On the Hyuga Clan's training ground, Boruto and Hanabi stood facing each other, only a few meters apart.
"Is that Master Boruto? This is my first time seeing him in person. Could it be that Miss Hanabi and Master Boruto are going to spar here today?"
Around the training ground, Hyuga clan members whispered among themselves, their discussions growing louder.
"Master Boruto, the son of the Seventh Hokage Uzumaki Naruto and Miss Hinata... this is going to be worth watching."
"Mom, Brother… will he be okay?"
Himawari's small hand tightly gripped Hinata's, her big eyes full of worry.
"Don't worry, Himawari. This is just a regular training match." Hinata smiled softly, stroking her daughter's head.
"Boruto, are you ready?"
Hanabi was the first to break the silence, her lips curling into a faint, confident smile.
"Of course, auntie."
Boruto nodded slightly, a grin forming on his face.
"I already told you to call me sister!" Hanabi said, pretending to be angry.
Boruto didn't answer. Instead, he looked around at the Hyuga clan members gathered to watch.
"With so many spectators, are you planning to turn into Pain or something?"
He shook his head, glancing toward Hinata, Himawari, and Grandpa Hiashi, then made up his mind.
"Forget it. In front of my family, there's no need to rush the progress bar or anything like that. Except for Dad, of course — Father provides the most progress bars, so he's gotta suffer."
"I'm going for it!"
With a sharp shout, Hanabi's Byakugan activated — veins bulging around her eyes as her chakra surged.
Boruto didn't use his Jōgan. Instead, he channeled his chakra, raised his palm, and thrust it forward, sending out a powerful shockwave.
"This is… Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm? When did Boruto learn that?" Hanabi thought, secretly surprised.
But she didn't hesitate — her own palm strike met his midair.
The two forces collided violently, creating ripples visible to the naked eye.
Dust and air swirled together, forming a temporary sandstorm.
The Hyuga clan members stepped back in amazement.
"It's incredible! Master Boruto actually mastered the Hyuga clan's Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!" an elder exclaimed.
"Hinata," Hiashi asked, "did you teach that technique to Boruto?"
Hinata shook her head. "No, Father. He seems to have figured it out on his own."
"Figured it out… himself?"
Hiashi's gaze lingered on Boruto. For a brief moment, he saw another figure — Neji.
"Not bad, Boruto. I didn't expect you to have such a move up your sleeve," Hanabi said.
"But I'm going to be serious now!"
Hanabi's chakra flared. Her figure flickered, vanishing from sight — and then, suddenly, she was at Boruto's left side.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
But Boruto wasn't panicked.
He twisted his body, narrowly dodging the flurry of palm strikes. Then, kicking off the ground, he slid back ten meters to widen the gap.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Six golden chains shot out from behind Boruto like living serpents, their glow tracing arcs in the air as they darted toward Hanabi.
"What is this?" Hanabi exclaimed, startled.
"This is a sealing technique unique to the Uzumaki clan," Hiashi murmured, surprised. "I didn't expect Boruto to know it too."
Hanabi quickly adjusted her stance as chakra poured through her body.
"Eight Trigrams: Rotation!"
The Hyuga clan's absolute defense erupted — chakra spinning violently from every tenketsu, forming a whirling shield.
CLANG!
The golden chains crashed against the rotating chakra barrier, sparks flying.
Wind and dust exploded outward, creating a vortex across the training field.
"Unbelievable! Master Boruto actually forced Miss Hanabi to use Rotation!" gasped a young Hyuga member.
"Absolute defense, huh?" Boruto muttered, watching Hanabi spin.
When the rotation finally stopped, Hanabi steadied her breathing and eyed Boruto cautiously.
"Boruto actually has so many hidden abilities… this is bad. If I lose, he'll really keep calling me 'aunt.'
I'm still young — no way I'm accepting that!"
Just then, the ground beneath Hanabi cracked open.
A golden chain burst upward, striking from below.
"What?!"
Hanabi barely managed to leap back in time, evading the attack by inches.
"That was close. Déjà vu, huh?" Boruto smirked. "Auntie, you shouldn't get distracted during a fight."
"Damn it, that brat!" Hanabi clenched her fists, irritated and embarrassed.
"Boruto hasn't even used his Jōgan yet, but he's already pushed Hanabi this far… truly a genius," Hiashi thought, watching closely.
"Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists!"
Hanabi took a deep breath, condensing brilliant blue chakra around her hands. Two glowing lions roared to life, fusing with her palms as she charged straight toward Boruto.
Boruto didn't flinch. He raised one hand slightly.
The six golden chains reformed in an instant, clashing head-on with Hanabi's Twin Lion Fists.
Each strike echoed with metallic clangs as the lions and chains fought for dominance.
But the chains weren't ordinary — they twisted, recoiled, and attacked from new angles, almost as if alive.
Hanabi grit her teeth. She had never faced something so troublesome.
Her Byakugan's vision sharpened to its limit, reading every tiny movement as she dashed, flipped, and countered Boruto's relentless assault.
"The Adamantine Chains are meant to restrain tailed beasts and monsters," Boruto thought.
"Trying to trap an elite Taijutsu user like Hanabi is stretching it."
"Alright, that's enough. The sparring ends here."
Hiashi's calm but firm voice cut through the air.
Hanabi pouted, clearly unsatisfied. "Father, I haven't even shown my full strength yet!"
"It's just training," Hiashi replied with a faint smile. "That's enough."
Hanabi exhaled, lowering her stance as the Twin Lion Fists dissolved into blue motes of chakra.
Boruto, too, withdrew the golden chains behind him.
The dust settled, and the Hyuga training ground grew quiet again — but everyone knew they had just witnessed something remarkable.