Chapter 15: Eight Extremes Fist
A movie for three?
System, what are you implying?
I'm not Li Xiaoyao.
Naruto finally understood the essence of this system.
It's a troll.
He just had a chat with Neji, and it conjured up a whole White Album melodrama in its head.
While three people indeed make for a classic White Album structure, he really was just concerned about the growth of his tool.
After the last incident, Naruto was worried that Hyuga Takashi would cause trouble for Neji.
But according to Neji, he hadn't; they hadn't even run into each other.
He must have been reprimanded by Hyuga Hiashi.
After all, Neji's father was his younger brother, Hizashi Hyuga.
He had died back then by voluntarily taking Hiashi's place.
No matter how cold-hearted he might be, Hyuga Hiashi couldn't possibly mistreat Neji.
Besides, he wasn't a bad person; he had always harbored guilt toward Hizashi Hyuga.
Looking at the original work, Hyuga Hiashi could be considered an enlightened Clan Head.
Relying on his son-in-law, the Hokage, he basically abolished the Caged Bird Seal system.
Aside from Hyuga Takashi, the second matter was about Neji's recent studies.
Because it was his first time coming into contact with knowledge of the human body, he was very unaccustomed to it at first.
However, with the assistance of the Byakugan, his learning speed wasn't too slow.
All in all, this leek of Naruto's was growing quite well.
"Neji, want to go eat? It's on me."
As their conversation concluded, school had already let out. Naruto, in the spirit of bonding, extended a party invitation to Neji.
But he was rejected.
Neji glanced at Hinata and said, "I already have plans with friends."
To prove he wasn't lying, he looked toward his two deskmates and called out, "Tenten, Lee, let's go eat."
Naruto's gaze skipped over the green-glowing Lee and stopped on Tenten, who was wearing a qipao and bun-style hair.
This was a true loli rich girl.
But he didn't care about that; he cared about her status as a 'Goddess of Luck'.
Her luck was so good that she could stumble upon the Six Paths Sage's ninja tools just by walking.
She was practically a Child of Destiny.
"Hello, my name is Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto reached out his hand, intending to soak up some of that lucky aura.
Even if the system was mocking him, he couldn't pass up the rewards.
"Tenten."
A smile appeared on Tenten's face as she readily shook Naruto's hand.
Her personality was quite lively and informal. Having seen Neji talking with Naruto earlier, she basically considered him a friend.
Hinata's mindset underwent a slight change.
Why was it like this?
She felt a bit envious.
Naruto then greeted Rock Lee.
To avoid affecting his lucky aura, he didn't shake hands.
Instead, he gave him a youthful hug.
Judging by the sparkle in Lee's eyes, he had gained a friendship.
To be honest, making friends with him was exceptionally simple; after all, he was a bit too pure.
Lee's current situation wasn't great. He was the 'dead last' of the class and was mocked by his classmates.
After graduation, he would follow Might Guy to learn the Eight Gates, and occasionally get his 'account banned' for using 'cheats'.
Naruto's attitude toward him made him very grateful.
"We're heading out first."
After saying goodbye to the three, Naruto and Hinata left the school.
"Hinata?"
Naruto was puzzled; he felt like something was off with Hinata.
Although she was as quiet as ever, it was different from her previous silence; she was clearly absent-minded.
Could it be because of Neji's attitude?
He could see that Neji was unwilling to eat with Hinata.
Or rather, he didn't want to have anything to do with her.
Seeing Hinata looking dejected and somewhat pitiful, Naruto reached out and patted her head.
Soft and silky.
Like she used Dove shampoo.
He asked, "What do you want to eat tonight?"
With the high emotional intelligence of someone who had lived two lives, Naruto knew it wasn't the right time to talk about Neji.
Eating should be used to soothe the mood.
Hinata, who was twiddling her fingers in silence, immediately widened her eyes.
She bit her lip lightly, her previous grievance swept away.
Her face turned red, and she didn't dare look up as she said, "An... anything is fine. I'll... I'll listen to you."
Naruto really wanted to ask, 'Is really anything okay?'
*Cough cough.*
He had originally planned to eat ramen, but considering Hinata's mood, he felt they should have a nice meal.
Let's go with BBQ.
Although his wallet was already empty, seeing Hinata's smile made it worth it.
Speaking of money, Naruto thought of his infinite dog food production plan.
He wondered how Inuzuka Hana's research was going.
Although the Inuzuka Clan had rich experience, this was dog food that could increase Yang Releaseafter all, so it probably wasn't simple.
Returning to the Treehouse, Naruto pressed his hands together.
"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, please give me a gold card."
He extended his right hand.
The 'Hand of the King' that had touched Tenten's lucky aura.
He had even used his left hand to pat Hinata's head.
"System, start the card draw."
He muttered silently.
[Drawing card... Congratulations to the host for obtaining one item card.]
A silver light flashed and vanished.
Excited heart, trembling hands.
Naruto made a victory sign.
[item card: Eight Extremes Fist (Modified).]
[Description: Permanent item. A martial arts style from China. It is said that Tai Chi brings peace to the world, while Eight Extremes stabilizes the universe. Its movements are simple and concise, yet fierce and explosive.]
Holy crap!
Naruto immediately blurted out those two words with perfect pronunciation.
This really was a case of getting exactly what he wanted.
Could his previous bad luck have been waiting for this moment?
In Naruto's view, receiving this silver card made him happier than a gold one would have.
He used the card without hesitation.
In an instant, a massive amount of knowledge flooded into his mind.
Vajra Eight Forms, Six Grand Openings, Large and Small Piqua Palms, Spring and Autumn Dao, Six Harmony Great Spear, Traveler's Staff, and so on.
Only now did Naruto realize that Eight Extremes Fist wasn't just a fist technique.
This was a massive profit.
Although the style of these weapons was a bit strange for the Ninja World.
But for him, he would naturally practice the fist.
Combined with his massive amount of Chakra, not many Ninjas would be able to withstand the Eight Extremes Fist.
"Why sleep? Get up and party!"
Overly excited, Naruto jumped down from the Treehouse and struck a pose in the clearing.
His body was like a drawn bow.
Recalling the power-delivery techniques of Eight Extremes Fist in his mind, he was as swift as a thunderclap.
His right fist blasted out like a bolt of black lightning.
The air vibrated.
Sounds continued to ring out in the silent night.
His small body was like a generator. In a very short time, he executed shaking, lunging, striking, poking, leaning, and more—every move was fierce.
Naruto stopped his movements, gasping for breath.
His Eight Extremes Fist just now looked impressive, but in reality, there were major problems.
The item card only allowed your brain to learn it.
But your body hadn't.
So, the coordination was extremely awkward.
However, once the brain had mastered it, progress would be relatively fast.
After all, the body only needed to be trained for it to become instinct.
The brain was the hard part to train.
The only bit of trouble was how to explain it to Kakashi and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Claim it was his original creation?
That seemed highly unlikely.
His age was a major drawback.
Moreover, a complete martial arts system like Eight Extremes Fist wasn't something a single person could create.
"Perhaps my 'Wandering Shadow Clone' plan should be put on the agenda."
A long time ago, Naruto had an idea.
Use Shadow Clones to go out and roam, gaining combat experience.
Just idling at home wouldn't work.
Between Uchiha Madara and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, who had similar combat power, Madara could suppress Kaguya.
The fundamental reason was his richer combat experience.
Naruto's main body was a bit afraid, but for a Shadow Clone, it didn't matter.
It was just like an online game.
Besides, going out and causing trouble would have nothing to do with him.
You can't exactly follow the 'network cable' to come and beat me up, can you?
The biggest problem with this plan was Chakra.
He needed to support a Shadow Clone's activities outside for a long time.
Although Naruto's current Chakra far exceeded that of his peers, his overall strength was only slightly higher than a normal Genin.