Yukina lowered her stance, raising her arms into the starting form of the Gentle Fist. The veins near her eyes bulged outward, extending to her temples—Byakugan, activated!
Let's see your true strength.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Hirohiko's gaze sharpened from the edge of the field. His eyes locked onto Chiba.
She activated Byakugan... is she taking this seriously? This Takikawa Chiba… is he really worth her full strength?
On the field, Chiba's expression also turned solemn. He could clearly see it—Yukina wasn't holding back. And the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist was no joke.
"Ugh, this is gonna end fast."
Several bored boys started grumbling.
"Yeah, there's no contest."
"Chiba's gonna get beat black and blue."
The girls looked equally uninterested.
"What a waste of time. Let's get it over with!"
"Right! I want to see Hirohiko-sama!"
"Just lose already, Chiba!"
The buzz of disinterest filled the sidelines.
The instructor sighed to himself.
Let's hope this doesn't discourage Chiba too much. He does have potential in taijutsu—could make a decent chūnin someday. Jōnin though… probably not.
"Here I come!" Yukina shouted, surging forward with her first strike.
Chiba's eyes sharpened.
Fast!
He barely managed to slip aside—her second strike was already on its way.
I can't let her land a hit!
Chiba knew very well what the Gentle Fist could do—especially with Byakugan's insight. One solid strike to a chakra point could block chakra flow, halt chakra refinement, even cripple his Eight Gates Mode temporarily.
Even taijutsu needs chakra. Without it, no matter how strong your muscles are, there'd be no explosive power behind your strikes. Gai and Lee's Konoha-style taijutsu wouldn't be what it was without chakra enhancing their bodies.
Brows furrowing, Chiba focused fully on dodging Yukina's flowing, relentless strikes.
Damn, should've taken off my training weights first.
With them on, it was hard to match her speed.
Meanwhile, Yukina's heart was pounding with surprise.
She'd thrown so many strikes—but not a single one had landed. She couldn't even graze his sleeve.
He's fast.
That was her honest assessment.
His reaction time and footwork were simply faster than hers.
On the sidelines, Uchiha Hirohiko narrowed his eyes.
He dodged all of Yukina's Gentle Fist attacks?
"She's holding back, right?"
"No way... Yukina's attacks are all missing?"
The boys were stunned.
The girls, too, were staring wide-eyed.
"Is he really the 47th-ranked student?"
Ono took a step back, jaw slack. "Wait… he's supposed to be worse than me!"
Wasn't this supposed to be a one-sided beatdown?
Even the instructor was starting to look confused.
On the field, Yukina pressed the attack.
Chiba, burdened by his weighted gear and not yet fully adapted, was doing everything he could just to keep up.
Still, his movement remained fluid, sharp, and efficient.
He hasn't formally trained in Konoha-style taijutsu, but with his physical conditioning and familiarity from the original series, he could mimic it well enough.
He couldn't pull off advanced moves like Shadow Leaf Dance, Primary Lotus, or Reverse Lotus—those required guidance.
But basic moves like Leaf Hurricane, a powerful spinning kick?
Totally doable.
However, under pressure and with his movement limited, he couldn't find an opening to counter.
Plus, this was his first time using Konoha-style taijutsu in real combat. He was still hesitant to commit fully.
If I mess up the force control, I might actually hurt her.
Time to use that.
Chiba continued dodging, mind calmly turning over options.
He had grown accustomed to her attack rhythm. He could afford to think mid-battle now.
He really is amazing.
Yukina's admiration grew as she struck again and again.
Through her Byakugan, she could see his chakra subtly flowing and gathering—bit by bit—into his fist.
It was precise. Every strand of chakra moved like a trained soldier.
His control… it's incredible.
He's about to counter.
Yukina's eyes flashed.
Let's settle this now.
I'll use the new move I just mastered!
She stopped attacking and stepped back a pace.
Just one meter… that was enough.
Yukina pulled back her arm.
Chiba blinked, surprised.
She stopped attacking?
Then he saw the posture she assumed.
No way... she's that young and already mastered that move?
She was just a child! But already…
Even Neji hadn't done this at her age. This was next-level.
Chiba's eyes widened.
Then he smiled faintly.
Fine. Let's see which wins—Monster Strength, or Eight Trigrams Palm!
"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!"
Yukina thrust her hand forward—fingers curled like a tiger's paw—releasing a blast of chakra through the air.
From just under a meter away, Chiba could see the air distort as the compressed force barreled toward him.
That's Vacuum Palm?!
The students were dumbfounded.
Even the instructor stood frozen, heart pounding.
A ranged Gentle Fist technique!
Vacuum Palm was extremely advanced—only a few elite Hyuga could use it. That Yukina had mastered it at seven years old?
Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
Unprecedented genius.
There was no doubt in the teacher's mind now.
Chiba had lost.
Beside him, Uchiha Hirohiko's expression changed drastically.
She actually did it—Gentle Fist from a distance?!
Could even he stop such a technique?
Chiba's done for.
Hirohiko's lips curled into a smile.
Guess I'll fight her next…
The distorted air surged forward.
Chiba didn't dodge.
He smiled—and punched.
"Chiba, are you nuts?!"
He was meeting it head-on?!
That Vacuum Palm could snap a sapling in half. His hand could be shattered!
Even the teacher looked panicked.
Boom!
A dull shockwave burst in the air.
Fist met distortion—chakra exploded outward.
The distortion shattered.
The Vacuum Palm… broke apart completely.
And Chiba's punch, unhindered, flew straight toward Yukina.
He broke her technique—barehanded!
Everyone was stunned.
Uchiha Hirohiko froze.
The instructor's jaw fell open.
Chiba's fist stopped just inches from Yukina's cheek, sweat dripping from his brow.
Good. Stopped in time. She's unharmed.
He exhaled silently in relief.
Yukina stood still, eyes wide.
His fist hovered before her. The force of the punch had blown back her long hair.
He shattered my Vacuum Palm…
With one blow of chakra release?
He had gathered all of his chakra into a single strike, then unleashed it instantly.
That kind of power... from that kind of control?
All that effort she'd put into mastering Vacuum Palm…
Was he even human?
Who is he really?