Chapter 15: Naruto vs. Neji, Naruto Wins Narrowly
The reason why the Eight Extremes Fist is so widely spread among the National Martial Arts is purely due to two points.
First, the style is fierce and powerful, useful for both close-quarters combat and maneuvering, and it is outstanding in its aesthetic appeal.
Second, the style lacks unnecessary frills; most of its Moves are based on practical combat, making its striking power even greater, which is why it can be called the most practical of the National Martial Arts.
Naruto had not merely learned the basics of the Eight Extremes Fist; he was well-versed in its methods of cultivation, training, and combat. Although he had only recently started learning the combat techniques, it was more than enough to deal with a four-year-old child like Neji.
After assuming their stances, the two did not perform the Reconciliation Seal. Not to mention that Naruto didn't understand it at all, even Hyuga Neji, who knew about it, didn't bother to remind him.
Hyuga Neji was also arrogant; he did not consider Naruto a serious opponent at all, so his actions were understandable.
"Eight Trigrams: Two Palms!"
With a low growl, Hyuga Neji lunged forward. The Gentle Fist Art palm strike he unleashed was naturally the introductory version, possessing low power and very little recognition.
Of course, in Hyuga Neji's imagination, Naruto, who came from a "commoner" background, would be unable to block it, even if this Gentle Fist Arttechnique was the most basic one.
But while the ideal was full, the reality exceeded Hyuga Neji's expectations; Naruto not only blocked it but also launched a counterattack at the same time.
Seeing Hyuga Neji's center wide open, Naruto had intended to use an 'Iron Mountain Lean' to end the fight in one go, but fearing he might expose his skills, he instead used a more famous Move from the Eight Extremes Fist: "Double Peak Piercing Ears."
After parrying Hyuga Neji's palms, Naruto slightly curved his hands into a bowl shape and moved them at extreme speed, covering Hyuga Neji's ears.
Naruto's application of force was methodical; when striking Hyuga Neji's ears, he used the base of his palms, which maximized his power while inflicting greater damage on Hyuga Neji.
Sure enough, after receiving this sudden blow from Naruto, Hyuga Neji first experienced ringing in his ears, and then the force acted upon his brain, causing him to become briefly dizzy.
Naruto naturally did not let this opportunity slip by. He grabbed Hyuga Neji's right hand before he could react, pulled his arm toward his own shoulder, and immediately followed up with a big shoulder throw on Hyuga Neji!
"Thud!"
A dull thud echoed. Hyuga Neji, lying on his back, looked stunned. Watching Naruto, who was sprawled on top of him, pinning his arms behind his back and rendering him unable to Move, the psychological blow was far more intense than the physical pain.
"You have completely angered me!" Recovering his senses, Hyuga Neji exerted force from his waist, causing the Chakra energy within his body to erupt, flipping Naruto over in one motion.
"This..." Naruto was surprised. "Is this inexplicably erupting power the foundation of becoming a Ninja—Chakra?"
Naruto's guess was correct; at four years old, Hyuga Neji had indeed reached the age to refine Chakra, and the Gentle Fist Art, when combined with Chakra, was even more powerful than before.
Not only that, but with the augmentation of Chakra, Hyuga Neji's speed saw explosive growth, and from that moment on, Naruto fell completely on the defensive.
Soon, Naruto was beaten until he was bruised and swollen, but Hyuga Neji did not have it easy either. Because of the fierce and powerful nature of the Eight Extremes Fist, combined with Naruto's somewhat monstrous physical strength, whenever Naruto managed to catch Neji and land a hit, the damage inflicted on Neji was significant.
Meanwhile, Hyuga Hiashi, who was watching the battle from the shadows, saw even more interesting things.
"This child, Naruto, is not simple..." Hyuga Hiashievaluated. "His Moves seem to lack any pattern, yet they reveal a fierce and powerful flavor everywhere, and his movements are well-calculated, almost as if he has formed his own style."
"Strange, truly strange!" Hyuga Hiashi could not figure it out. "Is it his natural talent, or is there someone teaching him behind the scenes? The more I look at Naruto's Moves, the more they seem to be a systematic style, but such a fierce fist style..."
"In all of Konoha, I've never heard of any family or Ninja who knows it..." Worry appeared in Hyuga Hiashi's eyes. "And this kind of fierce fist style, setting aside other factors, is indeed a natural nemesis of the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist Art!"
Of course, Hyuga Hiashi's words were a bit exaggerated, but if one included his own premise—that is, without using Chakra or other secret techniques formed by Chakra—the Hard Fist style did indeed counter the Gentle Fist Art.
But this was also relative; the concept of using softness to overcome hardness had existed since ancient times, just as the idea that sheer force could break through all techniques had its place. It was difficult to conclude which was superior.
However, watching Hyuga Neji and Naruto, who were still sparring incessantly in the courtyard, Hyuga Hiashi could see that Hyuga Neji had reached the end of his rope.
Although members of the Hyuga Clan were born with their eyes in an awakened state, the Byakuganrequired further activation using Chakra to clearly see the various acupoints and Chakra flow within a person's body.
Although Hyuga Neji had already refined Chakra, it was not yet enough for him to activate the Byakugan, so naturally, he could not use the Gentle Fist Art to seal Naruto's acupoints.
Therefore, the contest between the two was from the start a battle of Moves, experience, physicality, and willpower.
As for Moves and experience, needless to say, Naruto definitely had the advantage. The physical advantage was hard to say; Hyuga Neji, augmented by Chakra, was naturally much stronger than Naruto, who could not yet utilize Chakra.
As for willpower, the two were evenly matched; just look at the scene and you will understand...
At this moment, both were bruised and swollen, and they couldn't even stand. The two, each lying on the ground, still crawled forward, and after getting close, they began to greet each other's faces.
This was much more interesting, and far more brutal, than a typical child's fight.
"Do you yield!" Naruto pinned one of Hyuga Neji's arms and hammered his right fist toward his forehead.
"No yield...!" Hyuga Neji struggled. "You rascal!" With that, he raised his palm and slapped Narutoacross the face.
They say that when fighting, one shouldn't hit the face. Naruto was furious; he flipped over, pinned Hyuga Neji beneath him, and began to strike his face repeatedly with both fists.
"Naruto-kun... please stop..." On one side was Naruto, for whom she had a fondness, and on the other was her brother who took quite good care of her. Hyuga Hinata found it difficult to choose, but she still persuaded Naruto, who held a slight advantage, to stop.
"Hmph!" Naruto had not forgotten his purpose for coming to the Hyuga Clan. "I'll spare you this time. If you're still not convinced, we can spar again next time!"
"You rascal... you bastard... you..."
"Neji, losing is losing. Practice hard afterward, and just win it back next time!" Hyuga Hiashi appeared, interrupting Hyuga Neji's refusal to admit defeat, and declared the winner of their brawl.
But Naruto knew in his heart that if it weren't for an unknown reason within his own body, the one lying down now might have been himself...