Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 260 A Generous Reward, A New Identity! (6K Chapter)

Various canned goods and snacks were piled up into a small mountain. Orochimaru nodded and waved for them to leave.

Snake's eyes narrowed slightly, as if recalling its previous experiences.

That was an experience that profoundly impacted Orochimaru's research and worldview.
Whether it's adaptability to chakra or learning ability.

Kurozumi's performance far exceeded Orochimaru's expectations.

Animals are not incapable of learning chakra, but very few animals are capable of learning chakra, and they are all from ancient summoning beast families.

Their most basic characteristic is that they can talk.

An animal that cannot speak, yet possesses a level of understanding and talent that surpasses that of a spirit beast.

This completely overturned Orochimaru's understanding.

He couldn't wait to conduct more experiments to study this amazing cat.

Orochimaru picked up a pile of snacks. If this wasn't Natsu's cat, and Natsu seemed quite capable in combat, and could even exchange knowledge with him...
His figure gradually disappeared into the passage.

"Help me with a few more experiments, and all of these will be yours!"

Black Charcoal: "Meow?"

[Executioner, your follower Kurozumi has been affected by Orochimaru's experiments, gaining +1 to his strength.]

[Executioner, your follower Kurozumi has been affected by Orochimaru's experiments, increasing his maximum chakra by 50.]

Li Xia inexplicably closed the notification box.

Since yesterday, Black Charcoal has been sending out notifications from time to time.

Sometimes it's a detriment, sometimes it's a gain, but overall it's more of a gain.

After thinking for a moment, I opened the team channel, adhering to the principle of being sparing with words and absolutely not letting Dog Hall earn an extra point.

Li Xia: ?
Black Charcoal: Meow!

Li Xia: Hmm
Awoo, who had been lurking and watching the chat the whole time, was completely bewildered. Wait, was its cat language proficiency level 10 fake?
It can recognize the sound of a meow, but how does the boss understand the written word "meow"?
"I don't understand either."

Li Xia calmly looked at the curious Aowu and said:
"However, there's no need to understand it. If there's an unexpected situation, there's no need to save Hall Points. Just explain the situation clearly."

Sending only a meow indicates that Heitan feels there is nothing to report.

Since that's the case, there's no need to investigate further; things will become clear once we meet.

Oh, so that's how it is?

Aww was shocked, but surprisingly, he found it quite reasonable.

After the brief call ended, Li Xia returned to the training ground with Aowu.

At this moment, Hyuga Neji and Hinata were resting under the shade of a tree.

Hinata Takayuki quietly explained the key points of Gentle Fist that they hadn't understood that morning.

"grown ups!"

Upon seeing Li Xia, the three of them quickly stood up, their eyes filled with indescribable respect.

The man in front of me was simply a monster; he had learned most of the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist in just one morning.

How terrifying is this?
Li Xia casually tossed over a few bottles of frozen Naruto-themed cola.

"Filial piety, soft boxing. Let's stop here for now. You have a lot of work to do."

"Yes! Thank you, sir!"

Hyuga Takashi lowered his head, a hint of gratitude rising within him. As a Jonin, his mission was indeed very heavy.

Especially recently, he was on duty guarding the village, so he's basically off duty now. It's okay if it's only for a short time.

If it goes on for too long, the village will definitely punish them.

Watching Hinata Takashi's figure disappear, Awoo asked curiously:

"Boss, aren't we going to learn Soft Fist anymore?"

Li Xia, the Gentle Fist Master, sighed.

When he first started learning, he had high hopes for Soft Fist.

The more he listened, the more disappointed he became. The so-called Gentle Fist was just a method based on the Byakugan to strike the enemy's chakra nodes.

There are no special techniques involved, not even the legendary Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms that are touted as miraculous in the Hyuga family.

It is a rapid attack that involves continuously striking acupoints.

Simply put, it involves gathering chakra in one's hand, aiming at the chakra flow point, and then channeling one's own chakra into it.

It hinders the enemy's chakra flow.

Because the chakra flow path is different when a ninja uses different ninjutsu.

Therefore, without the aid of the Byakugan, it is difficult to hit accurately; this is the nature of Soft Fist.

But this is a gentle fist.
Li Xia rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit tense. His soft fist couldn't penetrate the armor or other protective gear to deliver chakra!
That's how useless he is!
At first, he didn't quite believe it, after all, it was a secret technique passed down by the Hyuga clan, it shouldn't be this weak.

After confirming it several times, Awoo delivered the final, fatal blow.

It went and looked up the original work—when Neji fought the Sound Four, it really was like that.

As for the Twin Lion Fist, it's the 'Gentle Fist Supreme Secret Technique' that adds chakra attribute transformation.
Li Xia's assessment was: all show and no substance!
The slight increase in attack range and damage from wrapping energy around your hands is less practical than wearing knuckle dusters.

The only thing that could bring Li Xia some comfort was the "Return to Heaven" technique in the Soft Fist style.

But it's only a little bit.

【Gentle Fist - Reversal of Fortune】

[Skill Type: Skill-based Active Ability]

[Skill Cost: 100 - ? ? per second (one-quarter of maximum energy, not less than 100 points)]

[Skill Cooldown: 5 seconds. Can be forcibly continued to be used. Each use increases the cooldown time by 500%. Can be used consecutively up to 3 times.]

[Skill Effect: 360-degree defense with no blind spots; forms a circular shield with a fixed defense level of 2 times the current level based on the energy consumed.]

[Return Defense Stats: Energy Consumption * Rotation Speed ​​per Second]

[Description: One of the Hyuga clan's secret techniques, hailed as absolute defense, but in reality, it's an extremely energy-intensive skill.]

[Executioner, this skill has been incorporated into your own skill set and can be viewed selectively; it is not listed as a separate skill panel.]

It has high defense, but it consumes a lot of energy.

After the energy is released, it takes a few seconds to calm down the body.

It is destined to be used only in emergencies and cannot be used as a regular skill.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Li Xia looked at the two still very young Neji and Hinata:

"Take a break, then start practicing with me this afternoon!"

Baguazhang, also known as Youshen Baguazhang, focuses on palm techniques and footwork.

In the constantly resetting derivative worlds, Li Xia teaches without any pressure. On the contrary, the process of teaching others allows her to thoroughly review what she has learned.

not to mention.
His gaze swept over the two of them. If nothing unexpected happened, Neji and Hinata would be summoned by Hiashi Hyuga tonight for a thorough interrogation.

And right now, someone is definitely looking at us with disdain.

That old bastard Riji is not someone to be easily fooled.

However, time is limited, only a dozen days in total, and I also have other things to do.

After careful consideration, Li Xia decided to use only a simple coaching method and 'energy'.

He looked at the two children sitting upright in front of him and slowed his speech, saying:
"What I'm going to teach is also Baguazhang, but it's completely different from the Baguazhang of the Hyuga clan. It's not a single move, but a whole system."

Li Xia adopted a stance, his fingers forming a palm, but not tightly closed; it had a somewhat open yet not quite open feel.

"Baguazhang has eight basic stances: double palm change, single palm change, following the momentum palm, turning palm, turning back palm, groin strike palm, body rubbing palm, and body kneading palm."

As he spoke, he demonstrated the moves, his hands flying around his sides, pushing, squeezing, pressing, and kneading, his body moving up and down like a ghost, giving a sense of agility just by looking at him.

"The footwork in Baguazhang should not be large. It should be like walking in mud and water. Be light, steady, and careful, and don't let the mud and water splash on yourself."

After finishing his fight, Li Xia straightened his stance and looked at the two people who were staring intently at him, asking:
"How much of the routine I just performed did you remember?"

Neji replied without hesitation, "I've memorized it all!"

Hinata, standing beside her, timidly whispered, "I've memorized it all."

You've written everything down?

Li Xia was taken aback for a moment, then realized that as a ninja, one's mental and intellectual attributes would not be low. Intelligence does not mean IQ, but it does provide a boost in certain situations, especially when performing dynamic memorization.

"You guys do it once and let me see."

Feeling relaxed and happy, Li Xia simply sat down under the shade of a tree and watched the two fight.

Neji slowly extended his hand, preparing to assume a starting stance.

'whoosh'

He felt a numbness in his thigh, and his body involuntarily swayed.

Then Li Xia's voice was heard: "Don't back down, raise your thighs, sink your hips!"

Neji looked in the direction of the sound and discovered that several small pebbles had appeared beside Li Xia at some point.

Just as I was wondering, I saw Li Xia pick up a pebble and flick it with his finger.

Hinata, who was not far away, also cried out in surprise.

"Raise your arms, but don't deviate from the midline, which is your spine!"

Neji was somewhat shocked. Throwing a pebble with that kind of force wasn't difficult; he could do it too. But it was only a pebble the size of a soybean that could be launched with such speed and force.

The power of those fingers is terrifying?
"Whoosh!"

Another pebble flew by, and Neji instinctively tried to dodge, but he found that the pebble seemed to have anticipated his movements and hit him squarely.

"Why stop? Keep going!"

"Yes!"

Neji dared not be distracted and began to slowly practice his punches according to the fighting style he remembered.

Every now and then, pebbles would fly over and correct their movements.

Neji remained silent, but Hinata next to him soon had tears in her eyes; it was unclear what the young girl was thinking about.

While crying, she continued to fight, which allowed Neji to see something different in Hinata for the first time.

As the sun gradually set in the west, Neji gasped for breath, sweat dripping down his face.

Practicing stances alone is undoubtedly tedious and boring. Every time he wanted to stop, his gaze would unconsciously drift towards Hinata.

Upon discovering that this person, whom he had thought was 'useless,' was still persisting, he swallowed back the words of rest that were on the tip of his tongue.

And so, until only half of the sun remained hanging in the sky, the dim, golden sunlight spread across the earth.

Li Xia said lazily:
"Alright, that's enough for today."

Neji finally let out a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at Li Xia who was stretching, hesitated for a moment, and then said:

"Sir, is this kind of practice really useful? Why do I feel like it doesn't have any effect?"

Useless?

Li Xia glanced at him:
"Turn your eyes off it."

Neji was confused, but he still focused his chakra towards his eyes.

Roll your eyes, open!

The whole world turned black and white as he watched Li Xia walk to the giant tree.

He slowly raised a hand and lightly patted it against the tree trunk. In that instant, Neji only 'saw' Li Xia's muscles and bones tremble in a way he couldn't comprehend.

"crash"

Hinata raised her head, her big eyes staring blankly at the sky above, where the lush, giant tree seemed to be swaying.

Green leaves fell like rain in the setting sun, fluttering and swirling.

"This palm strike, imbued with ten years of internal energy, can you withstand it?"

Li Xia brushed the fallen leaves off his shoulder and said calmly:

"Tomorrow morning at six o'clock, still here, I will teach you standing meditation."

"The teacher just patted the tree trunk lightly. It didn't look like she used much force, but the leaves on it fell to the ground like rain."

Hinata spoke softly, her cheeks flushed, clearly a little excited.

"After the teacher left, Neji tried many times, but no matter how much force he used, he couldn't shake the tree, and not a single leaf fell."

Hiashi Hyuga, holding a cup of hot tea, listened thoughtfully. Suddenly, he asked:

"Xia didn't use chakra?"

"No, he made Neji open his Byakugan, and Neji said he couldn't see any chakra at all."

No chakra used
Hiashi Hyuga suddenly put down his teacup and stood up.

"Come on, follow me to the practice field!"

Standing before the large tree, Hiashi looked up at the tree, which was thicker than a person. The once lush, umbrella-like branches now had sparse gaps.

This is clearly the leaf that Li Xia knocked down not long ago.

He held his breath, secretly mustered all his strength, and slammed his palm hard against the tree trunk.

"Snapped!"

The tree remained completely still, without even a hint of shaking.

Hijikata subtly placed his hands behind his back, his fair palms now turning red.

"Hiss—how did you do that?"

He was muttering to himself when he suddenly heard Hinata say timidly:

"Father--"

"Ok?"

"Neji said that when the teacher hit the tree trunk, his whole body's muscles and bones seemed to tremble, which was an action he didn't understand."

My brother said that it must be this special power that could do it.
This force can penetrate the surface and reach the interior!

Hinata seemed to have never spoken so much in one go before, and her face even turned redder after she finished speaking.

"Neji said that?"

As a recognized genius of the Hyuga clan, Neji's talent is beyond doubt, and Hiashi also trusts Neji's judgment.

His eyes were fixed on the big tree and the leaves scattered on the ground.

Hiashi Hyuga's eyes gradually took on a fiery gleam.

This is undoubtedly a special kind of force!

The biggest problem that has always plagued Hyuga is the limitation of Gentle Fist, as most of the time the enemy is not wearing armor.

However, once armor is worn, the soft fist becomes almost ineffective, and the double lion fist was born under these circumstances.

If one possessed such miraculous power, wouldn't it be possible to attack flesh even while wearing armor?
Hiashi Hyuga sighed deeply, "The Otsutsuki of the Moon are indeed from the same ancestor."

Even the Bagua Palm, which is the same as Hyuga's, is complementary to Hyuga's Bagua Palm!

He looked at his excited daughter, patted her head, and said gently:
"Hinata, this is a great opportunity, you must learn from your teacher!"

"Ok!"

"Go back and rest."

Hiashi Hyuga watched Hinata skip and hop away, his eyes narrowing slightly.

It seems that Xia truly wanted to teach Neji and Hinata.

As the head of the family, he certainly couldn't be stingy.

Hiashi Hyuga raised one hand and made a gesture.

A gentle breeze blew by, and suddenly a figure kneeling on one knee appeared.

"Tell Danzo that the Hyuga clan will send two more Chunin to join his 'Root' this year, in exchange for..."
I need a spot!

"Yes!"

The figure vanished again, as if it had never been there at all.

Hiashi Hyuga looked up at the night sky, the rising full moon reflected in his pure white pupils, making it hard to distinguish between the moon and his eyes for a moment.

He simply felt that the night was exceptionally beautiful.

Nothing in the night

The next day at dawn
Li Xia, holding a plate of breakfast in his hands, leisurely walked to the training ground.

The cool morning breeze blew his robes, revealing his chest, which looked as if it were cast in steel. The rice balls filled with stuffing gave him a feeling of eating sticky rice balls.

It reminded him of his experience of queuing up to buy rice balls at the school gate many years ago.

As expected, two small figures were already standing in the training area, practicing yesterday's punches meticulously.

Yesterday's intense mechanical training, coupled with the pain feedback, allowed Neji and Hinata to learn the standard routine in a very short time.

However, routines alone are not enough; other methods must be used in conjunction with them.

After the two finished fighting, Li Xia handed the plate to Aowu and clapped his hands.

Baguazhang has its own stance training method, but Li Xia does not intend to use it.

"What I'm going to teach you later is the most basic of the basics. Only by mastering this and feeling the power in your whole body can you integrate that power into the stances you've learned."

That's just the beginning; from there it will be a long and arduous process of consistent practice.

Having witnessed the unbelievable scene from yesterday, both Neji and Hinata listened attentively, not daring to miss a single word.

"Look closely, this is the Three-Body Stance!"

Li Xia assumed a Three-Body Stance, removed his shirt, and revealed his spine as a crouching, winding dragon.

A slight pulsation traveled down the spine from the neck, and in an instant, Neji felt an indescribable, immense power brewing within his body.

Neji stared blankly, as if a brand new door was slowly opening for him.

"From now on, practice standing meditation for one hour every day, rain or shine, understand?"

After giving them a few simple instructions, Li Xia let the two practice on their own.

The magic of Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation) lies in the fact that even without a teacher, as long as the posture is correct, one will feel the magic to some extent after standing for a long time.

This is human instinct.

Therefore, after he made the rule, he went to the side on his own.

Just as I was about to lie down, a figure hurriedly circled around the courtyard wall and stopped respectfully from a distance:

"Lord Xia, Lord Rizu requests your presence in the main hall."

Li Xia paused, a smile appearing on her face.

"Boss, has the ninja's identity been confirmed?"

Awoo couldn't help but say in the team channel that it had been so bored these past two days that it was almost going crazy.

The little maid, in particular, got more and more excited as she brushed, wishing she could brush its scales until they were like mirrors every day.

"Well, it should be."

Li Xia walked towards the main courtyard, her steps not fast, but her pace was quick.

"It shouldn't be a genin, right? If it is, that would be too much of a bully!"

Awoo guessed with great interest:

"I think it must be Chunin. To reach Jonin, there must be assessments and mission targets. These are hard requirements, and Chunin is the only one that can be manipulated."

Chunin is actually quite good. If we only consider status, it's hard to say whether the Hyuga clan's status or that of a Chunin is higher.

Because the determination of a hall of fame is not based on a single family.

From Konoha's perspective, having one more Chunin or one more member of the Hyuga clan would definitely make them a Chunin.

Because Chunin can create value for the village, while members of the Hyuga clan may not.

After a few more words of discussion, the main courtyard was already in sight.

As soon as he stepped into the room, Hiashi Hyuga put down his teacup and stood up with a broad smile:
"Xia, you're here. Thank you for disciplining those two good-for-nothing kids these past two days. You've worked hard."

"It's nothing. It's only right to do my part for the family."

After delivering the perfect answer as usual, Hinata's smile widened even more.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Hiashi Hyuga didn't keep them in suspense and went straight to the point:
"The ninja identity I promised you has finally been granted."

Initially, the village planned to appoint Chunin.

Upon hearing this, Li Xia and Aowu's eyebrows immediately twitched slightly.

"But I think that being a Chunin is definitely not enough to match your strength."

Hiashi Hyuga sighed deeply:

"Therefore, I came up with a plan—not for any other reason than to show Xia's willingness to contribute to the family."

After subtly expressing his gratitude, Hiashi Hyuga picked up the box from the table and handed it over.

Fortunately, it finally succeeded!

Li Xia took the box and opened it.

A brand-new ninja headband and a green Konoha vest lay quietly inside.

There was also a thin piece of paper next to it, with the Hokage mark engraved on it.

At the same time, a series of prompts appeared in front of me.

[Executioner, you have a brand new identity!]

[Executioner, you have become a Special Jonin of the Hidden Leaf Village's Anbu!]

[Executioner, your current identity is: Hyuga Main Clan, Anbu Special Jonin!]

[In progress with composite judgment]

[Based on the assessment, Identity 1: Hyuga Main Clan; Identity 2: Anbu Special Jonin. There is no conflict between them; they belong to the same faction and their identities can be combined!]

[Executioner: Holding Identity 1 or Identity 2 until the mission deadline will earn you extra credit!]

A faint smile appeared on Li Xia's face. This was the best possible outcome!
The two identities do not conflict and can be superimposed.

All the hard work and preparations, including teaching and other arrangements, have finally paid off at this moment!

Seeing the smile on Li Xia's face, Hyuga Hiashi smiled as well, a hint of arrogance in his eyes:
"Anbu Special Jonin, can be promoted to Jonin at any time as long as the number of missions reaches the target!"

Promoted to Jonin?

Li Xia's eyes lit up!
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