Hyūga Chonghuo stared at Might Guy, who looked eager to fight, and charged forward first without hesitation.
For a taijutsu specialist, timing is everything—strike first and seize the advantage.
"Byakugan—Activate!"
His pale, all-seeing eyes flared to life, and the muscles around his eyes tightened into a fierce scowl.
In Chonghuo's view, anyone praised by Satori Hyūga must have genuine talent. He couldn't afford to underestimate him.
So right from the start, he unleashed the Hyūga Clan's signature technique.
The moment the Byakugan activated, his vision expanded, revealing everything within a full 360-degree range—except for one specific angle.
This was the flaw inherent to Branch House members, marked with the Caged Bird Seal, rendering their Byakugan no longer flawless.
Once flawless 360-degree vision was now missing a single degree.
In normal circumstances, such a tiny blind spot wouldn't matter much.
But during battle, if exploited by a clever opponent, it could become a serious weakness.
As soon as the Byakugan locked onto Might Guy, Chonghuo immediately spotted countless openings in his stance.
"This level of chakra... there's no way he could match the strongest fighters of the Hyūga Clan."
Doubt flickered across Chonghuo's mind, but he swiftly launched into the Gentle Fist technique, striking toward Might Guy with practiced precision.
Under the Byakugan's observation, he could clearly see that the amount of chakra flowing through Guy's pressure points and meridians wasn't particularly high.
Still, one thing impressed him—the density and strength of Guy's muscles were noticeably higher than those of an average ninja.
From this alone, it was clear Guy was a taijutsu specialist who'd built himself up through years of relentless training.
"I'll defeat you with my full strength. This is my way of showing respect," Chonghuo thought.
His chakra-laden palms slammed into Guy's meridians and pressure points, immediately starting to disrupt them.
Yet Might Guy stood still without reacting, as if completely unfazed.
Such blatant confidence immediately caught the attention of the onlookers.
"Big bro Chonghuo hit his vital points! There's no way he can keep fighting now."
"I should've gone first. Ten thousand silver coins is nothing to scoff at."
"That's right! Who would've thought he'd be so arrogant, not even dodging. What a fool."
The young Hyūga warriors observed the battlefield, voicing their opinions all at once.
Having trained in the Gentle Fist since childhood, they knew firsthand how devastating it was.
An ordinary person hit by the Gentle Fist would suffer immediate damage to their meridians and acupoints, collapsing seriously injured.
To them, Might Guy was merely a Genin, without any special techniques or flashy skills.
Against the meridian-targeting strikes of the Gentle Fist, he should have absolutely no resistance.
But just then, Might Guy's face contorted slightly with excitement. He exclaimed joyfully, "So this is the legendary Gentle Fist! In an instant, it's already crippled most of my pressure points and internal organs!"
"Good news, though—my body can still take more punishment."
With those words, he let out a loud shout under the stunned stares of the crowd.
[Eight Gates: Opening Gate—Open!]
In an instant, an invisible force spread around him, sending his aura surging dramatically.
With the Eight Gates activated, the pain and damage he'd taken earlier began healing rapidly.
"Still not enough. Let's keep going."
"Eight Gates, Healing Gate: Open!"
"Eight Gates, Life Gate: Open!"
Letting out a furious roar, Might Guy's aura grew even more intense as his power steadily surged.
Under Byakugan observation, a faint green ripple appeared around him, enveloping his entire body.
Seeing this, Chonghuo Hyūga couldn't help but be taken aback.
The opponent's physical strength was visibly rising at an accelerating pace, with the muscle fibers activated at an entirely new level.
From the perspective of the Byakugan, he blazed like a living flame.
However, this flame was sealed by nine black bindings, preventing it from unleashing its full power.
"Kid, here I come!" Guy declared with a grin as he raised his arm and clenched his fist toward Chonghuo Hyūga.
As soon as he finished speaking, Might Guy launched himself forward like lightning, launching himself toward Chonghuo.
His speed was incredible. His punch sent a visible burst of green energy hurtling toward his target.
Each movement flowed seamlessly—precise, powerful, and instantaneous.
Seeing this, Chonghuo's hair stood on end. He immediately raised his arms in defense.
He used the new Gentle Fist technique—Redirecting Force—developed by Satori Hyūga based on Tai Chi principles, capable of redirecting great force with minimal effort.
His arms were filled with chakra, skillfully redirecting Guy's powerful strikes.
Blow after blow rang like thunder. In the blink of an eye, they had already exchanged dozens of blows.
Sweat dripped from Chonghuo's forehead. His Byakugan-wielding eyes widened, unblinking, watching every move Guy made.
Without the aid of his Byakugan's heightened perception, he wouldn't have survived past ten exchanges.
In contrast, Guy had only opened three gates and was protected by the Nine-Binding Seal, making the fight feel effortless for him.
The Nine-Binding Seal acted like a firewall, firmly restraining the wild power released from the opened gates.
After all, Opening Gate didn't just bring strength—it also inflicted damage upon the user's own body.
That's why Guy trained relentlessly year in and year out, day in and day out, conditioning his body to withstand the backlash of the Eight Gates.
Now with the Nine-Binding Seal, the Eight Gates technique was effectively refined, significantly reducing the physical damage it inflicted.
Even after staying open for so long, his body continuously surged with power without showing any signs of exhaustion or strain.
"Time to end this!" Guy shouted loudly, striking his Harm Gate once again.
[Eight Gates, Harm Gate: Open!]
The moment the Harm Gate opened, his muscle fibers were fully unleashed, radiating raw vitality and energy.
A large amount of chakra was refined as his muscle fibers reached peak activity, triggering yet another surge in his overwhelming presence.
Just standing there, the terrifying energy radiating from him blasted a crater beneath his feet.
"Are you seriously growing stronger without limit?!" Chonghuo stared at Might Guy in disbelief.
Again and again, Guy's power seemed limitless, climbing steadily without any visible end.
Just standing before him felt like facing a ferocious beast, one that could send shivers down anyone's very cells.
Might Guy struck a cool pose, flashing his gleaming white smile. "Nope, you can't become infinitely stronger. Your strength can only be enhanced eight times—I'm currently at the fourth gate."
"What?!" Chonghuo Hyūga was stunned by the news.
Eight times? Even three stages had completely thrown off their rhythm. Wouldn't eight times be on par with a Hokage's strength?
This reminded Chonghuo once more of Satori Hyūga's words.
This time, not a trace of doubt remained in Chonghuo's heart.
"Come on! Give it your best shot—show me your strength!"
Chonghuo shouted and charged straight toward Might Guy.
Even though he knew he probably couldn't win, he still wanted to fight anyway.
The outcome was obvious.
Peng peng peng...
With the Eight Gates unleashed, Might Guy's speed and strength far exceeded anything a Genin should possess.
Chonghuo managed to block just one punch before being ruthlessly beaten down.
"Hey kids," Might Guy said brazenly, turning to the rest, "how about all of you come at me together?"
The young members of the Hyūga Branch House exchanged glances, as if coming to a silent agreement, then rushed him all at once.
Peng peng peng...
Punches so fast they became afterimages, swirling through the air like a storm, sending the group flying back.
After expending massive energy defeating them all, Might Guy successfully claimed the 10,000 silver coin reward.
This battle finally made the younger members of the Hyūga Branch House acknowledge Might Guy's strength.
In the ninja world, might makes right—his terrifying power instantly earned everyone's admiration.
Who cares if he wears green spandex? There had to be a deeper meaning behind it.
And the bald head with tattoos? Surely those were part of some intense training method.
All those quirks that used to draw laughter were now seen as hints to his greatness.
...
...
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