"This is... not good!" Hizashi felt an invisible energy envelop his body, as though his every movement had been locked onto.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
"Two Palms!"
"Four Palms!"
"Eight Palms!"
"Sixteen Palms!"
"Thirty-Two Palms!"
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
With those crisp cries, Ruri struck like a cheetah. An invisible Eight Trigrams field enveloped them both as an unrelenting storm of blows rained down on the chakra points all over Hizashi's body.
"Damn it, I can't afford to be careless anymore. If this hits me, I'll really be in trouble!"
Despite his shock, Hizashi unleashed his Jonin-level strength. Blue chakra bloomed around his hands as he met Ruri's Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms head-on.
Yet Ruri felt as though every palm strike he threw with all his might had landed on cotton candy, its force completely smothered. He realized that Hizashi had gotten serious and was using Gentle Fist to counter his Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
Damn it, is this the strength of a Jonin? Although Ruri knew he had no chance of defeating a Jonin yet, seeing Hizashi effortlessly counter his Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms left him deeply frustrated by the enormous gap between them.
"It's unbelievable. You really learned this technique!" Hizashi's mind was already in turmoil. How was this possible? Ruri was only five, yet he had learned a technique that even many adults in the clan might never master.
"Hehe, I only learned it yesterday. I told you that you'd get hurt if you didn't take me seriously!"
Seeing Hizashi's expression, as though he had just eaten crap, Ruri grinned smugly. He remembered how dismissive Hizashi had been when he gave him the technique, treating him like a child to be brushed off.
Clearly, Ruri was lying to Hizashi Hyuga. He himself had no idea why he could use Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
"But it really hurts."
Ruri looked at his hands and found them as red and swollen as pig's trotters. How could such a small body possibly withstand performing Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms?
"And your Byakugan... can you already see chakra points...?" Hizashi stared at Ruri's eyes in disbelief.
Just as he was about to move, he noticed a slight obstruction in his chakra pathways. Although he had unleashed his Jonin-level strength in that moment of danger, Ruri had still caught him off guard and landed one palm strike.
He examined his body with his Byakugan and found that one of his chakra points had been sealed shut. It did not prevent him from using all his chakra, as having all sixty-four points sealed would, but it still affected his movements somewhat.
Unlike the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan had no clearly defined ranks. Still, its abilities varied greatly and were generally divided into three stages.
The first stage was the ordinary Byakugan that members of the Hyuga Clan had just awakened. It possessed long-range vision, and channeling chakra into the eyes multiplied their viewing range, allowing them to see things over a kilometer away.
It also provided a 360-degree field of vision, allowing the user to see the space all around them. However, because branch family members bore the Caged Bird Seal, they had a one-degree blind spot directly behind them, extending outward beyond their field of vision.
The second stage was penetrating vision. With the Byakugan, the user could see a target's chakra pathways and chakra points, as well as the direction of their chakra flow. They could even identify whose chakra it was.
The third stage allowed the user to enhance their own abilities. Ordinary ninja, even Jonin, released chakra only through certain parts of their bodies, such as their hands, feet, and mouths. But those with the Byakugan could see their own chakra points and release chakra from every point on their bodies.
That was why many members of the Hyuga Clan could perform highly defensive ninjutsu such as Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin, which released chakra from the entire body. Without the Byakugan, such feats were impossible.
Ruri's ability to accurately seal Hizashi's chakra point showed that his Byakugan had already reached the second stage. This should undoubtedly have been impossible for a five-year-old child, yet the proof was right before him. Ruri had done it.
The look in Hizashi's eyes grew even more complicated as he gazed at Ruri. "You've already surpassed the level of an ordinary Genin. Your talent is truly astonishing. What a shame that you were born into our branch family..."
"Yes, what good is extraordinary talent? In the end, we're still controlled by the Cursed Seal, left at the mercy of fate. If you'd been born into the Main Family, perhaps the Hyuga Clan would have achieved glory in your hands!" Hizashi said, shaking his head.
Although Hizashi Hyuga spoke this way, it did not mean he did not love his clan. In fact, every member of the Hyuga Clan, whether from the Main Family or the branch family, possessed a strong sense of pride in their clan.
"Don't worry, Uncle. I believe that as long as we work hard, even branch family members can surpass the Main Family!"
Although he was already pondering how to break that damned Cursed Seal, Ruri still spouted the same hot-blooded, idiotic words as Naruto Uzumaki.
"That's right, haha! Knowing you think that way puts my mind at ease!" Sure enough, after hearing Ruri's words, Hizashi gave a relieved smile.
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