"Neji, Hinata is in your hands. Her Taijutsu foundation is too weak—you'll need to help retrain her."
Naruto, even during his early training, had already built a theoretical framework for basic Taijutsu.
Compared to his knowledge, most current practitioners were still rough and incomplete. Even the fighting methods of the great clans sometimes felt shallow to him.
Neji nodded firmly.
"Naruto! Is there really a way to improve Lady Hinata's strength in a short time?"
He clearly took Naruto's earlier words seriously.
Naruto was slightly surprised but replied, "There is—but it may not be something for you. Once the time is right, you can learn it as well."
He naturally had a method in mind. If Hinata's mindset changed—if she stopped being afraid of power and learned to embrace it—her strength would naturally improve.
Other training methods were too forceful, but Naruto remembered one approach that seemed perfectly suited to Hinata.
That was Tai Chi.
Tai Chi matched Hinata's temperament and philosophy.
In Konoha, Taijutsu styles were broadly categorized into Hard Fist and Gentle Fist.
Gentle Fist was represented by the Hyuga, relying on the Byakugan to see through an opponent's Chakra network, then striking vital tenketsu points to disrupt their Chakra flow. Hard Fist, seen in Might Guy and Rock Lee, focused on raw destructive power.
Although Gentle Fist was elegant, it was ultimately designed for combat—it was soft on the outside but contained a lethal edge. At times, it could even be excessively aggressive.
Tai Chi, however, balanced hardness and softness, stillness and motion. It was about using stillness to counter movement, flowing like water yet rooted like a mountain. While often associated with health and longevity, its martial philosophy was profound—soft within hard, hard within soft, and always in balance.
Naruto realized that if the Hyuga combined Gentle Fist with Tai Chi principles, they could create an even more formidable evolution of their clan techniques.
To Gentle Fist, Tai Chi was a dimensional breakthrough.
In his previous life, Tai Chi had many different schools. Naruto didn't know if it was ever used effectively in real combat there—but in this world of Chakra, once refined, Tai Chi would become terrifyingly powerful.
He planned to rework Tai Chi into a Shinobi-style system, almost like a new kind of Taijutsu-Ninjutsu hybrid.
From that day forward, Naruto began practicing Tai Chi every day. The more he trained, the more he realized its depth. Its artistic essence felt infinite—boundless and vast. Yet, with the aid of Heaven Rewards Diligence, his progress felt guided, almost as if divine insight illuminated his path.
[Tai Chi Philosophy +5, Tai Chi +8, Balance +1…]
Convinced by Naruto's belief that strength could also be a means of protection, Hinata began training with renewed determination. She no longer wanted to be fragile or a burden—she wanted to protect Naruto.
With Neji's guidance, she revisited her Taijutsu foundation and quickly discovered that what looked simple on the surface was incredibly complex in practice.
As Hiashi's daughter, Hinata had a sharp enough eye to see this—and she was surprised to realize all of it came from Naruto's summaries.
Neji himself was impressed.
Hinata, however, only thought: Naruto-kun really is a genius. To her, nothing he did could be strange.
…
[Tai Chi Breathing Method +5, Tai Chi +15…]
Every day, with the help of Heaven Rewards Diligence, Naruto's proficiency soared. Concepts that once confused him suddenly became clear. Bottlenecks simply didn't exist for him.
[Tai Chi +11… Lifespan +0.01]
"…Huh?"
Naruto blinked. A new reward appeared—lifespan.
Could Tai Chi really increase longevity? Then he remembered: Tai Chi was originally a health-preserving practice. Combined with Heaven Rewards Diligence, it made perfect sense.
In Tai Chi, two pillars stood out: force generation and breathing techniques. Force generation was simple enough—Naruto quickly mastered it thanks to his Taijutsu background and Heaven Rewards Diligence.
But the breathing method was trickier. After careful experimentation, and with Heaven Rewards Diligence aiding him, Naruto managed to develop a unique breathing style.
This breathing circulated Chakra at a specific frequency, gradually strengthening the body. Unlike Hard Fist training, it didn't cause hidden injuries.
As he refined it further, Naruto noticed something even more mysterious: a faint energy seeping into his body from the outside world, tempering him slowly but continuously.
Natural Energy.
Though he didn't fully understand why, he suspected Tai Chi's philosophy—unity of man and nature, balance of heaven and earth—allowed him to naturally attract and harmonize with it.
It reminded him of cultivation methods he had once read about in his previous life.
This unexpected gain left Naruto quietly overjoyed.
While he felt himself advancing by leaps and bounds, in Neji and Hinata's eyes, Naruto's Tai Chi looked like nothing more than slow, graceful movements—gentle motions that seemed to lack any real power.
If someone had told the Hyuga that this was Gentle Fist, they would have believed it—yet this style seemed even more "gentle" than their own Gentle Fist.
Could such a slow-moving fist style really have any offensive power?
Could it even land a hit?
"Naruto… this fist style of yours—can it actually work?" Neji asked, hesitation clear in his voice.
Hinata, though equally confused, chose to trust Naruto. She knew he wouldn't act without reason. If she didn't understand it now, it only meant Naruto saw further than she did.
"Neji," Naruto replied with a grin, "how many times have I told you? This is Tai Chi! You don't believe it works? Then come try it yourself."
Neji's eyes narrowed. He too was curious about Naruto's new style. If Naruto claimed it could surpass the Gentle Fist, then he wanted to see it firsthand.
"Fine. Bring it on!" Neji declared.
Naruto's expression grew calm. "Remember—intent firm, body relaxed, spirit concentrated."
He assumed the opening stance of Tai Chi. Neji immediately dropped into his Gentle Fist stance.
"Eight Trigrams Palms!" Neji called, surging forward.
Naruto didn't move. His body was completely still, as if rooted in place.
Neji didn't underestimate him. Even without understanding Tai Chi, he knew Naruto well enough to stay on guard. As Neji's palm neared, Naruto finally moved.
"Grasping the Sparrow's Tail!"
His ward-off hand extended to form a circle, the rollback redirected the incoming strike, the press drove force through the palm, and the push drew strength from his waist.
Neji's expression darkened—he instantly felt all of Naruto's openings vanish.
He shifted, striking from another angle. Yet Naruto's body seemed to flow with him, sticking to every motion.
"Watch carefully, Hinata!" Naruto called out as he intercepted Neji's palm.
Step by step, turn by turn, Naruto remained glued to him, making it impossible for Neji to exert full strength.
"Four Ounces Deflect a Thousand Pounds!"
Naruto's words rang out as he redirected yet another of Neji's attacks with minimal effort.
Strike after strike came from Neji, but none landed cleanly. The two clashed only with pure technique—neither calling upon Chakra-enhanced strength.
"White Crane Spreads Its Wings!"
"Double Peaks Pierce the Ears! Left Heel Kick!"
"Tai Chi Cloud Hands!"
One move flowed into the next, Naruto demonstrating each form in real combat. Hinata's eyes widened with every exchange—the light of realization growing brighter in her gaze.
Neji, meanwhile, was shaken. Each motion carried a depth and subtlety he had never imagined.
"This… this fist style…!" Neji thought, his heart pounding.
It wasn't just Gentle Fist. It was something far beyond.
This was the strongest form of Gentle Fist he had ever seen.
...
TN:
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