The Awakening of the Shikotsumyaku

One day, two years ago.

After dinner, Seiji and his father, Kaguya Genji, returned to their respective rooms to rest.

Back in his room, Seiji picked up a scroll from the corner and slowly unrolled it. He sat cross-legged and began gradually guiding the Chakra within his body according to the method depicted on the scroll.

That was right—six-year-old Seiji already possessed Chakra.

When he was four, Seiji had found at home a scroll his mother, Kaguya Yukiko, had taken with her when she was expelled from the Kaguya Clan. Following the method on the scroll, he extracted Chakra by combining physical energy with spiritual energy.

Having inherited the most exceptional Kaguya bloodline, Seiji possessed talent far surpassing even his father, Kaguya Genji. Within just a few breaths, he had guided out his first thread of Chakra.

With no one to teach him, Seiji had no idea what that speed meant. At the time, he had merely followed the steps, continuously mixing physical and spiritual energy to build up the Chakra within his body. Unfortunately, he had been too young, and the harsh living conditions had slowed his physical development. He fainted after only a few minutes.

And so, Seiji extracted Chakra almost every night. However, limited by the scarcity of physical energy, his Chakra grew very slowly.

After extracting Chakra, Seiji did not stop training. He continued guiding it through his body along the circulation paths recorded in the scroll. This was a Chakra cultivation method passed down through the Kaguya Clan since the Warring States Period. Completing a full cycle through fixed meridians and Acupoints could nourish the body and Chakra, making Chakra more refined and allowing it to flow faster within the body.

It was said to stimulate the awakening of Kekkei Genkai as well, but throughout the Kaguya Clan's long history, those with Kekkei Genkai had still been exceedingly rare. As such, that supposed effect was hardly convincing.

Over the two years from age four to six, Seiji's body was still severely underdeveloped, but it had improved vastly compared to before he began cultivating Chakra.

Chakra flowed rapidly through Seiji's meridians along a path he knew well, slowly nourishing his young body. After completing ten full cycles, Seiji prepared to stop and rest. Just then, he discovered that his body had begun trembling uncontrollably. The Chakra within him, which had gradually calmed, suddenly began accelerating as well.

Seiji panicked, not knowing what had happened. Thinking he had made some mistake in today's training, he desperately tried to control the Chakra within him and bring it back under his command. The Chakra ran faster and faster through his meridians, and Seiji's body grew hotter and hotter. In his daze, he seemed to hear Chakra rushing through his body like a roaring river.

Just as Seiji was at a loss and about to call for his father, who was sleeping next door, the Chakra flowing through his body gradually slowed. At the same time, Seiji's Chakra presence began steadily strengthening. By Ninja World standards, it had roughly risen to the level of an experienced Genin. The amount of Chakra in his body also increased rapidly, and Seiji could feel his physical strength slowly growing as well.

Opening his eyes, Seiji looked utterly bewildered. He had no idea what had happened to his body. "How did my strength increase for no reason?"

Seiji remembered his mother explaining the rough hierarchy of ninjas while she was still alive. After graduating from the ninja academy, one would become a Genin after passing an assessment. Then, one could become an ordinary Chunin through the Chunin Exams or by village appointment. From there, one would continue improving and become an elite among Chunin. If one possessed a special ability in a certain area and was sufficiently capable of rivaling a Jonin, one would be appointed a Special Jonin. After that came ordinary Jonin, Elite Jonin, and finally, Kage-level.

Although the Ninja World's standard ninja ranks consisted only of Genin, Chunin, and Jonin, those merely represented a ninja's status within their respective villages, not their actual level of strength.

Even among Jonin, there were huge differences in strength between Special Jonin, ordinary Jonin, and Elite Jonin. Ninjas of different strength levels differed greatly in the quantity and quality of their Chakra, as well as the rank and power of their techniques.

Because no one had taught him, Seiji assumed his strength had increased and that he had reached the level of a Genin. He believed the condition in his body just now had been caused by that increase in strength. He did not know that he possessed a Kekkei Genkai rare even in the Ninja World, and that the abnormality just now had been caused by the awakening of Shikotsumyaku.

In truth, given Seiji's bloodline and talent, his Shikotsumyaku should have awakened at around the age of four. However, due to being exiled, the harsh environment and lack of nutrition had made his physical development extremely slow—roughly two or three years behind that of children his age. Moreover, Seiji's Chakra reserves had always been insufficient.

Thus, only today, after more than two years of accumulating Chakra and nourishing his body, did the Kekkei Genkai that had lain dormant within him finally awaken.

Still excited over the increase in his strength, Seiji suddenly felt his body gradually heating up. He inexplicably felt that he could do something. Slowly driving the Chakra within him, he followed his body's instinct and evenly distributed all of his Chakra among his ten fingers. He extended both hands and aimed them forward.

Under the control of Chakra, the osteoblasts and osteoclasts in Seiji's hands were rapidly activated, and the calcium concentration in his palms rose sharply.

Ten sharp Bone Spikes slowly grew from the tips of his fingers. Seiji was startled, thinking something had gone wrong with his finger bones. He hurriedly tried to cut off the Chakra and make the bones retract, but he had only just awakened and had no experience controlling Shikotsumyaku. Nor did the scroll his mother left behind mention Shikotsumyaku. Amid Seiji's panic, the ten Bone Spikes shot forward like bullets.

"Boom!"

With a deafening crash, the wall abruptly collapsed under the impact of Ten Finger Drilling Bullets. Having exhausted all his Chakra immediately after awakening his Kekkei Genkai, Seiji fainted on the spot.

The collapsed wall woke Genji, who had been sleeping next door. Still groggy, he made his way to Seiji's room, where he immediately saw his son lying unconscious on the floor and the wall ahead reduced to rubble.

His gaze swept over the debris before suddenly stopping. He spotted several bone bullets deeply embedded in fragments of the wall.

"Ten Finger Drilling Bullets... So his Kekkei Genkai has awakened," Genji murmured.

At that moment, two figures swiftly appeared outside the house. They were the two Jonin assigned to monitor and guard Seiji's family.

"What happened?" one of the Jonin demanded loudly.

"Get lost. Nothing happened!" A low roar came from inside. Genji was not surprised by the arrival of the two men. He had always ignored them, but to keep Seiji's Kekkei Genkai from being exposed, he could only slowly walk into the courtyard and confront the two Jonin.

"If nothing happened, then we brothers will be leaving. You'd best watch yourself, Lord Genji," the other Jonin said mockingly.

"Hmph. My dear Brother's lapdogs. Our family affairs are none of your business. Get lost. Though my strength has declined, I can still take one of you down with me if I'm willing to get hurt. Want to try?" Genji glanced at them with faint disdain and threatened.

"Heh. Withdraw!" The two Jonin did not know that Genji could not defeat them unless he fought desperately. After making a brief inspection, they retreated under Genji's threat.