"So many people?"
Heiyan blinked in disbelief at the sea of spectators lining the lakeshore.
In his eyes, it was just an ordinary duel. How had it drawn such a massive crowd?
Although he had woken up early that morning, most of his morning had been spent visiting Might Duy at Konoha Hospital, where Duy and Jiraiya would soon be discharged together.
During this time, Kosuke Maruboshi had continuously looked after the two patients.
He had also heard about the upcoming clash between the three prodigies. But knowing Heiyan's strength, he felt no concern for his beloved apprentice. Therefore, he stayed behind at the hospital instead of coming along.
After leaving Konoha Hospital, Heiyan finally arrived at the Valley of the End.
He wasn't late—everyone else just showed up early.
"Go for it, Heiyan!"
Pakura clenched her fist in encouragement before lightly leaping aside to make space.
"Pakura from Sunagakure? She seems pretty close to Heiyan. Could they be dating?"
"They really look perfect for each other."
The crowd whispered amongst themselves, their tongues wagging with excitement.
Hearing their chatter, Pakura didn't flinch or shy away. Instead, she smiled gently, flipped her bangs with one hand, and kept her eyes locked on Heiyan.
"He kept saying she was out of his league, but somehow swept her off her feet in just a few days."
Tsunade muttered while crossing her arms. "You truly are something, Heiyan."
Finally, he's here.
Fugaku Uchiha watched Heiyan approach, took a deep breath, then removed the blazing war fan from his back and gripped it tightly, preparing to issue his challenge.
But someone else acted faster.
Whoosh!
Without a word, Hiashi Hyuga launched himself downward from Hashirama's statue straight toward Heiyan, kicking off the battle.
"It was supposed to be my turn first... damn it."
Fugaku's face darkened.
By now, the fight between Hiashi and Heiyan had already begun in full force.
Hiashi knew very well how powerful Heiyan's Water Release techniques were—especially effective in a battlefield like this lake, where his abilities soared like a tiger gaining wings.
For him, if he wanted victory, he absolutely couldn't afford to keep his distance, allowing Heiyan to calmly unleash long-range water attacks.
Therefore, Hiashi charged directly at Heiyan, closing the gap instantly and exploiting his own strengths in close-quarters combat.
Gentle Fist, huh?
Seeing Hiashi's fierce assault, Heiyan knew he couldn't afford to be careless. He joined the index and middle fingers of both hands, crossed them into an X-shape, and activated his technique.
[Mutiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!]
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Instantly, more than twenty identical copies of Heiyan appeared across the lake surface, all rushing toward Hiashi. The real Heiyan was hidden among the clones.
"This is...!"
Hiashi was startled inwardly. Through his Byakugan, all these clones seemed solid and tangible, making it impossible to distinguish the original from the illusions.
Still, he quickly regained his composure.
If so, then he'd take them all down—one by one if needed.
With that thought, Hiashi fully activated his Byakugan and fearlessly charged into the circle of shadow clones surrounding Heiyan.
He moved with great agility, like a loach slipping through water. Thanks to his 360-degree Byakugan vision, he dodged attacks coming from all directions by numerous Shadow Clones.
Then, he seized the moment to counterattack.
Puh-puh-puh!
Hiashi Hyuga struck swiftly, landing three consecutive palm strikes on Heiyan's Shadow Clones. At the same time, his Gentle Fist chakra precisely penetrated into their internal meridians and organs.
The three Shadow Clones all froze mid-motion, shock flashing across their faces before they vanished into white smoke.
This Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu is nothing more than having many clones—it's practically ineffective beyond that.
Hiashi Hyuga's confidence soared, fueling his ferocity in battle.
Within just a few minutes, relying solely on his Byakugan and Gentle Fist, he defeated every single one of Heiyan's Shadow Clones, leaving only the original standing alone atop the lake surface.
As the memories of all destroyed clones flooded back into Heiyan's body, his expression darkened—he had essentially been struck by the Gentle Fist dozens of times.
The reason he used the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu was to personally experience the subtlety of the Gentle Fist technique.
The Hyuga clan inherited the Byakugan from Hamura otsutsuki and developed the Gentle Fist—a technique that inserts chakra into an enemy's body to destroy their meridian system and internal organs precisely.
And as everyone knows, meridians and organs cannot be strengthened through training. Therefore, no matter how powerful a ninja might be, once injured by the Gentle Fist, they would lose their combat abilities and become vulnerable.
Even ordinary Genin in the Hyuga clan could have the chance to defeat Jonin after mastering the Gentle Fist—under normal circumstances, that would've been unthinkable.
That's exactly why the Hyuga have always seen themselves as the strongest clan in Konoha—the very core of their pride.
"In close-range combat, I am invincible. No matter how many enemies you throw at me."
Hiashi Hyuga stared intensely at Heiyan while proudly declaring.
The moment the words left his mouth, he rushed forward, fingers tightly together, unleashing a long-range palm strike toward Heiyan.
[Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!]
Hiashi decided to use this secret technique to finally defeat Heiyan and claim victory.
Hmm?
Heiyan frowned. Although he couldn't see the chakra wave of the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, his highly developed sensory abilities instinctively prompted him to sidestep the attack.
Boom!
In the next second, the place where Heiyan stood exploded on the water's surface, splashing massive amounts of water.
Although Heiyan dodged the blow, he was soaked entirely and looked quite disheveled.
Meanwhile, Hiashi Hyuga took advantage of this moment to rush right up to him, closing the distance between them to less than a meter.
At this moment, from Hiashi's perspective, Heiyan's entire meridian network and vital points were completely exposed. Letting out a soft cry, Hiashi aimed a Gentle Fist strike directly toward a critical meridian channel below Heiyan's ribcage.
"I've won."
A smile spread across Hiashi Hyuga's face—victory in this battle was now within reach.
"Hiashi, well done!"
Several elders from the Hyuga main house couldn't help but cheer for Hiashi Hyuga.
To anyone watching the fight, Hiashi had clearly dominated Heiyan throughout—his victory seemed absolutely inevitable.
But just then, something unexpected happened.
"Huh?"
Just as Hiashi Hyuga was on the verge of victory, a sudden sense of danger slammed into him—something was terribly off.
Boom!
Without warning, Heiyan erupted with an immense burst of chakra. Hiashi, standing within arm's reach, was caught completely off guard. The shockwave hurled him backward, stunned and staggering.
What technique is this?
No sooner had he regained his footing than Hiashi spotted Heiyan's fist rocketing toward him, cloaked in a howling gust of wind.
This is the Monster Strength of the Senju Clan.
No good!
Panic surged through Hiashi as survival instinct kicked in—he unleashed his ultimate move without hesitation.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
In an instant, multiple chakra points released a torrent of Gentle Fist chakra. At the same time, spinning like a whirlwind, he generated a hemispherical chakra barrier around himself.
[The Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven]—an advanced taijutsu secretly passed down within the Hyuga Main House, famously known as "absolute defense."
But legends were made to be shattered.
Boom!
Heiyan's punch struck the chakra barrier head-on.
An unbelievable scene unfolded.
Instead of being repelled, Heiyan's fist unleashed violent turbulence that clashed fiercely with the Rotation, drastically slowing its spin until the chakra shield wobbled precariously.
Where their clashing chakras met, water surged several meters into the air, obscuring everyone's view.
Who would win?
The answer came a second later.
Whoosh!
Hiashi shot out from behind the wall of water, flying backward across the lake for dozens of meters before barely managing to stabilize himself.
Ssshh!
Gritting his teeth, Hiashi sucked in a sharp breath, forcing himself to stay upright.
Though Heiyan's blow had landed on the Rotation, the sheer force had pierced through the barrier, nearly shattering every bone in his body.
He refused to go down without a fight.
But at that moment, Heiyan spoke.
"The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist is indeed highly refined,"
he first complimented, then suddenly changed tone:
"However, your pursuit of complex techniques has caused you to overlook something far more crucial."
"What is it?" Hiashi instinctively asked, confusion written across his face.
"Strength."
The word rang out, heavy as a hammer striking steel.
Then, once again, his massive chakra surged outward, forming an even fiercer gust than before, rippling the surface of the water beneath his feet in visible waves.
Heiyan clenched his fists and gazed at the magnificent waterfall ahead—a white ribbon cascading endlessly downward.
What was he up to?
As Hiashi hesitated in bewilderment, Heiyan stomped the water's surface and leapt upward, aiming a punch straight at the waterfall.
Boom!
With that single punch, a thunderous roar erupted as the endless cascade was suddenly severed midair by sheer brute force, revealing the dark rock face hidden beneath.
A full second passed before the waterfall resumed its natural course.
One punch—cutting off the waterfall.
This sight left everyone stunned.
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