The Hyuga Main Family estate.
Genye strode into the room, bowed to Hyuga Hiashi, who was reading, and asked:
"Lord Hiashi, may I ask why you summoned me today?"
As he spoke, he glanced around curiously, trying to catch sight of Hyuga Yuansheng.
Ever since Genye had sent him flying with a punch, the clan head hadn't shown his face in front of the clan. Genye wondered if he'd recovered yet.
Hiashi set down the book in his hands and got straight to the point:
"Genye, when I saw you use the Gentle Fist last time, it seemed you were using some kind of unique technique to generate force?"
Hiashi hadn't even opened his mouth, and Genye already knew what he was after.
No wonder this guy's been so friendly to me. Turns out he's got his eye on my precious treasure! Genye thought.
"Lord Hiashi, your insight is remarkable. You're right. I've painstakingly developed a way to generate force that, when used properly, can double the power of the Gentle Fist!"
Double it!
Even Hiashi, who was usually good at keeping his composure, began breathing rapidly at Genye's words.
The Gentle Fist had been passed down for a thousand years, and countless predecessors had worked to improve it.
But doubling its power?
They wouldn't have dared dream of such a thing!
Hiashi stared intently at Genye, his mouth dry as he asked, "Genye, are you certain?"
Genye nodded, his expression sincere. "Of course. I wouldn't dare deceive you, Lord Hiashi."
I just didn't tell him the whole story.
Every time the system replicated the technique, it subtly adjusted Genye's body. That was the only reason he could just barely withstand releasing twice—or even three times—the force.
But if someone else tried it?
They'd blow their arm right off!
"Excellent, excellent!" Hiashi exclaimed, slapping his thigh in excitement. "Genye, calling me 'Lord' makes us sound like strangers. Our bloodlines are within five generations of each other. If you don't mind, you can call me Uncle."
At that, Genye's expression turned strange. "I just beat your father until he coughed up blood, and now you want to call me your nephew?"
He had no idea how tempting it was to Hiashi—and to the Hyuga Clan as a whole—to improve, or even revolutionize, the Gentle Fist.
"Uncle Hiashi," Genye said, changing how he addressed him without hesitation.
If Hiashi didn't get the accounts office to increase Genye's monthly allowance by at least a hundred thousand ryo after saying that, Genye would stand on his head and take a dump.
Hiashi gazed at Genye intently. "My boy, would you be willing to...?"
He could have used the Caged Bird Seal to force Genye to reveal the technique, but only a fool would kill the goose that laid the golden eggs!
A genius like this had to be put to better use. Hiashi needed to find a way to ensure he kept generating benefits for the Main Branch.
Beating up his father?
A small matter! As long as he wasn't dead, it was fine!
In the face of the clan's interests, Hiashi was sure his father wouldn't object either.
Genye barely hesitated. "I'm willing to offer this technique to the clan. I just have one small request."
Hiashi was pleased with Genye's good sense and waved a hand. "All right. Go ahead."
"I'm very interested in the Main Branch's Rotation technique. Would you be willing to teach it to me?" Genye asked.
Hiashi frowned slightly. "The Rotation technique..."
Rotation was a secret technique passed down orally through generations of the Hyuga Main Family. Teaching it to a Branch House member—wouldn't that be a desecration of the Main Branch's traditions?
...But what if the boy could improve Rotation, too?
After a long hesitation, Hiashi finally made a decision that went against his ancestors' wishes: he would teach it!
Genye was very pleased with how things had gone after leaving the Hyuga estate.
First, posing as a genius who'd made a stunning breakthrough and revealing a few small secrets would help him better conceal the system's existence.
Second, he'd traded a move that was hard for anyone else to replicate for a Youth Version of Almighty Push. That was a fantastic deal.
Of course, the force-generating technique behind Gentle Fist: Double was still well worth learning from.
If he could fully understand it, he wouldn't be able to double his power, but increasing it by twenty or thirty percent was still possible.
"I've decided. I'll focus on learning Rotation for now."
There were projectiles flying everywhere on the battlefield. If he could master this Absolute Defense, his chances of survival would shoot up!
While Genye trained diligently, the Third Shinobi World War finally arrived.
The great nations' all-out conflict had begun.
Amid the baptism of blood and fire, a new generation of powerful shinobi emerged, making names for themselves in battle after battle.
The genius puppeteer of Sunagakure stained the desert red with the blood of his enemies, earning a fearsome reputation throughout the Shinobi World as Sasori of the Red Sands.
The pair from Kumogakure, A and Killer B, were invincible with their combination technique, Double Lariat, and won every battle they fought.
Konoha, by contrast, seemed to be suffering from a lack of up-and-coming talent.
Aside from the Yellow Flash, there didn't seem to be any young shinobi worth mentioning.
(Shimura Hofu cried himself to sleep in the bathroom.)
With war breaking out, the Chunin Exams were moved up. Just like that, Genye and his two teammates found themselves taking the exam.
The Chunin Exams had three rounds.
The first was a written test, assessing the examinees' basic abilities or their skills at gathering information.
If they couldn't solve the questions, they could still copy answers—as long as they didn't alert the proctors.
"Tch, this is so easy. Anyone with hands could do it." Genye glanced at the test paper and couldn't even be bothered to activate his Byakugan.
He'd made it all the way to university in his previous life, so these questions were a piece of cake—
"Genye, you almost got eliminated!"
On the day the results were posted, Asuma pointed at the list. Genye had been just one spot away from not making it.
"Damn, who knew there was a back side to the test?"
Genye was speechless. Luckily, he really was that good—even after answering only half the questions, he'd still passed.
"Get serious, will you? Don't hold us back in the next round!" Asuma reminded him, still worried.
The second round was a team competition. If one person messed up, the whole team would suffer.
He was still looking forward to that two-week vacation!
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Genye sighed.
Three days later, in the Forest of Death.
The dense canopy blocked out most of the sunlight. The forest floor was dark and oppressive, as if someone had slapped a horror-movie filter over it.
"What a coincidence. You're our opponents?"
When they saw Kakashi and Rin, Asuma looked surprised.
"Yeah, right. It's obvious Teacher Hefeng arranged this."
Genye rolled his eyes and looked at Kakashi's team. "Where's Obito? Don't tell me he's late even for an exam."
Kakashi: (̿▀̿̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ ̿)̄
Rin: (눈_눈)
"Right." Genye smacked his lips. Their expressions said it all.
"Sorry, sorry! I'm late!"
Just then, a figure came running over in a hurry, panting as he spoke.
"Late?"
Kakashi snorted and pointed at the clock on the iron fence. "If you'd been one minute later, our team would've been disqualified!"
Obito scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly. "On the way here, I ran into an old lady who needed help, so..."
"Enough. No more excuses!"
The proctor, who'd been waiting for ages, had run out of patience. "Now that everyone's here, follow me."
Led by the proctor, they arrived at a relatively open clearing and took their places on either side of him.
"Are the examinees ready?" the proctor shouted.
"Ready!"
"Good!" The proctor swept a hand through the air and vanished from the spot, leaving the clearing to the two teams.
"The match—begins!"
Before you continue