"Chiba, you and Kakashi are back in the village?"
kid's eyes shone brightly.
"Yes, kid. We got back yesterday," Chiba greeted politely.
kid cleared his throat. "You all keep training. I need to have a few words with Chiba."
Neji, who'd been visibly tired just moments before, instantly picked up his pace and soon ran out of sight.
"Neji! As long as you train diligently, you can surpass your limits!" kid shouted, voice full of passion.
"kid! I'll work hard too!" Lee yelled back, sprinting even faster.
Only Mami sighed softly before hurrying to catch up with them.
Chiba couldn't help but smile.
"How's their training coming along?" he asked.
kid scratched his chin proudly. "Heh, they've started to grasp the basics of the Limit State. Mami's still lagging behind, but it can't be helped—girls usually struggle more in this kind of training."
kid began rambling about their progress.
Chiba listened quietly, offering a few small suggestions here and there—but truthfully, his advice didn't mean much to kid.
To him, true understanding comes only from practice.
His path was fundamentally different from Chiba's, which was exactly why he always said he couldn't really teach Chiba anything. And honestly, Kakashi was the better mentor for him.
kid's gaze swept up and down Chiba, then he nodded approvingly. "You look stronger than before—taller, too."
"Probably because I'm growing. Usually after twelve, the body develops faster—"
Chiba suddenly froze mid-sentence, then his eyes lit up.
Right.
His body had gotten noticeably stronger lately—taller, more muscular. He'd thought it was just puberty, but what if…
What if it was the fifth rune's effect?
A boost to his physical strength?
"I see," kid mused. "Come to think of it, most ninja start growing rapidly right after graduation. Maybe that's why the academy sets graduation around twelve."
He thought for a moment, then suddenly looked back at Chiba and said, "Once you're a bit stronger, I'll teach you a technique."
"The Eight Gates?"
"Oh? You already know about it? Must be Kakashi who mentioned it. Yes, that's the one."
kid didn't bother denying it.
Other than the Eight Gates, most of his taijutsu techniques were simple—nothing worthy of teaching to Chiba.
So, it could only be that one.
"Then I'll thank you in advance, kid."
Chiba didn't refuse.
Of course he wanted to learn the Eight Gates. Even if he didn't intend to master it, just understanding its mechanics would be valuable.
"It's nothing," kid said with a grin. "I just have this feeling—you might be the one who can solve some of its flaws."
Then he returned to supervising his students.
Everyone was busy—especially jonin team leaders like him. Training three disciples took more out of him than fighting an enemy.
Chiba sighed softly, watching him leave.
After two hours of running, Chiba went to Tenten's house.
She was busy tinkering with ninja tools.
With his sensory ability, Chiba easily noticed the ANBU operatives hidden nearby.
Not surprising.
The Four Great Ninja Tools were a sensitive matter. If anything went wrong, Konoha's reputation would suffer. The fact that the Third Hokage allowed Tenten to study them at all already spoke volumes of his trust.
"Chiba, are you here to see Tenten?"
Tenten's mother greeted him warmly, her face lighting up with a smile.
Chiba waved his hand. "No need to trouble you, ma'am. I'm just passing by. This book is related to ninja tools—please give it to her for me."
"Are you sure you don't want to come in for a bit?"
"No, really, it's fine."
He handed over the book and practically fled.
Tenten's mother's expression was just… too much.
Anyway, studying the ninja tools wasn't something that could be done overnight—nor was it something Tenten could handle with her current knowledge. She still had a long way to go.
Chiba wasn't too concerned with that.
What occupied his mind now was something else entirely—
What should he research next?
The five runes had made the Bodhi Seed glow —that was one stage of transformation.
So… would gathering five more trigger a second transformation?
The thought intrigued him deeply.
And after much consideration, he realized there was only one possible candidate—
The Rasengan.
Chiba didn't intend to create colorful versions like Naruto. He didn't have the ability—or the desire—for that.
Instead, he wondered…
Could the principle behind the Rasengan be applied to taijutsu?
He had previously created an explosive-style taijutsu by imitating the superhuman strength Technique, but it wasn't very useful for him personally.
For most ninja, precisely controlling and molding chakra within their bodies without harming themselves was too difficult. Those who could manage it could usually just learn ninjutsu directly instead.
So that technique had remained incomplete.
But—
If he could inject spiraling chakra into an opponent's body, wouldn't that have the same destructive effect as the Hyūga Clan's Gentle Fist?
A technique like Chaotic Body Impact worked on a similar principle.
It was worth a try.
He spent the entire afternoon experimenting with it.
By dusk—
"Working on a new technique ?"
"Kakashi-sensei."
Chiba bowed respectfully, then continued his training.
Kakashi observed for a while.
At first glance, it just looked like regular taijutsu.
After some thought, Chiba paused and said, "Kakashi-sensei, you know the Shadow Clone Technique, right?"
"I do. You want to learn it?"
"Yes. For this taijutsu, I need to study how chakra causes physical damage in real-time. Shadow Clones would be perfect for that."
Kakashi jumped down from the tree and began describing the seals and chakra flow.
Chiba listened carefully, then performed the hand signs.
Moments later, a clone appeared beside him.
Kakashi wasn't surprised.
If Chiba hadn't managed it, that would've been surprising.
Then the boy went right back to experimenting.
Time passed, and before long, night had fallen completely.
Chiba finally let out a slow breath, sweat dripping from his forehead.
"Come on," Kakashi said. "Let's grab some ramen. My treat."
As they walked, he asked, "You're trying to merge the Rasengan into taijutsu?"
"Yeah."
Chiba nodded and began explaining his concept as they walked.
Kakashi fell into deep thought.
Injecting spiraling chakra directly into the human body…
"Chakra can't easily destroy the body from the inside," he said finally, "unless you have the Byakugan to see the chakra pathways and tenketsu."
And that was exactly why the Hyūga Clan had become such a powerful family.
In a way, Chiba's idea was already very close to the Gentle Fist—and if he actually succeeded, the technique might even surpass it.
"Or," Kakashi continued, "you could try concentrating all the force into a single point."
He thought for a moment, then remembered Chiba's chakra needles.
Yes—using a pinpoint to penetrate the body before injecting the chakra… that might actually work.
Chiba nodded. "That's what I was thinking too. I've also studied human anatomy—most tenketsu are clustered in predictable locations, and some are easier to sense than others."
"…"
Kakashi stared at his book, pretending to read, though he hadn't turned a page in a while.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, gazing off into the distance.
"Your idea is… very dangerous."
Chiba gave a faint smile. "The Hyūga Clan has nothing to fear. Even ordinary people know roughly where the body's pressure points are—but actually striking them accurately? Almost impossible. Besides, it'll never be as convenient as the Byakugan."
He sighed quietly.
"The Caged Bird Seal made the Hyūga strong… but it also made them terribly weak."
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