"There are seven chakra natures in this world: Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Yin, and Yang. The South Dipper Seven Sacred Fists correspond to each of these seven natures—the ultimate fist for each element. Though they share a collective name, they're actually seven distinct martial arts, one for each chakra affinity."
Hinata's measured explanation had Sasuke and Naruto sitting ramrod-straight on the grass before her, faces taut with anticipation. At the end of the day, they were just a pair of eleven-year-olds, and anything that sounded really awesome had a natural, irresistible pull on them.
"You're saying each Sacred Fist requires its matching chakra nature to learn and perform?"
Sasuke's brain was operating several tiers above Naruto's, as usual. He'd already parsed the subtext in Hinata's explanation. Naruto, meanwhile, wore his trademark look of complete incomprehension. Not worth mentioning.
"Exactly. Fire-natured chakra can only be used to train the fire-element Sacred Fist. Attempting a different element's techniques will not only fail, it could cause a devastating backlash."
Hinata delivered her fabrication with a perfectly straight face. The "Sacred Fists" she was describing bore no resemblance to any real franchise—she'd remixed them into something tailor-made for this world, fusing Naruto-specific concepts into a wholly original martial art.
"So how strong is this Seven Sacred Fists? Are they as powerful as the Hokage's ninjutsu?"
Naruto, eyes wide with anticipation, clearly had no idea what he was looking at.
"I honestly don't know. This art is one of the Hyuga clan's most ancient sealed archives. I found the damaged scroll purely by accident."
Another barefaced lie, of course—but since the "Hyuga heiress" identity was an immutable fact of life, using the family name as a convenient backdrop cost her nothing. After all, "an ancient Sacred Fist manual from the Hyuga clan's sealed archives" sounded infinitely more prestigious.
"Sacred Fists—that's taijutsu, right? I've heard that Hyuga clan members focus exclusively on taijutsu, since the Byakugan makes it far more efficient than ninjutsu or genjutsu."
Sasuke was working hard to analyze Hinata's words, and Hinata allowed herself a small smile. Having this clever Uchiha hot-head fill in the blanks himself saved her an enormous amount of effort.
"Spot on, Sasuke. Strictly speaking, the South Dipper Seven Sacred Fists are pure taijutsu. But their true power lies in this: the practitioner can deliver elemental chakra effects through fist strikes alone. Compared to ninjutsu—which requires hand seals—the Sacred Fists are more focused, faster, and more destructive. In essence, taijutsu that can produce ninjutsu-like effects."
Rummaging through memories of arcade games from her youth, Hinata wasn't entirely sure whether chakra could actually do what she was claiming. But since it came in distinct elemental affinities, surely there'd be some effect... right?
"Is it really that incredible? I've never heard of it, though."
Puffing out his cheeks, Naruto scratched his head. "So, do the people in your family practice the Sacred Fists too?"
"No. They don't dare—because it's a forbidden art."
One sentence, and Naruto's face went sheet-white. "This martial art was created by some ancestor of the Hyuga—no one knows which generation—but virtually every practitioner died before completing the training. The physical demands are extreme: the methods are agonizingly painful, and a single misstep can cripple you. It was sealed away as a forbidden technique after a single generation. Every Hyuga since—including my current relatives—has practiced the safer Gentle Fist instead."
Hinata raised her still-bandaged right hand, her tone casual as ever. "For reference, I started formal training in this art two months ago. In that time, my fingers have fractured nearly twenty times. Buying the medicinal ingredients needed to repair and temper my body is precisely why I've had to resort to... this particular line of work. So—do either of you have the guts to train in something like this?"
"Gulp—"
Staring at the bloodstained bandages on Hinata's hand, Naruto swallowed hard. He was still at the age where his days revolved around pranks and mischief—suddenly confronting training that might actually kill him triggered an instinctive wave of hesitation.
"But you also said—in just two months, you went from a dead-last who couldn't even throw a shuriken straight to someone who can flatten me with a single strike. Didn't you?!"
Sasuke's eyes blazed with a different kind of fire. Yesterday's one-finger takedown had clearly left a deep mark. "Just tell me—can this art make me stronger, fast?"
"If you're lucky enough to survive the training, getting stronger is guaranteed."
Hinata wasn't surprised by Sasuke's intensity. This revenge-obsessed kid had an innate hunger for power, and her pitch for the South Dipper Seven Sacred Fists had been meticulously crafted—perfectly aligned with this world's rules, seamlessly integrated with the seven chakra natures. Sasuke and Naruto simply didn't have the brainpower to see through it.
"Then I'm in! I need power! If you give me the manual, I'll do whatever you say from here on!"
Sasuke's fist clenched involuntarily. He knew exactly what he lacked: a systematic, comprehensive method for getting stronger. The Uchiha clan had left behind some ninjutsu scrolls, but those old techniques couldn't be mastered overnight. The Ninja Academy taught nothing beyond the basic Three Techniques. And thanks to the Uchiha's years of isolation, there wasn't a single ninja in the village willing to mentor him.
What he needed was a direct, powerful, systematic way to grow stronger.
"Tch! Then I'm learning it too! As for the filming—fine, I'll go along with whatever you say."
Naruto had clearly been nudged by Sasuke's declaration. The blond's competitive streak kicked in. "And I'm DEFINITELY gonna master it before he does!"
"Hmph. Big talk. Anyway—one small problem. I've only found three of the seven scrolls. You'd better pray your chakra natures match. My affinities are Fire and Lightning. What about you two?"
Hinata had no intention of actually designing martial arts manuals, but the necessary window dressing still had to be maintained. She'd invent three styles on the spot—one per head—and string these two idiots along with the filming schedule for now.
"Mine are also Fire and Lightning."
"I... I've only got Wind."
Sasuke and Naruto reported their chakra affinities, and Hinata let her eyebrow arc upward, injecting a note of theatrical astonishment into her voice.
"Well, well. It seems fate itself is smiling on us. The three scrolls I found are the Fire Scroll, the Lightning Scroll, and the Wind Scroll. Want to hear their names?"
Drawing on every scrap of anime and gaming knowledge she'd accumulated, Hinata cleared her throat and dropped her voice.
"They are: the fire-element South Dipper Flame-Slaying Fist. The lightning-element South Dipper Thunder-Burial Fist. And the wind-element South Dipper Wind-Sacrifice Fist."
As names that Hinata had pulled directly from her backside, these three were admittedly impressive-sounding. But to be fair, anyone steeped deeply enough in otaku culture could rattle off something equally bombastic at the drop of a hat.
"Every one of those names sounds extremely violent."
Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed, but the gleam in them was unmistakable. Hinata understood—chunibyō names like these were catnip for a chunibyō kid.
"Slaying, Burial, Sacrifice... yeah, those are a bit scary."
Naruto rubbed his arms involuntarily. Compared to Sasuke, he was, for once, the more sensible one.
"Naruto's the only one with a Wind affinity, so I'll give him the South Dipper Wind-Sacrifice Fist scroll tomorrow. Now then, Sasuke—Thunder-Burial Fist or Flame-Slaying Fist?"
Hinata was quite satisfied with her improvisation. The important thing was to give people the illusion of choice.
"I already have Fire Style ninjutsu, so doubling down with Flame-Slaying Fist would be lopsided. Plus, Lightning chakra enhances metal weapons, and my weapons skills are solid. Thunder-Burial Fist is the better pick."
Sasuke's analysis was sound: Fire Style already covered his offensive ninjutsu, and stacking another fire art on top risked over-specialization. Lightning nature synergized best with his existing tool proficiency, making Thunder-Burial Fist the obvious choice.
"Good. Then I'll take Flame-Slaying Fist. Tonight I'll secretly copy out the scrolls and bring them to you tomorrow. But for now—"
Hinata stood, patting the camera at her side, impatience creeping into her voice. "We have work to do. Without enough money, we can't buy the rare ingredients we need, and training goes nowhere."
Sasuke and Naruto exchanged a glance. They could each read the resignation in the other's eyes—but by Hinata's own account, the South Dipper Seven Sacred Fists demanded brutal physical training and massive quantities of expensive medicinal compounds. Which meant they genuinely did need this income stream to fund their growth.
The old adage held: scholarly pursuits are cheap; martial mastery costs a fortune. And xianxia novels took it further with the concept of wealth, companions, method, and territory—proof that money's impact on combat power was beyond question.
Seeing them acquiesce, Hinata let out a satisfied scoff. Good. As long as money kept them feeling like they were getting stronger, they'd keep following her lead.
By then, who would even know whether the Seven Sacred Fists were real or fake?