"Gai-sensei, Lee-kun," Neji acknowledged his teacher and teammate as they entered the clearing.

"You are right on time," he told, them, hanging a new practice dummy from the post. Lee looked at the pile of sawdust under the loop suspiciously.

"So, you have a new jutsu you wish to show us?" Gai asked grandiosely.

"Yes," Neji nodded firmly, "Please stand back."

Neji assumed a familiar stance, and a seal spread out from his feet. But the seal continued to expand, until Lee and Gai could not see the edge.

"Eight Trigrams," Neji addressed the mannequin.

"Two Palms," he jabbed is finger tips towards it.

"Four Palms, Eight Palms, Sixteen Palms, Thirty-Two Palms, Sixty-Four Palms, One Hundred Twenty-Eight, Two Hundred Fifty-Six Palms, Five Hundred Twelve Palms..."

Gai raised a thick eyebrow when his apprentice did not stop.

Thirty seconds later.

"One Thousand Twenty-Four Palms..."

One minute after that.

"Two Thousand Forty-Eight Palms..."

Two minutes later.

"Four Thousand Ninety-Six Palms!" Neji concluded. As he stopped moving, the dummy creaked and broke in half, the remains of its insides adding to the litter already on the ground.

"What do you think?" Neji asked them sincerely.

"Uh..." Might Gai was briefly speechless, then shook himself back into focus.

"Neji, you are aware there are only three hundred sixty one tenketsu, are you not?"

"Of course, Gai-sensei. And by striking each one five times, as well as hundreds of other vital points on the the body, the Eight Trigrams, Two to the Twelfth Palms Jutsu can guarantee my opponent is beyond recovery."

"Well, I need to get back to my own training," Lee smiled nervously, backing away.

"Yes, I will help you," Gai nodded.

"I wonder if four thousand ninety six is enough," Neji pondered as his teammates moved away, "Maybe I can create an Eight Trigrams, Two to the Thirteenth Palms Jutsu..."

"Gai-sensei, wouldn't that technique reduce an opponent's insides to hamburger?" Lee asked uncertainly, once they were out of earshot.

"I will never again question the need for therapist shinobi," Gai agreed, nodding.