first time putting it into practice.

Shingetsu couldn't maintain it for long. The spinning chakra began to dissipate, and the defensive sphere gradually broke apart. A few kunai grazed past her and stabbed into the ground.

Akashi jumped down from the treetop and reassured her, "For your first try, that was pretty good."

"Huff... huff..."

Shingetsu was panting, sweat beading on her forehead, but her eyes shone with intense delight. "This technique takes a lot out of me. I'll need to practice and work at it more. But I never thought I'd be able to learn it. Thank you."

Who could have imagined it?

At first, Shingetsu had acted on impulse, taking a risk by telling Akashi the secrets of the Gentle Fist.

Who would have thought she'd manage to do something today that only the Main House could do?

"Take a break," Akashi said.

"Okay." Shingetsu sat on a rock, her swanlike pale neck stretched as she gazed into the distance.

She suddenly felt exhilarated by the thought that her life was taking a different path.

It felt wonderful to breathe the air of freedom.

Akashi smiled. "Even if you've mastered Rotation, try to keep a low profile. Exposing the Main House's secret art without reason could cause a lot of trouble."

"I know." Shingetsu's eyes gleamed. "I'm beginning to understand what you said more and more."

Akashi sat beside her, bracing his hands against the stone as he stretched. "Understanding is easy. Figuring out what to do next is still hard."

"Let's not worry about that. We can talk after we get back from the border." Shingetsu brushed her hair behind her ear.

"You agree, then?"

"Idiot. I'm not going to say the same thing twice."

?

Shingetsu went home, changed out of her grimy clothes, and enjoyed a refreshing bath. The steam had left her fair cheeks slightly flushed.

When she came out of the bathroom, she was wearing a silk camisole and holding a small folding fan. She sipped her drink as she fanned herself.

As she gazed at the drifting clouds, she found herself thinking of that Uchiha boy.

Ah, the June weather was a little hot.