Naruto: The Hidden Shadow Style

"What do you need an acupuncture meridian chart for?" Kōga hadn't expected Haseo to suddenly make such a request before leaving the ward.

"I just want to understand certain aspects of ninja physiology. Anyway, I don't have anything else to do here—I might as well pass the time," Haseo explained. "I've only been a ninja for a short time, so I should take this chance to brush up on the basics and get a solid foundation." He had developed an unusual idea regarding Lightning Release application due to a casual reminder from the other party.

Haseo's concept could be described as daring, though whether it could succeed remained to be seen. Some experimentation will probably be necessary. But first, he needed a deeper understanding of the ninja body structure.

"Shouldn't the medical ninja have that kind of thing?"

Meridian charts certainly weren't rare or confidential items. Still, Kōga had never heard of anyone wanting to pass time by studying human meridian charts. He eyed Haseo carefully, then asked, "I can get the meridian charts, but... are you sure this won't lead to any trouble?"

"How could that be? I just want to understand chakra flow issues better," Haseo was forced to explain again.

Actually, what he really wanted to say was, "I have some confidence in combining Ninjutsu," but he feared saying something like that would make the other turn around and leave immediately.

"In that case, there shouldn't be a problem. Later I'll have someone bring the materials over to you." Hearing Haseo's words, Kōga relaxed his concerns. After all, being diligent and eager to learn was commendable.

In terms of personality, Haseo wasn't the type who liked causing unnecessary troubles. However, what Kōga didn't know was that people who rarely caused trouble were often the most unstoppable once they decided to stir things up.

After turning away and leaving the place, Kōga quickly arranged for someone to deliver the meridian charts Haseo requested, along with a handwritten research record about chakra flow.

An extra? That was something Haseo hadn't expected. First, he pinned the meridian charts to the wall beside his bed and flipped through the notebook instead of diving straight into research.

This must have been part of the Medical Ninja's foundational research—likely even personally compiled by Kōga himself... Indeed, he guessed correctly. A portion of these materials was indeed Kōga's research achievements, though what Haseo obtained wasn't the original but merely a copy.

To Haseo's surprise, after glancing through them briefly, he immersed himself into these studies, reading through them thoroughly.

Meanwhile, Sakumo Hatake, already busy preparing intravenous nutrition fluids, saw how seriously Haseo was reading. Out of curiosity, he came over to take a peek. Within two minutes, however, he was completely discouraged.

After all, Sakumo was still just a kid his age, with all the usual traits. He wasn't someone like Orochimaru—how could he possibly sit still long enough to read such dull research documents held by Haseo?

The research material wasn't thick at all. Haseo finished reading it in less than an hour. Despite being thin, the material offered surprisingly profound insights, especially when it came to explaining chakra refinement and basic circulation. It gave Haseo quite a sense of sudden enlightenment—it was truly a gem of a find.

Strictly speaking, only part of it was valuable. The document was divided into two parts. The upper half was titled "Chakra Circulation within Meridians and Vital Points," while the lower half was titled "Chakra Attribute Transformation, Mutual Restraint, Cultivation, and Application Principles." What genuinely benefited Haseo was the first half, while the second half was mediocre at best—he even thought it contained superfluous rambling.

Haseo placed the second half of the research material aside and reread the first half several times. After confirming he had accurately memorized all the knowledge presented, he finally raised his head and shifted his gaze toward the meridian chart he'd requested.

Compared to the unexpectedly valuable research material, the meridian chart was nothing more than a supplement.

"You know, there are over 300 vital points on the human body… you just can't protect them all," Haseo murmured softly while looking at the meridian chart with its densely marked points. He definitely wasn't speaking to anyone; he simply spoke aloud without intending to address anyone.

However, beside him, Sakumo Hatake mistook Haseo's words for a question directed at him and responded, "Yes, exactly. That's why the Hyūga Clan's Gentle Fist remains unchallenged in the ninja world."

"Yeah, unchallenged in the ninja world," Haseo replied, turning his head to glance at Hatake before quickly shifting his attention back, immersing himself again in the seemingly ordinary meridian chart.

Yet the expression in those bright eyes startled Sakumo Hatake somewhat. He had known Haseo for quite some time already but had never seen such a look of fresh curiosity on him before. To put it nicely, Haseo was normally composed; less flatteringly, he sometimes seemed rather dull and lifeless. But right now, Haseo was completely different.

Could a simple meridian chart really be that fascinating?

Unlike blood vessels and other physically existing tissues and organs, "meridians" were "energy pathways" that didn't exist on the physical level. Ever since the Sage of Six Paths established the Ninja Path, every ninja's chakra had flowed along these pathways.

Ninjas channeled chakra through hand seals to manipulate its flow within their meridians—either transforming its nature for elemental techniques, structuring it for ninjutsu, or focusing it internally to boost physical strength.

As for the vital points, they were special nodes along the meridians. Like meridians themselves, they did not exist physically, yet unlike meridians, each person's vital points occupied relatively fixed positions on their body.

Meridians could not be located, yet although the vital points "did not exist," they could indeed be "found." By stimulating certain specific energy nodes using special methods, powerful physical techniques like [Eight Gates Release] could be unlocked.

The meridians were also drawn on the diagram, but they weren't easily perceptible. The chakra nodes, however, were different—they had a much more noticeable "presence." It was precisely because of this unique characteristic that techniques like the Gentle Fist, which specifically targeted these points, came into existence.

Haseo slowly closed his eyes and carefully sensed the chakra nodes within his body—those "points" with a strong chakra presence—and then he sank their impressions deeper into his consciousness.

Next, he began forming the "Rooster" hand seal to guide Water Release chakra, although this time he wasn't about to release any elemental technique outwardly. Instead, he attempted to generate minute traces of water chakra within his body that exhibited material properties. Following that, he would try using the water chakra to connect those deeper "nodes."

At this moment, Haseo's intent became completely clear—even though his initial and ultimate goal was to make full use of Lightning Release chakra, what he was attempting to do was far beyond his original purpose, bolder and more ambitious.

The ninja world had existed for countless years, and the number of jutsu was already endless. Yet the way chakra flowed and the basics of performing techniques had never changed.

What Haseo was trying to do challenged this very foundation… well, perhaps "challenged" was too strong a word. After all, Haseo hadn't surpassed that foundation. Compared to challenging it, what he was preparing to do was nothing more than a "refresh." Yet even so, his idea and approach were unprecedented:

Using his own meridians as reference, the chakra nodes as markers, and Water Release as the medium, he was attempting to create a second set of *false* meridians beneath the original ones.

The Sharingan was just a pale imitation, stuck at the level of copying individual jutsu. A true copy, however, should replicate the very foundation of a ninja.

Suddenly, Haseo's expression twisted, and he opened his eyes. The first attempt had predictably failed, but he was not discouraged at all—in fact, his eyes gleamed with excitement.

If his experiment worked, he'd be one of a kind—unlike anyone in the entire ninja world…

A Dual-channel Ninja.

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