Naruto: Kurotsuchi Mayuri

"Your abilities are completely exposed before these eyes!"

Hyūga Ran maintained the standard Gentle Fist stance, veins bulging around his Byakugan as he stared intently at Gari.

With the unique insight of the Byakugan, Gari's chakra points, pathways, and even his organs were laid bare, with no secrets hidden from Ran's gaze.

"Seeing doesn't mean you can evade."

Gari slammed his palm against the ground, channeling his chakra into the earth.

Ran's eyes shifted downward, and before Gari's action was complete, he used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge. 

However, a series of explosions erupted, starting from where Gari stood and extending toward Ran's previous location. 

It was as if an immense buildup had been released in an instant, unleashing total devastation.

Even though Ran had evaded in advance, the sheer range of the explosions made it impossible for him to completely avoid the aftermath.

"I heard the Hyūga have a technique, a perfect defense with no blind spots, capable of repelling all attacks. Is it that you don't know how to use it?"

Watching Ran being blown away by the explosion's shockwave, skidding across the ground with his palm and foot pressed firmly against it to stabilize himself, Gari taunted while intensifying his assault.

He kept his distance, repeatedly using his kekkei genkai for long-range explosions aimed at Ran. This approach drained more chakra and lacked the precision of close-range detonations, but Gari was careful not to give Ran any chance to close the distance.

Having already experienced the trouble posed by the Gentle Fist, Gari knew that under the Hyūga's Byakugan's precise insight, even trading injuries would be futile.

Before he could use his abilities to detonate Ran's body, Ran's strikes would disrupt his chakra pathways, sealing off his chakra points before he could act.

"What's wrong? Did I hit a nerve? If you can't defend against my attacks properly, then the moment you fail to dodge just once, you'll die!"

Gari's words accompanied his relentless attacks, pressing the advantage without pause.

As one of Orochimaru's bodyguards, and someone who had witnessed the harsh realities of war, Ran was acutely aware that words could sometimes wield power as devastating as any weapon.

Excellent ninjas often use words during battles to shake and disturb their opponents' minds. This way, they can test, search for, or even create opportunities for victory.

He wasn't sure if Gari was doing this, but he wouldn't let himself be easily swayed by those words.

Long-range attacks?

The Hyuga Clan, with its thousand-year legacy, would naturally not allow its members to have such weaknesses. Hyuga Ran was well aware that the clan possessed various secret techniques developed and passed down specifically for the Byakugan.

From the close-range chakra-sealing Eight Trigrams Palm to the all-around defense of the Rotation, and even the medium to long-range Air Palm.

The Hyuga Clan's taijutsu was a perfect, seamless system that covered all aspects of Taijutsu. Moreover, many of these secret techniques had advanced versions with even greater power.

However, these techniques were typically reserved for the Hyuga main family. Branch family members like him could only rely on the Byakugan and practice the most basic techniques like Gentle Fist and acupuncture.

Only by making significant contributions could a branch family member be rewarded with a secret technique from the main family. Even then, they could only practice it themselves and were forbidden from passing it down.

Of course, there was another way. Talented branch family members could, through limited main family training or deep understanding of Gentle Fist and the Byakugan, develop their own interpretations of Hyuga secret techniques.

Alternatively, they could take a different path—creating their own unique Gentle Fist secret techniques based on their talent and understanding of the basics.

Hyuga Ran gathered strands of wind in his chakra-infused palms, compressing it steadily in his hands.

Gentle Fist Technique: Wind Slash!

Hyuga Ran clenched the violently compressed wind ball, channeling it with the force of Gentle Fist, and launched it toward Gari's direction.

The wind ball, wrapped and bound by chakra, resembled a transparent cannonball radiating sharp air currents. It howled as it shot toward Gari's position.

The closer it got, the more chaotic and violent the chakra within the wind ball became.

When it finally neared Gari, it exploded entirely, sending countless fine wind blades spraying in all directions.

Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!

A stream of mud surged upward as Gari swiftly formed hand seals. Rising rapidly from beneath his feet, it molded into a half-dome under the guidance of his chakra, shielding him within.

The wind blades struck the sturdy mud wall, slicing it into disarray. Gari continuously poured his chakra into the technique, forming two consecutive mud walls before finally stopping the explosive wave of wind blades.

When the mud wall crumbled away, Hyūga Ran had already vanished from Gari's sight.

"Damn it!"

A surge of alarm shot through Gari's mind. His fingers flew through hand seals, causing the ground beneath him to rise abruptly. A rectangular stone pillar emerged, lifting him into the air.

From this elevated position, his field of vision expanded, and the chances of being attacked diminished.

In the next moment—

A crescent-shaped wind blade arced sharply into the sky, slicing cleanly through Gari's stone pillar. The smooth, slanted surface of the severed column tilted before collapsing with a thunderous crash.

As Gari plummeted uncontrollably, a swift figure approached from behind. A single, gentle palm strike landed on his shoulder.

Originally, Hyūga Ran had aimed for Gari's heart, targeting a vital area. However, at the critical moment, Gari used his Explosion Release to detonate the stone pillar beneath his feet, propelling both himself and Ran away. 

This sudden explosion also caused Gari's body to shift slightly, avoiding a fatal blow.

Hyūga Ran was unfazed by this. Although Gari had narrowly avoided a critical hit, the strike had still landed. Being struck by a Gentle Fist would inevitably affect his strength. 

As long as Gari wasn't given a chance to recover, Ran's advantage would only grow stronger.

Gari's left arm, struck by the Gentle Fist, felt completely numb as he landed. It hung limply in front of him, resembling a broken limb.

To Gari, it felt like the arm wasn't even his—weak, unresponsive, and devoid of sensation. It could only sway with the inertia of his movements.

Moreover, Ran's attack had not merely struck a chakra point on his shoulder. A surge of chakra had bypassed Gari's external defenses, exploding within his body and causing internal damage.

Had Gari not forcefully activated his kekkei genkai to separate them and shifted his body slightly at the crucial moment, the blow might have severely injured his heart or other vital organs.

As it stood, the intense pain radiating from his shattered shoulder blade felt as if it were transmitting directly to his brain.

What made things worse was that one of his arms had lost control, which inevitably affected his combat ability. Many high-level ninjutsu techniques were now beyond his reach.

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