"Master?"
Faced with Hyuga Hiashi's question, Yun Xi merely smiled and didn't answer. Instead, after adjusting his position, he said, "I never thought the Hyuga Clan, Konoha's second-largest clan, would actually attack a civilian like me. In that case, our previous deal and cooperation are off!"
As he spoke, a cold, murderous glint flashed in Yun Xi's eyes...
"Deals and alliances are only for people of equal standing."
Hearing Yun Xi say he was calling off their deal, Hyuga Hiashi only sneered. Then he quietly gathered his strength, and the instant he launched another attack, he spoke again!
"You want to cooperate and form an alliance with me?"
"You're not worthy!"
The moment those three words reached Yun Xi's ears, Hyuga Hiashi, who had been standing not far away, vanished.
"Faster than before..."
Yun Xi realized that Hyuga Hiashi's latest attack was much faster than the previous one. He hadn't even seen him move...
A fist, soft yet somehow piercing, was already right in front of him.
"So this is the strength of an elite Jonin? Looks like it's my turn to fight back!"
Yun Xi had originally estimated that, without activating the Flame-Flame Fruit or his Sharingan, he would be at least as strong as an ordinary Chunin and could hold his own against some Jonin.
But after exchanging blows with Hyuga Hiashi...
Yun Xi realized he'd been overestimating himself...
Without the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit, all he could do against Hyuga Hiashi was take a beating...
"Eight Trigrams Palms: Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
Just as Yun Xi barely dodged Hyuga Hiashi's attack, another powerful palm wind appeared.
Its target was Yun Xi, still in midair!
"Damn..."
Sensing the intense danger, Yun Xi's expression turned grave. Without hesitation, he stopped hiding his strength!
"Elementalization!"
At Yun Xi's words, a searing heat instantly spread across his body. Then Hyuga Hiashi's Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm struck him...
But...
What Hyuga Hiashi hadn't expected was...
Yun Xi, hit by the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, was completely unharmed...
"How can you possibly ignore my Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm?!"
Hyuga Hiashi had been a ninja for more than a decade. He had fought in numerous battles, including the Third Shinobi World War, the Nine-Tails Incident, and Kumogakure's raid.
He was unquestionably a seasoned ninja.
And an opponent like this...
Was a first for Hyuga Hiashi.
In principle, the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm was a technique that sent a chakra shock wave from the hand to damage its target.
Though it was essentially a form of Taijutsu, it was more like a long-range attack.
It was so fast that even some clan members with the Byakugan couldn't dodge it...
Yet Yun Xi had no injuries at all...
"Not a bad way to attack."
Unlike the stunned Hyuga Hiashi, Yun Xi calmly praised his Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm. Then he slowly added, "But unfortunately..."
"I'm immune to your attacks..."
Yun Xi wasn't foolish enough to reveal the secret behind his Taijutsu immunity to Hyuga Hiashi. Instead, he'd deliberately said "attacks."
"Is it a Kekkei Genkai?"
Seeing the red mist around Yun Xi's body radiating heat, Hyuga Hiashi wasn't stupid. He naturally guessed it might be one of Yun Xi's abilities.
Realizing that Yun Xi had revealed his trump card, Hyuga Hiashi activated his Byakugan as well.
As thick veins bulged around his temples, an air of total control burst forth from him.
From that moment on, Hyuga Hiashi had control over everything within a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree radius!
But Hyuga Hiashi was also a little confused...
According to the Hyuga Clan's usual combat approach...
When facing an enemy, they simply activated the Byakugan, found the enemy's chakra pathways, and then used their clan's Gentle Fist to prevent the enemy from attacking.
Of course, Hyuga Hiashi adjusted his approach depending on his opponent.
But the general process never changed...
And yet...
Now that he was facing Yun Xi with the Flame-Flame Fruit activated, Hyuga Hiashi had no idea where to begin...
Although Yun Xi had chakra and pathways in his body...
They were all shrouded by a mysterious aura, leaving Hyuga Hiashi unable to make sense of them.
Just like before...
"Young man, your Kekkei Genkai is indeed impressive."
After staring at Yun Xi for a long while without attacking, Hyuga Hiashi finally spoke. But a few seconds later, he continued, "All this will do is temporarily delay your defeat. In the end, I'll still beat you!"
Though Hyuga Hiashi couldn't pinpoint Yun Xi's pathways, years of combat experience allowed him to roughly guess where the main ones were.
That was enough!
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palms!"
Having made his decision, Hyuga Hiashi used his incredible speed to close in on Yun Xi. He clenched both fists and launched a fierce attack.
Under such a relentless barrage, Hyuga Hiashi could already picture Yun Xi's miserable state...
But...
Once again, something unexpected happened...
The instant Hyuga Hiashi first touched Yun Xi, the searing aura around him enveloped Hyuga Hiashi's fist.
Before he could attack again, burn marks had already appeared on Hyuga Hiashi's skin...
And more terrifying still...
Even though Hyuga Hiashi had managed to land a hit at the cost of injuring himself...
It seemed...
Yun Xi hadn't been hurt at all.
"Sorry, I forgot to tell you. The reason I can ignore your attacks is very simple: in this state, I'm immune to all Taijutsu..."
Hyuga Hiashi looked shocked, and a strange smile appeared on Yun Xi's face.
The main reason Yun Xi dared to face Hyuga Hiashi with such confidence...
Was the Taijutsu immunity that came with the Flame-Flame Fruit.
And Hyuga Hiashi's main method of attack was Taijutsu...
So although Yun Xi was weaker overall, he could win by taking advantage of that!
(ps: A quick note about the evolved Byakugan: the Tenseigan isn't something the author made up. It's already part of the official setting—it's Otsutsuki Urashiki's eye, and it can predict the future and travel through time. I hope you'll check it out, and then stop hating on me.)
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