Following Naraku's words, the Special Forces members in the audience became agitated.
Although this was a taijutsu competition, ninjutsu and genjutsu were strictly prohibited.
However, the Uchiha Police Force members were elite even among the Uchiha clan—not to mention the carefully selected representatives from the other three noble clans.
Seeing their clan leader carry himself with such majesty, they couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and excitement, many eager to step forward and test their skills.
"Clan Head! Allow me to learn from you!"
A young Uchiha leapt into the arena.
Uchiha Gouhō, who had awakened the Double Tomoe Sharingan a few years ago, now possessed the fully matured Three Tomoe Sharingan and had risen to the rank of a distinguished jōnin within the clan.
"Gouhō, very well. Everyone, remember—this is a taijutsu spar. Friendship comes first, competition second."
Naraku didn't bother correcting Gouhō's name. He had appeared in too many places under different names, and most of the clan simply referred to him by his Police Department title or through the Clan Affairs Office.
Naraku had been in full control of the Police Department for a long time, and so he didn't mind being called by any of his many titles.
"Understood!"
Uchiha Gouhō assumed a fighting stance and charged forward.
He brought his right index and middle fingers together and thrust toward Naraku's chest—a precise acupoint strike.
No wonder Gouhō had the confidence to challenge him; it turned out his taijutsu skills were quite refined.
Naraku blocked Gouhō's thrust with his left hand, then mirrored the motion—his own right index and middle fingers driving toward Gouhō's chest.
Gouhō was stunned. So the clan head not only excelled in body techniques and kicking techniques, but he was also skilled in acupoint strikes!
Might Dai, the taijutsu specialist Naraku had recruited as an instructor, was still an unknown genin to the outside world, but his knowledge and teaching ability were undeniable.
He had passed on all his hard-earned taijutsu understanding, including the internal theory of the Eight Gates system within the human body.
However, Might Dai had never taught the true Eight Gates Release Technique—he considered it a forbidden art, only to be passed to direct disciples.
The reason was simple: the Eight Gates place immense strain on the body, and misuse could be fatal.
But when it came to the Eight Gates' theory and associated acupoints, Duy was an excellent and thorough teacher. One could not hope to master taijutsu without understanding the body's pressure points and flow of energy.
Naraku had no interest in opening the Eight Gates himself—that kind of training wasn't his path. He sought not brute force, but precision: technique that could integrate with his broader fighting style.
The awakened Three Tomoe Sharingan in Gouhō's eyes tracked every movement, and when Naraku's fingers neared, he immediately dodged and retreated.
"Leaf Hurricane!"
Naraku called out softly. Leaf Hurricane was a signature move that combined an upward kick followed by a downward spinning kick, using the force generated by the twist of the waist and abdomen.
Gouhō stepped back, narrowly avoiding the pressure strike, and met Naraku's heavy kick with his right leg.
He managed to block, but the impact pushed him back several steps.
Naraku wasn't done. The momentum from the first kick recoiled into his core, and he twisted for a follow-up sweeping kick with his left leg.
Gouhō should not have had time to react, but the insight of the Three Tomoe Sharingan gave him a narrow window. He leapt into the air and dodged again, then immediately counterattacked as Naraku stood up.
As Naraku finished his spin and began to rise, Gouhō once again thrust forward with his index and middle fingers.
"Nice!"
Naraku praised him sincerely and parried the strike with both hands.
Uchiha Gouhō was one of the few clan members skilled in pure taijutsu, especially proficient in soft-style techniques and pressure point strikes. He had mastered a unique Uchiha-style fluid motion mixed with precise acupoint targeting.
Konoha's Gentle Fist style and pressure point strikes were mostly passed down through the Hyūga clan's Juuken.
With their Byakugan, the Hyūga could see chakra networks and strike internal nodes with deadly accuracy. Their years of discipline gave them unmatched dominance in close-range combat.
The Uchiha, on the other hand, had the Sharingan. Though it could not reveal chakra pathways as clearly, its insight was just as formidable.
With training, Uchiha taijutsu specialists could also locate pressure points and exploit human weakness.
Fire-infused taijutsu and precise targeting gave rise to intense exchanges. The battle raged for over ten rounds.
Finally, Naraku found his moment. As Gouhō opened up during an attack, his guard was briefly lowered.
"Eight Gates Acupuncture!"
Naraku gathered chakra into the tips of his index and middle fingers, striking eight rapid blows that sealed key meridian points in Gouhō's chakra network. The final thrust pierced the chest—directly at the Gate of Death.
Gouhō's face twisted in pain, and he fell to his knees.
This Eight Gates Acupuncture was a technique created by Naraku—based on the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist and the theory of the Eight Gates.
It used chakra-infused finger strikes to seal off the Eight Gates of the body.
Its function mirrored that of Gentle Fist's chakra disruption, but Naraku's method was more surgical. It didn't require sealing hundreds of points to render someone powerless.
The Eight Gates Acupuncture technique struck only a few nodes—but they were key channels for chakra flow. In weaker shinobi, chakra would stop circulating entirely. In stronger opponents, chakra flow would be disrupted, and forcing chakra through might endanger their heart.
If struck with this technique, the result was almost always decisive.
Naraku walked up to Gouhō, placed his hand on his chest, and injected chakra to dispel the sealing chakra nodes. Gouhō's condition quickly stabilized.
"Fifteen rounds. Not bad. Step down."
"Yes, sir!"
Gouhō, thoroughly convinced, stood up, bowed deeply, and left the stage.
The Eight Gates Acupuncture, recorded by Naraku in his scroll as Sunflower Acupuncture, was named with a touch of his own eccentric humor.
Following in the line of famous Uchiha genjutsu like Sharingan Hypnosis, Binding Illusion: Golden Chains, and Mirror Heaven and Earth Change, Naraku had also developed his own ninjutsu variants.
He created the Chidori-style Lightning Release technique—modifying the basic Chidori with nature transformation to activate bodily acceleration.
Without the Sharingan, such speed would be dangerous—even fatal—due to the lack of perception and reaction time. Only those like the Fourth Hokage or the Raikage could wield such speed safely.
But with the insight of the Sharingan, the Chidori line of jutsu became deadly tools—allowing Uchiha shinobi to fight well above their rank.
Now, with the Eight Gates Acupuncture added to his arsenal, Naraku had successfully completed a triad of techniques: genjutsu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu—all optimized for the Sharingan.
A fully awakened Sharingan user could now train in compatible genjutsu, Lightning Release ninjutsu, and advanced pressure-point taijutsu.
Outside of other Uchiha or top-tier talents, very few shinobi in the world could defeat such a user in one-on-one combat.
The members of the Security Force, already proud of their physical prowess, were itching for a chance to test themselves.
Many stepped forward to challenge Naraku in friendly matches.
Since the first two challengers—an Inuzuka jōnin and Uchiha Gouhō—had displayed excellent taijutsu, others without confidence in their physical technique refrained from embarrassing themselves.
Only those who believed in their taijutsu skills stepped up.
In total, fifteen challengers took the stage. A few were overconfident and were swiftly defeated. Most sparred with Naraku for three to ten rounds before being bested.
Ninja battles often ended in a flash. But this was a taijutsu spar—no weapons, no jutsu—so the battles lasted longer.
As the first two fights revealed details about Naraku's fighting style, later opponents were able to hold out longer by adapting accordingly.
Thanks to his time training under Konoha's top taijutsu master, Naraku's skills had advanced rapidly. He had even developed his own techniques.
Since creating the Chidori-style ninjutsu at age 13, this Eight Gates Acupuncture was the second technique he had devised that could be broadly taught within the clan.
The technique would allow those proficient in taijutsu to reach new heights.
It also gave the Security Force a powerful, nonlethal option when arresting dangerous targets—sealing movement and rendering resistance impossible.
"Good. If there are no further challengers, today's taijutsu tournament ends here."
Having defeated more than a dozen contenders, Naraku stood calmly in the arena. No one else stepped forward.