Year 59 of Konoha, autumn was crisp and clear.
On the outskirts of the Death Forest.
A gray-haired boy stood before a wooden training post in an open clearing.
The boy had refined features and wore brown short sleeves and shorts. A white bandage was tied around his forehead, and his pale white pupils were particularly eye-catching.
The boy looked straight ahead, fully focused as he assumed the opening stance of the Eight Trigrams Palm.
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."
The words rang out~~~
The gray-haired boy suddenly moved, astonishingly fast, leaving a trail of afterimages behind him.
"Two Palms!"
"Four Palms!"
"..."
"Sixty-Four Palms!"
The gray-haired boy's footwork was light and graceful, while his palm strikes flowed as smoothly as clouds and water. It was simply a feast for the eyes.
Thud, thud, thud...
For a moment, palm shadows fluttered everywhere, like butterflies dancing among flowers. Every strike from the gray-haired boy landed solidly on the wooden post, producing sounds like pearls falling onto a jade plate, their marvelous rhythm utterly captivating.
The words ended~~~
The gray-haired boy was slightly out of breath, but a delighted smile appeared on his face.
Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms—flawless!
The boy's name was Hyuga Hayato, a member of the Hyuga Branch Family. Hayato was only twelve this year, yet he had already mastered a secret technique that only the Hyuga Main Branch could use. Who would believe it if he told them?
However, Hayato did not let it go to his head.
Originally, he had merely been an ordinary civil servant in China on Blue Star. With no connections, no money, and no prospects, he had lived a salted-fish life. He had thought such days would continue until retirement.
Forrest Gump had said, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You