"Creating your own taijutsu style... Satori Hyūga, you truly are a genius among the Hyūga."
Hiashi Hyūga stared deeply at Satori Hyūga for a moment before his expression turned stern. "But you're far too arrogant," he snapped coldly. "You disrespect your clansmen and clearly don't value the dignity of the Hyūga clan."
"You possess such strength yet allow others to look down on our Main House."
Satori Hyūga had long wanted to change it.
He certainly wasn't about to give up his disciplined lifestyle for the sake of an abstract ideal like clan honor.
After all, his current strength came from steady progress made through years of cultivation and early use of the Feeding-Back Jutsu.
His innate talent wasn't extraordinary—he owed everything to years of relentless effort.
If he were to waste that effort fighting rivals all day long just for the glory of the Hyūga Clan, when would he have time to train at all?
Moreover, Hiashi's tone really rubbed him the wrong way.
The guy hadn't even been named clan leader yet, but was already acting like one—lecturing him as if he had absolute authority.
The Hyūga clan was traditional and strict in its discipline, with rigid hierarchical relationships between members. But Satori hated this kind of atmosphere.
Especially coming from Hiashi, a little kid pretending to be some mature adult scolding him like this.
Who knows how bad things would get once he actually grew up?
This suffocating family environment? Satori had long wanted to change it.
Looking at Hiashi, Satori slowly curled his lips into a cold smile.
[Start with you, Hiashi.]
"Hiashi, don't speak to me with that condescending tone. If you want me to obey you, defeat me first."
"Ninjas settle disputes the ninja way. In the Hyūga Clan, we speak through the Gentle Fist."
As Satori stared at Hiashi, a piercing aura suddenly surged from his body, enveloping Hiashi within it.
A flicker of unease crossed Hiashi's face, his eyes blazing with fury.
"Satori Hyūga, allow me to teach you what it means to respect the traditions of the Hyūga family."
Fueled by anger, Hiashi stepped forward without hesitation.
Rank and order among the Hyūgas were strictly defined; rules often felt more important than life itself. Few dared to defy authority within the Hyūga Clan.
As a member of the Main House and a strong contender for next clan leader, this was the first time someone had ever openly resisted him—and that person was none other than his most despised rival, Satori Hyūga.
Both took their battle stances, their fighting spirits surging instantly.
Their hair fluttered wildly despite the calm air, sleeves flapping loudly.
With a thunderous BOOM!
Hiashi struck first, launching the Gentle Fist technique straight toward Satori.
Without dodging or evading, Satori raised his arm to block, countering strike with strike.
Hiashi moved incredibly fast, unleashing consecutive palm strikes aimed at disrupting Satori's bodily balance through precise pressure point targeting.
His techniques, force application methods, and attack angles were clearly superior to Chonghuo Hyuga's.
He held nothing back from the outset, determined to end the fight swiftly.
After all, he was the young master of the Hyūga family—this battle must end in a decisive and glorious victory.
"Incredible! No wonder they call you the young master—your combat skills are definitely on another level."
Satori smiled while continuously praising out loud.
Everyone has their own fighting style and training path.
This resulted in Satori Hyūga having distinct experiences and insights each time he fought against someone different.
Fighting against Chonghuo Hyūga, Satori could easily manipulate him like a puppet on strings.
But when fighting against Hiashi Hyūga, he actually had to think strategically.
After all, Hiashi was the young master of the clan, trained in the most advanced techniques the family could provide.
Thinking about this, Satori multitasked with his focus and began drawing out more chakra.
As his chakra surged, Hiashi's expression subtly changed.
He hadn't expected Satori to last this long against him. Hadn't he been told Satori had weak chakra reserves?
The longer they fought, something didn't feel right.
Moreover, the Gentle Fist style Satori was using wasn't quite the same as what the clan taught.
At times his strikes came like lightning; other times, he stood immovable as a mountain.
Offense and defense combined seamlessly, leaving his opponent breathless.
The meridian-targeting strikes aimed at internal organs were unlike anything seen before.
"Hyūga Satori, is that really the Gentle Fist?" Hiashi couldn't help but ask aloud.
"Of course. The moves look exactly the same, right?" Satori replied casually.
"But how come your use of force and redirection feels completely wrong?" Hiashi questioned.
Satori shot him a glare and said coolly, "If you want answers, you're going to have to pay up."
"Techniques are ninja secrets, after all. But since you're the young master, I can give you a ten percent discount."
At the mention of money, Hiashi immediately shut up.
Even landlords have lean days (idiom: Even the rich face hardship).
As the Hyūga Clan's young master, he didn't have much spending money to begin with.
Ninjas were generally big eaters, and they needed to purchase various secret medicines for training, ninja tools, jutsu scrolls, and so on.
Asking his father for cash would be humiliating.
He scoffed arrogantly and declared, "I don't need to know. Your version of the Gentle Fist will never surpass mine."
"The way I cultivate is the most orthodox method."
Satori smiled without replying, intensifying the pressure from his chakra-laden palms slightly.
His Gentle Fist wasn't restricted to just the clan's version.
He had adapted it using principles from martial arts like Ba Ji Quan and Tai Chi Quan from his past life, creating a unique variation distinct from the traditional approach.
It could be called [Modified Gentle Fist].
And the effects?
It worked especially well against clan members.
The Hyūga Clan was notoriously conservative and resistant to change—their Gentle Fist techniques were almost identical across generations.
A slight deviation by Satori was enough to disrupt their entire rhythm.
Previously, however, Satori had always preferred harmony over confrontation, so aside from Hyūga Sounmei, no one else had noticed this variation.
This was the first time he publicly revealed his [Modified Gentle Fist].
Outside the battlefield,
watching Hyūga Clan members clenched their fists and glared furiously at Satori's [Modified Gentle Fist].
"That wretched Satori Hyūga dares to alter the Gentle Fist technique passed down by our clan. Such disrespect cannot be tolerated!"
"There's no way his twisted version of the Gentle Fist can match the authentic style taught within our clan."
"That's right! Our Hyūga Clan built its legendary status on the Gentle Fist, unmatched among Konoha's noble houses."
Most members of the Hyūga Clan were skeptical of Satori Hyūga.
After all, within this traditional and conservative family, altering the Gentle Fist was regarded as a grave taboo.
Yet there were still those who questioned this view.
For instance, Chonghuo Hyūga. He had personally endured Satori's tempestuous Gentle Fist strikes and thus knew just how powerful Satori's version was.
Another such person was Hizashi Hyūga, the younger twin brother of Hiashi Hyūga.
His talent and mastery of Taijutsu surpassed even Hiashi's.
The reason he belonged to the Branch House was simply because he was born a few minutes after Hiashi.
That absurd rationale alone led to the branding of the Caged Bird Seal upon him, marking him forever. From that moment on, he became a bird trapped within a cage.
Even though they were blood brothers, their fates diverged completely.
He was both a Branch House member and Hiashi's brother. It was always he who trained alongside Hiashi.
Therefore, Hizashi knew Hiashi better than anyone else.
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