Byakugan vs. Byakugan

A young man walked in through the side entrance. He wore a Chunin uniform and had the distinctive Byakugan—anyone could tell at a glance that he was from the Hyuga Clan. Yet his forehead was completely bare.

Everyone present was taken aback. Why had they brought in someone from the Hyuga Clan to evaluate Hyuga Nichigetsu? One of the Uchiha elders couldn't sit still and asked, "Lord Hokage, having someone from the Hyuga Clan serve as the examiner is like letting them test themselves. Surely that's inappropriate?"

The Hyuga Clan Head answered at once, "This was a decision I made after consulting with several Hyuga elders. The best way to assess Nichigetsu's abilities is to have him face someone from the Hyuga Clan. That will also let us see how well he understands Gentle Fist and the Eight Trigrams Palms. Lord Hokage has already approved the Hyuga Clan's request."

The Third Hokage gave an awkward smile. "Yes, the Hyuga Clan Head asked me to arrange this. We're all observant people here; we'll be able to tell at a glance whether anyone is going easy on him. I trust the Hyuga Clan to be fair." Everyone present nodded in agreement.

The Hyuga elder, however, hid behind the others and gave a sly smile. When the Clan Head first received the news, he was startled. But then he thought the Hyuga Clan might have produced a genius, and everyone was thrilled. Elder Hideyoshi really is clever—he suggested sending someone from the Hyuga Clan to test this little brat's abilities. The Clan Head and the others also want to see what makes Nichigetsu so special. So they asked Lord Hokage...

But they have no idea that Hyuga Hiroshi is my trusted bodyguard. He's been hiding his true strength; he's actually an elite Chunin. The little brat won't pass the test. Better yet, Hiroshi can "accidentally" cripple him during the exam. It wouldn't matter if he killed him! Hahaha!

In the middle of the arena, Hyuga Hiroshi walked up to Nichigetsu and looked down at him contemptuously. "You're Hyuga Nichigetsu, right? My name is Hyuga Hiroshi. I'm your opponent. Beat me, and you can become a Chunin."

"Hello, I'm Hyuga Nichigetsu." Nichigetsu sensed the man's intense hostility and felt a quiet unease.

"Pay attention, both of you. Once the exam begins, the match will continue until one of you gives up or is no longer able to fight. No deliberate killing blows. Understood?" the Jonin nearby reminded them.

"Understood." Nichigetsu nodded. "Big brother, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"I noticed you don't have a Caged Bird Seal on your forehead. Are you from the Main Family? Why haven't I seen you before?"

"No, I'm one of the elders' guards. Not having the Caged Bird Seal is the elders' reward. I'm not like you branch-family members." Hyuga Hiroshi answered with a mocking tone.

"Oh, I see..." Nichigetsu's expression slowly darkened. "One of the elders' men, and you're showing such hostility toward me. Are certain people from the Main Family trying to use this chance to make a move against me? Hmph!"

"Give it everything you've got. I won't hold back. If you get hurt, don't blame me. You're the one who chose to take the exam." A cruel glint appeared in Hyuga Hiroshi's eyes.

Hyuga Hiroshi formed Hand Seals and activated his Byakugan, then raised both hands and assumed an attacking stance. Nichigetsu raised both palms as well, but didn't activate his Byakugan. Using it consumed a great deal of chakra, so he planned to test his opponent first.

The spectators outside the arena watched the two with interest.

The Uchiha elder remarked sarcastically, "Heh, the kid isn't planning to use his Byakugan? You have to form Hand Seals to activate it. Will he have time once they start fighting? What a fool."

The Hyuga Clan Head glanced at the Uchiha elder. "You don't necessarily need Hand Seals to activate the Byakugan. But how will he use Gentle Fist without it? This could be interesting."

Hyuga Hiashi looked at Hizashi and asked, "Hizashi, how strong is Nichigetsu?"

Hizashi Hyuga shook his head. "I'm not sure. Mizuki hasn't been teaching him for long, has she? We'll find out by watching him fight."

Even Danzo, who rarely spoke, joined in. "Sarutobi, you're letting a five-year-old take the Chunin exam. Aren't you worried the boy will be seriously injured? He might even die..."

The Third Hokage exhaled a puff of smoke and smiled. "Shimura, I believe the boy is strong enough."

Danzo snorted. "Hmph! You're still as naive as ever, Sarutobi. But his opponent is more than he can handle."

The Third Hokage frowned. Danzo's words clearly implied that he knew something. Feeling uneasy, he asked, "Shimura, why do you say that?"

Danzo sneered. "You'll see when they start fighting! You'd better have the medical team ready to treat him..." With that, he turned his attention back to the two in the arena and fell silent.

In the arena, Nichigetsu looked at Hyuga Hiroshi. "All right, here I come!" (BGM: Turning the Tables, Yasuharu Takanashi)

Nichigetsu rushed toward Hyuga Hiroshi. Hiroshi charged to meet him and struck first with a palm.

"Smack!" Two streams of pale-blue chakra scattered upon impact. Nichigetsu reacted quickly, blocking his opponent's attack and countering with a palm strike.

Hyuga Hiroshi twisted aside to avoid the counterattack and tried to jab the chakra points in Nichigetsu's arm with his fingers. Nichigetsu reacted swiftly, pinning his opponent's wrist joint before he could strike. Hiroshi couldn't twist his hand free, and Nichigetsu seized the opening to counterattack. Hiroshi immediately blocked.

The two traded blows, their movements growing faster and faster. Chakra poured from their palms, glimmering pale blue. The arena rang with the sounds of their palms colliding: "Smack! Smack! Thump! Smack! Bang!"

The Hyuga Clan Head nodded approvingly from outside the arena. "Nichigetsu's pretty good with Gentle Fist. Even without the Byakugan, his strikes to the chakra points are quite precise."

But Nichigetsu was still young, and his arms weren't as long as his opponent's. After dozens of exchanges, he fell a beat behind.

"Now!" Hyuga Hiroshi immediately slammed a palm into Nichigetsu's chest. Nichigetsu quickly formed Hand Seals and flew backward. "Bang!" He turned into a cloud of white smoke and vanished.

"Hm? Just before I hit him, he used a Shadow Clone, then used the Substitution Technique on it? His Hand Seals are incredibly fast." Hyuga Hiroshi stared in surprise and searched the area for Nichigetsu's real body.

Nichigetsu's real body had already appeared behind him. He leaped high into the air and brought a heavy palm down toward Hiroshi's back. Hiroshi's Byakugan detected the attack behind him, and he leaped sideways.

"Boom!" Nichigetsu's palm slammed into the ground. The floor shattered, dust billowed, and fragments of stone flew in every direction.

Nichigetsu immediately changed tactics after missing. Twelve Shuriken flew out through the rising dust, tracing strange arcs as they attacked Hyuga Hiroshi from all sides.

"Hmph! That won't work on me!" Hyuga Hiroshi smiled faintly. After landing, he stretched his arms out, one in front and one behind, bent his legs, and lowered his center of gravity.

"Eight Trigrams Palms: Rotation!" Hyuga Hiroshi spun rapidly in place. Chakra burst from his body's chakra points, forming a rotating blue chakra sphere around him. It deflected all twelve Shuriken, sending them flying back toward Nichigetsu.

"He can even use Rotation!" Nichigetsu frowned and leaped backward, dodging the Shuriken as they came back at him. Hyuga Hiroshi had already dashed toward him, and Nichigetsu blocked several of his vicious strikes in a row.

Every one of his attacks is vicious. He's trying to leave me seriously injured! Realizing the danger, Nichigetsu once again tried to put some distance between them.

"To be this good with Gentle Fist at such a young age is impressive! Too bad you're still too weak. You think you're safe just because you've put some distance between us?" Hyuga Hiroshi said, his hands still moving without pause. He raised his right hand, ready to strike, fingers curled and palm open. Chakra had gathered in his palm.

The spectators: "That move is?!"

Nichigetsu was shocked. "No! He can use that move too!"

Hyuga Hiroshi faced Nichigetsu, who was ten meters away, and thrust his palm forward. The chakra in his palm erupted, mixing with the air to form a circular shockwave. Concentric ripples and threads of turbulent air spread through the atmosphere as a powerful wave of chakra surged toward Nichigetsu at tremendous speed.

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

"Damn it!" At the last possible moment, Nichigetsu barely managed to leap to the right. The shockwave skimmed past him.

"Boom!" The shockwave struck the wall, blasting a crater one meter across into it. Cracks spread in every direction. Nichigetsu skidded back several steps and braced one hand against the ground, panting slightly. That had been close!

"Hmph! You think you can get away from me?" A voice spoke from right beside him!

Hyuga Hiroshi had appeared next to Nichigetsu. With his hands spread one in front of the other, he assumed a starting stance resembling Wong Fei-hung's signature pose. Nichigetsu was already inside his Eight Trigrams formation!

The Third Hokage was shocked. "That move? He has to be at least an elite Chunin!"

Danzo thought, Hmph! An elite Chunin is still a Chunin, Sarutobi. This doesn't break the rules. What a shame for the five-year-old boy...

The Third Hokage had assumed the Hyuga Clan simply wanted to test Nichigetsu's abilities themselves, and wouldn't go easy on him. But he hadn't expected them to send an expert. They weren't just refusing to go easy on him—they planned to cripple him outright! The Third Hokage had already decided to intervene. He couldn't let anything happen to Nichigetsu.

Danzo seemed to realize the Third Hokage was about to step in. He watched him and shook his head, signaling that no one was allowed to interfere with the exam. The Third Hokage's brow furrowed even more deeply.

The Hyuga Clan Head and Hiashi were also shocked. Hyuga Hiroshi was far stronger than an ordinary Chunin.

Hizashi's expression was grave. "How can he use that move too?"

Hiashi looked troubled as well. "He knows the Main Family's secret technique. Nichigetsu is at a serious disadvantage."

Hyuga Hiroshi stretched his arms out in opposite directions, forming a straight line, and lowered his center of gravity with one leg in front of the other. Nichigetsu had no time to defend himself!

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

"Two palms!" Hyuga Hiroshi thrust out two fingers. Nichigetsu couldn't dodge. "Smack! Smack!" Two fingers struck him hard.

"Four palms!" His hands immediately made another pair of strikes.

"Eight palms!" Hyuga Hiroshi's fingers jabbed at his chakra points without pause. Nichigetsu staggered backward again and again.

"Sixteen palms!" His fingers moved too fast to follow.

"Thirty-two palms!" His arms flashed, leaving a string of afterimages. "Tat-tat-tat..." His fingers rained down like machine-gun bullets, and Nichigetsu's body shook.

"Sixty-four palms!!" He struck all thirty-two pairs of points in an instant. Nichigetsu flew backward, and Hyuga Hiroshi finally lowered his hands. A glow of blue chakra flickered across the chakra points on Nichigetsu's body—the residual chakra released when Gentle Fist struck.

Hyuga Hiroshi hadn't held back at all. Every strike was intended to kill, and every finger thrust could cause severe internal injuries. The victim would either die or be crippled. This was nothing like Neji fighting Naruto, when he had only closed Naruto's chakra points and hadn't truly struck with full force. A barrage like this could cost someone their life.

Hizashi panicked. He started forward and shouted, "Hyuga Hiroshi, don't you dare kill him!"

"This is an exam! How could Hyuga Hiroshi go so far as to kill him?" Hiashi was furious. The Hyuga Clan Head, standing between them, looked even more grim.

"Wow~~~ The Hyuga Clan really is ruthless when testing one of their own. They didn't hold back at all. What admirable impartiality! Heh!" the Uchiha elder remarked with a touch of sarcasm.

"Kid, after taking that move, you'll be crippled even if you don't die!" Hyuga Hiroshi chuckled to himself as he lowered his hands. He was already imagining what generous reward the elders would give him this time.

Nichigetsu's body hit the ground several meters away with a heavy thud. "Bang!" It turned into a cloud of smoke and vanished.

"A Shadow Clone?! When did he—?" Hyuga Hiroshi was shocked.

"Oh? It was a Shadow Clone!" Many of the spectators watching from outside the arena looked surprised. Nichigetsu had fooled them too.

Mitokado Homura looked puzzled. "Don't Shadow Clones disappear after taking a certain amount of damage?"

The Uchiha elder deactivated his Sharingan and answered Homura's question. "When his opponent attacked, Nichigetsu instantly released high-density chakra from the chakra points all over his body. It was a defensive method similar to Rotation, only without the spinning. It absorbed some of the damage, which kept the Shadow Clone from vanishing right away. Even so, the final thirty-two strikes were extremely powerful. They would certainly have caused severe internal injuries and might even have been fatal. That's why the Shadow Clone finally disappeared."

"Bang!" A small stone on the floor in the distance suddenly changed shape. The white smoke dispersed, and Nichigetsu's real body stood there. His eyes were shut, and he looked calm, but a barely contained fury was about to erupt from him.

Hiashi smiled. "The kid smashed the floor with his palm when he attacked Hyuga Hiroshi from behind at the start of the fight. He used the rising dust to transform his real body into a piece of rubble, then kept using Shadow Clones to test his opponent. He probably used the Stealth Technique too. Hyuga Hiroshi wasn't paying attention to that area, so he never noticed the real Nichigetsu."

Hizashi let out a sigh of relief. "A Transformation Technique combined with the Stealth Technique? That's a clever trick. But shouldn't he have launched a surprise attack from behind while his opponent was distracted? Why did he deliberately give away his position?"

Hiashi replied, "I think he's really angry..." (BGM: Intense and Brutal, 634)

Nichigetsu opened his eyes and stared coldly at Hyuga Hiroshi, who stood some distance away. "Hyuga Hiroshi, were you trying to kill me just now?" Hiroshi's attacks had all been lethal. He had tried to kill Nichigetsu. If it had been Nichigetsu's real body that took the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, he would have been crippled even if he somehow survived.

Hyuga Hiroshi sneered. "Kid, this is an exam! Of course I'm giving it my all! If you get hurt, you've only got yourself to blame for not training hard enough!"

"That's quite a thing to say! If that's how it is, then I won't hold back either! You lapdog of the Main Family, let me show you my Gentle Fist!"

The veins around Nichigetsu's eyes bulged, and his Byakugan activated instantly! The coldness in his eyes made Hyuga Hiroshi suddenly feel a chill run down his back!