Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms

"So strong, way too strong! That strength is just plain unfair!"

"Yes, exactly! That's how it's done!"

Nawaki had already jumped to his feet in excitement, clenching his fists as he shouted.

He had challenged Eiji several times over the past few days and suffered plenty for it. Now, watching someone else get beaten up felt especially satisfying.

The Six Eyes are incredible! Don't they completely outclass the Sharingan and Byakugan? I, Nawaki, declare them the Shinobi World's number one dojutsu bloodline ability!

Eiji darted left and right through the crowd. Every so often, someone howled as he sent them flying, and they crashed heavily to the ground in a cloud of dust!

In truth, he did not need to dodge at all, but his teacher Zephyr had once said, "Kizaru, you rely too much on your Devil Fruit ability." Eiji thought that made perfect sense.

He could not always rely on Limitless either. Satoru Gojo was a prime example: his excessive reliance on that ability had caused him to let his guard down against Sukuna after defeating Mahoraga, leading to him being cut in half. That absolutely should never have happened.

Just then, Uchiha Yo made his move!

Using the Body Flicker Technique, he circled behind Eiji while Eiji was dealing with his opponents and formed hand seals. He leaned back, then spat an enormous fire dragon from his mouth straight at Eiji!

"Fire Release—Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

The fire dragon engulfed Eiji, forming a vast sea of fire that swallowed him whole. Sensing danger, everyone leaped away!

"...Did I get him?"

Uchiha Yo jumped back, murmuring under his breath with a solemn expression.

"Eiji!"

Kushina knitted her brows, clutching the front of her clothes with both hands against her chest.

These guys are shameless! There are already so many of them fighting Eiji alone, and they still ambushed him from behind!

"Lord Eiji...!"

Sayuri's heart trembled at the sight. She did not know much about battles between ninja, but how could anyone emerge unscathed after being struck by a fireball like that?

"Tsunade, you're just going to sit there and watch?!"

Jiraiya could no longer stay seated. He started to rise; if they did not save the boy now, he would be seriously injured!

Orochimaru frowned as well, turning to Tsunade in confusion. Was this woman really so callous toward her own student?

Yet faced with their doubts, Tsunade remained perfectly unruffled. She waved a hand and spoke.

"Don't worry. Ninjutsu of this level can't possibly hurt Eiji!"

"Not bad, but it's pointless. Against my Six Eyes, you don't stand a chance."

As though confirming Tsunade's words, Eiji's voice rang out from the surging flames.

A hand emerged from the blaze, then brushed the flames aside as though parting mist. With his other hand in his pocket, Eiji strolled slowly out of the fire.

"What...?!"

Uchiha Yo gritted his teeth and staggered back a step, his expression turning utterly grim.

By now, the grandstand had erupted into an uproar!

"What's going on? He clearly took that Fire Release attack, so why is he completely fine? Look, even his clothes aren't singed!"

Orochimaru's expression grew serious. With his abilities, he could clearly see that Ryuuzaki Eiji had not used any defensive ninjutsu.

He had taken that Fire Release attack head-on, yet no matter how Orochimaru looked at it, it made no sense. Even if his body was exceptionally tough, that could not protect his clothes as well.

Moreover, Orochimaru had noticed something even more interesting during the earlier fighting.

His opponents had tried to attack Ryuuzaki Eiji more than once, yet without exception, every attack had abruptly stopped a short distance from him.

Combined with his ability to walk out of a Fire Release attack unscathed, this suggested that something surrounding the boy's body could block both physical and chakra-based attacks.

But why could he still touch other people while that protective barrier was in place?

Orochimaru's lips curled upward. This was far more interesting than conducting experiments.

Eiji, you're making me more and more curious!

Damn it! How can there be no blind spots?!

Uchiha Yo had heard the clan's reports about Eiji stopping a chair that had been thrown at him in the classroom, but their analysis at the time had concluded that this ninjutsu could not cover every direction.

Now, no matter how he looked at it, there were no openings at all!

If that was the case, what difference would it make even if he used the Majestic Destroyer Flame he had worked so hard to learn?

Is this kekkei genkai technique really invincible?!

"Don't be ridiculous! There's no such thing as invincible ninjutsu! How could your eyes possibly be superior to the Byakugan? There has to be some kind of limitation!!!"

Hyuga Yamashiro could no longer contain himself. He absolutely refused to accept something like this!

"Byakugan—activate!"

Veins bulged around his eyes, and Eiji's meridians and acupoints became fully visible to him. Though those powerful, thick meridians made his heart quail, he had not come here just to stand trembling in place!

"Gentle Fist Palm: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"

Hyuga Yamashiro lowered his body, raising his left arm slightly as a taiji bagua pattern faintly appeared beneath his feet.

He closed in with the Body Flicker Technique, then extended his fingers into a palm and thrust it at Eiji's chest!

Hyuga Yamashiro's pure white Byakugan met Ryuuzaki Eiji's azure Six Eyes at close range—

"Let me show you the Hyuga Clan's true strength...!"

Eiji, who had been bored all this time, finally found something interesting. His lips curved into a slight grin as he watched Hyuga Yamashiro attack with a deadly serious expression.

Not Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms? Well, whatever. Things are finally getting a little interesting...aren't they?

"Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms? He's already mastered such complex taijutsu at his age?!"

"Just what you'd expect from the Hyuga Clan's genius. The Shinobi World hasn't been peaceful lately. With a genius like him, our village should have a better chance of winning."

"Forget it. The Hyuga Clan would never send such a gifted member of the Main Family into battle!"

Hearing the crowd's discussion of Hyuga Yamashiro, Ryuuzaki Eiji could understand their reaction.

Indeed, he had been somewhat surprised to see his opponent use the Hyuga Clan's signature move from the original story. After all, Yamashiro ranked among the strongest students in their year, so it was only natural that he had some skills.

Still, all of that was nothing but wasted effort before the Six Eyes!

Hyuga Yamashiro drove his palm hard toward Eiji's chest, only for it to stop abruptly about a centimeter away.

Eiji noticed Yamashiro's brows knot together, but Yamashiro did not stop. He struck with a second palm, then a third!

Yet it was all meaningless. As though separated by an impassable chasm, his palms could never reach Eiji's body.

Eiji found it truly tragic. The Shinobi World was unfair like that. Hard work could only earn you the right to follow in a genius's footsteps, but surpassing one completely was as difficult as reaching the heavens.

Obito Uchiha was a living example. Before awakening Kamui, he had been a dead last; afterward, he had immediately become one of the strongest fighters in the Shinobi World.

"Damn it, why isn't it working?! There has to be a time limit!"

"Twelfth palm! Thirteenth palm!"

Hyuga Yamashiro clenched his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead. It seemed that delivering thirty-two palms was still too much for him.

Then it's time for me to make my move, too.

Hyuga Yamashiro's attacks gradually slowed, and Eiji stopped standing still, beginning to turn sideways to evade them instead.

The gust from a passing palm brushed the white hair over his forehead, and he could feel the strands flutter in its wake.