NOVEL NEXT 48. The Serious Battle Against The Patriarch
"Be careful, Hikari-kun!", Came the encouraging words, filled with a hint of caution.
"I will give it my all, Patriarch-sama!," Hikari responded with unwavering determination.
After exchanging brief martial greetings, a sign of respect and readiness, the duel began under the attentive gaze of Hiashi and Hizashi.
The two combatants activated their Byakugan, marking the commencement of a duel that was as much about skill as it was about generational legacy—a venerable, gray-haired elder pitted against a promising youth of merely 11 years.
Initially, their movements were measured, a dance of Gentle Fist taijutsu that saw them weaving and parrying, their hands in constant motion.
Hikari's more advanced 'slow-motion' like Byakugan's higher processing speed parried with Patriarch's more than half a century of experience in these arts.
This early phase of the duel was about understanding, an exchange where both sought to gauge the other's strategy and response. They aimed for each other's hands, targeting the tenketsu points with precision, a testament to their mastery of the Hyuga's fighting style.
Suddenly, during their exchange, the Patriarch's expression shifted to a knowing smile, "The Fifth Elder's techniques, Hikari-kun? Such moves won't find success against me...", He remarked, a note of amusement in his voice.
It was a pivotal moment; as their hands connected, Hikari attempted to inject a surge of Yin Release chakra into the Patriarch's hand chakra pathway system to then discreetly travel and touch upon his central nervous system as well.
Yet, the Patriarch, anticipating such maneuvers, effortlessly countered, pushing the Yin Release chakra back through their point of contact, sending it coursing back into Hikari's own hand chakra vessels. This deft counter highlighted the depth of his understanding.
Realizing Hikari's astonishment at the swift counter, the Patriarch decided to share a piece of wisdom that Hikari hadn't been privy to before,
"You seem surprised, Hikari-kun. Let me share something with you then; over the years, my Byakugan has developed a unique capability. It's not just the clarity of vision or the ability to see chakra pathways, but a deeper, more refined understanding of chakra as energy itself too, meaning your cumulative chakra signature.",
"This special trait allows me to discern and identify the unique chakra patterns of individuals, and even the specific nature of the chakra release they are manipulating, creating, and from which point of their body are they doing it.",
"Even guessing the technique someone is preparing to use isn't that hard for me to guess way earlier...", He explained, his tone reflecting both pride and a willingness to educate.
He further elaborated, "This means, while I may not have the ability to 'see' emotions through chakra as some from the Uzumaki clan could, I can very precisely detect the specific types of chakra you're working with, such as your attempt to utilize Yin Release against me just now. It's an innate gift parried with decades of experience of observing various patterns, now allowing me to see beyond the surface to the subtleties within a person's chakra system."
Hikari nodded, the surprise at the Patriarch's unique Byakugan ability lingering within him, but he quickly refocused as the duel escalated. At a signal from the Patriarch, they both adopted a stance indicative of a move to more advanced techniques.
With palms extended, they simultaneously unleashed the Vacuum Palm technique, a signature move within the Hyuga arsenal designed to strike an opponent from a distance with concentrated chakra.
Hikari, confident in his Wind Release-enhanced Vacuum Palms, expected his attack to have the upper hand. However, to his astonishment, the Patriarch's seemingly weaker Vacuum Palms not only met his attack head-on but began to overpower it.
The realization of impending possible impact triggered Hikari to instinctively initiate a Rotation, creating a swirling shield of chakra around him to deflect the incoming attack.
Inwardly, Hikari marveled, 'Could it be that he already anticipated and pinpointed weaknesses in my attack before it was fully launched? And even manipulated his Vacuum Palms to exploit the most vulnerable points of mine in mid-air? This level of experience and precision is astounding... It also suggests his Byakugan's power is far beyond the ordinary.'
As their Vacuum Palms collided, the force of the confrontation sent ripples through the air, disturbing the tranquility of the training ground.
The nearby trees shook, some of the smaller vegetation getting uprooted while dust and debris were thrown into the air, creating a haze around the dueling area.
The terrain itself bore witness to the intensity of their battle, with the ground near their point of impact cratering slightly under the pressure, leaving a tangible mark of their clash.
As Hikari's Rotation came to a halt, leaving the ground beneath them cratered from the force, the Patriarch had already maneuvered behind him, ready to exploit what seemed like a moment of vulnerability.
However, just as he prepared to deliver a strike from behind, he found himself caught off guard by a sudden, rapid assault.
From the back of Hikari's position, transparent, high-speed projectile beams, akin to lasers, shot out. This innovative technique, a fusion of Hikari's ordinary Hyuga tenketsu chakra ejection method and Wind Release, created a barrier of swift, cutting blasts of energy.
While the Patriarch had anticipated the incorporation of Wind Release with his unique vision, the sheer velocity of the attack was beyond his expectations. This was his first encounter with such a technique at this speed, leading him to momentarily reassess his strategy and abandon his plan to attack from that angle, thus missing a potentially decisive opportunity.
Adapting swiftly to the unexpected turn of events, the Patriarch chose a direct approach for his next attack, channeling his chakra into the formidable Twin Lion Fists, a technique renowned for its destructive potential.
This head-on assault was met with equal determination by Hikari, who, utilizing his unique Byakugan ability that allowed him to perceive movements in what seemed like slow motion, quickly composed himself and mirrored the Patriarch's stance, his own huge, blue Twin Lion Fists manifesting to meet the challenge.
As they clashed, an intense battle of attrition ensued, with each trying to overpower the other by absorbing chakra and aiming to 'mass-seal' the tenketsu points, a tactic that could decisively tip the scales in this closely matched duel.
The Patriarch leveraged his advanced vision, which allowed him to anticipate movements and counter them effectively, relying on his deep understanding of the chakra's flow and patterns. In contrast, Hikari's reliance on his enhanced 'slow-motion' perception gave him the ability to process and react to the Patriarch's moves with astonishing precision and speed.
Amidst this intense exchange, the Patriarch found a moment to express his admiration for Hikari's skillful application of the Twin Lion Fists, a technique he himself had taught the young shinobi.
"Hikari-kun, your mastery of the Twin Lion Fists, especially so early on, is commendable. And the way you've harnessed your Byakugan's capabilities in battle is truly impressive...", He praised, acknowledging not just the technique's execution but the strategic depth with which Hikari had integrated it into his combat style.
However, just then the Patriarch's experienced eyes detected a significant shift in Hikari's chakra; the young Hyuga was amassing a considerable amount of chakra, converting it into Wind Release for what promised to be a formidable attack.
Recognizing the imminent threat from Hikari's small body, and deciding to try and stop it on time, the Patriarch suddenly changed his face and made a decisive move to counter it, by stealing and absorbing the majority of the boy's chakra, by invoking his and his lineage's most potent technique - Eight Trigrams: Celestial Dragon Seal.
Channeling a massive surge of chakra throughout his body, the Patriarch focused his energy on his palms. The air around them seemed to tremble with the gathering power of 'blue' and 'white' chakra energies.
In a breathtaking display, an enormous serpentine dragon, composed of dense, white chakra, took form, its presence dominating the battlefield with an aura of sheer might and precision.
With a swift motion, the Patriarch unleashed the dragon towards Hikari. Despite the present short distance between them, the dragon closed the gap in mere moments, its form undulating with lifelike agility as it bore down on its target in a flash of bright, white, light.
The dragon, a manifestation of the Patriarch's will, aimed to "bite" into Hikari, initiating a rapid chakra absorption effect upon contact.
As the celestial dragon enveloped Hikari, its fangs sought to pierce his chakra network, aiming to seal his tenketsu points and disrupt his ability to muster chakra for jutsu.
The immediate effect was a powerful absorption of Hikari's amassed chakra, siphoning it away at an alarming rate and funneling it back to the Patriarch.
This not only halted Hikari's preparation for his next move but also revitalized the Patriarch, bolstering his chakra reserves for the continuation of their duel.
This scene, set against the backdrop of the specialized training area, now bore the marks of their epic confrontation.
The terrain around them, already scarred from their previous exchanges, vibrated with the energy of the Patriarch's technique.
The ground beneath Hikari's feet cratered further under the force of the chakra dragon's impact, a physical testament to the technique's power.
Confronted with the overwhelming force of the devastating attack, Hikari was pushed to his limits. The realization hit him with clarity amidst the battle's chaos, 'So this is the pinnacle of the Hyuga clan's techniques... I'm completely immobilized.',
'The majority of my upper body's tenketsu points are sealed, and my chakra is being drained at an alarming rate... I need to act, or I'm defeated...', This moment of crisis ignited a spark within Hikari, driving him to tap into the depths of his resilience.
With no option left and the pressure mounting, Hikari resorted to the only viable counterattack he had left.
Relying on the exceptional chakra control skills honed over eight years of diligent practice, which also allowed him to eject chakra from any part of his body, Hikari focused his efforts on his lower body. Drawing upon every ounce of chakra he could muster, he initiated a desperate bid for freedom.
Utilizing the natural wind currents swirling around the battleground, with his deliberate chakra shape transformation manipulations, Hikari amplified the power of his technique without directly strengthening it with his Wind Release chakra too, as there was no time.
From his feet, a large blue and sharp Rotation burst forth, expanding rapidly to form a protective barrier with a 5-meter radius.
This fierce whirlwind of chakra and wind clashed with the celestial dragon, dispelling it with force and creating a shockwave that rippled through the training grounds.
The intensity of Hikari's counter forced the Patriarch to leap away, a tactical retreat to evade the unexpected retaliation.
The ground where Hikari stood bore the marks of his desperate struggle, with the terrain around him visibly altered by the collision of their formidable techniques.
Vegetation was shredded, and dust was thrown into the air, creating a hazy veil that momentarily obscured the view.
