Deduction Rotation

Upon hearing this, Shingetsu was slightly taken aback.

Immediately, she repeated, "The border? You want to go to the border?"

"That's right. I specifically invited you to come along; I guessed you would agree."

Akashi appeared extremely sincere.

Shingetsu was, of course, aware of the current situation. Sunagakure was constantly testing the limits, hoping to seize some advantages while Konoha had just extricated itself from the quagmire of the front lines and suffered heavy losses from the Nine-Tails attack.

But she had not expected that Uchiha Akashi would also be heading to the front.

And, did he come specifically to find me?

"Hmph, don't get ahead of yourself," Shingetsu turned her face away. "Why would I necessarily agree just because you invited me? N-not that I wouldn't... but if you can truly deduce the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms and Rotation, I might consider it."

"That is easily done."

Akashi smiled as he looked at Shingetsu and assumed his starting stance.

At the same time, his Sharingan began to rotate.

"You..." Shingetsu's expression turned serious. She was all too familiar with this movement; it was truly the starting stance of the Gentle Fist Style Eight Trigrams Palms, and even the angles of his arms and body were impeccably standard.

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

The rules of great clans were strict, especially regarding the control of ninjutsu. The reason so many clans had survived until now was precisely because they possessed unique techniques that could not be replaced by others.

For a technique like the Eight Trigrams Palms to be leaked was already a grave crime.

Moreover, she had revealed the profound mysteries within it to Akashi.

Yet, she had not expected Akashi to execute it so perfectly. The consequences of being pursued by her clan were cast to the back of her mind; instead, she was filled with anticipation, wanting to witness this so-called miracle.

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

Akashi gave a low shout. Beneath his feet, an Eight Trigrams Formation Map seemed to manifest. Every step connected to a different orientation, changing infinitely, with everything within his attack range under his control!

Compared to the raw courage of Might Guy, the Gentle Fist focused more on the control of details.

However, Shingetsu was right: if the Hyuga Clan's palm techniques were not paired with the Byakugan, they could not unleash their true power. Effects like tenketsu striking and meridian disruption required the use of clairvoyant vision.

Since Akashi was merely demonstrating the techniques of the Gentle Fist, he did not need to rely on the Byakugan.

He finished his preparation and struck out with his palms in succession, without the slightest hint of unfamiliarity.

Two palms, four palms...

All the way to thirty-two palms!

The Gentle Fist he had mastered up to this point had been entirely copied from Shingetsu's techniques via the Sharingan, but what followed was the foreseeable future—the variations of the sixty-four palms were related to the Eight Trigrams.

Through the coordination of his footwork and the trigram patterns, combined with the techniques of the palm style, he continued his assault.

A surging flow of chakra gathered, and the palm momentum that was about to pause was seamlessly connected. After the thirty-two palms, Akashi truly executed the sixty-four palms!

Shingetsu was dumbfounded.

Until the entire set of Eight Trigrams Palms was completed, she remained stunned for a long while, murmuring, "That's impossible..."

Akashi smiled modestly, "It may not be authentic, but how is it? Can I be of help to you?"

Shingetsu's mood was complex, and she remained silent.

It was hard to put into words.

Even the Gentle Fist Style was held in the hands of the Main House; the Branch House could only learn ordinary skills. Many secret techniques could only be inherited by the Main House.

Beyond that, a few descendants who were fiercely loyal to the Main House and possessed exceptional talent might be qualified to receive "mercy."

And even then, they had to be eternally grateful.

Yet, a member of the Uchiha clan, without a Byakugan, had actually deduced the subsequent variations based solely on partial data of the Gentle Fist, and had even summarized the secret technique of Rotation.

It was simply incredible.

Akashi did not feel particularly surprised. After all, every technique was inseparable from the application of chakra. The Gentle Fist Style was said to be kept secret, but in reality, it was nothing more than that.

The sixty-four palms were truly just a doubling of the thirty-two palms.

As for Rotation, it was even simpler: release chakra from all the tenketsu on the body, and through the insight of the Byakugan and one's own high-speed circular rotation, achieve the goal of repelling attacks.

It was just that the Main House did not reveal this secret.

If there was any difficulty, perhaps the only one was the sheer volume of chakra required.

The continuous attack of sixty-four palms and the sustained operation of Rotation both required sufficient chakra support. Sometimes, the inability to complete a technique was not due to a lack of skill, but likely a shortage of chakra.

Shingetsu herself was a genius.

Judging from their few exchanges, her chakra reserves were not small.

Mastering the sixty-four palms and Rotation was only a matter of time.

Akashi struck while the iron was hot, "Then, next is 'Rotation.' I cannot demonstrate this move without the Byakugan, so I can only explain the principles to you and let you explore it yourself."

The simple principles were explained clearly in just two minutes.

As for how to release chakra from the acupoints, the members of the Hyuga Clan were clearly more knowledgeable than he was.

After listening to the explanation, Shingetsu understood.

After simulating the movements in the air a few times and achieving initial results, Akashi leaped to the top of a tree and threw his ninja tools.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

In the forest, a staggering number of shuriken and Kunai flew toward the same spot from different angles. To avoid accidental injury, Akashi deliberately staggered their positions and reduced the force, creating a wide-range, three-hundred-sixty-degree assault.

Aside from the Uchiha, Shingetsu had never seen such a flamboyant throwing technique.

It was like a torrential downpour cascading from the sky.

But she saw it clearly; the position of every attack was reflected in her eyes. She stepped forward, her hair dancing in the wind, and followed up by spinning like a dancer.

Eight Trigrams Palms: Rotation!

A hemispherical wall of chakra formed an airtight defensive circle, known as the "Absolute Defense"!

A secret technique exclusive to the Hyuga Main House, now manifested by someone from the Branch House.

The shuriken and Kunai scattered and fell to the ground, soon littering the surroundings with a clattering sound.

However, it was her first time putting it into practice.

Shingetsu could not maintain it for long; the rotating chakra began to dissipate, the defensive circle gradually collapsed, and a few Kunai grazed past her, embedding themselves into the ground.

Akashi jumped down from the tree and comforted her, "For a first attempt, that was already quite good."

"Haa... haa..."

Shingetsu panted, sweat beading on her forehead, yet her eyes revealed extreme delight. "This move consumes a lot of energy. I still need to practice and refine it, but I never imagined I could learn it. Thank you."

Who could have guessed?

At first, Shingetsu had acted on impulse, taking the risk to tell Akashi the secrets of the Gentle Fist.

Who would have thought that today, she would actually accomplish something only the Main House could do.

"Rest for a moment," Akashi said.

"Okay." Shingetsu sat on a rock, stretching her swan-like neck to gaze at the sky.

She suddenly felt the excitement of her life veering onto a different path.

Breathing the air of freedom felt wonderful.

Akashi smiled. "Even if you have mastered Rotation, try to keep a low profile. Exposing the secret techniques of the Main House without cause will bring a lot of trouble."

"I know that." Shingetsu's eyes were bright. "I am beginning to understand what you said more and more."

Akashi sat down beside her, bracing his hands against the stone surface to stretch his body. "Understanding is easy, but the road ahead is still very difficult."

"Forget it, let's talk about that after we return from the border." Shingetsu tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"You agree?"

"Idiot, I won't say the same thing twice."

?

Shingetsu returned home, changed out of her dirty clothes, and took a refreshing bath, her fair face flushed slightly from the steam.

Walking out of the bathroom, she wore a silk camisole, holding a small folding fan in her hand, fanning herself while sipping a drink.

Looking at the drifting clouds, she inexplicably thought of that Uchiha boy.

Say, the June weather is a bit hot, isn't it?