"Hanabi, you are to test this, fight at full strength," said Hiashi as he realized that both Hinata and Hanabi were waiting for some signal. That Boy was looking completely lost. At least their teacher was sitting in proper seiza and in the correct position within the dojo.
"Byakugan," began Hanabi, running through hand-signs and activating her kekkei genkai.
Hiashi had decided to watch this without the Byakugan at least at first. He was paying attention though, bringing the focus to bear that was a major reason for the discipline the clan tended to prioritize in training.
Hinata seemed to shimmer and vanish.
Armored gloves appeared on the hands of the genin-candidate. Very quickly but not all at once. Three rings encircling the forearms were first, chainmail spread out to cover the hands and remaining forearms, then plates of metal to reinforce and protect the chain.
It had taken perhaps a second and a half. By that time Hanabi was nearly in strike range. She was also gracefully shifting into the strike position of Cobra's Swift Fang - meaning that she was going to aim for a Jyuuken abdomen strike. A good choice as it wasn't an instant-kill, but would be painful and the sort of attack that was likely to end the match immediately.
The attack didn't land. Uzumaki deflected the blow by snapping his armored hand down and bringing a single finger to strike the wrist.
There was a soft exhalation from Hanabi, otherwise she simply shifted her momentum - going for a palmstrike with the other hand to Uzumaki's extended arm.
Only Uzumaki's other hand went out and tapped Hanabi in the forehead.
"Match," said Hiashi as he judged the exchange.
Hanabi flopped back on her buttocks.
"What?" asked Hiashi.
The branch member who'd been sitting beside him stirred. "My pardon, Lord Hyuuga. That was a Jyuuken strike."
"What?" asked Hiashi, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Lady Hinata, even in that form, seems to be able to guide That Boy into a cruder than usual Jyuuken - however the chakra spikes are much brighter and longer than normal."
At his degree of experience, Hiashi Hyuga no longer needed to announce he was using his Byakugan or utilize hand-signs. He knew the proper pattern of chakra to utilize so well he could do it in his sleep. Which was actually another problem altogether.
The kote (armored sleeves) were part of the gauntlets, both of which had a chakra network that blended chakra from the wearer with chakra originating from the gauntlets themselves. Intriguing.
That explained the brighter than normal spikes of chakra at the delivery points of the attacks.
The spike at an extended two finger jab retracted as Uzumaki's strike snaked around Hanabi's block to tap along the shoulder at a major tenketsu.
The floating image of Hinata he ignored. Only thing clear about her was her face, so that wasn't of any concern.
No, inspecting with the Byakugan had merely raised even more questions.
He hadn't seen any reason to forbid this yet, so he could give it approval with a rider to check it again in a few months to make sure that this was not bringing any shame to the Hyuga name by being frivolous.
"What of you?" asked the Hokage as he walked through his village, nodding a greeting to a shopkeeper.
"Me, Hokage-sama?" asked Iruka Umino.
"Just a moment," said Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Hokage, as he extended one hand. Golden fire danced in his palm. "From things he's said in the past, Naruto considers me a sort-of surrogate grandfather. Apparently my chakra reserves nearly doubled since his gaining his immortality. I felt it go into effect this morning when he greeted me with his usual familiarity."
"'Doubled'?" asked Iruka.
"Well, perhaps a bit less than that, but it is still notably more powerful than yesterday," admitted the Hokage. "You are his teacher, who acknowledged him in front of an enemy. That should be quite a bond and, as I understand it, the stronger the bond the greater the power."
"I... hadn't noticed anything," noted Iruka as he realized he'd come to a stop and then hurried to catch back up.
"Well, I suppose you have been busy," said the Hokage. "Have you arranged the teams yet?"
"Taking into account the suggestions from your office, the other teachers, and other considerations, yes." Iruka took a deep breath.
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(Posted Thu, 24 Oct 2013 19:02)
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