**Chapter 57: Gains**
That day, Neji poured out everything he knew—the history of the Hyūga clan, the divide between the main and branch families, and finally, the death of his father, Hyūga Hizashi. Useful or not, he spilled it all without holding back.
Hikari didn't interrupt.
While organizing the training progress of her shadow clones in her mind, she maintained the posture of a listener, quietly absorbing the years of resentment Neji had bottled up.
Neji didn't need her to respond much.
Having lost his father, branded with the Caged Bird Seal, and drowning in hatred with no outlet—now, facing Hikari, he finally found a release.
Two distracted people, yet somehow, they managed to have a "pleasant conversation."
It wasn't until late at night, when the rain stopped, that they finally parted ways.
They made a promise:
Starting tomorrow, after school every evening, Neji would accompany Hikari to train in the **Eight Trigrams Palms**.
Their meeting spot? Beneath the giant banyan tree in the **Forest of Death**.
Hikari had no objections.
The Hyūga's advanced secret techniques would come from **Hinata's leaks**, while the intermediate and lower-level techniques would be "borrowed" from Neji. On top of that, she'd get a free **Gentle Fist** sparring partner.
The Hyūga's **Gentle Fist** was already within her grasp.
When she thought about it, she hadn't even been in **Konoha** for half a month yet.
First, she obtained **Might Guy's** **Konoha Strong Fist style** and the **Eight Gates**.
Now, the **Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palms** was practically hers—only a matter of time before she mastered it. Add in her innate **Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse)** and **Kaguya clan taijutsu**, and her arsenal was growing terrifying.
**One S-rank forbidden jutsu.**
**Two kekkei genkai focused on the body.**
**Three distinct taijutsu styles.**
The path of the **invincible taijutsu shinobi** was unfolding beneath her feet.
But her gains didn't stop there.
Earlier, when **"Academy Hikari"** dispersed, she left a reminder:
*"Today's haul is huge. Numb your nerves—knowledge incoming."*
At the time, Hikari had been excited.
But when other clones dispersed and their chakra returned, she was so exhilarated that she barely registered Neji's venting. Her mind was entirely focused on the flood of new knowledge surging into her consciousness.
As memories sorted themselves out, her excitement only grew.
While her main body had been tailing Neji these past few days, her clones hadn't been idle.
Today, **"Academy Hikari"** had fully memorized all the **technique diagrams** she'd obtained.
In a few more days, once she got the remaining pieces from Hinata, she could begin practicing the **complete version of the Eight Trigrams Palms**.
Meanwhile, **"Water Release Hikari"** had made significant progress in **shape transformation**, even developing a new technique based on **water pressure manipulation**—something akin to a **high-pressure water cutter**.
In her memories, she saw it clearly:
**"Water Release Hikari"** had used this **water cutter** to slice a **boulder taller than a person** clean in half—in **less than three seconds.**
The cut surface was **smooth as a mirror**, with almost no debris.
Thrilled, the **water clone** refined and tested it a few more times, quickly mastering the technique.
**Pros?**
The **destructive power** was undeniable. If it hit, death or severe injury was guaranteed.
**"Water Release Hikari"** had even tested it on her own bones—within **half a meter**, it could **sever a rib in two seconds.**
And that was no small feat.
With **Shikotsumyaku**, Hikari's bones were **harder than steel.**
Few in the shinobi world could match her **defensive capabilities.**
If this **water cutter** could slice through **her bones**, it could cut through **95% of shinobi** without issue.
That made it an **exceptionally lethal offensive jutsu.**
In her memories, she could see the **visible excitement** on her water clone's face.
But when developing a technique, **you couldn't just focus on the strengths.**
After further testing, the **flaws** became just as apparent.
To unleash the **high-pressure water cutter**, she had to **charge it for a long time**, building up **internal water pressure.**
This meant:
- **Long wind-up.**
- **Slow activation.**
- **Easily interrupted mid-cast.**
In combat, that was **deadly.**
All of Hikari's water techniques, influenced by the **Three-Tails' power**, were **seal-less jutsu.**
As **Iruka-sensei** had taught in class:
*"Shinobi battles are brutal. Hand seals exist to standardize jutsu, making them mechanical—once mastered, failure is rare."*
*"The more complete the seals, the higher the success rate, and the lower the risk."*
But the **high-pressure water cutter** was the opposite—a **seal-less jutsu with high interruption risk.**
Its mechanism required:
1. **Instant extraction of massive water chakra.**
2. **Compression into a high-pressure water sphere.**
3. **Releasing it through a tiny opening to form the cutter.**
Just imagining it made the danger clear.
The **pressure inside that water sphere** had to be **insane.**
If disrupted mid-cast, the **resulting explosion** could cause **catastrophic internal damage.**
And because the technique's power relied on **pressure**, its effectiveness **dropped sharply with distance.**
Testing confirmed:
**Optimal range? Point-blank.**
Beyond **three meters**, its power was **less than a quarter** of its peak.
This made it a **high-risk, close-quarters jutsu**—slow to start, but **devastating if it landed.**
Perfect for a **finishing blow** when the enemy was immobilized.
Compared to **Shikotsumyaku: Ten Finger Drilling Bullets**, the **water cutter** was its **polar opposite.**
- **Ten Finger Drilling Bullets:**
- **No wind-up.**
- **Long range.**
- But after firing, a **cooldown** while bones regenerated.
- **High-Pressure Water Cutter:**
- **Long wind-up.**
- **Short range.**
- But **instantaneous devastation** upon release.
Both were **lethal**, just in different ways.
Together, they formed a **new arsenal of killing techniques.**
The water release news was **good**, but not enough to make her **completely ignore Neji's words** in favor of sorting memories.
But then—**as if luck was on her side**—another breakthrough arrived.
Following the **water release** and **Gentle Fist** successes, **wind release** delivered its own victory.
Just before **Kazama Koshī** was discharged from the hospital, **"Wind Release Hikari"** finally achieved **wind nature transformation** under his guidance.
**Invisible wind chakra** sharpened like a steel wire, gliding along a leaf's veins—
**Snap.**
The leaf split cleanly in two.
Aside from a faint **hiss of air**, there was **no sound.**
The severed leaf was **flawlessly cut**, its edges **smooth as glass**, as if it had **grown that way.**
When **"Wind Release Hikari"** showed the leaf to Kazama, he **spat out his juice in shock.**
His face twisted in **visible frustration.**
*"Our deal's over. Train on your own from now on—don't come back."*
From his **bitter expression**, it was clear he'd taken a **major hit to his pride.**
**Shadow clones were broken.**
The **flood of memories, knowledge, and muscle memory**—as if she'd trained **thousands of times**—left Hikari **exhausted but exhilarated.**
*Wasn't this just like the "systems" from those novels in her past life?*
As memories settled, her **overworked brain** began to wander.
She **had** to let it.
The combined fatigue of **three clones training nonstop** felt like **liquid mercury had been poured into her skull.**
She was so **drained** that she nearly **fell asleep walking home** after parting with Neji.
**Greater gains demanded greater effort.**
Shadow clones weren't a **cheat-like "system."**
But for Hikari, they were **more than enough.**
*Just keep moving forward at this pace.*
The **path to the sun** was already **glowing before her.**
With time, she would **become the one blazing light** that all of the shinobi world would **have no choice but to look up to.**
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