Chapter 287: Why Is Your Gentle Fist So Girly?

When the large hand of Hyuga Sosuke pressed against the Dantian point on Uchiha Gin's chest, a flicker of confusion appeared in his white eyes.

Logically speaking, any ninja with even a modicum of strength would subconsciously dodge or resist when suddenly approached, but this curly-haired man who looked like a salted fish before him didn't make a single move; not to mention resisting, he didn't even lift an eyelid.

Had he given up?

"I'm telling you, if you keep touching me, I'm going to have to charge a fee!"

Just as Hyuga Sosuke hesitated over whether to exert force, Uchiha Gin, feeling that he had been taken advantage of for quite a while by this lecherous-looking middle-aged man, frowned in displeasure.

"Huh?"

Meeting Uchiha Gin's gaze, Hyuga Sosuke noticed that although there was no look of contempt in the other's dull eyes, such a calm demeanor still dealt ten thousand points of critical damage to his already fragile branch-family nerves.

"Then please, enlighten me!"

Immediately, a nameless fire ignited in Hyuga Sosuke's heart, extinguishing the last bit of "mercy" he had left, and the chakra within his body converged toward his palms.

Following this, it erupted from the acupoints in his palms, and the chakra carrying hidden force surged into Uchiha Gin's body through the Dantian point, determined to destroy the meridian system within this curly-haired man and make him taste the power of the Hyuga clan's secret technique.

"Ha~ I'm really looking forward to this~"

Uchiha Gin, who had been completely uninterested, instantly perked up after sensing the chakra the other's palm had driven into his body, his dull, dead-fish eyes taking on a hint of curiosity; under his deliberate indulgence, Hyuga Sosuke's chakra began a marathon run along his internal meridians.

"Tsk~ This feeling, it's actually quite stimulating!"

Ever since Uchiha Gin accepted the system's bloodline modification, he had basically never encountered an opportunity to refine chakra at full power, so his internal meridians had been in a state of standby.

And this surge of chakra that Hyuga Sosuke had driven into his body served perfectly as a lubricant and maintenance treatment; the soothing sensation of it rubbing against his meridians made Uchiha Gin nod in silent praise, and the look he gave this therapist who had come from afar also took on a hint of friendliness.

"Damn it, stop giving me that look!"

Adhering to the philosophy of a friendly sparring match, Hyuga Sosuke did not choose to use Gentle Fist to damage Uchiha Gin's internal organs, only wanting to seal his meridians and force him to surrender.

Unexpectedly, just after landing one palm, he caught a glimpse of the slightly "pitying" expression on this curly-haired man, which dealt a devastating blow to his already fragile self-esteem, and the speed of his hands suddenly accelerated.

He still had thirty-one palms left to go in the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!

"Thump! Thump! Thump! "

Just like that, under the solemn gazes of the few onlookers, Uchiha Gin was like a kite with a broken string, being comboed in the air by the inexplicably enraged Hyuga Sosuke, every palm strike carrying a sharp whistling sound that made one subconsciously clench their rear.

From Hyuga Sosuke's palms, visible blue chakra flowed like threads and silk, pouring entirely into the body of Uchiha Gin, who was like duckweed without roots, causing Hashirama Senju, who was watching from the side, to furrow his brows and subconsciously clench his mortar-sized fists.

"Big brother, don't be anxious, that curly-haired guy isn't that simple."

Watching Uchiha Gin being beaten in the air and unable to land, Hashirama Senju, unable to suppress the anger in his heart, was just about to intervene when Tobirama Senju at his side stepped in to stop him first.

Turning to look, he saw Tobirama Senju looking with a strange expression at the curly-haired man who was being beaten into a state of suspected "unconsciousness" and subconsciously "groaning in pain," and whispered,

"Don't worry, his aura hasn't weakened at all."

On the other side, Xiang Yuzhi, with his hands folded, was watching the duel intently with his Byakugan activated.

"Hmph~ It's still not too late for you to surrender now, otherwise if something happens to this Uchiha later, I won't be held responsible."

From the perspective of the Byakugan, Uchiha Gin had been beaten to the punch by Hyuga Sosuke, taking a sealing strike right at the start, his entire body's chakra falling into stagnation, while the Gentle Fist chakra that had entered his body was tormenting his meridians like a hot knife through butter; the intense pain caused that Uchiha to fall directly into a coma, and the smug Xiang Yuzhi curled his lips, immediately beginning to gloat at the two Senju brothers.

"Thirty-one, thirty-two palms... End!"

Just in the gap between their exchanges, Hyuga Sosuke had already completed his Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms; as the final palm landed, he slowly closed his eyes, appearing as if he couldn't bear to witness the miserable state of Uchiha Gin falling behind him, though in reality, the arc of his curling lips allowed anyone with a mind to see through his narrow-minded little thoughts.

"Apologies, I'm still a beginner, my strikes were a bit heavy-handed; hurry and send him to the hospital..."

Hyuga Sosuke, his expression returning to normal, shook his head "apologetically," hypocritically claiming that he had only recently learned Gentle Fist and was truly unable to control this secret technique with its astonishing destructive power, urging the Senju brothers to hurry and call an ambulance, otherwise Uchiha Gin would be left with permanent ailments due to damaged meridians.

"Huh? Oh, oh, oh~ As expected of the legendary Gentle Fist style, I, Uchiha Gin, am willing to call you the number one master of relaxing muscles and activating blood flow!"

Just as Hyuga Sosuke was walking toward his master with his head held high and chest puffed out, a voice filled with slight surprise suddenly sounded from behind him, causing his just-taken steps to pause; he turned his head in disbelief, his pair of white eyes filled with incredulity.

"Impossible, I clearly sealed thirty-two acupoints on your body, it is impossible for you to still be standing!"

"Host failed, obtained Heart Energy *16," the system's notification sound arrived right on cue.

"Phew~ I don't have any other strengths, I'm just durable; remember to hit a few more acupoints next time, thirty-two isn't enough."

After Hyuga Sosuke's dedicated therapy, Uchiha Gin, feeling warm all over, looked at the two Hyuga clansmen before him with quite a bit of appreciation; with this kind of skill, why be a ninja? If they went and opened a large therapy center, they would have made a fortune long ago.

Oh no, the little cousin's competitor has appeared~

"Damn it, to humiliate our Hyuga clan like this, watch me—"

"Stop it, Sosuke, isn't it embarrassing enough?"

Hyuga Sosuke, his face flushed, his fists still slightly numb with veins bulging, his white eyes filled with shame and anger, subconsciously wanted to go back and continue fighting Uchiha Gin for three hundred rounds, but before he could take a few steps, he was stopped by the stern-faced Xiang Yuzhi.

"Young Master, please give me one more chance!"

Looking at his young master's cold gaze, Hyuga Sosuke felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar; if he lost Xiang Yuzhi as his backer and returned to the clan, he feared the clan leader would directly cripple him. Thinking of that miserable end, he immediately began kowtowing like a machine, not stopping even when blood stained the white cloth on his head.

"Useless trash, I groomed you as a trusted aide and taught you secret techniques, yet you couldn't even defeat a weakling Uchiha."

Hey, hey, hey, excuse me, where are your manners? What do you mean "weakling Uchiha"?

Not wanting to look at Hyuga Sosuke for even a second longer, the cold-faced Xiang Yuzhi turned his gaze toward the spirited Uchiha Gin, opening his Byakugan to survey him up and down.

"Your gaze is very rude, I'll have you know, I'm not wearing underwear today!"

Sensing the prying, Uchiha Gin, as a possessor of the Byakugan, was of course clear about this ability, and immediately covered his important three points, warning him righteously.

"Pfft!"

Hashirama Senju, seeing that Uchiha Gin was safe and sound, let out a sigh of relief, and just as he picked up the fragrant tea he had brewed and took a sip, he heard Uchiha Gin's explosive statement and immediately choked, spraying the tea in his mouth all over the floor.

"Hmph! You're lying, you clearly are wearing them, and they're strawberry-patterned too!"

"Pfft!!!" This time it was Tobirama Senju's turn to spray water.

He had thought Uchiha Gin's words were explosive enough, but he didn't expect the Hyuga clan's Xiang Yuzhi opposite him, after scanning him several times, to directly expose Uchiha Gin's lie.

But soon, he revealed a strange expression; he first lowered his head to glance at his own little brother, then looked at Uchiha Gin's crotch, his eyes filled with deep astonishment, as if he had seen some indescribable, terrifying object.

"May I ask, what did you grow up eating?"

Xiang Yuzhi, who had just been looking down on everyone, suddenly seemed like a different person; his cold, stern face revealed a smile that could be described as fawning, and he asked cautiously.

"Uh... if you must ask, it's that the local environment nurtures the local people; Konoha talk for Konoha people..."

Although he found it strange how the other had changed his posture, Uchiha Gin, who was always happy to help, immediately spoke up to clear up Xiang Yuzhi's confusion.

"Wait a moment, there are some things we can discuss in detail after we go down."

Xiang Yuzhi, who was just about to continue questioning, suddenly remembered his original intention and waved his hand to indicate that they should handle official business first and chat about personal matters later; at this moment, the hostility from before was gone from his white eyes.

For some reason, Uchiha Gin suddenly couldn't sense any malice from Xiang Yuzhi, which left him scratching his head; he had clearly made his clansman lose all face, yet this arrogant guy was no longer angry.

"I have heard that the Uchiha clan's Sharingan is mysterious and unpredictable; would Mr. Gin be willing to demonstrate it?"

Passing by the head-bowed Hyuga Sosuke, Xiang Yuzhi came before the bewildered Uchiha Gin; his tone was much better than before, he even called him "Mr.," and his eyes were no longer looking down from the top of his head, as if he had completely changed his face.

"Uh... actually, I was using the Sharingan just now, but that guy was hitting so hard that I had to close my eyes and open my mouth, forgetting myself~"

Hearing Xiang Yuzhi's question, Uchiha Gin scratched his head in embarrassment; if he said he hadn't activated his eyes, the other would definitely report him for passive fighting, so with no other choice, he had to tell a harmless lie without blushing or skipping a beat.

"Oh~ I see. I wonder, Mr. Gin, what do you think of our Hyuga clan's secret technique?"

Seeing Uchiha Gin's expression, which didn't seem fake, Xiang Yuzhi nodded in satisfaction and then asked again.

"Uh... the effect is quite good, it's just that that brother's technique was a bit unrefined; he just needs to practice more~"

Not expecting the other to ask such a sensitive question, Uchiha Gin only picked the good things to say; after all, he wasn't the type to kill the chef after being full.

"Uh!"

Hyuga Sosuke, who was kneeling on the ground with a heart turned to ash, raised his head in astonishment upon hearing Uchiha Gin's words, his gray-white eyes filled with deep surprise; he truly couldn't imagine that the other would actually speak well of him.

"Hmph~ That guy only learned a trick or two and dared to show off here; I will certainly discipline him well when we return."

Hearing Uchiha Gin's slightly tactful praise, Xiang Yuzhi, feeling very pleased, felt the anger in his heart toward Hyuga Sosuke vanish by more than half, and he also dismissed the idea of abandoning him; considering that even if the guy hadn't worked hard, he had at least suffered, he would keep him under observation for now.

"Thank you, Young Master!"

Hyuga Sosuke, reborn, buried his head on the ground and shouted excitedly.

"Noisy! Why haven't you retreated yet? Do you want to stay here and continue to embarrass yourself?"

Xiang Yuzhi, in a good mood, waved his hand impatiently, signaling for Hyuga Sosuke to clear the space; he wanted to have a deep exchange and spar with Uchiha Gin.

"Yes!"

Receiving the order, Hyuga Sosuke stood up happily and quickly ran to the edge of the training ground; his face, having survived a disaster, was filled with deep relief, and his white eyes looked at the lazy-looking Uchiha Gin with nothing but gratitude.

"I hope Mr. Gin will forgive the display; Sosuke's Gentle Fist is merely the fur of our Hyuga clan's secret technique; the core skills can only be mastered by our main family."

Once Hyuga Sosuke had left, Xiang Yuzhi slowly spoke to explain to Uchiha Gin.

Hyuga Sosuke was considered one of the top-ranked members of the Hyuga branch family in terms of strength, with rich mission experience and a sophisticated way of handling affairs, which was why he had been selected by the Hyuga clan leader to be Xiang Yuzhi's personal bodyguard.

While his status was elevated, Hyuga Sosuke had also received an additional reward: a castrated version of the Gentle Fist technique taught by the Hyuga main family.

"I was just wondering; I took a few glances just now and had already learned that brother's fist technique almost entirely. So it was just the fur; no wonder it was so simple~"

Listening to Xiang Yuzhi's explanation, Uchiha Gin nodded thoughtfully, looking at the white-eyed young man before him with a sincere gaze, and explained very seriously.

"What? You learned it?"

Having just given a pale explanation and feeling that the other had looked down on his clan's secret technique, Xiang Yuzhi was just about to educate Uchiha Gin on their main family's core technology when he heard the other's firm answer, which made him cry out in shock.

One must know that even the castrated version of the Thirty-Two Palms was a core skill of the Gentle Fist style, and the difficulty of learning it was such that those not of the Hyuga clan could not possibly master it, and couldn't even manage to get an entry-level grasp of it.

Yet now, this curly-haired man before him actually claimed to have learned the Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms that Hyuga Sosuke had used; how could he not feel shocked?

"It's alright, our Sharingan just has a few hundred million points of ability, nothing more~"

As he spoke, Uchiha Gin slowly opened his sleepy, dead-fish eyes, and scarlet light overflowed; three tomoe, carrying cold and profound power, slowly swirled within them, and bursts of ocular power radiated out, drawing the side-eyes of everyone present.

"Is this the Sharingan..."

As a member of the main family who rarely went out, this was Xiang Yuzhi's first time seeing the Sharingan; as a member of a clan famous for ocular techniques, he could keenly perceive the unfathomable power contained within Uchiha Gin's eyes, which ignited a significant fighting spirit in his heart.

"This trip was not in vain after all. Mr. Gin, please enlighten me!"

However, as a proud member of the Hyuga main family, the word "retreat" did not exist in Xiang Yuzhi's dictionary; a brilliant light flared in his white eyes, and as he formed hand seals with one hand, the veins on his temples bulged, and an ocular power unique to the Byakugan dispersed; the overbearing aura caused the Senju brothers not far away to furrow their brows.

"Big brother, that stuck-up white-eyed brat has some tricks up his sleeve."

Tobirama Senju, who had stronger perception, looked at Xiang Yuzhi, who was bursting with energy not far away, and couldn't help but feel a bit of worry; he had thought the other was just an arrogant second-generation heir, but he didn't expect him to actually have some real strength.

"Uh... it's alright, he's still a bit worse than Madara's younger brother."

Compared to the somewhat nervous Tobirama Senju, Hashirama Senju appeared rather calm. After making a comparison, his slightly furrowed brows instantly smoothed out, and a hint of a smile appeared on his face as he honestly and simply evaluated the strength of Tianyao Hyuga.

Izuna: Am I a unit of measurement?

"Even if he isn't as good as that guy Izuna, in terms of this level of strength, it's not something that curly-haired guy can handle."

"Hey~ don't worry, it's just a spar, and since we are all here, stepping in to save someone later will be as easy as drinking water."

Patting his younger brother on the shoulder, Hashirama Senju smiled and comforted him.

"Fine, you said it yourself. I've already tried to stop it; if something really happens, I'll explain it to Bankan just like this~"

Fine, fine, fine, I've said everything I should have. Bankan, your second brother really did his best.

"Huh?"

As the person involved in the incident, Uchiha Gin watched Tianyao Hyuga before him with great interest. Judging from the aura erupting from the other party, this Byakugan-wielding lad had strength approaching that of Izuna—of course, that was assuming his little cousin didn't activate his Mangekyo Sharingan.

Even so, the strength he displayed steadily suppressed the Ninja Clan Alliance. One could only say that as expected of descendants of aliens, their aptitude was indeed much stronger than that of the natives.

"Mr. Gin, what Sosuke just performed was merely the entry-level Thirty-Two Palms of the Gentle Fist. There are more powerful advanced moves later on. Please be careful; I will try my best to hold back."

Having already activated his Byakugan, Tianyao Hyuga entered a serious mode. As he assumed the classic starting stance of the Hyuga clan, Uchiha Gin felt a blur before his eyes, and the other party had already vanished from his spot.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."

The next moment, a hand was pressed against Uchiha Gin's chest again. However, this time, he chose not to take it head-on; after all, the Heartsteel had already finished its losing streak, and there was no need to receive another high-power physical therapy session.

"So fast!"

Uchiha Gin lowered his eyes, a hint of awkwardness in his red eyes. Seeing this, Tianyao Hyuga, who thought he had succeeded, felt his heart tighten. Then, he felt his hand lighten, and the other party's figure suddenly vanished. The speed was so fast that he couldn't help but click his tongue.

"Since you said before that you wanted to see the copying ability of our Uchiha clan, then I shall make a fool of myself~"

Looking at the stunned Tianyao Hyuga, Uchiha Gin curled his lips. Amidst the incredulous gazes of everyone, he raised a hand, palm facing outward, and assumed a starting stance identical to that of the Hyuga clan.

"Tobirama, do you think it's real or fake?"

Hashirama Senju, who loved to watch the show, nudged his brother who was lost in thought and asked.

"Considering all aspects, the Sharingan is indeed no worse than the Byakugan. Even if it's just imitation, it should be able to replicate some of its power."

Having studied the Sharingan for many years, Tobirama Senju subconsciously ranked the Byakugan below the Sharingan; after all, they were old rivals who had fought the Senju for a thousand years.

What even is a Byakugan?

"Interesting. If you only copied that guy Sosuke's Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms, Mr. Gin, you had better concede early. I don't want to hurt you."

Although surprised by the familiar stance Uchiha Gin had assumed, Tianyao Hyuga didn't truly take it to heart. After all, the Gentle Fist wasn't just about moves; it was more about using the Byakugan to precisely inject chakra into the enemy's acupoints to achieve the goal of causing invisible damage.

"Why not allow me to learn while I fight?"

Uh... you're actually a pretty good guy. Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow and said.

"In that case, please watch closely!"

Hearing that there was no intention of backing down in Uchiha Gin's tone, Tianyao Hyuga gave him full respect and immediately moved forward, blue chakra overflowing from his palms.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms."

This time, the palm he swung did not land on Uchiha Gin, but was intercepted by a palm swung at the same angle. The familiar move made Tianyao Hyuga's pupils shrink.

It wasn't just because the move was the same; what surprised him even more was that the chakra overflowing from the other party's palm and the operational mode used were exactly the same as the authentic Gentle Fist.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms."

Uchiha Gin, who had intercepted the palm, smiled and raised an eyebrow, slowly stating the name of his move, leaving Tianyao Hyuga in a trance.

But ultimately refusing to believe it, he gritted his teeth and unleashed the next set of moves. In every move and stance, there was softness mixed with hardness, yet hidden killing intent.

"Ha~ hey~ ho~ ha~"

Facing the Eight Trigrams Palms unleashed by Tianyao Hyuga, Uchiha Gin responded with the same moves, countering move for move. After several exchanges, the other party was left helpless for a moment.

"Phew~ Mr. Gin, are you sure you just copied these moves?"

After finishing the Thirty-Two Palms with Uchiha Gin, Tianyao Hyuga retreated a few steps with a strange expression and asked Uchiha Gin in a puzzled tone.

"Of course, I've never seen your Hyuga clan before."

Hearing the other party actually questioning him, Uchiha Gin was instantly unhappy. What he was using was the most authentic Gentle Fist possible; was Tianyao Hyuga, this member of the main branch, actually authentic?

This was something he had "procured" on a dark and windy night from a shy, bowl-cut girl. Looking at the quality, it was absolutely genuine~

"Uh... then why are your moves so effeminate?"

The fact that Uchiha Gin used the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms was already quite surprising to Tianyao Hyuga, but now, as they fought, he felt more and more that something was wrong. Because he discovered another, even stranger thing, to the point that he stopped his movements and asked to get to the bottom of it.

"Uh... no, does your Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist distinguish between male and female?"

(End of chapter)