Yukina sank down into a *Gentle Fist* stance, the veins at the corners of her eyes bulging as they stretched to her temples, her eyes focused.
'Come on! I want to see your true strength!' she thought.
At the same time, Hirohiko Uchiha, who was off the field, was taken aback, his gaze locked on Chiba. 'With her Byakugan activated, Yukina is going all out! Is Chiba really worth her full effort?' he wondered.
Chiba, standing on the field, also steeled his expression and adjusted his stance. He could tell Yukina was serious, and the Hyuga's *Gentle Fist* was not to be underestimated.
"Ahhh! It'll be over soon," the boys said, clearly bored.
"Yeah! There's no comparison."
"Chiba is going to get thrashed."
The girls were also disinterested.
"This is a waste of time; just end it already!"
"Yes, I want to see Hirohiko in action!"
"Chiba will be finished soon!"
Shouts and comments came from the sidelines.
The teacher shook his head, silently hoping: 'I hope Chiba doesn't lose his spirit because of this match with Yukina. His physical abilities could make him an outstanding Chunin in the future with no problem. As for becoming a Jonin...'
The teacher, not being a Jonin himself, hesitated to speculate further, but he felt it was still unlikely.
"Here I come!" Yukina shouted, launching a palm strike, her attack already underway.
Chiba's eyes narrowed; Yukina's palm was incredibly fast. He barely managed to sidestep the first strike, but the second palm was already upon him, leaving no room for counterattack.
'I can't let her hit me!' Chiba thought.
Chiba was well aware that the *Gentle Fist* technique, combined with the *Byakugan*, could target Chakra points, disrupt Chakra flow, and inhibit Chakra molding. Taijutsu also required Chakra; otherwise, the *Dynamic Entry* and *Strong Fist* techniques of Might Guy and Rock Lee wouldn't be so effective.
Frowning, Chiba did his best to dodge the relentless *Gentle Fist* strikes from Yukina.
'I should have removed the weights! Dealing with Yukina like this is tough!' he thought.
Meanwhile, Yukina was equally astonished. Despite her numerous attempts, she couldn't even graze Chiba's clothing.
'His speed is incredible!' This was Yukina's immediate thought. Chiba's reaction and movement speeds were superior, making it impossible for her to land a hit.
Hirohiko Uchiha, watching the match, was surprised: 'Chiba could dodge Yukina's *Gentle Fist* attacks!'
"Did Yukina go easy on him?" One boy speculated, watching the match in disbelief.
"Impossible! All of Yukina's attacks were dodged?" The girls were also shocked.
"Is this really the guy who's fourth from the bottom?" The dead last stepped back, his expression filled with surprise as he looked at Chiba.
'What? Isn't this supposed to be an easy win? What's Yukina doing?' The teacher was puzzled as well.
Yukina pressed the attack, while Chiba, burdened by his weighted gear, struggled to keep up. His movement was significantly hampered by the weights. Without them, he could have easily evaded Yukina's swift assaults.
Though Chiba hadn't formally trained in Konoha's Taijutsu, he was familiar with the original material and, with his current physical condition and the ability to open three of the Eight Gates, could execute some of its techniques.
The primary focus of Taijutsu was physical endurance. Apart from advanced techniques like the *Leaf Whirlwind*, *Primary Lotus*, and *Hidden Lotus*, which required personal instruction, some moves like the *Leaf Hurricane*—a powerful spinning kick—were within Chiba's capability.
However, his current speed was limited. Yukina's relentless assault left him no opportunity to employ these techniques. It was his first time applying Konoha's Taijutsu in real combat, and he was cautious, not wanting to accidentally injure Yukina with unchecked strength.
'If it doesn't work, use that technique,' Chiba thought.
Chiba dodged while deep in thought. He had grown accustomed to Yukina's attacks and, despite being momentarily distracted, managed to evade them effortlessly.
'He is truly remarkable!' Yukina was thrilled internally, and a strong resolve not to lose surged within her. She noticed the Chakra in Chiba's body was methodically gathering towards his fists.
'Impressive! Such precise control of Chakra!' Yukina was astonished, then realized what was coming.
'He's about to counterattack!'
'In that case... it's time to make a decisive move. I'll use the new technique I've mastered.'
Yukina's gaze sharpened, and she suddenly created some distance between them.
'The distance just needs to be within one meter,' she thought.
Yukina readied her palm, ceased her barrage of attacks, and unexpectedly stepped back a few steps, surprising Chiba. Then, he saw her adopt a familiar stance.
'This stance... No way, how advanced is Yukina!? She's already learned this, a true prodigy! Even more so than Neji!' Chiba's eyes widened in surprise, but he also smiled slightly.
'Let's see which is more powerful, your *Gentle Fist* or my technique!'
"*Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm*!" Yukina suddenly thrust forward with her palm, her fingers curled like a tiger's claw, launching a soft fist through the air.
The distance between them was less than one meter. With Yukina's strike, Chiba clearly felt the air twisting towards her palm, the distortion rapidly approaching.
The spectators were stunned, and even the teacher was taken aback! Although not a member of the Hyuga clan, he knew that the *Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm* was a complex Jutsu to master. It allowed for a long-range soft fist attack, a rare ability in the *Gentle Fist* style. At just seven years old... Yukina's talent was astounding! Truly frightening!
'This time, Chiba Taki will surely lose!' The teacher's eyes sparkled, already deeming Chiba defeated.
And Hirohiko Uchiha's expression changed dramatically, his heart racing: 'She managed to execute a soft fist attack through the air!'
'Can I block that strike?' Hirohiko Uchiha doubted in his heart.
'Chiba Taki will definitely lose. In the next match, I'll challenge Yukina!' Hirohiko Uchiha's lips curved into a smile, his fighting spirit ignited, and he too anticipated Chiba's defeat.
As the air twisted, Chiba smiled and launched his own punch.
'Chiba Taki, have you lost your mind?' Everyone was astounded! Witnessing Yukina's *Vacuum Palm*, which could shatter a tree with a single blow, what could Chiba do?
Hirohiko Uchiha and the teacher were equally shocked.
"Boom!" A muffled sound echoed.
As Chiba's fist met the twisted air, Chakra exploded!
The distortion instantly collapsed!
Chiba's punch continued unaltered, heading straight for Yukina.
A punch that shattered the *Vacuum Palm*.
All students were astounded.
Hirohiko Uchiha was shocked.
The teacher was shocked.
His fist stopped just in front of Yukina's beautiful face, a drop of sweat falling from her forehead.
Chiba quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
And Yukina stared at the fist just inches from her, the force of the punch causing her hair to flutter.
'Chakra exploding in an instant, shattering my *Vacuum Palm*?'
'Concentrating all Chakra and releasing it suddenly, can it really be that powerful?'
'The *Vacuum Palm* that I practiced so hard... Is this really possible?'
'What is Chiba's origin?' Yukina wondered, stunned by the turn of events.