"Centrifugal force?"
Ren Uchiha's mouth twitched as the little old man approached. He knew what centrifugal force was in a scientific sense—a virtual force, an expression of inertia that pushes a rotating object away from its center. In fact, the core principle that differentiated the Massive Rasengan from a standard one was forcing the violent chakra to break free from that centrifugal constraint, causing it to expand out of control and explode.
But... applying that to taijutsu?
Ren's dwindling grasp on scientific reality shattered. Then again, he reminded himself that he lived in a world of ninjas—a place where "I Reckon" logic and supernatural phenomena crawled across the landscape like common insects.
The old man, wearing his yellow vest and sunglasses even in the dead of night, leaned in. He looked at Ren with a pitying expression, like a blind man looking at someone even more sightless.
"What? You still don't get it? Too slow! Far too slow!"
"How could the village let a green brat like you be the main elite force for this mission?"
"Eh?" Ren looked up in surprise. His status as the mission's ace was supposed to be classified. Even Hiruzen hadn't leaked it before they departed.
Ren studied the old man's attire. After a moment of searching his memories, it clicked. This man was Chen Baojun, better known as Old Man Chen—the man hailed as Konoha's strongest taijutsu user of this era. He was the master of the Leaf Dragon God, a man whose legendary status was so great that, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, his resurrected form would suppress the combined efforts of base-form Guy and Rock Lee.
Chen Baojun... such a Chinese name. He even sounds like he could be related to a certain Master of the Five-連 Whip...
Old Man Chen twitched a thick eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think the people here are blind?"
Ren shook his head quickly, though his eyes lingered on the sunglasses. Master, it's midnight and you're wearing shades. It's hard not to suspect you're the one who can't see.
Bonk!
Before he could finish the thought, a knuckles-to-skull "chestnut" landed on Ren's head.
"Your squad's position in the Goose-Wing formation is that of the 'General.' You are guarded by archers and infantry, positioned to strike or retreat at will. You have a Root Vice-Commander as a bodyguard, and the other kid treats you with absolute reverence. Shinnosuke Sarutobi saw through your 'roots' instantly and arranged the formation accordingly. It's a pity the 'General' himself was oblivious."
"You... you must be the 'Shura' who defeated that old fossil Ebizō in the Rain Country," Chen said, glancing dismissively at Ren before sitting down on a flat stone by the fire.
He picked up a twig and began sketching the Goose-Wing formation in the dirt. "However, Shinnosuke's basics are still lacking. This formation is too obvious. True military strategy is a blend of the real and the illusory. If I can see the center of the formation, so can the enemy. You should have been placed in the 'Cavalry' position."
Ren scratched his head, listening to the talk of generals and cavalry with a look of "clear-eyed stupidity." He didn't understand a word, but he felt it sounded incredibly impressive. As expected of Chinese Kung Fu!
Chen's lip curled. He realized he was "casting pearls before swine"—or in this case, throwing profound metaphors at a kid who was essentially a blank slate.
"Um... Teacher Chen," Ren said, snapping back to the original topic. "I reckon... I mean, how exactly do I apply centrifugal force to taijutsu?"
He stared at the old man with wide, eager eyes. When taijutsu reached a certain level in this world, it became abstract. If Rock Lee's Drunken Fist was understandable, the later tiers—the Hidden Lotus, Night Guy, or Evening Elephant—completely defied common sense. Even the Sand's Shira and his Seven Heavenly Breaths basically turned people into Super Saiyans.
When Ren fought the "Sand Boxing King" Ebizō, he'd tried to improvise some moves, but his "Uchiha Fist" felt too much like a standard kickboxing match. It wasn't ninja enough!
"Centrifugal force... hm, it's quite simple," Chen said, kicking dirt over his drawing. "A ninja's taijutsu utilizes chakra. By combining chakra with centrifugal force, you reach a state of the 'Inner Self,' where your imagination becomes the ink on the canvas of reality."
"The consciousness of a taijutsu practitioner is like a mirror: it possesses nothing, yet contains everything. It accepts all, yet retains nothing. No desire, no action, yet always ready to accept. You use the unconscious to dominate the conscious..."
"Practically, you achieve this through constant 'grinding,' allowing your spirit to relax to its maximum limit, becoming free. The freedom of 'leaving the center' (離心 - Li Xin) allows your taijutsu to become free."
Ren's eyes widened. Wait... when you say 'Centrifugal Force' (離心力), you don't mean the physics term? You mean the 'Force of Leaving the Heart'? Is this a pun? Am I learning a philosophy lesson or a kick?
"Teacher Chen... I don't understand."
Chen frowned, looking at Ren as if he were "hopelessly thick." He sighed. "Fine. I'll show you with a practical example."
Chen stood up and walked to a lonely beech tree. He swung his leg, and a sudden, violent gust of wind swept the clearing. Leaves rained down.
"Leaf Whirlwind. You know it, right?"
Ren nodded like a woodpecker. Translated: a spinning low kick. He got that.
Chen executed the move in slow motion, but this time, he spun twice in mid-air, the resulting wind making the massive tree shudder. "Leaf Great Whirlwind. You follow?"
Ren nodded again. Guy and Lee's staple move.
"Now," Chen's eyes narrowed, his voice becoming solemn. "Here is the key! Leaf Gust!"
With a leap, Chen's speed suddenly increased tenfold. The resulting wind flattened Ren's hair against his scalp. Through the red lens of the Sharingan, Ren saw the movement broken down frame by frame—but Chen was so fast he was nearly a blur of afterimages.
In mid-air, Chen performed a two-stage hollow spin, then used that rotational inertia and centrifugal force to deliver a third, crushing spinning kick against the tree trunk.
BOOM!
The giant tree swayed violently. But it wasn't over. Still in the air, Chen's voice dropped to a low growl. "Watch closely, kid. This is the perfect application of centrifugal force!"
Using the momentum of the third kick, Chen spun again—but this time, his body became a blur, a literal human top. The falling leaves were sucked into a vacuum created by his rotation.
"This is the Leaf Dragon God!"
Chen spun faster and faster until even the Sharingan couldn't track his form. A massive tornado, shaped like a soaring dragon, erupted from his rotation, roaring toward the sky!
"ROAR—!!"
Violent chakra and gale-force winds hammered the atmosphere. The dragon swayed elegantly, yet every inch of its body was composed of razor-sharp wind blades that would shred anything they touched.
Ren stared, his eyes wide with awe. He watched as a series of ordinary movements transcended into a miracle of taijutsu. It was like a great bell ringing in his ears. A door had been flung open.
Ren realized that Old Man Chen wasn't just talking about a pun on "Leaving the Heart"—he was talking about literal centrifugal force and the mental freedom required to execute it.
Comparing this to the vague descriptions in the Uchiha Style: Halo Dance scroll, Ren had a sudden flash of insight!
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