Byakugan vs. Byakugan

A young man walked in through the side door. Dressed in the standard attire of a chunin and bearing the iconic Byakugan, he was clearly a member of the Hyuga clan, yet his forehead was completely smooth.

The crowd was taken aback. Why would they let a Hyuga examine Hyuga Nichigetsu? An elder of the Uchiha clan couldn't sit still and asked, "Your Majesty, the Hokage, having a member of the Hyuga clan act as the examiner—isn't that just examining oneself? I fear this is inappropriate."

The head of the Hyuga clan preemptively replied, "This is a decision reached after consultation with several Hyuga elders. To test Nichigetsu's strength, the best method is to compare him against someone from the Hyuga clan; this also allows us to gauge his understanding of the Gentle Fist and the Eight Trigrams Palms. The Hokage has already approved the Hyuga clan's request."

The Third Hokage offered an awkward smile and said, "Indeed, the Hyuga head requested this of me. Everyone here is discerning; whether or not they go easy will be obvious at a glance. I trust the Hyuga clan to be fair." The onlookers nodded in agreement with this arrangement.

The Hyuga elder, however, hid in the back with a treacherous smile, thinking to himself, When the head first received this news, he was shocked, but the thought that the Hyuga clan might have produced a genius excited them all. Elder Hideyoshi is clever indeed to suggest sending one of our own to test this little beast's strength. The head and the others want to see what is so extraordinary about this little beast, Nichigetsu. That is why we petitioned the Hokage...

But! What they didn't expect is that Hyuga Hiroshi is my trusted guard. He has been hiding his true strength; he is actually an elite chunin. The little beast will never pass this exam. It would be best if he could 'accidentally' turn the brat into a cripple during the test—killing him would be fine too! Ha!

In the center of the arena, Hyuga Hiroshi walked up to Nichigetsu and looked at him with disdain. "You must be Hyuga Nichigetsu, right? I am Hyuga Hiroshi, your opponent. Defeat me, and you can become a chunin."

"Hello, I am Hyuga Nichigetsu." Nichigetsu felt the intense hostility from his opponent and his heart began to race.

"Both of you, take note: once the examination begins, the duel will continue until one side concedes or is rendered unable to fight. You are not to intentionally kill, do you understand?" the jonin on the sidelines reminded them.

"I understand." Nichigetsu nodded. "Big brother, may I ask you a question?"

"What question?"

"I don't see the Caged Bird seal on your forehead. Are you from the main branch? Why have I never seen you before?"

"No, I am an elder's guard. Not having the Caged Bird is a reward from the elder. I am not like you, a member of the branch family." Hyuga Hiroshi answered with a mocking tone.

"Oh, I see..." Nichigetsu's expression gradually darkened. An elder's man? And he holds such intense hostility toward me. Is someone from the main branch trying to take this opportunity to strike at me? Hmph!

"Use your full strength. I will not hold back. If you get hurt, don't blame me; blame yourself for choosing to take this exam." A hint of ruthlessness appeared in Hyuga Hiroshi's eyes.

Hyuga Hiroshi formed hand seals to activate his Byakugan, then raised his hands into a combat stance. Nichigetsu also raised his palms, but he did not activate his Byakugan. His Byakugan consumed a massive amount of chakra, and he intended to test the waters first.

The spectators outside the arena watched the two with great interest.

The Uchiha elder made a snide remark: "Heh, this kid isn't planning to use his Byakugan? Activating the Byakugan requires hand seals; will he even have time to do that once the fighting starts? What a foolish boy."

The Hyuga head glanced at the Uchiha elder: "Activating the Byakugan does not necessarily require hand seals. However, without it, how will he use the Gentle Fist? This might actually be quite interesting."

Hyuga Hiashi looked at Hizashi and asked, "Hizashi, what is Nichigetsu's true strength?"

Hyuga Hizashi shook his head: "I am not sure either. Mizuki hasn't been teaching him for long. We will see clearly once we watch Nichigetsu fight."

Even Danzo, who rarely spoke, chimed in: "Sarutobi, you let a five-year-old take the chunin exam—are you not afraid the boy will be severely injured? He might even die..."

The Third Hokage exhaled a puff of smoke and smiled: "Shimura, I believe in this boy's strength."

Danzo let out a cold snort: "Hmph! Sarutobi, you are still as naive as ever. But his opponent's strength is not something he can handle."

The Third Hokage frowned; Danzo's words were loaded, clearly implying he knew something. The Third felt a flicker of unease and asked, "Shimura, why do you say that?"

Danzo sneered: "You'll know once the fighting starts! You had better have the medical team ready for rescue..." Having said that, he turned his head to watch the two in the arena and said no more.

In the arena, Hyuga Nichigetsu looked at Hyuga Hiroshi: "Then, I'm coming for you!"

Nichigetsu rushed toward Hyuga Hiroshi, who charged forward to meet him, throwing the first palm strike.

"Snap!" Two streams of pale blue chakra collided and scattered. Nichigetsu reacted quickly, blocking his opponent's attack and returning a palm strike of his own.

Hyuga Hiroshi sidestepped the counter-attack, attempting to strike the pressure points on Nichigetsu's arm with his fingers. Nichigetsu was quick-witted and blocked the opponent's wrist joint first, preventing Hiroshi from twisting his hand. Nichigetsu took the opportunity to counter-attack, and Hiroshi immediately shifted to defense.

The two traded blows, their speed increasing rapidly. Chakra erupted from their palms, flickering with a pale blue light. The arena echoed with the sounds of "Snap! Snap! Boom! Snap! Bang!" as they clashed.

Outside the arena, the Hyuga head nodded in praise: "Nichigetsu uses the Gentle Fist quite well. Even without the Byakugan, his strikes to the pressure points are extremely precise."

However, Nichigetsu was still young, and his reach was shorter than his opponent's. After dozens of exchanges, Nichigetsu was a beat too slow.

"Opportunity!" Hyuga Hiroshi immediately slammed a palm into Nichigetsu's chest. Seeing this, Nichigetsu quickly formed hand seals and was sent flying backward, turning into a puff of white smoke with a "bang."

"Hm? Just before I hit him, he used the Shadow Clone Technique, and then used the Substitution Jutsu on the clone? This kid's hand-seal speed is incredibly fast." Hyuga Hiroshi paused, scanning his surroundings for Nichigetsu's true form.

Nichigetsu's real body had already appeared behind him. He leaped high and brought a heavy palm down onto Hiroshi's back. Hiroshi's Byakugan detected the movement behind him, and he leaped to the side.

"Boom!" Nichigetsu's palm struck the ground, shattering the floorboards and sending dust and debris flying.

Nichigetsu didn't miss a beat, changing his tactics immediately. Twelve shuriken flew out from the rising dust, tracing strange arcs to surround Hyuga Hiroshi from all sides.

"Hmph! That trick is useless against me!" Hyuga Hiroshi smiled faintly. After landing, he extended his arms, one in front and one behind, bent his knees, and lowered his center of gravity.

"[Eight Trigrams Palms: Rotation]!" Hyuga Hiroshi spun rapidly in place, his body's pressure points releasing chakra to form a rotating blue hemisphere of energy. It deflected all twelve shuriken, sending them ricocheting back toward Nichigetsu.

"He actually knows Rotation!" Nichigetsu frowned and leaped backward, dodging the returning shuriken. Hyuga Hiroshi had already charged forward at high speed, and Nichigetsu was forced to block several of his vicious palm strikes in succession.

This man's strikes are all lethal; it seems he intends to beat me into a severe injury! Nichigetsu thought, sensing the danger, and chose to put some distance between them again.

"To be so young and use the Gentle Fist to this level, I am truly surprised! But it's a pity, you are still too weak! Do you think you're safe just by creating distance?" Hyuga Hiroshi said, his movements not slowing in the slightest. He raised his right hand, fingers curled and palm open, as chakra accumulated in his palm.

The crowd outside: "Is that move...?!"

Nichigetsu was shocked: "Oh no! He actually knows this technique!"

Hyuga Hiroshi pushed his palm toward Nichigetsu, who was ten meters away. The chakra in his palm erupted, mixing with the air to form a circular shockwave. It created layered ripples in the air, accompanied by linear turbulence, as a powerful blast of chakra surged toward Nichigetsu at high speed.

"[Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm]!"

"Damn it!" In the nick of time, Nichigetsu barely managed to leap to the right, the shockwave grazing past him.

"Boom!" The shockwave struck the wall, blasting a one-meter-wide crater into it and causing the wall to crack and spiderweb outward. Nichigetsu slid back a few steps, bracing himself with one hand on the ground as he panted slightly. That was a close call!

"Hmph! Do you think you can get away?" A voice rang out from right beside him!

At this moment, Hyuga Hiroshi had already appeared beside Riyue, his hands spread out—one forward and one back—in a starting stance reminiscent of Wong Fei-hung's classic moves. Riyue was already trapped within his Eight Trigrams circle!

Outside the arena, the Third Hokage was shocked: "This technique? This guy is at least an elite chunin!"

Danzo thought to himself: Hmph! Sarutobi, an elite chunin is still a chunin; this doesn't count as breaking the rules. What a pity, this five-year-old kid...

The Third Hokage had assumed the Hyuga Clan merely wanted to test Riyue's strength personally and wouldn't hold back. But he hadn't expected the Hyuga Clan to send an expert who wouldn't just refrain from going easy—they intended to cripple Riyue entirely! The Third Hokage made up his mind to intervene; he could not let anything happen to Riyue.

Danzo seemed to sense the Third Hokage's intent to act, staring at him and shaking his head, signaling that interference was not permitted during the examination. The Third Hokage's brow furrowed even deeper.

The Hyuga Clan Head and Hizashi were also shocked; Hyuga Hiroshi's strength was far greater than that of an average chunin.

Hizashi's expression was grave: "How does he even know this technique?"

Hizashi's expression was equally heavy: "He knows the secret techniques of the Main Branch; Riyue is at a severe disadvantage."

Hyuga Hiroshi straightened his arms into a line, one in front and one behind, lowering his center of gravity. Riyue had no time to defend!

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

"Two palms!" Hyuga Hiroshi thrust his fingers forward, leaving Riyue with nowhere to dodge. "Pa-pa!" The two fingers struck heavily against his body.

"Four palms!" His hands moved back and forth in an instant.

"Eight palms!" Hyuga Hiroshi's fingers struck the pressure points in rapid succession, forcing Riyue to retreat repeatedly.

"Sixteen palms!" His fingers moved too fast to be seen clearly.

"Thirty-two palms!" His arms blurred, leaving a trail of afterimages. "Da-da-da..." His fingers fell like machine-gun fire, and Riyue's body shuddered.

"Sixty-four palms!!" The thirty-two strikes were completed in an instant, and Riyue was sent flying. At the same time, Hyuga Hiroshi withdrew his hands, and a blue glow of finger-light emerged from Riyue's pressure points—the residual chakra released after a Gentle Fist strike.

Hyuga Hiroshi had held nothing back; every strike was intended to kill, each finger capable of causing severe internal injuries, if not death. This was not like when Neji fought Naruto, where he merely sealed his opponent's pressure points without delivering truly heavy blows; taking this full set would cost someone their life.

Hizashi was anxious, wanting to rush forward while shouting: "Hyuga Hiroshi, you must not use lethal force!"

"This is an examination! How could this Hyuga Hiroshi use lethal force?" Hizashi was also furious, and the Hyuga Clan Head standing in the middle looked even more grim.

"Yo~~~ the Hyuga Clan is truly ruthless when testing their own, holding nothing back. How selfless! Heh!" An Uchiha elder on the sidelines remarked with a hint of mockery.

"Kid, after taking that hit, you're either dead or crippled!" In the arena, Hyuga Hiroshi smiled to himself as he withdrew, already fantasizing about the generous rewards the elders would grant him.

Riyue's body fell heavily to the ground several meters away, "Poof!" turning into a puff of smoke and vanishing.

"A Shadow Clone?! When?" Hyuga Hiroshi was stunned.

"Oh? It's actually a Shadow Clone!" Many of the onlookers outside the arena had eyes full of surprise, having been deceived by Riyue's tactics.

Mitokado Homura was puzzled: "Doesn't a Shadow Clone dissipate when it takes a certain amount of damage?"

The Uchiha elder put away his Sharingan and answered Mitokado Homura's question: "When the opponent attacked, Riyue's Shadow Clone instantly released high-density chakra from its pressure points. This defensive method is similar to Rotation, just without the spinning, which allowed it to withstand some of the damage and prevented the clone from disappearing immediately. Even so, the final thirty-two palms were extremely heavy and would definitely have caused severe, potentially fatal internal injuries, which is why the clone finally vanished."

"Poof!" A piece of gravel on the floor nearby suddenly transformed. As the white smoke cleared, Riyue's true self stood there, his eyes closed and appearing calm, though one could sense an impending explosion of rage.

Hizashi smiled: "This kid—at the start of the fight, when he attacked Hyuga Hiroshi from behind, he shattered the floor with a palm strike. Taking advantage of the rising dust, his real body turned into a piece of gravel, and he used a Shadow Clone to probe the enemy. He likely used a Stealth Technique as well, and since Hyuga Hiroshi's attention wasn't on that area, he never discovered the real body."

Hizashi breathed a sigh of relief: "Transformation Technique combined with a Stealth Technique? A clever tactic, but shouldn't he have launched a surprise attack from behind while the opponent was careless? Why reveal his position on purpose?"

Hizashi: "I think he is truly angry..."

Riyue opened his eyes, looking coldly at Hyuga Hiroshi not far away, and asked: "Hyuga Hiroshi, were you trying to take my life just now?" Hyuga Hiroshi's strikes were vicious, every one a killing blow intended to end Riyue. If Riyue's real body had taken the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, he would have been crippled even if he had been lucky enough to survive.

Hyuga Hiroshi sneered: "Kid, this is an examination! Naturally, I went all out! If you were injured, you have only your own lack of skill to blame!!"

"A fine 'lack of skill'! Since that's the case, I won't hold back either! You dog of the Main Branch, let me show you my Gentle Fist!"

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