Eight Trigrams: Wandering Dragon

"Stop, Neji! You bastard, let him go!" The chubby boy who rushed forward was stopped by a Branch House elder.

"Enough. You've already won. Do you take the clan rules for decoration?" the Branch House elder barked.

"Young Master Neji..." Xiao Xi burst into tears as she looked at the bleeding Neji.

"Brother Neji, Father, make Kosuke stop!" Hinata hurriedly cried to Hiashi Hyuga.

"Elder, this has gone too far. Whether Main House or Branch House, the clan has never had such methods."

Hiashi Hyuga spoke to the elder with a dark expression, chakra already surging through his body.

Branch House elders could not attack members of the Main House. Hiashi Hyuga would not stand by and watch Neji be crippled here. If such a thing truly happened, the reputation of the clan head's line would hit rock bottom.

"Heh heh heh, this brat has indeed gotten a little carried away. Clan Head, please wait a moment."

The elder spoke with a smiling face.

"Why aren't you stopping? Get over here, you little bastard! How could you be so vicious toward your own clansman?"

The elder shouted unhurriedly.

But Kosuke Hyuga turned a deaf ear. With a flick of his wrist, his fingertips stabbed straight toward Neji's eyes.

"Ah!"

"Stop!"

"This is bad!"

"Neji!"

Everyone shut their eyes, unable to bear the brutal sight to come.

Hiashi Hyuga's Body Flicker Technique was slowed by half a beat when the elder's presence blocked him. He was too late to save Neji.

"No one can save you, you Branch House trash..." Beneath Kosuke Hyuga's arrogant expression flashed a twisted soul. The next second, his fingertips were about to strike Neji's eyes.

At that critical moment, a massive surge of chakra erupted from Neji's body. Pale blue chakra solidified almost into substance, blasting away Kosuke Hyuga's foot from Neji's chest.

When Kosuke's fingertips were only an inch from his brow, Neji caught his wrist with a backhanded grab. As Taiji Soft Force pulsed and surged, Kosuke's brocade sleeve shattered inch by inch.

With a flick of his hand, Neji flung Kosuke away. Then he straightened himself and flipped back onto his feet.

Kosuke Hyuga staggered back three steps after landing, only to see purplish finger marks bloom around his wrist. Instantly enraged, he roared, "You trash! You dared to hurt me? Why aren't you dead yet? You lowly thing, why are you standing up? Wouldn't it be better if you just lay there and let me kill you? Aah, this is infuriating!"

Kosuke Hyuga's roar echoed across the entire arena, displaying his contempt for the Branch House to the fullest.

"Elder, is this how you educate your descendants?" Hiashi Hyuga flashed back to his original position and demanded sharply.

Though the Hyuga Clan rules required Branch House members to protect the Main House, that did not mean the Branch House were servants. Only one person from each generation could become part of the Main House; the rest, branded with the Caged Bird, were still family connected by blood.

Hiashi Hyuga had already been consumed by guilt over his younger brother's death. Now, from the conflict between the Branch House and Main House, he immediately sensed something unusual.

"Please calm your anger, Clan Head. This old man will punish Kosuke." The elder's smiling expression stiffened slightly as he replied vaguely.

In the arena, Neji said nothing. His left hand reached for his broken rib. With a crack, he grunted and endured the agony as he forced it back into place.

The searing pain did not awaken fear, but a tremor from deep within his bloodline. Neji saw Kosuke's charging movements slow down—this was the insight granted by Inner Qi flowing through the Byakugan. His torn sleeves fluttered without wind, while fish-shaped vortices formed in his palms.

Wandering Dragon: Mountain Breaker!

The instant his palm force erupted, a stream of chakra suddenly appeared around Neji's body, winding and coiling through the air. Before Kosuke could even land, his entire body was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut.

Neji spun to his feet, his palms tracing profound trajectories. This time, everyone saw it clearly: with every step, the bluestone tiles cracked and burst apart; with every palm strike, the air exploded with a dragon-like roar.

"One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms?" Neji dodged Kosuke's counterattack, the qi blade along his palm shearing off Kosuke's jade crown. "The Gentle Fist isn't some circus trick built on piling up numbers."

Mountain Breaker: Double Wave!

Another wave of Inner Qi surged within Neji, flowing into both palms and transforming into dense chakra force. It abruptly left his body and charged at Kosuke Hyuga, winding like a dragon's shadow.

Gasps rose from the stands. No one had ever seen the Gentle Fist unleash such tyrannical power.

As he stared at the chakra rushing toward him, terror froze on Kosuke Hyuga's face. He felt an overwhelming pressure like a mountain, and an irresistible sense of lowliness suddenly rose in his heart.

"Grandfather, save me!" Instinct ultimately overcame fear as Kosuke Hyuga cried out in panic.

Smack!

The elder appeared beside Kosuke Hyuga. Chakra surged around him as he shattered Neji's palm force with a single strike.

"Good. Very good. Hmph, we're leaving. You disgraceful wretch!"

The elder grabbed Kosuke Hyuga, whose splendid robes were stained with blood and whose hair hung loose. He looked hatefully at Hiashi Hyuga standing behind Neji, then left.

"Yeah, we won! Brother Neji, you're amazing! Teach me, you have to teach me!" Zong Zhi shouted as he pounced on Neji.

"Ow, ow, ow! You mutt, take it easy!" Neji cursed when he bumped against the wound on his chest.

"Oh, sorry, Brother Neji. I forgot you were hurt." The chubby boy gave an embarrassed laugh and stepped back, revealing Hinata and Xiao Xi, who had gathered around him.

"Brother Neji..."

"Young Master Neji..."

Neji looked at their concerned eyes and nodded. "Don't worry. It's nothing serious."

It truly was nothing serious. As Inner Qi circulated, his meridians healed and flesh began to regenerate around his wounds. Only his broken bones needed two days of rest to mend.

"Clan Head."

Neji turned back to Hiashi Hyuga.

Hiashi Hyuga seemed about to say something, but then sighed inwardly.

"Go get treated first. Come see me afterward." With that, he turned and left.

"Brother Neji, make sure you get plenty of rest. Goodbye!" Seeing this, Hinata hurried after him.

"Let's go too, Xiao Xi, Zong Zhi."

Neji called for the two of them to follow.

"Brother Neji, that move of yours, Wandering Dragon: Mountain Breaker, was so cool! How did you get it? Don't tell me you came up with it yourself? There's no Gentle Fist in the clan that's this fierce. Is it even still Gentle Fist?"

The chubby boy asked without pause.

Eight Trigrams: Wandering Dragon was indeed adapted by Neji from the Wandering Dragon Eight Trigrams Palm he had used in his daily training in his previous life. He had drawn upon martial arts principles of softness containing hardness, and the balance of hardness and softness.

Using Inner Qi to control and transform chakra, its palm force could either be held in reserve or used to injure enemies from a distance.

Neji discovered that chakra in this world truly could undergo incredible transformations. It seemed to become a unique power based on each person's understanding. But considering that chakra was a combination of physical energy and spiritual energy, Neji felt somewhat relieved.

At present, Neji had only completed the creation of one palm. This first palm was incomparably fierce, created by abandoning the acupoint-striking methods and following the Steel Fist Style.

The Steel Fist Style was a close-combat system unique to the ninja world. Through unmatched physical ability honed to the limit day after day, it carried torrent-like chakra and erupted it through the body, unleashing broad, powerful techniques.

Might Guy and Rock Lee were the standouts of this style.

Because of the pain and hardship of tempering the body, no one in the Hyuga Clan took this path. In addition, the Byakugan offered little assistance to the Steel Fist Style, so it had long been abandoned by the Hyuga Clan.

As for why Neji chose this path, it was naturally because of Qi.