"Boom—!"
A heavy palm strike landed on the thick tree stump in front of him, emitting a dull thud.
Although the surface of the tree stump showed no damage to the bark, the moment the palm landed, it seemed to sink into a pile of sand, and the entire stump collapsed from the middle.
The fallen upper half of the stump landed on the ground, and from the cut surface, one could clearly see the shattered fibers flowing out like quicksand.
The destructive power of the Gentle Fist Art, from the inside out, was evident.
Hyuga Neji slowly withdrew his palm, exhaling softly:
"Finally, I've got it under control."
After a full week of continuous training, he had finally completely familiarized himself with the surging power within his body.
Strength, speed, reaction, Chakra volume, and even ocular power.
The transformation given to him by Lord Aizen was an all-around improvement.
Vaguely, Hyuga Neji could even feel that deep within his eyes, there seemed to be an unknown power hidden.
It was just that his body had not yet reached its peak, or his ocular power was insufficient, so he was temporarily unable to unearth it.
Everything that had happened in this short time made him so joyful.
Unfortunately, this power was still too far behind compared to veteran Jonin like Hyuga Hiashi.
Neji, possessing the Byakugan, although still young, could clearly 'see' the true strength of a Jonin.
"If this continues… when will I be considered useful to that Lord?"
"When will I be able to overthrow…"
However, the stronger he became, the more intense the sense of urgency in Hyuga Neji's heart grew.
He understood a principle very clearly.
Whatever one desires to obtain, one must pay a corresponding price.
Even if this power and strong innate talent required him to exchange his own life for it, he would not be too surprised.
Hyuga Neji was very afraid that he would die prematurely before he could get his revenge.
Just as he was thinking this.
The young man suddenly turned his head towards the distant forest, his pure white pupils suddenly growing cold.
"Who is it?"
...The forest not far from the training ground.
Three figures dressed in Anbu attire were silently hiding among the dense branches and leaves.
Gekko Hayate's gaze was fixed on the young man in the training ground ahead, watching him move like a white lightning bolt through the tree stumps, each step and each palm strike precise and powerful, a hint of admiration inadvertently showing in his eyes.
This was not something an ordinary young man could do.
After retracting his gaze, he turned his head and quietly asked Yūgao Uzuki beside him:
"Have you confirmed the target's identity?"
"Hyuga Neji, it's him."
Yūgao Uzuki nodded slightly, her expression composed.
However, just as they were confirming the information, the figure at the very back of the three spoke in a somewhat impatient, hushed voice:
"It's just a child from the Hyuga clan, do we really need to be this cautious?"
"That old man Third Hokage must have lost his mind, sending three Chunin like us to test a brat who hasn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy!"
"That stinky old man!"
"Anko!"
Gekko Hayate reminded her displeasedly: "We are still on a mission."
"Yes, yes."
Anko Mitarashi pouted dismissively, but the gaze hidden behind her mask vaguely held a hint of resentment.
Although the news of Orochimaru's defection had not yet been confirmed by the Village, various rumors had already reached her ears early on, as she was Orochimaru's only direct disciple.
How could Anko Mitarashi be happy?
Now they were even being made to fool a child.
One should know that with the combined efforts of the three of them, even an ordinary Jonin would die by their hands.
In her opinion, this idle task was clearly a sign that the old man Third Hokage didn't trust her.
Gekko Hayate and Yūgao Uzuki exchanged glances, both shaking their heads slightly.
As teammates, they naturally knew that Anko was not usually like this.
It was just that too many things had been happening one after another in the Village recently.
Gekko Hayate coughed twice softly, then rephrased: "Mission target, Hyuga Neji."
"First, test his strength, then try to recruit him as an Anbu subordinate."
"Understood?"
"Yes."
Yūgao Uzuki and Anko Mitarashi responded softly.
However, just as they were about to emerge from the shadows of the forest, they saw the small figure in the center of the training ground suddenly stop moving and turn his head in their direction.
"Who is it?"
Gekko Hayate's eyes narrowed.
The target had been discovered even before he activated his Byakugan.
But it didn't matter.
He would just test his capabilities first.
The moment this thought was decided, Gekko Hayate gestured to the two of them.
Immediately after, his figure suddenly became invisible, shooting out from the forest in an transparent state, darting like a flying arrow towards Hyuga Neji.
At the same time, he drew his sword.
"Whoosh—!"
A faint whistling sound scraped past his ears, extremely fast, yet his figure was concealed by the shadows, rapidly approaching the young man.
Yūgao Uzuki and Anko Mitarashi, however, had no intention of attacking together, merely creating intentional noises in the woods to constantly distract the opponent's attention.
To test his strength, Hayate alone was enough.
Yūgao Uzuki did not believe that a mere Hyuga genius could defeat battle-hardened Anbu Ninja like them.
However, Hyuga Neji merely frowned, Chakra instantly swelling deep within his meridians.
Byakugan, activate!
In an instant, a ten-kilometer radius centered on him was brought into his vision.
'Three people, dressed as Anbu.'
'Chakra Cloak.'
In just a moment, the figures of Gekko Hayate and his two companions were clearly captured by him.
At the same time, Hyuga Neji suddenly recalled the letter Lord Aizen had left him.
'Is this Lord Aizen's test?'
A smile suddenly appeared on Hyuga Neji's face, then his expression abruptly turned serious, his hands placed one in front and one behind in the air.
He bent his knees and stepped forward, his body bowed like a full moon.
Suddenly, he shot out like an arrow.
Amidst the rustling wind, he unhesitatingly collided with the transparent figure that had been hidden in the dark, drawing his sword.
'So fast.'
Gekko Hayate had barely thought this when the white-clad figure, almost skimming the ground, had already shot in front of him.
But his reaction was equally swift; he twisted the blade in his hand, changing from a downward chop to a backhanded thrust.
The moonlight-reflecting blade flashed with cold light in mid-air, like sharp claws.
However, Hyuga Neji did not dodge or evade, his palm almost paralleling the direction of the blade, extending two fingers, passing in the opposite direction of the Ninja blade, calmly stabbing towards the opponent's wrist.
"Clap."
With just a light touch, Gekko Hayate's sword-wielding arm felt as if a nerve had been pressed, instantly losing all strength.
Pressure point strike.
His eyes widened involuntarily, and his steps halted abruptly.
Hyuga Neji's movements were even faster.
Using his short stature, he stepped forward almost hugging the ground, moving between the opponent's feet, his bandaged palm like a dragon or a snake, rushing forward at high speed with a piercing whoosh.
"Bang—!"
A dull palm force surged out, carving a circle of expanding ring-shaped airwaves in mid-air.
Gentle Fist!
The moment they were almost body-to-body, Gekko Hayate, who had already prepared his Substitution Jutsu, performed it, his figure crossing as he flipped backward off a suddenly appearing wooden stake.
The substitute wooden stake, struck by the center of the palm, seemed to stick to the young man's hand, and the Chakra that suddenly burst from within instantly pulverized it into a mass of shattered dust with a loud bang.
"Crash…"
Scattered wooden fibers sprinkled onto the ground like quicksand.
Gekko Hayate, falling from mid-air to the ground, was horrified, his gaze beneath the mask filled with disbelief.
This level of Gentle Fist… How is that possible?
Hyuga Neji retracted his fists and feet, looking at him with a cold gaze, his tone flat:
"Who exactly are you people?"
"Do you think you can kill me with just this much?"
The moment he heard this, Gekko Hayate immediately forced himself to regain his composure.
This was a test, after all.
If he, an Anbu, couldn't even gauge a child's capabilities and exposed his identity in shame, he would be facing more than just ridicule.
With that thought, Gekko Hayate, without a word, vibrated the meridians in his wrist, moved it slightly, and then looked back at the young man opposite him, raising his blade.
He had made up his mind.
Even a lion uses its full strength when fighting a rabbit.
"Hmph."
Hyuga Neji let out a soft snort, his pure white pupils sweeping over the two distant figures.
Then returned to the person in front of him.
The next moment.
He saw the opponent suddenly raise two fingers, Chakra highly condensed within his body.
"Secret Sword: Moonlight Shadow!"
Suddenly, Gekko Hayate's stationary figure on the ground abruptly traced a connecting curve, forming a triangular shape around the young man's figure.
With only brief pauses, illusory afterimages were left behind, as if they were real.
His figure, folding and tumbling at high speed with the Body Flicker Jutsu, even the Byakugan could only see pulsating Chakra flames.
Until a certain moment, Gekko Hayate's rapidly moving figure under the Body Flicker Jutsu suddenly stopped, yet several lingering illusions around him still seemed substantial.
Hyuga Neji, however, couldn't help but frown.
All three figures, surprisingly, had Chakra reactions.
Shadow Clone!
The moment he realized this, Gekko Hayate's lips curled into a smile.
"Konoha Style: Dance of the Crescent Moon!"
In an instant, the three figures, as one, simultaneously leaped towards the young man from different angles.
The sharp blades, under the biting cold light, carved sharp arcs in mid-air, like claws.
The wind ripped through the air.
Just as they closed in on the young man, Gekko Hayate suddenly noticed the smile on Hyuga Neji's lips.
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"
Chakra, gushing out from all meridians throughout his body, propelled his rotating figure, making him appear as if enveloped in the center of an azure vortex.
The swirling force caused the blades, the moment they contacted the massive Chakra, to be swept into the depths of a whirlpool, completely losing control and beginning to spin wildly.
The unbelievable repulsive force, and the vast range of impact created by that terrifying total Chakra volume, caused Gekko Hayate's three figures to be violently thrown back the instant they approached the spot.
The two Shadow Clones simply and cleanly dissipated into dust.
Only his main body was thrown into the air.
At this moment, Gekko Hayate's mind was filled with disbelief.
'Revolving Heaven?!'
'Isn't this an absolute defense that only the Hyuga Main Family can learn?'
However, his thoughts had not yet had time to fully form when a strong sense of danger emanated from his body, which was in mid-air as if weightless.
Gekko Hayate seemed to realize something and abruptly looked at the young man on the ground.
He saw the opponent crouch low, close to the ground, his palms curving like crescent moons, splitting into two.
A radius of over ten meters centered on him seemed to transform into his absolute domain at that moment, encompassed by circles of Eight Trigrams formations.
Hyuga Neji's gaze was fixed straight ahead.
"Gentle Fist Art: Secret Technique!"
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
Immediately after, he suddenly transformed into an arrow released from a bowstring.
An incredibly violent impact suddenly assailed Gekko Hayate's mind, as the young man's heavy palm strikes, at a frequency of dozens per second, heavily pounded every single pressure point in his entire body.
Gekko Hayate was struck as if by lightning, his body wildly flailing under the high-frequency strikes in the air, completely unable to control himself.
A pungent, salty smell continuously gushed from his mouth and nose, his entire body losing all strength.
"Thud."
Finally, the two figures landed heavily on the ground, one standing, one lying down.
Hyuga Neji glanced at him; with all his pressure points sealed, the man was no longer capable of further action.
Then, he turned to the two distant figures who were completely stunned, his tone cold:
"Do you dare to come before me with only this much strength?"
"You are still far from enough."
Yūgao Uzuki and Anko Mitarashi in the distance stared blankly at the scene, instinctively opening their mouths wide.
From the moment Gekko Hayate charged out until the two landed on the ground, only a few short seconds had passed.
Hayate… was defeated just like that?
Is this kid eight years old??