Chapter 38
The Gentle Fist technique of the Hyuga Clan was a deception. There was nothing gentle about it; it was one of the most terrifying taijutsu styles in the world. And anyone who has mastered it is very dangerous, and not somebody anyone would want to have a close combat with.
It inflicts internal damage by attacking the body's Chakra Pathway System, subsequently injuring organs that are closely intertwined with the area of the network that has been struck. And that was just the beginning.
By injecting their own chakra into their opponent's system, they can injure their opponents' insides no matter how tough their defenses might be. It could be called peerless taijutsu, which only the Hyuga clan can use because of their Byakugan.
Even though most people share the same chakra network system, no two people are the same. A few centimeters' difference between people is all that is needed to prevent accurate targeting of pressure points. And for a Gentle Fist to work, one needs to see the pressure point and hit it precisely, like a surgeon.
To tell the truth, Iruka never understood the Hyuga Clan's obsession with this technique. Sure, it is powerful, but they are approaching it in the wrong way. The Byakugan has so much more potential than that, but it wasn't for him to comment on it, as he had no idea what it even felt like to have those kinds of eyes.
Each to their own, he guessed. As jealous as he was of their eyes, he was angry at how they were used by those who had them. If he had those eyes, how much stronger would he be? Able to see anyone hidden away. But he could only rely on his stupid, normal eyes.
"It isn't a secret technique or anything like that," Hiashi Hyuga, the clan's head, was perplexed by Iruka's request. "But even if it is you, I don't think it will be of any use. Without the Byakugan, it is impossible to replicate the same results, making it quite a weak taijutsu style in others' hands."
"It is for me to decide that," Iruka said.
He needed that technique not to fight others, but to use on himself. In the past three months, he learned a lot about this body, and he needed Gentle Fist to continue progressing further. Of course, he couldn't say it, because he would look like a madman.
But to him, it was a logical thing, after all, poison and medicine go along with each other. The only difference between them is in how one uses them. A Gentle Fist could damage the body's insides. But what if that certain part of his body was poisoned?
Damaging that part of the body would only help stop the poison from spreading. Not only that, in theory, one could block blood flow and paralyze nerves. Of course, Iruka would need to test it first, but he thought that it was a perfect technique for him.
After all, he was pretty bad at fighting and always got injured one way or another. So, he needed something to quickly administer damage control to himself. He only felt stupid that he didn't think of it earlier.
"Anyway," Iruka tried to change the topic. "I didn't come here to see this shit."
Iruka ignored the glare from the rest of the clan members, who were sitting all proper and formal. What was proper about any of this, letting two kids beat each other? Well, it was just one kid beating up another.
"I just wanted to hear your opinion of these two, since you are their teacher," Hiashi replied calmly, as if his daughter was not being beaten up before his eyes.
"What do you think of these two?" Hizashi, the younger brother of the clan head, didn't seem to be bothered by the sight either. No, he was looking quite proud of his son, Neji, winning so easily. Though it was always hard to read their expressions, he might be mistaken.
"Tch, Hinata is lacking in many ways," Iruka said as he observed the fight. "But at least she is better than this little brat who doesn't know any better."
"What do you mean?" Hiashi didn't react much to Iruka's words, unlike the rest, who once again glared at him.
"Hah," Iruka only sighed. "This is what I am talking about."
Iruka picked two kunai from his pocket and threw them at both Hinata and Neji at the same time. Of course, he made sure that when they hit them, it would be the handle that hit them, not the blade. But that only mattered to Neji, as he was the only one hit in the head, while Hinata caught the kunai.
"From your surprised looks, I can tell you all are still blind as always," Iruka said, having no good feelings toward the Hyuga clan. "You don't even know such simple things about your children and members of your clan. While Hinata is awful at concentrating on what is in front of her, she has awareness around her that even I am envious of. And Neji can only see what is in front of him, too focused on one thing to see what is around him."
"How dare you?" One of the clan members stood up and threw a death glare at Iruka.
"What? Wanna fight?" Iruka was already annoyed that he had to come to this pathetic clan to ask for a favor, so he wished to kick some of their asses at least.
"Sit down, both of you." Damn it, as much as he disliked this clan, Hiashi's eyes were damn sharp and dangerous.
Iruka still had scars from when he faced him, trying to stop him from killing that Kumo shinobi. As calm as he looked right now, he was a beast who would go through anything and everything to protect someone.
Maybe his brother's sacrifice had cooled him down in the original timeline, but it seemed the only thing Iruka managed to change in this world was making Hiashi even more overprotective of his family and far more aggressive than he was supposed to be.
"Tch, you're all just a bunch of losers in my eyes; some of you can't see what is in front of you, and the others can't see around yourselves. You are all just a shadow of what the Uchiha clan was, so don't go prancing like proud peacocks because the Uchiha are gone."
Shisui and Itachi were worth more than all of them combined. But there was no need to waste his emotions on these blind bastards. Now, because one of them is being called a genius, they think he is one, and they are all so damn proud of it.
Neji is nothing but a frog in a well. And the rest of the Hyuga clan is nothing but a wall blocking him from the rest of the world. Hinata might not be as talented, nor as determined to get stronger, but at least she isn't blind like the rest of them.
"If you want the best for your daughter, don't teach her anything and leave her alone." Leaving his parting words, Iruka left.
He would have to ask the Hokage if he had records of the Gentle Fist technique, or maybe there was something similar. That old man already owed him a lot because he took those two crazy kids off his hands.
Though Iruka was still annoyed. Not with the Hyuga clan, but with himself. He couldn't believe he let himself get so agitated. Seeing their smug faces shouldn't even matter to him, but it did. Because those two were his students who fought for their entertainment.
It was just a spar. So why did they have to make such a spectacle of it all? They all were pretty strong from the very beginning; they never could understand what it felt like to be weak. But Hinata did, because they made sure she felt it. And they continued to show how weak she was. It was some kind of game to them.
Her eyes were the same as his. Not afraid, not despairing, not angry. Those eyes had accepted that they were weak and that there was nothing that could change that. It might have been too late for him to change it. But not for Hinata. Iruka wouldn't allow that girl to think she was weak.
"It's good to see that you have so much more emotion," Iruka turned back to face Hizashi Hyuga. "The first time I met you, your eyes were empty. There wasn't a single expression on your face, even while your whole body was being torn apart by my brother's Gentle Fist."
"Tch, he is as stupid as he was back then."
The Hyuga clan's head was a complete idiot who fell for Kumo's ploy. Good thing Iruka was prepared for it. Though he had to admit that he didn't expect that idiot to be unable to control himself and still try to kill that Kumo shinobi. It was the worst beating he had ever experienced.
"Elder brother can be foolish sometimes," Hizashi replied as he threw a scroll at Iruka. "But even he remembers favors done to him. Don't blame us too much; everyone has a blind spot that, no matter what, they can't overcome. Take care of my son. If it is you who teaches him, he will grow to be a great shinobi."
"What is this?" Iruka looked at the scroll now in his hands.
"It is what you asked for. Though you will have to study it on your own."
What was with these bastards? They could have just given him the scroll to begin with. Why did they need to give him such a show with it, too? Ridiculous. Of course, Neji would become a great shinobi once he was done with him. There was no need for anyone to ask such an obvious thing.
…
"You could have given it to him yourself, brother."
"Hmph." Hizashi could only smile at his brother's stubbornness. "I am the last person he would want to receive anything from."
Hizashi didn't think so. Iruka had surely changed through the years. That boy who picked up his broken body and just limped away after his mission was over didn't exist anymore. Those dark eyes now held light.
But he wasn't the only one who had changed. Many things had happened over the years. That incident with Hinata and Kumogakure was just the start for Hiashi. Hizashi knew very well how much it pained him to lose the one he loved the most.
And while Hizashi had time to grieve, Hiashi wasn't given any. Hizashi felt like he had failed his brother, even though there was nothing he could have done. He could only watch over him. Watch as he was in pain, but had to continue putting on a face to protect the clan.
Now, only Hinata and Hanabi were left for him. And even though he didn't show it, Hiashi was very worried about the future of his daughters. Others might not say anything about it, but not many wanted a woman to lead the clan.
Funny how their traditions, which they had held on to for so long, were now the things they wished they could ignore. Though it was not funny for Hiashi. They both knew that Hinata was not suited for the position.
No, maybe she would have been. But it was they who did this to her. They were far too harsh on her, setting up far too many expectations for her, without ever realizing how they were crushing her. And when her mother died, Hiashi was torn apart over what he should do.
Protecting the clan and protecting his daughter were two different things. But there was hope in this situation. Iruka Umino, when they heard that he was going to teach their children, both of them were worried initially, as they knew what kind of missions Iruka undertook.
But almost immediately, they could see the changes in their children. Neji had become slightly more relaxed, not even reacting anymore to being called a genius by others, as if they were empty words. And he started to focus on himself more.
Hinata was still a shy and traumatized girl. But her head was held a bit straighter, and she began looking forward to learning. And then, that incident with Danzo happened. Even without full details, he and Hiashi knew what had happened.
"Neji." Hopefully, those children would continue to grow outside the influence of the clan. "You were waiting for me?"
"Yes, Father." As Iruka had said, Neji couldn't see anything around him, only what was in front of him. "I want to learn the next step of our technique."
"Hah." Hizashi could only sigh. Neji was just ten years old. Far too young to have such a serious face. "Very well, but before that, I want to ask you why you wish to do so."
"I want to be stronger," was the straightforward answer.
"Why do you want to be stronger?" Neji didn't answer. He wasn't a child who liked to lie, so he would rather say nothing when he didn't have an answer. "Any sword can be sharpened to the point it can cut anything and everything. But if it doesn't have any purpose, it will only rust away that much faster. I will teach you when you have an answer to my question; until then, you may continue training as you have before."
To Neji, Hinata wasn't worth protecting. And when the rest of the clan agreed with him, he didn't see anything wrong with it. But it meant he had no purpose. Hizashi would have been more relieved if he had shown a desire to become the next head, no matter how impossible it was. But no, Neji simply had no desire for anything. He just wanted to be stronger.
As Iruka had said, Neji couldn't see anything around him. So how could he find a purpose? If Hizashi sharpened the blade that was Neji, he would only rust away faster, unable to do anything. He couldn't allow it, so he had to force Neji to at least try to look around himself to find something worth getting stronger for.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.