Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 11 Soft Fist Technique

"I'm going to go!"

After speaking, Hyuga Kanan quickly moved towards his father, simultaneously circulating the natural energy within his body and unleashing the Taoist Demon-Subduing Fist technique he had just practiced. His fist swiftly struck towards Hyuga Kagaku's abdomen.

Hyuga Kagaku watched as the fist hurtled towards his abdomen. He quickly shifted his body to the side, simultaneously reaching out with his palm to deflect the fist, and with a gentle flick, sent Hyuga Kagaku's entire body tumbling forward.

Hyuga Kanan braced himself against the ground with his left hand, performed a front somersault, and landed steadily on the ground. At the same time, he jumped back a few steps, making a gesture to prepare for another attack.

Although the two had only exchanged one move, Hyuga Kanan could still sense that Kanan's strength, speed, and reflexes were far superior to his own. He feared that even if he used his full strength, there would still be a gap. Moreover, he couldn't use too much strength and speed, otherwise it would deviate from his plan. However, if he didn't reveal even a hint of his strength, his father would probably spend a lot of time on him under the guise of providing guidance.

Hinata Kanan thought to himself for a moment and decided to use his incredibly fast nerve reaction speed, nurtured by the power of his soul, to deal with the situation. With that thought, he charged forward again.

This time, Hyuga Kanan did not launch a reckless all-out attack. Instead, he began to use a probing right jab to strike Hyuga Kagaku's chest.

"Bang!" Hyuga Kanan's fist was easily grasped, and he instantly unleashed his power, pushing Hyuga Kagaku's body upwards while trying to maintain his balance. He then lifted his leg and delivered a left front kick.

Hyuga Kakei released his fist and, using the upward force of Hyuga Kanan, instantly turned his body to the side, avoiding Hyuga Kanan's kick. Then, he slapped a palm towards Hyuga Kanan's body.

Hyuga Kanan, who had missed his kick, didn't retract his left foot. Instead, he leaned back, braced his left hand on the ground, and twisted his body to deliver a right whip kick, sweeping towards the opposite side.

Seeing the sweeping whip kick coming at him, Hyuga Kagami instinctively raised his hand to grasp the kick, simultaneously trying to throw the person away. However, the moment Hyuga Kagami's right leg was grabbed, both hands had already braced themselves on the ground, and his left leg had already begun to push upwards again.

Hyuga Kagaku released his grip on the leg, simultaneously leaping back to dodge the kick and standing two meters away, looking at his son. He hadn't used much power, relying primarily on his physical strength and reflexes—equivalent to the fighting style of an ordinary Chunin taijutsu user. His son, on the other hand, had also relied entirely on his agility and reflexes; judging from their earlier exchange, his strength wasn't particularly great, but his movements were incredibly flexible and unpredictable.

Hyuga Kanan also exerted force with the palms supporting her on the ground, performing another backflip to stand up, looking at her father opposite her. This performance should satisfy him.

Hyuga Kagaku was somewhat satisfied; his son seemed to have reached the strength of a genin. However, he still decided to push his youngest son a little harder, wanting to see just how far he could go. He began to use his chakra and test his son with the full power of a fully-fledged chunin.

"Whoosh!" Hyuga Kagami appeared behind Hyuga Kanan using a Body Flicker Technique, simultaneously striking Kanan's back with his palm, attacking without giving him any time to react. Hyuga Kanan dodged to the side and retaliated with a punch.

Unlike before, when he waited for Hyuga Kanan to attack, Hyuga Kagami took the initiative, unleashing his Chunin speed, strength, and chakra-fueled attack power. His body transformed into streaks of black shadow, sharp and dangerous. Hyuga Kanan also used his soul power to constantly dodge the attacks, occasionally managing to counterattack.

This time, unlike the initial sparring, it was a full-fledged ninja taijutsu duel. The two figures constantly crossed paths and separated, continuously attacking and dodging. While retreating and dodging, Hyuga Kanan could also spot gaps in his opponent's defenses and launch counterattacks.

Hyuga Kanan appeared to be forced to retreat repeatedly, constantly dodging, with few opportunities to attack and falling into a disadvantageous position. However, he wasn't hit once, managing to dodge each attack in time. Even though Hyuga Kagami's movement and attack speed were faster than his, he could always evade through small movements and dodges. Occasionally, he could even find gaps in the opponent's defenses to counterattack, although the number and power of his counterattacks were insufficient, he still held his own.

Another palm strike came, and Hyuga Kanan leaped back a distance to dodge the chakra-infused palm strike, while simultaneously throwing a punch at the opponent's hand joint.

Seeing the fist swinging towards him, Hyuga Kakujue moved his feet and took a few steps back. Looking at his youngest son opposite him, he was even more satisfied. Facing the attack of a Chunin who used taijutsu, he was not only completely unaffected, but he was also able to launch occasional counterattacks. He was just like a senior Genin. If his strength, speed, and chakra were improved a little more, he would be a Chunin.

His only complaint was that, so far, as a member of the Hyuga clan, he hadn't used the Byakugan or the family's Gentle Fist technique. Did he look down on the family's heritage? Or had he not yet awakened the Byakugan? Or had he not pushed him enough? Hyuga Kagaku was already satisfied with his son's basic strength, but he was somewhat dissatisfied with his son's stalling tactics of fighting and running away instead of using the family's bloodline limit, the Byakugan, and the inherited Gentle Fist. He decided to teach him a lesson using the family's Gentle Fist technique.

Hinata Kōken stretched out two fingers of his right hand in front of his eyes and shouted, "Byakugan, activate!" The blood vessels and nerves around his eyes bulged, and he made a soft fist gesture. At the same time, he took a step forward with his right foot, squatted slightly, and formed a sword finger with the middle and index fingers of both hands.

"Eight Trigrams, Twelve Palms".

In an instant, his figure appeared in front of Hyuga Kanan. His hands attacked so fast that they were already on the body before the eyes could even see. At the same time, a series of mysterious patterns appeared around them, forming a Bagua pattern that surrounded the two of them.

The Bagua pattern emitted bursts of light, like a powerful magic circle, creating immense pressure that weighed down on Hyuga Kanan.

"I can't move!" Hyuga Kanan, who was about to retreat and dodge quickly, suddenly stopped in place. Shuang Rui, who was preparing to kick the ground, was also unable to exert any force. His body felt like he was carrying a mountain on his back.

"This is the Eight Trigrams Palm, a technique passed down through the Hyuga clan! Although it only consists of twelve palms, it can use chakra to form an eight-trigram diagram to trap the opponent, making their body feel immense pressure and preventing them from making large movements. They can only accept the Hyuga clan's pressure point attacks." Hyuga Kei-kwon did not attack immediately but explained to his youngest son.

"A good attack method." Hyuga Kanan exclaimed with admiration.

"Next comes the pressure point attack of the Gentle Fist style: one palm strike, two palm strikes, four palm strikes, eight palm strikes, twelve palm strikes." After explaining, Hyuga Kagaku immediately began his attack. His two sword-like fingers flew rapidly towards Hyuga Kanan's pressure points, moving so fast that they left afterimages. In the blink of an eye, more than twenty palm strikes had been completed, and Hyuga Kanan's body was sent flying.

Only then did Hyuga Kagaku realize something was wrong. Just moments before, as he unleashed his "Eight Trigrams, Twelve Palms" attack, Hyuga Kagaku's hands had moved simultaneously. His twenty-odd palm strikes had all been deflected by Kagaku's hands, and his final strike was also a counterattack using borrowed power, breaking through the Eight Trigrams formation that had blocked his attack.

"Not bad." Hyuga Kagekuni had to admit that being able to block his Eight Trigrams Twelve Palms was already far beyond the level of an average Chunin. But, was Gentle Fist so easy to defend against?

"Can you still use your hands? Aren't you underestimating the Gentle Fist, which has been passed down for thousands of years?" Hyuga Kagaku asked Hyuga Kanan calmly, not forgetting to remind him.

"Hmm! When my hands touched the sword finger, a force penetrated through the outside and entered the meridians of my hands, while blocking the energy flowing to my hands, making my hands not only painful, but also unable to feel the energy flowing to my hands." Hyuga Kanan looked at his trembling hands and secretly sensed it.

Indeed, one should not underestimate anyone. Gentle Fist has been passed down for millennia; even if it eventually becomes the Sage of Six Paths's prey, the chakra techniques it develops should not be underestimated. Whether it's the sealing action of the Eight Trigrams Diagram or the attack method of striking pressure points, both are highly distinctive and incredibly useful in combat. Early-stage cultivators don't employ particularly strong fighting styles, as they generally don't rely solely on physical combat. Later, they utilize the natural energy of heaven and earth in battle, rarely engaging in close-quarters combat—that's the domain of martial artists.

The Taoist Subduing Demon Fist is a technique for achieving harmony between the body and the universe. Its fighting style emphasizes anticipating the enemy's moves, but it lacks significant destructive power. The Subduing Demon Sword Technique, on the other hand, is highly lethal, but it also relies on anticipating the enemy's moves, unlike ninjas who prioritize raw power and destructive force.

It seems I also need to learn this ninja fighting style. After all, I've come to the ninja world, and whether it's to make it easier to hide myself or to facilitate future battles, I need it.

Hyuga Kakuju watched his youngest son standing there in a daze, confident that after witnessing the Hyuga clan's fighting techniques, his son would definitely study them diligently in the future. He had already achieved his purpose for coming today, so there was no need to say anything more. With his son's current strength, he could already give the clan a satisfactory explanation.