Hyuga Hikaru, unable to gain an advantage despite his prolonged assault, completely lost his composure, and his fighting style gradually descended into chaos.
Just as he exchanged a glance with Hyuga Fei, preparing to use their Combined Secret Technique at all costs...
A strange sensation of sluggishness suddenly surged from within his body.
He only felt the Chakra coursing through his body freeze in an instant.
His body became unbearably heavy.
Not good!
Almost simultaneously, Hyuga Fei also detected the same situation.
A chill originating from his very marrow shot straight to the crown of his head!
Without a second thought, the two of them used their last ounce of strength to violently leap backward.
Only after putting dozens of meters between them did they dare to stop.
Their faces were etched with terror and confusion.
Trembling, Hyuga Fei raised his own hand, looking inward at his body.
He was horrified to discover...
Several Acupoints on his arm and chest had, at some unknown time, been firmly sealed shut by red Chakra needles.
"When?!"
Hyuga Fei shouted hoarsely, his eyes bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the figure that remained calm.
"Your palms never even touched us!"
This accusatory shout also voiced the thoughts of all the Ninjas watching from the sidelines.
Indeed.
From beginning to end, Aokawa had only been using his arms to block.
His palms had never even opened, let alone been used to attack!
How did he manage to seal the Acupoints?
Aokawa slowly lowered his blocking arms, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Quite perceptive."
He flexed his wrists.
The Ninjas present seemed to see a few faint strands of blue Chakra light flicker and vanish on the skin of his arms.
Hyuga Fei's gaze was locked onto that fading Chakra.
A thought exploded in his mind like a bolt from the blue.
He remembered the sensation of every single block.
He remembered his Chakra disappearing as if swallowed by mud.
He remembered that the Acupoints he had sealed were all in places that had made contact with the other's arms!
His voice became hoarse, filled with trembling and unbelievable fear.
"It was the arms..."
"He used his arms... to release Chakra!"
Hearing this, Hyuga Hikaru was as if struck by lightning.
He froze on the spot, his face a mask of absurdity.
"Impossible!"
"How could that be possible!"
Although the Hyuga Clan could release Chakra from their entire bodies, it was only used for techniques like the Return to Heaven.
For the Gentle Fist, which required high precision and control to strike Acupoints, even releasing it accurately from the palms required years of arduous training.
Releasing it from the arms was simply a fantasy.
Wasn't the Gentle Fist performed with the palms?
Hyuga Fei and Hyuga Hikaru's minds went blank. The Legacy they were so proud of seemed like a joke at this moment.
Watching the mix of absurdity and shock on their faces, a flicker of confusion passed through Aokawa's eyes, as if he was looking at two incomprehensible fools.
He retorted, "Isn't this how the Gentle Fist is supposed to be played?"
"You can clearly release Chakra from any acupoint on your body, so why rigidly stick to just the palms?"
This seemingly casual retort struck deeper than any mockery.
It wasn't just questioning their technique; it was negating the entire Gentle Fist system they had built since childhood!
"Shut up!"
Hyuga Fei's rationality was completely ignited by these words.
He felt as if his lifelong faith and dignity were being pressed to the ground and ground underfoot.
His eyes bloodshot, he roared hoarsely, "Don't think that just because your Chakra control is high, you can look down on others from your lofty perch! You, a Branch Family member who hasn't received the complete Legacy, this disgraceful waste who forgets his ancestors! You haven't even figured out which Acupoints to prioritize in combat."
"In combat, only by prioritizing the sealing of the opponent's key Acupoints can you render them immobile."
Forcing down the burning sluggishness within his body, he gave Hyuga Hikaru beside him a resolute look.
"Today, I'll let you witness the true combat style of the Gentle Fist!"
Before his words faded...
Hyuga Fei and Hyuga Hikaru roared once more, transforming into two white streaks of lightning shooting out from the left and right.
This time, their target was no longer Acupoints all over the body, but concentrated on specific points.
The throat! The heart!
They would use the Hyuga's most orthodox, most efficient Pressure Point Technique to prove themselves right, to salvage their dignity that had been trampled to dust!
Watching the two men charging forward fearlessly once more, Aokawa remained standing in place, not even changing his stance.
He merely smiled, a hint of mockery curling at the corner of his mouth. "The Gentle Fist actually has other uses."
Hearing this, Hyuga Fei and the other man's hearts skipped a beat, a strong sense of foreboding rushing to their heads.
The next second, they saw Aokawa slowly raise a hand and form an extremely simple One-Handed Seal in front of his chest.
"Explode."
Instantly!
The dozens of fiery red Chakra needles that had just been implanted into Hyuga Fei and Hyuga Hikaru's bodies, as if receiving an order, all lit up with a blinding red glow!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of dull thuds, like leather drums being punctured, erupted from within the two men's bodies!
Splashes of blood suddenly exploded from the areas on their bodies that had just made contact with Aokawa's arms!
The wounds were not deep, but they precisely destroyed the meridians in those regions.
The two men's forward-charging bodies became like marionettes whose strings had been cut, instantly drained of all strength.
Carried by their immense momentum, they followed in Hyuga Takeo's footsteps.
Thud! Thud!
Two dull sounds.
The two men fell in equally disheveled postures, landing face-first, lying side-by-side with Hyuga Takeo.
Three arrogant Main Family Jonin, lying neatly in a row.
In an instant, Hyuga Fei understood.
Why those Chakra needles had been red.
This bastard!
He had incorporated Fire Attribute Chakra Nature Transformation into them.
The field fell into deathly silence.
You could hear a pin drop.
All the watching Ninjas stared dumbfounded at the calm figure in the center.
Aokawa slowly shifted his foot from Hyuga Takeo's back and stepped onto the back of the newly fallen Hyuga Fei.
Leaning down, he said softly, "It's not that I don't know which key Acupoints to strike."
"Rather, the thought occurred to me... if I placed these needles near your Dantian or heart and detonated them..."
"Konoha would instantly lose two valuable Jonin, and that would truly pain me."
Humiliated, Hyuga Fei trembled all over, his teeth grinding so hard they almost shattered.
This was no mercy!
This was the ultimate humiliation, like a cat toying with mice!
Aokawa slowly straightened up.
His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every Ninja present.
"Lord Minato specifically instructed..."
"That the three of you should shine brightly for Konoha's survival on the Battlefield."
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