Chapter 7
Without mentioning Zixu, who was just slacking off, the battle between Hyuga Chinano and Uchiha Gen was still intense. However, Chinano held the upper hand overall. The Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist wasn't famous for nothing. Even without the Byakugan, she could infuse her chakra into every strike, targeting the acupoints in Gen's body based on her deep understanding of human anatomy. This disrupted her chakra flow, limiting her ability to fight effectively.
The Uchiha clan wasn't known for their taijutsu—at least, not until they awakened the Sharingan. Neither Gen nor Chinano had activated their respective dojutsu yet, but Chinano's mastery of Gentle Fist gave her a clear advantage.
"Eight Trigrams Palm Strike!" Chinano's palm struck Gen's chest, sending a powerful surge of chakra into her system. Her breath hitched as her chakra flow became sluggish, leaving her unable to continue fighting.
Seeing this, Gouda Takeshi stepped forward to intervene. Though Uchiha Gen was clearly defeated, Gouda had to at least give the Uchiha clan some face.
"Alright, this match is over! The winners are Hyuga Chinano's team!" Gouda declared, stepping between them and raising Chinano's hand as the official victor.
Gen gritted her teeth but quickly accepted reality. If the fight continued, she'd only lose worse.
Zixu, still pretending to be injured, was supported by Aburame Hatsuizumi as they approached Chinano, both smiling.
"We won!" Zixu and Hatsuizumi cheered.
Chinano rarely smiled, but seeing Maruyama lying in the distance and Zixu leaning on Hatsuizumi, her expression darkened slightly.
"Are you hurt?" Her voice was cold as ever, but there was a hint of concern.
"It's nothing serious," Zixu shrugged, though in truth, he wasn't hurt at all.