Arrival at the Hyuga Clan, a Tentative Exchange

Chapter 40: Arrival at the Hyuga Clan, a Tentative Exchange

"Please stop. This is the Hyuga Clan."

Being stopped by Hyuga Clan ninja was perfectly normal. This was the Hyuga Clan's territory, naturally guarded tightly by their ninja. The Byakugan surveyed the surroundings twenty-four hours a day; launching a surprise attack on the Hyuga Clan was simply impossible.

Besides, no one would come to attack the Hyuga Clan.

And since they had a legitimate reason to enter the Hyuga Clan, Uchiha Jobu made no move. He merely said calmly, "I am from the Uchiha Clan. My name is Uchiha Jobu, and I accepted the mission issued by your Hyuga Clan."

Under the watchful eyes of the Hyuga ninja, the maid Ying took out a mission commission letter and handed it over. "According to the commission details, Lord Uchiha Jobu came here upon invitation. Please do not regard us as enemies."

Several Hyuga ninja exchanged glances. They had indeed heard that the Hyuga Clan had issued a mission to the Uchiha, but they had not expected the ones arriving to be a teenage Uchiha clansman and a maid who was clearly a servant.

"We will verify its authenticity immediately. We hope you will refrain from making any movements and wait here for the result."

"That is acceptable, but please be quick."

Ying handled the rest of the conversation. After all, it was impossible for Uchiha Jobu to personally deal with every little matter.

Otherwise, what was the point of having a maid?

Before long, they received confirmation, and the Hyuga Clan patrol ninja stepped aside.

Upon entering the Hyuga Clan, they were met by an ancient, worn-down atmosphere. A rotten scent rushed into their noses, making one unable to help wondering whether the Hyuga Clan had truly lived here for centuries.

Even the Uchiha had relocated their clan grounds several times in order to survive better.

But the Hyuga Clan seemed to have genuinely lived here for hundreds of years. Otherwise, there could not have been such a heavy, stale odor.

Uchiha Jobu's maid, Ying, was not qualified to remain where the Branch Family head received guests, so she left with the Hyuga Clan's servants.

A servant led Uchiha Jobu to the Hyuga Clan Branch Family's reception hall.

Hyuga Tensei appeared before Uchiha Jobu, a woman who seemed to have stepped out of a painting.

"You are Uchiha Jobu? I heard you possess the Shikotsumyaku. Could you show it to me?"

Having seen countless internet goddesses in the information age, Jobu had seen no shortage of beautiful women. Though he was startled by Hyuga Tensei's pure and graceful beauty, as though she were a woman from a painting, he steadied himself in an instant, without the slightest ripple in his heart.

However, upon hearing her request, he frowned slightly. "Is that part of the mission?"

Hyuga Tensei nodded calmly. "The mission we commissioned from the Uchiha specifically requested you because we want you to use the Shikotsumyaku to spar with me in taijutsu."

"If that is the case, then fine."

"Then come with me. I will take you to the place where we usually train. I hope to see the true Kekkei Genkai of the Kaguya Clan—the Shikotsumyaku—on you."

The Hyuga Clan truly deserved its reputation as one of the Ninja World's oldest clans.

Its profound and extraordinary foundation was genuinely astonishing. It was only a training ground, yet it was as large as a football field, filled with all kinds of training equipment, as well as ninja tools, swords, and hidden weapons commonly used by ninja.

Hyuga Tensei removed her cumbersome outer garments, revealing the combat uniform she had already put on. Raising her hands into a fighting stance, her delicate brows instantly turned fierce, and bulging veins spread from her temples to the area around her eyes.

"Hyuga Tensei, head of the Hyuga Clan Branch Family. Please guide me."

Uchiha Jobu was already wearing a combat uniform, so there was no need to change. He had, however, handed his ninja tools and short sword to the Hyuga Clan guards, leaving him without a suitable weapon.

But the mission commission called for a taijutsu spar, so it was better not to use weapons.

"Uchiha Jobu of the Uchiha Clan. Please guide me."

This was neither a battle to the death nor a battlefield, so they still bowed to each other before clashing. Then, the two figures slammed fiercely together.

"Are you not using the Shikotsumyaku?"

Hyuga Tensei frowned, feeling somewhat displeased, as though she had been underestimated.

That fierce frontal collision was merely a contest of physique and strength, yet it still left Uchiha Jobu deeply surprised. This slender woman possessed explosive strength greater than that of ordinary ninja.

Uchiha Jobu looked at her in surprise. "What tremendous strength. But if this is only a taijutsu spar, there is no need to bring out the Shikotsumyaku yet."

"Fine, then let me see just how formidable the Uchiha Clan's taijutsu truly is. I hope you will not disappoint me."

"Gentle Fist! Thirty-Six Palms!"

An Eight Trigrams Domain unfolded beneath Hyuga Tensei's feet, fixing yin and yang, the five elements, earth, fire, water, and wind. She struck repeatedly at Uchiha Jobu, and every palm strike carried chakra.

The power the Hyuga Clan relied upon to survive in the Warring States Ninja World was the Gentle Fist. It was a martial art that used softness to overcome hardness, primarily attacking the enemy's chakra-flowing meridians.

The chakra wrapped around the palms not only increased the force of the attacks, but also precisely blocked the flow of chakra through the meridians at the struck locations the instant an enemy was hit.

What did it feel like to be struck by the Gentle Fist Method's Thirty-Six Palms? It could only be described as fast. Before he could even count how many blows he had taken, he had already been sent flying.

"Such fast Gentle Fist!"

"At least one-third of the chakra in my body cannot be used."

"I underestimated her."

The instant Uchiha Jobu landed, he discovered that the flow of one-third of his chakra had been obstructed. In other words, his chakra limit had been reduced by one-third. He could still use ninjutsu, but not in the same quantity as before.

"I only used the Thirty-Six Palms, sealing nearly one-third of the chakra in your body. The impact on you is not too great."

"Now you should use the Shikotsumyaku, shouldn't you?"

"Or do you still believe that I am unworthy of seeing your full strength?"

By the time she finished speaking, the anger on Hyuga Tensei's face was unmistakable.

It seemed that his failure to use the Shikotsumyaku from the start had made this Branch Family head very angry.

Uchiha Jobu rose to his feet, frowning. He had originally wanted to test himself without using the Shikotsumyaku, believing his own strength should still be enough to fight Hyuga Tensei.

But he had not expected to be completely overwhelmed in the very first exchange. In an instant, the Gentle Fist had locked him down. He had endured the basic Thirty-Six Palms, with one-third of his meridians struck and their chakra flow blocked.

"I was too arrogant. I thought I could fight you without using the Shikotsumyaku. I never imagined that my opponent—you—would possess such formidable taijutsu."

Hyuga Tensei said, "My surname is Hyuga, and the taijutsu I know is only the Gentle Fist. But you are the first person who has dared to look down on the Hyuga Clan. Perhaps that is also a common flaw among your Uchiha Clan."

"Arrogant, conceited, never giving ninja from other clans a proper glance."

Hyuga Tensei's first impression of Uchiha Jobu was poor. But recalling what her elder brother, Hyuga Tennin, had said before, she did not immediately show it despite her dislike.

After all, in the Warring States Ninja World, strength reigned supreme. It was not about who was handsome, who had a good temperament, or who spoke well.

Only strength was real.

Uchiha Jobu nodded. "I admit that I was arrogant. Next, as you wish, I will use the Shikotsumyaku to spar with you."

"You are finally willing to reveal it? As an Uchiha, do you truly possess the Shikotsumyaku? Let me use these eyes to confirm it beyond all doubt!"

Hyuga Tensei eagerly anticipated seeing the Shikotsumyaku for real, because that would mean the Hyuga Clan had not made the wrong choice.

After steadying herself, Hyuga Tensei suppressed the excitement in her heart and said calmly, "Very well. Please show me the Shikotsumyaku possessed by the Uchiha Clan. Let me see exactly how it differs from the power wielded by the Kaguya Clan."

The Hyuga Clan had a close relationship with the Kaguya Clan. Both were ninja clans proficient in taijutsu, and their clans had supported one another for two or three centuries.

But when it came to the clan's future and survival, the Hyuga Clan could choose to abandon the Kaguya Clan. For the sake of strengthening itself, it could even raise its blade against the Kaguya Clan.

Let alone merely seeing the Kekkei Genkai that belonged exclusively to the Kaguya Clan on another ninja.