Hyuga Neji reacted incredibly fast. His wrist, which had been struck, sank with the momentum, changing his move. His left palm, carrying a stronger Chakra whirlwind, struck towards Hinata's ribs. At the same time, his footwork shifted, attempting to seize the position by Hinata's side, preparing to unleash the Eight Trigrams Palm domain.
An Eight Trigrams diagram, invisible in reality but seemingly truly present, was about to emerge and spread out beneath Hyuga Neji's feet.
However, Hinata seemed to have anticipated his movements.
The moment Hyuga Neji's left palm struck out, she had already moved with profound steps, her figure gliding like a ghost to Hyuga Neji's other side. She did not rush to attack, but instead, her hands, like butterflies flitting through flowers, either tapped, brushed, or parried, precisely striking Hyuga Neji's wrist, elbow, arm, and other joints. Each touch carried a resilient yet highly penetrating Chakra, constantly disrupting and delaying Hyuga Neji's Chakra condensation and action Connection.
Although this kind of attack, if it involved a kunai, would have poked several holes in Hyuga Neji's entire arm, the power of Gentle Fist is not in dealing with ordinary flesh and blood, but in restraining the Adamantine Body of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
For Hyuga Hinata, winning the round was no longer the key.
She wanted to have a good spar with this genius of the Hyuga branch family to test the family's Gentle Fist!
Kakashi Hatake's gaze was like a torch, fixed on Hinata's every step and gesture, the shock in his eyes growing deeper: "This Chakra control… this foresight… Is Hyuga Hinata's mastery of Gentle Fist truly this profound?"
Rock Lee clenched his fists: "How strange! Hyuga Hinata's movements don't seem fast, but Neji can't hit her at all!"
Tenten exclaimed in surprise: "Hinata-chan has become so powerful!"
Ino Yamanaka shouted excitedly: "Go, Hinata! Just like that! Beat that guy up!"
Hyuga Neji felt an unprecedented sense of frustration.
Every one of his attacks, whether a swift thrust or a tricky strike, seemed to hit cotton, neutralized by Hinata with a hair's breadth. Moreover, Hinata's seemingly gentle touches constantly disrupted the smooth flow of Chakra within his body, making him feel as if his limbs were entangled by invisible threads, growing heavier and heavier.
His proud speed and perception seemed to fail in front of Hinata!
In terms of Gentle Fist's Tenketsu strike and other basic techniques, Hyuga Neji was completely defeated!
"Hmph! Do you think you can win like this, Young Lady?!"
Hyuga Neji was a bit provoked, and he completely abandoned the idea of testing her.
He suddenly took a step back, stamping his feet heavily!
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
Instantly, centered on Hyuga Neji, a clear, cyan Eight Trigrams formation composed of Chakra instantly unfolded on the ground, covering more than half of the arena!
He assumed the strongest starting stance of the Hyuga-style Gentle Fist, his entire body surging with Chakra, his aura skyrocketing!
He intended to completely overwhelm Hinata with absolute power and domain suppression!
Hyuga Neji's figure blurred within the Eight Trigrams formation, as if several afterimages appeared simultaneously. Both palms struck out, and in an instant, countless palm strikes condensed with highly compressed Chakra, like a raging storm, enveloped Hinata.
Each palm aimed at a Chakra point, sealing off all of Hinata's evasion space!
Forming a full-scale saturation attack!
"This is the Gentle Fist Secret Art, Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, a secret technique passed down orally in the Hyuga Main Family."
"How does Hyuga Neji, a child of the branch family, know Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms?"
"As expected of the top graduate from the previous year, he truly lives up to his reputation as a Byakugan genius. He actually comprehended the complete Sixty-Four Palms on his own through his extraordinary talent, breaking the Main Family's monopoly on the knowledge of Gentle Fist Secret Arts."
A chorus of exclamations erupted from the stands.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, huh? Neji-nii is really amazing~"
Facing this inescapable ultimate attack, Hinata's eyes remained calm, even showing a hint of admiration and approval.
She did not panic, nor did she try to resist or escape the range of the Eight Trigrams formation. Instead, she made a move that left all spectators dumbfounded—she actually also assumed the starting stance of the Eight Trigrams Palm!
Her feet also stepped onto the Eight Trigrams positions, and a more condensed, smaller-ranged but more inwardly glowing pale blue Eight Trigrams formation instantly appeared beneath her feet.
Two Eight Trigrams formations, strikingly superimposed!
"She knows Eight Trigrams Palm too?!"
"Didn't they say Hyuga Hinata didn't perform well at the Ninja Academy?!"
"The Hyuga Clan's Young Lady seems even more formidable than rumored."
The audience discussed animatedly.
In the arena.
Just as Neji's violent palm strikes were about to land, Hinata moved!
"Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap———"
A dense, rain-like series of collision sounds erupted!
Two sharp and swift figures constantly intertwined within the Eight Trigrams formation, Gentle Fist clashing with Gentle Fist, afterimages overlapping, palm strikes filling the sky.
Each collision unleashed large bursts of airwaves, with residual force overflowing. The battle had already surpassed the scope of an ordinary Chunin.
"So—so powerful—"
"She's actually fighting Neji to a stalemate!"
Rock Lee gripped the railing tightly.
"No, to be precise, Neji is already at a disadvantage."
Might Guy, standing nearby, crossed his arms, his expression turning serious.
Hyuga Neji, who was desperately clashing palms with Hyuga Hinata, naturally also noticed his gradual decline.
"What's going on?"
"Why is it so difficult for my Chakra force to penetrate the Young Lady's skin surface?!"
"Not only that—her speed, strength, reaction, and technique all seem to be superior to mine."
Hyuga Neji was instantly horrified.
He realized he was being overwhelmed.
And it was an all-around overwhelming!
Hyuga Neji felt as if his attacks were sinking into a huge whirlpool of mud, his power constantly being dispersed and guided, becoming increasingly difficult to control.
His proud Eight Trigrams domain, at this moment, subtly showed signs of being taken over by the opponent!
What alarmed Hyuga Neji even more was that the Chakra that infiltrated his body every time Hinata blocked or made contact, although subtle, was like a bone-deep chill, constantly eroding his own Chakra nodes, making his movements increasingly sluggish.
"I can't let this continue."
Becoming alert, Hyuga Neji let out a low growl, releasing Chakra from all his Chakra points and simultaneously rotating his body rapidly, causing the Chakra to form a shimmering blue spherical barrier.
Byakugan Palm: Heavenly Spin!
Known as the absolute defense among Hyuga Gentle Fist Arts!!
Having used Byakugan Palm: Heavenly Spin, Hyuga Neji indeed successfully repelled Hyuga Hinata, who had been continuously gaining the upper hand.
"Heavenly Spin, huh? Another secret technique of the Main Family. To be able to learn it on his own just by relying on his insight, without a teacher, Neji-nii is truly amazing."
"To break through the 'Heavenly Spin,' which is comparable to an absolute defense, one can only use force against force, a single blow to defeat a hundred."
Temporarily forced back, Hinata's Byakugan gleamed.
During a month of special training, besides cultivating Rasengan, she had also gradually mastered her own Gentle Fist Secret Art.
Now, it was time to unleash it!