The gentle fist is classified as a type of taijutsu. They are just using chakra instead of their muscles to inflict the damage.
Strength is weak against technique. Something that Neji, and even itachi, has plenty of.
Gentle Fist
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Gentle Fist
Name
Kanji 柔拳
Rōmaji Jūken
Literal English Gentle Fist
English TV Gentle Fist
Other Gentle Fist Art (柔拳法, Jūkenpō)
Debut
Manga Chapter #79
Anime Naruto Episode #46
Movie Naruto: Shippūden the Movie
Video Game Naruto: Ultimate Ninja
Appears in Anime, Manga, Game and Movie
Data
Classification Kekkei Genkai, Taijutsu, Fighting Style
Class Offensive
Range Short-range
Derived jutsu
Chakra Needle Technique
Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven
Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms
Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms
Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms
Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm
Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher
Eight Trigrams Vacuum Wall Palm
Gentle Fist Art One Blow Body
Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists
Palm Bottom
Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms
Users
Neji Hyūga
Hinata Hyūga
Hiashi Hyūga
Hizashi Hyūga
Hanabi Hyūga (Game only)
The Gentle Fist (柔拳, Jūken) or Gentle Fist Art (柔拳法, Jūkenpō) is a form of hand-to-hand combat used by members of the Hyūga clan. It inflicts internal damage through attacking the body's Chakra Pathway System, subsequently injuring organs which are closely intertwined with the area of the network which has been struck. To do this, the user surgically injects a certain amount of their own chakra into the opponent's chakra pathway system, causing damage to surrounding organs due to their proximity to the chakra circulatory system. Even the slightest tap can cause severe internal damage, hence the name "gentle" fist.
Targeting the tenketsu can enhance the havoc and control a Gentle Fist practitioner can impose upon an opponent's chakra network. These special nodes, 361 in total, are key gatekeeping interceptions in the chakra circulatory network, thus forcibly opening or sealing them in whatever manner the Gentle Fist user sees fit is a powerful tactical option to have. The user's chakra can either increase chakra flow in the opponent's body, or disrupt it completely, preventing them from using techniques as seen in Neji's fight with Hinata during the Chūnin Exams.
Neji Hyūga remarked that any chakra-based substance can be destroyed by this technique. As seen in his fight with Kidōmaru, it is done by leaking chakra from the chakra openings in one's hands and moulding it into a needle-like shape to slice through the chakra.[1] However it is unknown if this technique can be done by any Gentle Fist user or just those who can see the tenketsu.
Because the chakra pathway system is invisible to the naked eye, the Byakugan is required for this style to be used effectively. Since the Byakugan is unique to the Hyūga clan, it has become their signature style of combat.
The ability to inflict severe internal trauma with minimal external force, combined with chakra network manipulation, makes the Gentle Fist the most reputable and fearsome taijutsu style known in all of Konohagakure.
Chakra (チャクラ, chakura) is essential to even the most basic technique; it is the moulding of the physical energy (身体エネルギー, shintai enerugī) present in every cell of the body and the spiritual energy (精神エネルギー, seishin enerugī) gained from exercise and experience. Once moulded, it can be channelled through the chakra circulatory system, which is to chakra as the regular circulatory system is to blood, to any of the 361 chakra points (called tenketsu) in the body. Through various methods, the most common of which is hand seals, the chakra can then be manipulated to create an effect that would not be possible otherwise, such as walking on water, exhaling fire or creating illusions.
By moulding different ratios of the two energies, new types of chakra can be formed. Most ninja have a natural affinity to one type of chakra, but they have the capacity to create elemental chakra apart from their own affinity. There are five basic types, each stronger and weaker to another, but their relations, weaknesses, and strengths to each other are all explored. There is also the dealing of Yin and Yang and the balance of mental and physical energies. In addition to these five elements, certain kekkei genkai can mix elemental chakra to form new natures, for example it is possible to mix water and wind into ice. While many ninja can use more than one type of chakra, very few are able to use them simultaneously.
Contents
1 Normal Chakra
2 Chakra Control
3 Shape of Chakra
4 Elemental Chakra
5 Other Types of Chakra
5.1 Tailed Beast Chakra
5.2 Senjutsu Chakra
5.3 Star Chakra
5.4 Gift of the Hermit Group
5.5 Dark Chakra
6 Trivia
7 See Also
8 References
Use of chakra even in a Taijutsu technique makes it ninjutsu take Raikage for example