The Wooden Man and the Red-Eyed Monster

I hadn't expected to be the only "idler" left. I'd planned to invite everyone out for some fun or a camping trip, but Itachi had to stay home to look after Sasuke, and Izumi had to help her mother with chores.

With my plans falling through, Hyuga Gen had no choice but to play with wood at home—or, to be more precise, a wooden dummy.

Naturally, I'd had someone help me craft this dummy. It was primarily for training my taijutsu; simple, yet quite practical.

When the dummy was first finished, my grandfather, Hyuga Kamen, had clicked his tongue in wonder. I wasn't sure if he was impressed by the dummy's utility or by my uncharacteristically diligent attitude toward training.

I didn't pay it much mind and began working with the dummy, using it to hone my taijutsu, temper my body, and improve my mastery of the Gentle Fist.

I had learned a few Gentle Fist techniques before, though they were just basic moves. The core of the Gentle Fist lies in using chakra to strike an opponent's tenketsu, damaging them from the inside.

In my view, the Gentle Fist is a vastly underrated form of taijutsu. The Hyuga clan's performance in Naruto Shippuden was truly lackluster; they seemed unable to beat anyone and were constantly getting beaten up.

In contrast, the Strong Fist was portrayed as incredibly eye-catching. Especially in that battle where Guy kicked Madara, it sent him straight to godhood—the Eight Gates kicking a deity.

But let's not forget that Guy paid for that with his life. Furthermore, during the Chunin Exams, when Guy explained the Gentle Fist, you could tell he was a bit envious. Generally speaking, the Strong Fist struggles to overcome the Gentle Fist.

Although Lee and Neji never fought in Shippuden, in my opinion, Lee couldn't have beaten Neji.

The Strong Fist requires head-on collisions and close-quarters strikes, which makes it very easy to get touched by the Gentle Fist. Once touched, you risk being injured from the inside.

To say the Gentle Fist is invincible in close combat might be a slight exaggeration, but not by much.

When Neji fought Hinata, he sent her coughing up blood in just a few strikes. Her injuries hadn't even healed by the time Neji fought Naruto, which shows that the Gentle Fist is truly no joke.

If Neji had been as ruthless against Naruto as he was against Hinata, the outcome would have been hard to predict. Forget sealing tenketsu—just strike the vitals directly, like shattering his heart meridian in one blow. Then the Nine-Tails would break out, Konoha would be destroyed, and the show would be over.

So, the Gentle Fist is definitely strong, but its weakness is also obvious: it lacks long-range capabilities. I remember the worst beating Neji ever took was because he suffered from a lack of range and the blind spot of the Byakugan.

Of course, it mostly comes down to raw strength. The Hyuga clan does have long-range methods, such as the Eight Trigrams Air Palm. Hyuga Hiashi used it early on, though I don't think the attack power is all that great, even if it works fine against ordinary ninja.

The Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist ninjutsu places great emphasis on chakra control. A technique like Rotation requires releasing chakra from tenketsu all over the body and spinning it to form a barrier.

Being able to control every tenketsu in the body to release chakra is not something an average person can easily achieve, and releasing it from every point to form a Rotation is even harder.

Releasing chakra from the tenketsu to cover the body isn't too difficult, but releasing it away from the body with enough intensity to form a Rotation is extremely challenging.

I also discovered that after activating the Byakugan, the flow of chakra within the body becomes very rapid, and the tenketsu pores are much easier to open. The whole person becomes incredibly "transparent"—perhaps that is why only the Hyuga clan can use Rotation.

Just like the Uchiha clan, without the bloodline limit of the Sharingan, one cannot use techniques like Susanoo; without the Byakugan, it is indeed nearly impossible to use Rotation.

Therefore, the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist is a must-learn, and Rotation is quite cool, too—I'll definitely have to try it later. Of course, I have other ideas, such as improving the Hyuga's Gentle Fist moves.

But I'll explore those later. For now, the priority is to build a solid foundation and refine my chakra to increase my reserves. Without enough "mana," nothing is possible.

"Brother Dongyi, this looks like fun. Can I try, too?"

Hyuga Natsu had been watching from the side for a while and asked, eager to give it a go.

"Sure, go ahead. But be careful not to get hit by the dummy; it'll hurt."

"Hmph, what's so hard about that? Watch me," Xia said, sounding a bit dismissive.

However, reality is cruel. Xia was immediately taught a lesson by the dummy, and after that, she became obsessed with it.

Eventually, I couldn't just watch, so I taught her the points to pay attention to and the proper methods. After that, she started moving with some real form.

The dummy is made of high-quality wood and is very sturdy; even I am not its match right now. The harder you hit it, the faster it spins. If you can't react in time, you're just going to get pummeled.

And so, time slipped away unnoticed. As the sun set, the sight of a young girl sweating as she trained before the wooden dummy was quite beautiful, wasn't it?

Not long after, a similar training dummy appeared at Xia's home. Under her "relentless assault," I didn't last more than a few minutes before surrendering.

Meanwhile, Itachi wasn't having a very pleasant time. Because the argument had been so loud, Sasuke had been scared into tears, and Itachi was struggling to soothe him.

"Clan Head, the Hokage and his lot are going too far! They want to move our clan grounds again—they might as well just kick us out of the village. Do they even consider the Uchiha clan anymore?"

"Exactly! If it weren't for the Uchiha, would this village even exist? Now they're trying to discard us like worn-out tools. Clan Head, we can't just sit here and wait for our demise."

"That's right. If this continues, there will be no place for us in Konoha. They see us as a thorn in their side. The only reason they haven't wiped us out is because they fear our strength; they don't dare make a move yet."

"Exactly. Once they find an opening, the destruction of the Uchiha clan won't be far off. The Fourth is dead, the Third is old and frail—now is our best chance."

"Yes, Clan Head! Just give the word, and we will secure the Hokage's seat for you!"

One by one, they scrambled to voice their grievances, their anger turning them into "red-eyed monsters." The scene was somewhat chilling.

"Enough! Everyone, be silent!"

Seeing that the situation was spiraling out of control, Uchiha Fugaku shouted sternly.

It was because of Fugaku's shout that little Sasuke in the next room began to cry.

The room fell silent instantly, and the wailing coming from next door sounded exceptionally piercing.

Itachi began to coo, "There, there," and fearing he would disturb the others, he carried Sasuke out of the room.

"It's nothing. Sasuke and Itachi are just playing in the next room," Fugaku said casually, meeting everyone's suspicious gazes.

With that little interruption, the group gradually calmed down and wasn't as volatile as before.

"Are there any leads on the person who controlled the Nine-Tails to attack the village?" Fugaku asked in a low voice. This was the critical issue.

When it came down to it, the Uchiha's current predicament was entirely caused by the Nine-Tails incident. Coupled with Danzo's deliberate plotting and suppression, the village's distrust of the Uchiha had reached an extreme.

"No other leads found. He appeared as if out of thin air. We've screened every member of the clan in the village, and found no issues."

"Could it be that we still have clansmen living outside? Impossible. According to the clan records, all members should be in the village," Fugaku muttered to himself.

"Only the Mangekyo Sharingan is capable of controlling the Nine-Tails at will. Throughout history, only a handful of people have ever awakened it, and they have all long since passed away. We have thoroughly investigated the clan; it is impossible for anyone among us to have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan."

"But the village has only given us one year, and more than half of that time has already passed. If we cannot find the culprit, we will have no choice but to move out of here."

"Clan Leader, let's revolt."

"Hmph, revolt? Do you think the village is so easily bullied? Do you take the Hokage and the other clans for mere decorations?"

"Furthermore, although this incident was not our doing, it has been confirmed that the one who controlled the Nine-Tails is inextricably linked to the Uchiha. It is only natural for the village to be wary of us."

"Therefore, everyone should focus on finding the culprit. If we still cannot find them by the time the deadline arrives, we will have no choice but to relocate."

"Clan Leader, we~"

"Enough, say no more. That is all for today. You are all dismissed; go home," Uchiha Fugaku said before taking his leave.

With the clan leader gone, some were reluctant, but they eventually grumbled and slowly dispersed.

Not long after they departed, news of their gathering was delivered to the Hokage Building, though what transpired within those walls remained unknown.