Chapter 32: Crushing! Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!
"It will want to fly into the sky, rather than stay in a cage, waiting to be fed by fate."
Hinata's voice wasn't loud, but it made everyone present's heart skip a beat, especially Hyuga Neji's.
The slap mark on his face stung with a burning pain, but it was far less intense than the shock in his heart. The eldest daughter of the Main House, who once didn't even dare to raise her head before him, the 'trash' cousin he looked down upon, was now looking directly at him with a gaze he had never seen before—determined yet carrying a hint of shyness.
That gaze seemed to be declaring something.
"You..." Neji's voice was somewhat raspy from anger, "Do you think you can challenge fate with a bit of cleverness and luck? Don't get too ahead of yourself, Lady Hinata! I was just careless a moment ago!"
Neji's Chakra suddenly erupted. With a kick of his foot, his speed was even faster than before. He lunged out like a white shadow, fingers pressed together, aiming straight for the major pressure points across Hinata's body.
This time, he would use Gentle Fist to completely seal off this 'trash' who dared to defy him!
But the scene he imagined did not happen.
Under Neji's rapid attacks, Hinata's body seemed to become exceptionally light. Her footwork was strange, always sliding away at an incredible angle just as Neji's fingertips were about to touch her body.
Neji's attacks became faster and more ferocious, but Hinata was like a slippery fish, always finding a way to survive through the smallest of gaps.
By the railing on the second floor, Naruto couldn't have been happier watching.
[Beautiful! Yes, that's the footwork! My Wife Hinata's movement technique is indeed talented; she's slipperier than a loach!]
[Look at Neji's constipated face; he's about to turn purple like a sweet potato! He must be full of question marks right now, unable to figure out why the Gentle Fist he's so proud of has turned into an old man's radio calisthenics, unable to touch her even once.]
[Hahaha, that's right! Let him keep posing! Let him keep talking about fate! The fate he speaks of is just something meant to be slapped in the face!]
Hinata, who was dodging in the middle of the field, listened to the cheerful commentary in her mind and felt her body getting lighter and her confidence growing stronger.
So, Naruto-kun likes watching me dodge...
Neji's series of attacks missed, and he was startled. He abruptly retreated half a step, his expression becoming solemn. This wasn't luck; this evasion ability had completely exceeded his understanding of Hinata.
"It seems I underestimated you," Neji's voice turned cold. "In that case, I'll let you see the gap between the Main House and the Branch House that can never be crossed!"
Just as he finished speaking and was about to use a stronger technique, he saw Hinata stop across from him.
She stood firm, feet slightly apart, body sinking low, assuming a stance that made his pupils shrink.
That was... the most orthodox starting stance of the Hyuga Style Gentle Fist Art! It was something only the core members of the Main House were qualified to learn...
"Eight Trigrams Palm!"
Hinata let out a low cry, her voice carrying a resolve she had never shown before.
In the corner of the spectator stands, the elders of the Hyuga Clan all stood up, faces full of disbelief. Atop the tower, Hyuga Hiashi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open. The stone railing in front of him was instantly covered in cracks from the force he unconsciously exerted.
"Impossible... that child... how could she..."
Below, Neji's mind buzzed, going completely blank.
That was the technique he dreamed of learning but never had the chance to touch because of his Branch House status! That was the root cause his father wanted to resist until death, only to be branded with the 'caged bird' seal in the end!
Why?!
Why could this trash he looked down upon use it so easily?!
"Eight Trigrams: Two Palms!"
Hinata moved. She no longer dodged but initiated the attack! Her figure was so fast it was a blur. Both palms struck out simultaneously, landing squarely on the chest of the still-stunned Neji.
"Four Palms!"
"Eight Palms!"
"Sixteen Palms!"
"Thirty-Two Palms!"
The dense sound of strikes merged into one, echoing throughout the arena. Every palm strike from Hinata precisely sealed the flow of Chakrawithin Neji's body. Neji wanted to resist, wanted to activate Rotation, but found that he couldn't gather his Chakra at all.
The absolute defense he was so proud of had become a joke at this moment.
He could only watch helplessly as those fair palms continuously left marks on his body. Every impact felt like it was shattering his 'genius' self-esteem.
Behind the railing, Naruto was so excited he was about to jump up.
[Holy crap! My wife is awesome! This is the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms! The Hyuga Clan's ultimate trump card! She actually pulled it off!]
[Look at Neji getting beaten senseless! Look at Hyuga Hiashi's expression like he wants to eat someone! After this battle, won't my old father-in-law have to pass the clan leader position to Hinataovernight? Sweet! This is so satisfying!]
[Especially Hinata's figure right now, that blend of cool and sexy when she twists her waist to strike... I can't take it, I need to have the system record this immediately. I'm going to watch it a hundred times tonight!]
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
With Hinata's final sharp cry, the sixty-fourth palm struck heavily against Neji's abdomen.
Boom!
A massive amount of Chakra exploded. Neji flew backward like a tattered sack, slamming hard into the wall behind him before sliding powerlessly to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
He lay there, his pure white eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, feeling as though everything he knew had been overturned.
The entire arena was deathly silent.
No one could have imagined that Hyuga Neji, hailed as the strongest rookie of this year, would be defeated in such a crushing manner by the least favored Hyuga Hinata.
Hinata maintained her palm-striking posture, panting heavily, sweat soaking her bangs. She didn't look at the fallen Neji, but instead immediately raised her flushed face, looking toward the Blonde Youth on the second floor with a hint of anticipation and shyness.
[Ding!]
[Detected that the key figure Uzumaki Naruto has developed a high-level fantasy of your combat posture as 'both cool and sexy,' and has developed a strong desire to record and keep the footage.]
[Your Love and Confidence values have reached a new peak! heavenly curtain rewards triggered!]
[Reward obtained: Gentle Fist Secret Technique: Protective Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms(Instant Comprehension)!]
A wave of new insights flooded into Hinata's mind, giving her a deeper understanding of the technique she had just used.
At the same time, Naruto's system also sounded.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host: You have significantly altered the fate trajectory of the core supporting character 'Hyuga Hinata,' completing the classic script of 'trash counterattacking a genius,' resulting in a sensational plot change!]
[System reward obtained: Taijutsu Talent: Hard and Soft Combined (Permanent 50% increase)!]
Naruto felt a warm current spread through his entire body; it seemed he had become stronger and more coordinated.
It wasn't until the weak, coughing voice of the Proctor Gekkō Hayate sounded that the silence was broken.
"The, the winner... Hyuga Hinata!"