24 Soft fist : Susano

Kirito left the Yakushi Gourmet House and made his way to the Senju Clan's residence.

He had visited the Senju Clan's compound countless times and was well-acquainted with the place. However, compared to two years ago, the Senju Clan's residence now appeared more deserted, with many familiar faces absent.

The elder generation of individuals who had assisted the First Hokage in establishing Konoha had passed away one after another. The sprawling residence now housed fewer inhabitants.

"Should we enter, Squad Leader? This is the Senju Clan's compound," an Anbu ninja following Kirito inquired.

"According to regulations, each clan manages its own compound, and Anbu ninjas require permission to enter. Besides, there's an adult accompanying him. The boy is safe inside. Let's wait here for now and see when he comes out," the Anbu squad leader responded.

Upon receiving the orders, the other Anbu operatives scattered and concealed themselves.

Finally free from their presence, Kirito felt relieved and smiled. He approached Senju Momoka, who had appeared suddenly.

"Mito-sama is still resting. You can spend your time as you please, as long as you don't cause any major disturbances. If you have spare time, help Mito-sama with her lessons for the child," Momoka instructed with her usual stern expression but warm-hearted intention.

Kirito had long grown accustomed to Momoka Senju's character, which combined a stern demeanor with a compassionate heart. He nodded with a smile, acknowledging her instructions, and said, "Of course, Master Momoka. Please take your time, and please convey my greetings to Teacher Mito. I'll visit her later."

As Momoka departed, Kirito proceeded to an unused training ground located to the north of the Senju Clan's compound. He began performing physical exercises, starting with a warm-up routine in which he added weights and completed a hundred laps around the training ground.

After his warm-up, a white-eyed man in training attire suddenly appeared on the training ground.

"Teacher Hibachi, I apologize for the delay," Kirito greeted the man with a salute and a smile.

This individual was Hyuga hibachi, a Jonin from the Hyuga Clan, who served as Kirito's taijutsu instructor.

For the past two years, Kirito had been receiving physical training under Hyuga Shan's guidance, focusing on the Soft Fist technique. Hyuga hibachi had accepted the role of Kirito's taijutsu teacher, thanks to a deal between the Senju and Hyuga Clans.

Kirito's desire to learn the finest taijutsu in Konoha had led him to propose this arrangement after stopping nawaki proposition for early graduation. With his resource allocation matching that of Nawaki, Kirito cheekily requested to Mito ressources for learning the Soft Fist, and the Hyuga Clan had promptly sent Hyuga hibachi to instruct him.

In exchange, a certain female member of the Hyuga Clan had become Kirito's junior sister, joining Nawaki in studying sealing techniques under Mito's tutelage.

"Let's begin," Hyuga hibachi said, his tone cold.

With those words, he opened his Byakugan and assumed a Soft Fist stance, ready to spar with

 Kirito.

Kirito mirrored Hyuga hibachi stance, making the corresponding hand signs for Soft Fist, and engaged in a sparring session. The exercise primarily focused on Kirito's offense, with Hyuga Hibachi handling the defense.

Both individuals executed their Soft Fist techniques with simplicity and directness. However, their speed was remarkable, rendering their movements too fast for ordinary Chunin to perceive. Each clash of their fists resulted in sonic booms and shockwaves in the air.

Gradually, both fighters began enveloping their hands in blue chakra, increasing their offensive and defensive capabilities.

Under Hyuga hibachi relentless offense, Kirito struggled to counterattack, with little room for retaliation. Ultimately, Kirito's vulnerability was exploited when one of his chakra points was inadvertently struck by Hyuga hibachi palm, causing him to lose balance and ending the Soft Fist sparring session.

"Teacher Hibachi, how much of your Soft Fist strength did you use when sparring with me just now?" Kirito inquired, as he stood up, rubbing his chest where he had been struck.

"Fifty percent," Hyuga Shan replied coldly, stepping forward to employ healing palm arts to heal Kirito.

"Still only fifty percent... It seems that my progress in Soft Fist hasn't been significant lately," Kirito mused, scratching his head in frustration.

"Just give up. While your foundation in Soft Fist is solid, and your strength and speed are commendable, you won't be able to fully unleash Soft Fist's true potential without the Byakugan and the advanced training methods that follow," Hyuga hibachi stated, his tone firm.

With that, Hyuga hibachi performed a physical examination to ensure Kirito was uninjured before continuing, "If you can't use those advanced techniques, don't force it. Soft Fist is still an excellent physical art, and it can greatly enhance your strength. As you can see, I've successfully opened all the chakra points in my arm."

Kirito then demonstrated the latest achievement in his Soft Fist training. He manipulated the chakra in his arm, condensing it into a materialized chakra armguard with impressive defensive capabilities. He used it to strike the ground, creating a deep crater filled with cracks.

"The defense is excellent, and it significantly enhances strength. Unfortunately, my chakra condensation method is still lacking, and I can't create a more robust chakra hard shield. But it's still a considerable improvement in both defense and strength," Kirito explained, looking at Hyuga hibachi with a triumphant smile.

Kirito had been developing his Soft Fist with the goal of creating a Chakra-based armor covering his entire body, enhancing his defense and strength. This endeavor was inspired by Uchiha Susano'o, and Kirito's ultimate aspiration was to attain a form similar to Susano'o, but one that didn't rely on the Kaleidoscope Sharingan and its associated drawbacks.

Hyuga Hibachi was initially surprised and then embarrassed. He was astounded by Kirito's control over chakra and the progress he had made with Soft Fist. However, he felt ashamed for not sharing the advanced Soft Fist techniques with Kirito, although it wasn't within his authority.

Only members of the Hyuga main branch were authorized to teach advanced Soft Fist techniques like the 32 Palms, 64 Palms, kaiten, and one body blow. As a member of the branch family, Hyuga hibachi couldn't directly teach Kirito these techniques, even though he had deduced some on his own.

During their two years together, Hyuga hibachi had been pleased with Kirito's talent. Despite lacking the Byakugan, Kirito had displayed remarkable aptitude, sharp observational skills, high intelligence, and a strong ability to learn. After showing Kirito the basic Soft Fist combination only once, Kirito could replicate it accurately and memorize it after closing his eyes and recalling the movements.

However, after two years of training, Kirito had reached a plateau in his Soft Fist progress. With Hyuga hibachi guidance, he had built a solid foundation, but further improvement seemed challenging. Thus, Kirito had taken it upon himself to develop new Soft Fist techniques.

Hyuga hibachi was proud that Kirito had surpassed even the Hyuga Clan heir in mastering Soft Fist. He couldn't help but regret the missed opportunity. If Kirito had been a member of the main branch, the Hyuga Clan's standing in Konoha would have been significantly enhanced.

But he quickly dismissed this notion, realizing that it was an unrealistic dream. As a main branch member, Kirito wouldn't have had the freedom to explore and innovate as he had done with Soft Fist. His creativity and progress would have been stifled by the clan's conservative mindset.

"In the future, don't create such crude techniques. Soft Fist should be applied differently. Today's training ends here," Hyuga hibacbi concluded.

He didn't want Kirito to get too close to him, a member of the branch family, as it could lead to misunderstandings with the clan.

Upon hearing Kirito mention Hana, a sudden tremor stirred in Hyuga hibachi otherwise cold heart. He cast a profound gaze upon Kirito, accepted the sealing scroll in silence, and swiftly departed using the Body Flicker Technique.

With Hyuga Hibachi departure confirmed through his sensory abilities, Kirito abruptly struck a wooden stake before him. In the following moment, a dense chakra block surged forth from his palm, unleashing a potent shockwave that shattered a wooden stake positioned over ten meters away.

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Over the past two years, Kirito had taken his basic Soft Fist training to a point where further improvement seemed challenging. In fact, according to his attribute panel, his Soft Fist had already reached level 3 over half a year ago, remaining unchanged for quite some time. In this situation, Kirito knew that he had almost exhausted the potential of basic Soft Fist, and if he wanted to progress further, he needed advanced knowledge and to develop new techniques based on the foundation he had built.

Lacking the Byakugan, he couldn't learn moves like eight trigrams 32 Palms or 64 Palms that required precise acupoint activation in conjunction with the byakugan technique. However, techniques like one blow body and heavenly rotation, which opened chakra acupuncture points and utilized pure chakra for attacks, were within his reach.

And so, he created the Soft Fist Susano, a technique that opened up new possibilities for him. This breakthrough had occurred a month ago, pushing his Soft Fist from level 3 to 4.

In addition to this advancement, Kirito had noticed a transformation in his chakra over the years. His chakra had become more condensed and denser, enhancing the power of his Soft Fist strikes. The unique attributes of the Hyuga clan's Soft Fist not only helped open chakra points but also continuously strengthened his chakra.

Now, Kirito's Soft Fist had reached new heights, and he was exploring its potential. Although his path differed from the typical Hyuga clan members, his progress was undeniable. The journey of enhancing his Soft Fist continued.

In addition to his taijutsu training, Kirito spent time practicing ninjutsu on the training ground. He systematically demonstrated the ninjutsu he had mastered, each one meticulously executed.

Over the past two years, he had learned a range of new ninjutsu:

- Thunder Release: Earth-Style Wall

- Thunder Release: Thunder Clone

- Thunder Release: Thunder Bind

- Yin Release: Yin Art

- Yin Release: Mind Reading

- Yin Release: Illusion, Naraku Seeing

- Water Release: Water Array Wall

- Water Release: Fog Concealment Technique

- Water Release: Water Body Technique

- Water Release: Water Flow Whip

Furthermore, his mastery of sealing techniques had expanded significantly, and he had learned numerous sealing techniques, including but not limited to:

- one layer seal

- Three-layers Seals

- Four-Element Seals

- Eight-trigerame Seal

- Seals of Evil

- Seals of Fire

- Seals of Water

- Seals of Thunder

- Seals of Earth

- Seals of Wind

- Five Elements Seal

- Contract Seal

- Five elements Seal Barrier

- Four Purple Flame Formation

With his extensive knowledge and skills, Kirito had become a well-rounded ninja in various aspects of combat, sealing, and chakra control.