By night, most of the people at the Fire Temple had already gone to bed. Those still awake were mostly in their own rooms. Only Hizashi Hyuga had left his room to practice Gentle Fist in a quiet courtyard within the temple.
The primary moves of the Hyuga Gentle Fist belonged to the Eight Trigrams Palm. It was not quite the same as the martial art from Kazemori Masaki's previous life, but their underlying principles shared certain similarities. The "circle" was the core of the Eight Trigrams Palm, and every movement embodied the principles of nature. Through generation after generation of practice, the Hyuga ancestors had developed Gentle Fist to an extraordinarily high level.
That thousand-year legacy alone had given the Hyuga Clan considerable standing in the shinobi world. Although its members generally did not study the traditional five elemental release techniques, the Hyuga Gentle Fist had accumulated countless moves over the years, enough to deal with virtually any opponent.
The Eight Trigrams Gentle Fist for close combat, the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm for ranged attacks, the Twin Lion Fist, Rotation for absolute defense... Over a thousand years, the Hyuga ancestors had faced all manner of opponents, and their methods of countering them had long since been incorporated into the Gentle Fist system. It might lack techniques that transcended ordinary limits, but it was comprehensive enough.
Hizashi Hyuga felt that the Fire Temple's tranquil surroundings were exceptionally well suited to practicing Gentle Fist. As he performed each movement here, he seemed able to sense the subtle effects his actions had on the natural environment, perfectly capturing the essence of Gentle Fist. Even away from home, he could not resist practicing.
Hizashi Hyuga was not worried about anyone secretly learning his techniques. First, without the Byakugan, merely knowing how to practice