Guesses! The Combination of Ninjutsu and Taijutsu

"This is..."

Asuma watched Neji weave hand signs, his heart deeply shaken.

Could he have learned it already?

This speed was simply terrifying; he had never seen anything like it!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

The whirlwind condensed into a mass, surging violently toward the grove of trees.

Then, it erupted instantly!

The whirlwind spun rapidly at the edge of the woods, forming a circle.

"Shape... transformation?"

Asuma looked closely. Although the whirlwind had changed shape, it wasn't true shape transformation; it looked more like chakra had been forcibly rotated, yet it lacked Wind Style properties.

Simply put, not even the most basic chakra nature transformation had occurred.

Confirming this, he let out a breath.

"These things cannot be rushed, Neji."

As expected, the genius he had imagined did not exist.

Asuma walked over, patted Neji on the shoulder, and said, "Shape transformation is a technique even more difficult than S-rank ninjutsu; it requires a massive amount of training to master."

Neji responded with a faint smile, "Of course, I cannot perform shape transformation."

"Oh?"

"I tried just now; that chakra became blocked at my acupoints. As long as I try to circulate chakra within my body, it gets stuck. Not to mention proficiency in shape transformation, the chakra at the Fontanelle Point is located at the very top. Until my chakra volume reaches a certain level, I cannot achieve shape transformation."

Neji's words left Asuma stunned.

"In other words, until I reach your level of chakra volume, Teacher, I cannot train in shape transformation. Before that, practicing nature transformation until it becomes second nature is more important."

Neji then refined his chakra and extended his hand; the Wind Style chakra in his palm flowed like a whirlwind.

But this chakra still could not be shaped. Once shape transformation was mastered, he would be able to do as Asuma and Baki did—releasing killing intent toward an enemy with a mere gesture.

If he were on a real battlefield in the future, this ability would be the only thing with practical significance.

If his attack speed was always slower than others, what use was even the strongest nature transformation?

It was precisely because of this that Neji knew from the bottom of his heart that he was still some distance away from being a true jonin.

"I never expected you to see things so clearly! The Byakugan is truly a powerful skill."

Asuma sighed with emotion.

The two continued their repetitive practice for a while, and Asuma realized that Neji's nature transformation was already quite proficient.

At the very least, it must have been used many, many times in certain ninjutsu or taijutsu.

"Neji, try incorporating nature transformation into your taijutsu."

"Understood."

Neji stepped back, performed a simple hand sign, and activated his Byakugan.

"Release chakra throughout your entire body..." Asuma took a puff of his cigarette and extinguished the butt.

Rumble!

Neji unleashed Rotation, incorporating Wind Style chakra nature transformation. The Rotation stirred up the surrounding wind, acting like a massive field of destruction that left marks even on the grass and soil of the ground.

As the Rotation ended, Asuma walked over.

"Neji, how is your body?"

"Hm? No problems at all. Why do you ask?"

Neji was sincerely trying to become stronger now and would not hide anything from Asuma if he could help it.

"...Oh, it's nothing."

Asuma turned his head away, his expression grave.

The Kekkei Genkai is an ability formed by the combination of at least two chakra attributes, he thought, and the Byakugan is an even more unique Kekkei Genkai. A Kekkei Genkai cannot be fused with other chakra; even someone as strong as Hashirama Senju could not apply nature or shape transformation to his Wood Release. It is said that only by activating some kind of powerful mode and using special chakra can one complete higher-level advanced ninjutsu...

Asuma thought this over, lowering his head and pinching the bridge of his nose in contemplation.

Therefore, to complete the infusion of chakra into a Kekkei Genkai, one must at least satisfy one condition: a sufficiently large amount of chakra. It must be large, unimaginably large, to be completed. If Neji can do it, it proves his chakra volume is already quite vast. If that is the case, why would he be temporarily unable to practice shape transformation due to his chakra volume?

Asuma's confusion regarding Neji grew deeper and deeper.

But if Neji knew what he was thinking, he would likely burst out laughing.

Because when using Rotation or Sixty-Four Palms, the nature transformation of the chakra was provided by the system.

The chakra transformation from an unknown source naturally came from the chakra required by the technique, which was why Neji could use it. But to truly practice shape transformation on his own, he required a superior physical constitution.

These two things were different, and it was precisely because he stood above this point that Neji could see the issue of chakra nature more clearly than anyone else.

Only by understanding the essence can one approach the ranks of the strong from the closest distance!

"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

Neji struck out with the Gale Palm once more, and as before, a whirlwind erupted in the forest ahead.

That was the chakra of Rotation... A new idea suddenly sparked in Neji's mind.

Even if he could exploit a system bug to unleash advanced versions of bloodline limits, what if he were to incorporate new techniques into existing ones?

After an afternoon of training, Neji presented his hypothesis to Asuma.

"Teacher, if I were to integrate the Gale Palm into my taijutsu, could I achieve the desired effect?"

Asuma didn't even hesitate, chuckling, "It's impossible. Fusing ninjutsu requires at least two practitioners; one person cannot complete it alone. Fusion must occur at the stage of chakra nature transformation, not after the techniques have already been formed..."

However, Neji's enthusiasm could not be dampened.

From that moment on, Neji threw himself heart and soul into his training!

Meanwhile, Asuma began conducting lessons and training on chakra attributes for the others.

Neji, however, remained in seclusion, working alone to combine the Gale Palm with the Vacuum Palm!

"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!"

At the moment of striking, Neji formed the hand seals and thrust both palms forward, summoning a hurricane!

"Failed!"

"...Again!"

He struck with a single palm!

The leaves rustled loudly, but the forest only lost a few branches...

"Again!"

The first day, the second day, the third day—Neji seemed possessed, his mind devoid of all distractions as he pushed toward a single goal.

"That guy is just like that—stubborn and unable to adapt!" Tenten complained.

Ino, sitting nearby, sighed without a word, while Choji and Shikamaru didn't seem optimistic either.

Asuma also shook his head, saying, "Such a thing is impossible. Perhaps only when he fails will he realize something. Today, we continue our training on chakra control!"

To be such a genius yet so paranoid, Asuma mused; perhaps Neji didn't have any real talent, just pure, blind effort.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, as dusk began to fall, the lessons concluded.

Asuma walked alone to the Konoha Waterfall and watched Neji, who lay on the ground, panting and utterly drained of energy.

"Exhausted your stamina, have you? Drink some water." He walked over and handed a bamboo canteen to Neji.

Neji sat up and drank, his entire body spent.

"Walking too far in the wrong direction will only cause you unnecessary trouble..."

"Teacher."

Neji suddenly stepped forward, facing the distant forest.

"I thought of a method two days ago. Since two techniques cannot be fully unleashed simultaneously, I realized that makes sense. But what if I could perform only half of a ninjutsu? Or mix them according to a specific ratio? Perhaps that would produce results."

As Neji spoke, he began to refine his chakra, and Asuma froze, his heart skipping a beat!