"Screeeak—"
The next morning, after finishing his early chores, Hyuga Soushu opened the door to find Hizashi Hyuga standing there as expected.
"You got up kind of early today."
Hizashi said, expressionless.
"Early? Really?"
Soushu tilted his head to glance at the sun. It was already past eight o'clock in the morning. By both ninja and Konoha villagers' standards, this wasn't particularly early.
"So you think I'm complimenting you?"
Hizashi kept his face tight and serious.
"Isn't that exactly what you're doing?"
Soushu's face displayed a deliberately exaggerated expression of surprise.
"Let's go. Training Field #4 in the Hyuga District."
Hizashi didn't want to keep arguing with Soushu—he just wasn't built for this kind of back-and-forth.
Although now part of the Branch House, Hizashi had grown up receiving the most orthodox Main House education. He stood no chance at all in verbal sparring against someone like Soushu—who'd gone through free public education and then hardened by battlefield experience.
As far as Soushu was concerned, any biting remarks from Hizashi barely registered. Zero impact. Why waste energy caring?
Besides, what real difference remained between them anyway? Both were Branch House members now—just lesser dogs in the eyes of the Main House, distinguished only by how close their bloodline was!
So, despite swallowing his pride and anger under Soushu's provocations, Hizashi resolved to give Soushu a proper lesson using his Gentle Fist techniques on the training ground.
"At least one hour of pressure point paralysis!" That was the harshest punishment he could even imagine.
Training Field #4 in the Hyuga District was a medium-sized martial arts arena mainly used for Taijutsu practice. Therefore, it wasn't frequently used by students attending the Hyuga Public Academy. When Soushu and Hizashi arrived, they found themselves completely alone.
Even so, Soushu sensed countless invisible gazes fixated upon himself and Hizashi.
"Seems the Branch House isn't as well-behaved as it looks," he thought.
Looking around, Soushu saw no physical presence, but realized many Hyuga were secretly observing the current events unfold.
Perhaps some might even try to peek and learn a few moves of the Gentle Fist techniques while at it.
However, Soushu's Byakugan vision was rather mediocre. He could only sense others watching him without determining their directions or exact locations, so he decided not to dwell on it.
Besides, Hizashi too appeared calm and oblivious to it all. Soushu figured there was no need to make a fuss over something unavoidable anyway.
After all, through a Hyuga's Byakugan, everyone just looked like bare skeletons with chakra running through their bodies. So let 'em stare all they want.
"Brother Hizashi, how long do you plan to train?"
Soushu gave his neck a rough twist sideways and popped his knuckles loudly—a habit common among crude brute-force martial artists. Hizashi frowned at once.
"Disgusting!" Hizashi snapped without hesitation. "And who haggles over terms *before* even warming up?! Totally unacceptable!"
"Heh."
Hyuga Soushu smirked disdainfully, completely disregarding Hizashi's words. "I have a date with Mahiru-chan this afternoon, so I can't spend too much time with you lonely singleton. But I suppose Honored Hizashi wouldn't understand such feelings anyway."
After all, those connected to the Main House had their marriages arranged. Even present-day Hizashi Hyuga, who had already been branded with the Caged Bird (Tenketsu) Curse Seal, was no exception.
"You!"
Hizashi couldn't help but become furious.
Though he desperately wanted to argue that ninjas had no need for empty romance, he was still young at heart. Deep down, he also secretly dreamed of those classic romantic moments beneath blossoming trees and moonlight—after all, wasn't it human nature to crave what was strictly off-limits?
"Alright, alright!"
Left fuming, Hizashi Hyuga stayed silent with his lips tightly pressed together, immediately assuming the Gentle Fist starting stance instead.
"By the way, may I use weapons?"
Soushu kindly asked.
But even as he spoke, his hands were already reaching into the scroll case on his chest.
"Today's training is in Gentle Fist techniques! Not actual combat!"
Hizashi's temper was rising.
Seeing that Hizashi was truly angry, Soushu ceased further provocation and calmly assumed nearly the same Gentle Fist stance.
"Based on your past battle records, your breath-holding concealment techniques and Shifting Body Techniques are both quite impressive. Even experienced jonin would likely struggle against you."
Although both locked their chakra pressure onto each other, their muscles trembling slightly in preparation for explosive movement, externally Hizashi remained calm and composed, presenting a dignified contrast to the menacing expression on Soushu's face.
"Yet our clan has dominated the ninja world for thousands of years precisely because we possess the uniquely blessed Byakugan and the versatile Gentle Fist."
Hizashi continued speaking, "Over these many years, there have been clan members who abandoned the Gentle Fist to explore ninjutsu or other taijutsu styles, but do you know why none of them managed to establish new schools or independent lineages?"
They were all executed through curses by the Main House elders!
Of course, Soushu would never voice such thoughts in front of Hizashi. He merely thought it over silently, carefully avoiding revealing even a hint of rebellious ideas through facial expressions that might be seen by the clan head watching from within the Main House through Byakugan.
If certain seditious words were detected via lip-reading techniques, then Soushu's days would surely be numbered as he kept pushing the Main House's boundaries recklessly.
"That's because before our Byakugan and Gentle Fist techniques, all forms of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu are nothing but empty flourishes."
Though neither had yet activated their Byakugan, the vision of Hyuga clan members naturally surpassed that of ordinary shinobi. As Hizashi's chakra grew increasingly solid, Soushu, caught under his oppressive gaze, began showing signs of discomfort.
"Byakugan!"
"Gentle Fist!"
With a sharp cry, Hizashi lunged forward like a released arrow, palm aimed straight at Soushu's face.
"Good!"
Soushu did not back down. His left hand formed a blade-like palm vertically meeting the incoming attack. His right hand, fingers together forming a crane-beak shape, took advantage of the left's cover to stab upward toward Hizashi's heart.
[Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!]
Hizashi Hyuga wasn't the least bit fazed by Soushu's heart-piercing strike. He casually deflected it, then began methodically throwing punches!
[Eight Trigrams Gentle Fist: Thirty-Two Palms!]
Faced with Hizashi's Gentle Fist attack, Soushu could only counter with the same technique.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!!!"
After a series of palm strikes, not only were Soushu's initial counterattacks completely neutralized, but his left arm was also struck multiple times by Hizashi's Gentle Fist. Chakra flooding into his body blocked several acupoints, causing waves of numbness to course through his arm.
Fortunately, after finishing his set of thirty-two palms, Hizashi didn't press the advantage. Instead, he gave Soushu some time to use Gentle Fist techniques to alleviate the numbness in his right arm.
"In the world of shinobi, taijutsu always comes down to speed!"
Hizashi stepped back a few paces and resumed his stance, his voice as calm as ever.
"That speed was indeed impressive."
Soushu had to admit this point begrudgingly.
Just one exchange of Gentle Fist techniques had passed, and yet Soushu hadn't even managed to activate his Byakugan. This clearly demonstrated the depth of Hizashi's mastery of the Gentle Fist.
Taking advantage of their standoff, Soushu activated his Byakugan.
"Your chakra flow doesn't conform to the Gentle Fist principles!"
Rather than attacking again immediately, Hizashi offered critique: "Your chakra focuses on eight areas—your palms, elbows, knees, and feet. You have excessive rigidity without sufficient flexibility. You lack both the offensive-defensive versatility of the Gentle Fist and the unyielding momentum of the Strong Fist. Simply put, it's a complete failure!"
"I wonder how they teach fist techniques at the academy!"
"Then please watch carefully, respected senior cousin Hizashi!"
Soushu bent his left arm into a fist and thrust his elbow forward, while drawing his right fist inward toward his ribs. Balancing his weight on his back leg, he adopted a front false step posture. The chakra around his eight core power points grew increasingly concentrated.
Something's off.
Hizashi suddenly furrowed his brow, sensing something amiss.
Through his Byakugan's vision, although Soushu's chakra was becoming more substantial, its excessively stable energy signature didn't suit a ninja's usual combat style. After all, under such circumstances, a simple Shifting Body Technique should have been enough to escape the combat range.
Still, he remained cautious. After all, Soushu was a battle-hardened ninja who had easily taken down Root's squad leader before. Besides his proficiency in the Gentle Fist, he must have possessed unique strengths.
[Flash!]
Just as Hizashi remained alert, Soushu appeared like a ghost at his left side.
"This..."
Startled and taken aback, Hizashi barely had time to cry out before Soushu's upward elbow strike slammed into his left ulna, unexpectedly disrupting Hizashi's Gentle Fist formation.
Following up, Soushu stomped his left foot to steady himself, simultaneously twisting his hips as he raised his right knee straight at Hizashi's pelvis.
"Shifting Body Technique!"
With no choice, Hizashi used the Shifting Body Technique to escape.
Naturally, Soushu didn't capitalize on his advantage but simply returned to the peculiar fighting stance that Hizashi found so strange.
A pity.
Similarly feeling slightly regretful, Soushu couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
He had wasted his precious [Flash] skill to create this assault opportunity, only to his surprise be dodged by Hyuga Hizashi.
Plus, during their earlier Gentle Fist exchange, Hizashi had clearly pulled his punches a bit, so he didn't feel right going all out now.
"If I use a weapon," thought Hyuga Soushu, "even my elder cousin Hizashi might not have the advantage over me."
But on the outside, Soushu made sure to show zero mercy at all.