Even when Naruto became Hokage, the Seventh, the Caged Bird Seal system of the Hyūga clan still existed.
"Then, Hyūga Natsu, would you be willing to spar with me in taijutsu?"
"…Me?"
Hyūga Natsu blinked in surprise.
She knew Raizen had excellent grades.
In just a short time, he had already risen to the top of the class.
His talent far surpassed hers.
"I've always been curious about the Gentle Fist. A little spar shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Raizen smiled.
The real reason, of course, was to see if he could trigger an entry.
And when picking soft persimmons, you always choose the softest.
Hyūga Natsu's strength was only average at best.
He wasn't close to any other Hyūga either.
With finals approaching, there wasn't time to wait for another Hyūga to be matched against him.
Next month, he planned to apply for early graduation.
Staying in the ninja academy offered no further growth. They had already taught all the E-rank techniques.
The early years focused on building foundations. Each semester ended with a test on one of the three basic techniques, and graduation required a final assessment.
There was no point in Raizen staying any longer. Going on missions would expose him to far more ninjutsu.
"This… alright. But it's a bit cramped here. Let's go outside after."
Hyūga Natsu glanced around.
If Raizen hadn't been a regular, she wouldn't have gotten the sushi today. Leaving without it would have been rude.
Hearing her agreement, Raizen patiently waited.
About ten minutes later, Yasukawa Yukiya brought over a neatly packaged gift box containing the squid sushi.
The two stepped outside and found an empty clearing.
Since she still had to return soon, Hyūga Natsu walked quickly.
The evening air was bitterly cold. Raizen and Hyūga Natsu stood in the center of the open space.
"Then… I'm going to start."
Hyūga Natsu wanted to end this quickly.
Raizen nodded.
The next moment, the veins around her eyes bulged as chakra surged into the ocular system.
"So much chakra… and…"
The Byakugan's piercing vision allowed Hyūga Natsu to clearly see Raizen's chakra network.
And beneath his skin, faint traces of electricity radiated.
Her pure white eyes locked onto Raizen, his internal organs laid bare.
"He's actually confining lightning beneath his skin to temper his body?"
Hyūga Natsu was inwardly astonished.
She instantly realized this must be a special taijutsu style.
Raizen's control over Lightning Release chakra had reached an incredible level.
In the entire ninja academy, she had never seen anyone train their body like this.
Lightning was extremely dangerous!
A single mistake could burn the skin or even destroy the chakra pathways entirely.
Hyūga Natsu thought of Might Guy, the taijutsu freak.
Even someone as obsessed with taijutsu as Guy trained in traditional ways.
Raizen's method truly opened her eyes.
Normally, Hyūga rarely activated their Byakugan to observe others—it was considered deeply rude, almost provocative.
If not for this spar, Hyūga Natsu probably never would have noticed.
"Don't get distracted in a fight."
Raizen gathered chakra at his feet and suddenly charged forward.
Hyūga Natsu quickly assumed the Gentle Fist stance, ready to dismantle his attacks.
Every Hyūga relied primarily on the Gentle Fist. They rarely used other ninjutsu or genjutsu.
Even the use of ninja tools was minimal.
As a result, they began systematic Gentle Fist training very early.
Bang!
Hyūga Natsu blocked Raizen's straight punch with her arm. Before she could catch her breath, Raizen followed up with an elbow strike.
Hyūga Natsu immediately retreated, chakra erupting from the tenketsu in her fingertips, forming a small ring of chakra threads.
As she waved her hands, it looked as though a translucent membrane shimmered in the air.
Raizen narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling a touch of relief as he watched his opponent give her all.
Hyūga Natsu was almost entirely on the defensive.
The Gentle Fist she used was only the most basic form.
Sure enough, soft persimmons were best picked when they were truly soft.
He just didn't know if this would trigger an entry.
If she had used something like "Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms" or "Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin," Raizen would have had a much harder time.
Unfortunately,
Hyūga Natsu was from the branch family. Not only was her talent average, but she was barred from learning the clan's advanced Gentle Fist techniques.
Those secret arts could only be mastered through genius-level self-comprehension....or never at all.
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