Naruto: I, Shikotsumyaku, Byakugan Princess

Chapter 83 Neji
Forest of death.

The open space on the eastern perimeter.

The rain fell in fine threads, as dense as a mist.

Hyuga Neji shook the dampness off his clothes, threw his schoolbag under a tree to take shelter from the rain, and found a large tree covered in scars by himself.

Bring your five fingers together and face upwards.

Beneath the white cloth covering his forehead, Neji's clear Byakugan eyes blazed with an almost tangible fury.

"Fortunately, it wasn't the main family that got into trouble."

Those were the original words of Hyuga Mirai, a member of the Hyuga main family and the youngest son of Hyuga Kei, who was only 3 years old.

"Who taught you to say that?"

"That's what everyone says."

The child's innocent voice contained no sarcasm or malice, but simply revealed the cold reality.

Desperate.

The rain soaked the white cloth.

The cold rain could not alleviate the burning pain of the caged bird, just as the strip of cloth on his forehead could not conceal his lowly status.

An uncontrollable roar surged within his chest.

Scalding chakra gathered in his palm.

"die!!!"

The glowing palm slammed into the tree trunk, and the gathered chakra surged out from the acupoints.

Peng!
A muffled thud came from the tree trunk.

The already scarred tree trunk has been further cracked.

not enough!

Roll your eyes—open!

His eyes were covered with menacing blood vessels, and chakra was frantically gathering inside his body.

Soft Fist Technique: Bagua Sixty-Four Palms!
His shoulders were shaking.

Neji's killing intent transformed into countless palm prints, covering the tree trunks like a denser rain.

bang bang bang! ! !
The bark cracked, and the leaves fluttered down.

The light of chakra shimmered in the rain and mist, and water vapor and wood chips exploded under the surging energy.

Sixteen...Thirty-two...Forty-seven...

Snapped!
He slammed his palm into the tree trunk.

The halo of light in my palm spread uncontrollably.

The sound coming from the tree trunk was not a muffled, concentrated thud, but rather a loose, snapping sound.

The leaves stopped falling.

The tree trunk remained completely still.

"Huhuhu..."

Neji's palms were red, his arms were trembling, and he was breathing heavily.

Forty-seven again.

To be considered to have entered the basics, one must unleash sixteen palm strikes in one go; thirty-two palm strikes is the limit for most branch families. Only by being able to unleash sixty-four palm strikes in one go can one be considered to have mastered this secret technique.

Of course, only members of the branch family who are recognized by the main family can be granted the qualification to learn the Sixty-Four Palms.

It is said that the head of the main family, Hyuga Hiashi, can unleash 128 palm strikes in one go.

With a powerful palm strike, he instantly turned a taijutsu jonin into a bloody pulp.

There is still a long way to go.

I urge myself on internally.

Clench your fist to suppress the trembling.

With arms outstretched, he once again assumed the starting stance of the Soft Fist.

Looking at the tree trunk in front of him, which had been beaten until the yellow wood was exposed, he saw it as proof of his long-term efforts.

He didn't know why he was working so hard.

To free the caged bird?
No matter how strong he becomes, the caged bird can never be released, and everyone in the family knows this very well.

As servants and tools, the stronger they are, the more convenient it is for the main family to use them.

Many members of the branch family deliberately neglected training in order to resist the rule of the main family. He had personally witnessed a once-genius boy from the branch family become mediocre under the oppression of the caged bird.

Even when others were diligently cultivating, that person would come over and try to dissuade them.

of course.

That person's fate was also very tragic.

Even without serious training, this genius possessed the strength of a Jonin, but under the terrifying Caged Bird Seal, he rolled around in the center of the training field, clutching his head.

The father's decision to die in his place, and the genius's loud pleas for mercy as the family divided.

This constituted his deepest fear.

The azure chakra aura shone brightly once more. Due to insufficient control over the chakra, red dots remained on the swollen pressure points in the palm.

The slight physical pain, though not severe, was a good remedy for his inner torment. As long as there was even the slightest possibility of freeing the caged bird, even if it was all just a beautiful dream, he had no intention of giving up.

He didn't know how strong he would have to become to free the caged bird.

The only thing he was clear about was that if he remained weak, there would be no hope.

As a child, Neji still harbored hope of freeing the caged bird; he was not yet a hopeless genius trapped in fate.

Come again!

Neji's eyes were resolute, and his gleaming Bagua Palm struck the tree trunk once more.

Peng! Peng!
The persistent muffled thuds resumed.

In the dense forest.

A middle-aged man holding an umbrella stood in the distance, his eyes gleaming with a faint light.

In the visual sense:
A black-haired boy dressed in white, drenched in rain, vented his anger on a tree trunk. He still had chakra left, but his muscles were exhausted and congested with blood.

Not bad.

Hui Li admired Neji's skillful and fluid Bagua Palm technique.

To be able to practice Baguazhang up to the 47th move at this age is far superior to that noob who can't even memorize the complete diagrams.

Yes, she was talking about Hinata.

Hinata, who could only memorize about ten diagrams, was still at a kindergarten level when it came to Baguazhang. Neji, who was only a year older than her, could already use Baguazhang in actual combat.

Comparing the two.

No wonder Hiashi Hyuga was disappointed in Hinata.

Even after seeing Neji, Hairi's opinion of Hinata dropped another notch.

Yeah.

Only people like this are worth trying to win over.

Seeing Neji's visible anger.

Hui Li felt that her subjugation plan should not encounter any obstacles.

Emotions are the hardest thing for you to control, and also the easiest tool for others to manipulate you.

She didn't know why Neji was angry.

But in the end, it all comes down to the division of the family, the main family, and the caged bird.

Hui Li was the only non-family member to escape the caged bird's bondage.

If Neji wants to escape the caged bird situation, he has no choice but to cooperate with her.

When she has collected all the diagrams of Baguazhang and needs to practice in actual combat, she can ask Neji to be her sparring partner. This way, she will have a learning partner to practice the secret techniques of the main family's Gentle Fist.

Thanks to the combination of the Corpse Bone Pulse and the Byakugan, Hairi learns everything very quickly.

She always believed herself to be a peerless genius.

It wasn't until she encountered obstacles in practicing Wind Release: Nature Transformation that she realized how much of her talent was actually unrealistic.

The Gentle Fist of the Hyuga clan cannot be cheated with the Byakugan.

It's a good opportunity to see how far I've gone in the Hyuga clan, where everyone has Byakugan, and whether I can surpass the number one genius among the twelve Konoha 12.

Peng!
Snapped!
Wood chips flew everywhere.

"Whoosh..."

Neji leaned against the tree trunk, panting heavily. His clothes were soaked through, and his long hair was disheveled, making it difficult to tell whether it was sweat or rain.

rustle……

A gentle breeze, mixed with a light drizzle, rustled the leaves.

Click!

Click!

The tree branch snapped under the weight of a heavy object, making a crisp sound. The sound of footsteps could be heard, as if a magnificent brown bear was moving forward in the dense forest.

Neji, who was catching his breath, suddenly stood up straight.

A wary look back.

Not far in front of him.

A figure carrying a blue umbrella slowly approached, stepping on the bare branches on the ground.

The umbrella was thrown on the ground, but the rainwater, blocked by the umbrella's surface, did not fall; instead, it slid past him, avoiding his figure.

Until he reached Neji.

Not a single drop of rain fell on that person, as if even the rain in the sky was afraid of it.

Neji involuntarily took a half step back.

The intense, dangerous aura emanating from the other party caused his chakra to surge restlessly.

The man looked at the bewildered Neji, a smile playing on his lips, his calm eyes revealing an unsettling deathly pallor.
"Hyuga Neji, interested in having a chat?"

"Regarding the Hyuga, the branch family, the main family, the Caged Bird Seal, and your Eight Trigrams Palm."

(End of this chapter)