Even when using taijutsu, ordinary shinobi generally needed to supplement it with chakra.
Chakra did far more in actual combat than simply fuel ninjutsu. That was precisely why the Byakugan could often secure a clear advantage even in a pure taijutsu exchange.
But...
What happened today went somewhat beyond Neji's expectations.
Gua's chakra hadn't budged!
That meant Gua had no intention of using chakra at all. He wanted to face Neji with pure taijutsu alone!
Noticing Neji's lapse in concentration, Hizashi frowned slightly.
What was wrong with Neji?
He had never lost his composure like this before.
Even against Gua, surely this was excessive?
Following Neji's gaze, Hizashi looked at Gua.
"Byakugan!"
The veins at the corners of his eyes bulged slightly. For an instant, even his breathing stopped.
"What?"
Through his Byakugan, he saw Gua's chakra lying as motionless as a still lake, without even the faintest ripple.
What did that mean?
This went far beyond chakra control. It was control over taijutsu itself.
In a sense, chakra could be considered something like water stored inside the human body. Whenever someone moved normally, their chakra would instinctively shift along with them.
That was unavoidable to some degree.
Even without actively using chakra, physical movement would inevitably cause it to flow. The flow was simply less noticeable when chakra wasn't being used.
But Gua, right now...
His chakra was steady as a rock!
Completely motionless!
Even an ordinary jonin couldn't achieve this level, could he?
Cold sweat beaded on Hizashi's forehead.
Just how powerful was Gua's taijutsu?
"Neji!"
Hizashi shouted Neji's name. There was no longer any point to this match. Conceding immediately was the best possible outcome.
After all, the gap in their abilities was too great. Once they exchanged blows, Gua would have difficulty judging how much force