One Year

Whoosh, whoosh—

Two dark figures tore through the air, clashing continuously across the open grounds of the Hyuga Main Family's Training Ground.

"Eight Trigrams: Second Palm!"

Two different voices rang out amid the exchange.

As the words fell, Hyuga Ryosuke and Hyuga Hiashi completed the final hand seal.

Their Byakugan locked onto one another as Chakra surged through their bodies, flowing freely through their Meridians with their movements before gathering in their palms and taking shape!

"Four Palms."

The same technique, the same method, yet their fighting styles differed, as did the order in which they struck.

Every attack launched at the other was deflected and countered.

But because both were so familiar with the Eight Trigrams Palms, they remained locked in a stalemate. After nearly five hundred exchanges, neither had managed to strike a single Tenketsu in the other's body or disrupt even a trace of Chakra flow.

The Eight Trigrams Palms of the Hyuga Clan's Secret Technique—the Gentle Fist Style—consisted of sixty-four palms. Each palm represented one Tenketsu of the human body.

Chakra flowed through the Meridians within the body, while Tenketsu served as vital junctions connecting them.

By striking different Tenketsu with the Gentle Fist Style, one could interrupt the body's Chakra circulation and induce various negative conditions, such as dizziness, brief disorientation, immobility, and more.

Ryosuke focused completely on the battle. This fight was unlike the ninja combat he had experienced before.

There were no strategies for killing the enemy, only a straightforward head-on battle.

Yet this battle made him even more excited and engrossed. At the same time, his mind remained exceptionally calm as he evaded and blocked Hyuga Hiashi's attacks, constantly searching for opportunities to counterattack.

Both he and Hyuga Hiashi understood that, given their mastery of the Eight Trigrams Palms, the slightest lapse from either side could be seized upon. A single strike could decide the battle.

"Eight Palms... Sixty-Four Palms!"

Ryosuke, who had remained expressionless ever since the battle began in earnest, narrowed his eyes and suddenly attempted to change techniques, altering his fighting style mid-battle.

At the same time, he unleashed the complete Eight Trigrams Palms without holding anything back.

Keeping his Byakugan activated while fighting at such intensity put Ryosuke at a tremendous disadvantage.

Though his physical constitution, strengthened by Ancestral Regression in his bloodline, far surpassed that of others his age,

it still fell far short of Hyuga Hiashi's.

Since his physical condition had not caught up, naturally, neither had his Chakra reserves.

After fighting for so long without defeating Hyuga Hiashi, Ryosuke was not the least bit anxious. But if he continued without making a change, it would be no different from admitting defeat.

"A bold idea."

Across from him, Hyuga Hiashi quickly sensed the change in Ryosuke's movements and offered a word of praise.

But his movements did not loosen in the slightest because he had spoken. Instead, he became even more vigilant.

"There's an opening!"

Changing one's fighting style in the middle of battle meant there was a chance that Ryosuke's Eight Trigrams Palms would lose their fluidity and reveal flaws.

In fewer than ten exchanges, Hyuga Hiashi caught one such opening. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he struck toward a Tenketsu on Ryosuke's body.

As long as that palm landed and the Chakra within it sealed the Chakra flow in Ryosuke's Meridian, his movements would slow, and the outcome of the battle would be decided.

But just as his palm was about to press against Ryosuke's body, Ryosuke's Chakra suddenly erupted within the vision of Hyuga Hiashi's Byakugan.

"Rotation!"

The disordered technique abruptly changed. Ryosuke's remaining Chakra burst from Tenketsu all over his body, forming a spiraling Chakra vortex that tightly enveloped him.

Having long observed this through his Byakugan, Hyuga Hiashi had already abandoned that palm strike. He retreated several steps, avoiding Rotation's counterattack.

Ordinary ninjas could only channel Chakra through certain parts of their bodies, such as their hands, mouths, or feet.

But the Hyuga Clan possessed the Byakugan and understood the Tenketsu throughout the body, allowing them to channel Chakra through any Tenketsu at will.

Rotation was a Secret Technique passed down orally within the Hyuga Main Family. By making use of the Byakugan's traits, Chakra could instantly erupt from Tenketsu all over the body and form a spiraling vortex around oneself, blocking enemy attacks while deflecting part of their force.

"Let's end it here. You no longer have enough Chakra to fight me. You lost."

Hyuga Hiashi deactivated his Byakugan and clasped his hands behind his back as he looked at Ryosuke, who was breathing heavily before him.

"That's true. I no longer have the strength to fight."

Ryosuke smiled as he deactivated his Byakugan as well and lowered his fighting stance. "I never thought I could defeat you. At least, the current me has no chance yet."

A year had passed since his physical condition reached the required standard and he officially began training in the Gentle Fist Style.

Over that year, Ryosuke had learned most of the Hyuga Clan's Secret Techniques and integrated them into his own understanding.

But in terms of physical condition, Chakra reserves, and Chakra control, he was still far behind Hyuga Hiashi. In actual combat, he still had no chance to go all out.

"It's good that you can see your own strength clearly. That's enough for today." Hyuga Hiashi nodded and turned to leave.

But after taking a few steps, he paused again. "Tomorrow, you and Hinata will be preparing to enroll. The two of you should get some rest early."

Only then did he slowly leave the Training Ground, appearing utterly composed.

At that moment, Hinata, who had been silently watching the fight from the edge of the Training Ground, ran over to Ryosuke with some water and handed it to him.

"You're amazing, Ryosuke. You were actually able to fight Father on even terms." She looked at him excitedly, her voice full of admiration.

"You think too highly of me. There's still a huge gap between Father and me."

Ryosuke smiled, took the water, and gulped down a large mouthful. "Now it's your turn to train. Have you become proficient in the Gentle Fist Chakra circulation method I told you about yesterday?"

Although Hinata had abandoned that unrealistic goal after their conversation,

she still had to work even harder. Without harming her body or affecting her development, she had completed her physical conditioning a year and a half earlier than expected.

Of course, that was also because Ryosuke had been there to help and correct her training.

"I-I've almost got it."

Faced with Ryosuke's question, Hinata spoke softly. "If you guide me a few more times, I should be able to remember it."

Ryosuke chuckled helplessly. "I told you to draw it out a few more times with paper and pen. You need to let your mind remember it first."

"If you supervise me in person and guide me with your fingers, it'll be easier for me to get familiar with it." Hinata looked up at him eagerly.

Compared to repeatedly tracing diagrams by herself, she felt that having Ryosuke guide her by sliding his fingers across the surface of her body while she circulated Chakra would make it feel more real.

"Alright, alright. But I need to rest for a while first. I'm having trouble even maintaining my Byakugan with the amount of Chakra I have left." Ryosuke looked at her indulgently and sat down cross-legged.

His shortcomings were obvious, but overcoming them would take time.

Training was not something accomplished overnight. It required steady accumulation over time. Whether it was physical condition, Chakra reserves, or Chakra control, these things might seem fundamental and easy to begin, but the ends of those paths were far away, and every step of improvement was difficult.