But now, a layer of blue chakra visibly burst from Ruri's body. He spun rapidly on the spot, drawing the surging chakra into a spherical protective shield.
The Great Fireball Technique Uchiha Itachi had unleashed from midair hurtled toward Ruri, only to be swept away without a trace by Ruri's Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin.
Only flames and steam lingering in the air, along with the circular crater Ruri's Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin had carved into the ground, remained to prove what had just happened.
"Holy shit, what was that?!"
"Oh my god, now this is a real fight between ninja!"
"Yeah! Compared to this, what we saw earlier was just kids fighting!"
"Are those two really in the same year as us?"
Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin was a secret technique passed down within the Hyuga Clan. Many of the chunin teachers present did not even recognize it, let alone the other ninja students.
Ruri had received Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin as a reward for training inside the Ring. Thanks to his ability to learn quickly, he had mastered it and learned to use it proficiently after spending less than a few dozen minutes inside the Ring.
Whether Ruri and Uchiha Itachi exchanged taijutsu blows or ninjutsu techniques, their fight left every spectator dazzled and fired up.
After seeing Ruri block his Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, Uchiha Itachi landed from midair and stood frozen on the ground.
"Remember, you must never let your guard down, no matter what! That's a cardinal rule." As soon as Ruri finished speaking, he planted one foot ahead of the other and extended his palms in the same formation, settling into a strange stance.
That strange stance gave Uchiha Itachi a bad feeling deep in his gut.
While Uchiha Itachi stood dazed after landing, Ruri had already assumed his stance in front of him.
Never give an enemy an opening, no matter what. Even a moment to catch their breath could cost you your life. Uchiha Itachi was standing there in a daze, which was an especially fatal mistake.
"You're finished!" Ruri said, looking at him.
By then, Uchiha Itachi had snapped out of his daze. He wanted to fight back, to retreat, but found that his body could not move. Every chakra point in his body had been locked down!
"Don't waste your energy! You're already inside my Eight Trigrams Field! Your chakra points are locked down. You can't move!" Ruri's lips curled upward as he watched the immobilized Uchiha Itachi. "Idiot. Your own arrogance did this to you. If this were a battlefield, you'd already be done for!"
An invisible membrane of chakra surrounded Ruri and Uchiha Itachi. This was the Eight Trigrams Field. Ordinary people could not see this intangible field, but Uchiha Itachi could feel it.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
"Two Palms!"
"Four Palms!"
"Eight Palms!"
"Sixteen Palms!"
"Thirty-Two Palms!"
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
The cries rang out one after another within the Eight Trigrams Field. As Ruri shouted, his figure blurred into an afterimage, and he rushed straight up to Uchiha Itachi. With his fingers held together, his palms struck at Uchiha Itachi in rapid succession.
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