Fierce Battle

I should explain this. A lot of people have said Jigen wasn't supposed to be this weak, but the key issue is that the powerful Jigen was the one from over fifty years later. According to the official databook, Isshiki used Jigen's Natural Energy to complete and evolve the Karma, and Isshiki's injuries had also greatly improved. That was why he could utterly overpower Naruto and Sasuke in combat.

At this point in time, Isshiki was still severely injured and spent most of his time asleep. The Karma had not evolved through Natural Energy either, and Jigen was merely a monk who had lived a little longer than usual.

He had some fighting power, but not much. He wasn't nearly as formidable as imagined, much less invincible.

In other words, wasn't this just to give the protagonist a cheat? So Jigen and Isshiki had to die.

As the Blood Burning Secret Technique was activated, the Kaguya Clan bloodline within Genji suddenly boiled. His Chakra rapidly multiplied at a geometric rate, and his aura swiftly intensified.

The surging Chakra within him made Genji spit out a mouthful of blood. Only then did he barely bring his body under control, his strength reaching the level of a newly advanced Kage.

Clenching his fists, Genji felt that he could now rival the Mizukage.

"Did you use a life-burning technique? No, what you burned was your bloodline." Looking at Genji, whose body had turned red from using the secret technique, Jigen instantly saw through the essence of the Blood Burning Technique.

"Mortal." Jigen let out a disdainful sigh, as arrogant as ever. He did not believe Genji could threaten him.

"Die!" Genji roared, shooting toward Jigen and viciously kicking at him with his right leg.

Jigen raised a black rod and effortlessly blocked Genji's heavy kick. With his left hand aimed at Genji, several black rods instantly appeared.

Genji's keen battle instincts saved him. Sensing something wrong, he swiftly retreated and narrowly avoided the black rods that appeared where he had just been standing.

"What kind of ability is this? A Space-Time ninjutsu?" Genji silently analyzed Jigen's abilities.

"For now, it seems to activate wherever his hands point. Then let's try this." Genji quickly devised a new battle plan.

Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Camellia!

Drawing a Bone Blade from each arm, Genji charged at Jigen again. Wielding both blades, he moved with exquisitely precise dance steps and launched a fierce assault on Jigen, attempting to restrict his hands.

"Looks like I'll have to get a little serious. You may be an ant, but you're an ant with a bit of strength." Jigen spoke calmly.

Jigen activated the "Karma" on his body and entered its first state. Black markings spread across his entire body. His Chakra then erupted, forcing Genji back. Wielding the long black rod he had just manifested, Jigen swung it heavily at Genji. Genji hurriedly blocked, but the tremendous force still knocked him back.

Jigen raised his left hand again and repeated the move. This time, a large number of black rods appeared, shooting toward Genji like bullets.

Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Clematis! Vine!

Genji dropped his Bone Blades and pulled a long spinal bone from his back, turning it into a white Bone Whip. It whistled through the air as he swung it, blocking every incoming black rod. Then, with a powerful flick, he lashed it toward Jigen, binding Jigen's movements with the long Bone Whip.

At the same time, a massive white bone drill rapidly formed on Genji's left arm and viciously thrust toward Jigen.

Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Clematis! Flower!

Unable to evade in time, Jigen was bound. His body was already decaying, and unwilling to take the attack head-on, he tried to burst free with Chakra. When that failed, he had no choice but to further release the power of the "Karma" and enter its second state.

A horn emerged from Jigen's head, and his aura became even more terrifying.

"Ridiculous!" Jigen sneered and erupted with Chakra once more, this time effortlessly breaking free from the binding of the Clematis Bone Whip.

Genji's attack missed, but he was not discouraged. The bone drill on his left hand quickly fell away, and he immediately slammed both palms heavily against the ground.

Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Seedling Fern!

Dense, sharpened Bone Spikes burst from the earth. There were so many that within just a few breaths, they covered nearly the entire ground, resembling a forest of white bones.

Jigen swiftly swung the long black rod in his hand, continuously smashing apart the Bone Spikes growing around him.

In an instant, broken white bones carpeted the ground.

Then, from behind Jigen, Genji shifted through a Bone Spike that had not been broken and silently appeared at Jigen's back.

A white bone drill from the Dance of the Clematis formed on his arm once again and stabbed heavily toward Jigen.

Jigen only reacted when the drill was already close to his body, but by then it was too late. Unable to dodge, he was struck again.

A point-blank blow infused with immense Chakra, nearing the limit of Kage-level, finally dealt the arrogant Jigen a grievous injury.

Jigen was sent flying and flew into a furious rage, no longer carrying himself with the lofty superiority from before.

"Mortal, you have angered me!" Jigen's body was now damaged, and the consciousness of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki within him had been stimulated and was gradually awakening.

Enraged, Jigen threw away the long black rod and rose from the ground. Pointing both hands at Genji, whose aura had already begun to weaken, he manifested countless black rods and fired them madly at him.

Kaguya Genji, whose bloodline had already burned away by more than half, struggled to control the Bone Spikes on the ground to defend himself. But there were simply too many black rods. With his strength already declining, Genji could no longer hold them back. Several black rods viciously pierced his body, their immense momentum carrying him backward before he crashed heavily onto the ground.

"Cough, cough." Genji struggled to rise and spat out a large mouthful of blood.

The black rods rapidly absorbed his Chakra. Only one thought remained in Genji's mind: hold Jigen back and protect his child.

Seeing that Genji had lost his fighting power, Jigen was about to make a move when he suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood. A wave of intense pain struck him, and bright red blood began to flow from his seven orifices, as though all his vitality had been drained away in an instant.

Jigen's body had suffered injuries far too severe in the recent battle. This body's life had finally reached its end. Genji had actually forced him into mutual destruction.

After Jigen and the Isshiki within his body died, the "Karma" automatically began the reincarnation process. Since Isshiki had only implanted a "Karma" on Jigen at this time and had not yet had the chance to place one on Seiji, he could only use Jigen's "Karma" to reincarnate and resurrect.

However, because he had reincarnated through an unsuitable Vessel, Isshiki was not fully resurrected. Not only had he recovered only most of his strength, but he had merely two days of Lifespan remaining.

Furious, Isshiki wanted nothing more than to kill Genji, this ant. But reason stopped him. Seiji had not yet escaped far away, and he needed to implant a "Karma" on Seiji first. Even with only two days of Lifespan left, simply nurturing the body of a newborn Ōtsutsuki would be enough for Isshiki to undergo a perfect reincarnation once more.

He had pale skin and grayish-white hair. A long curved horn grew from the top of his head to the back of his skull, like a crown. He had only one eyebrow on his forehead, above his right eye. His right eye bore a golden wheel-like pattern, with eight triangles surrounding the pupil, while the pupil of his left eye was pure white.

Looking at Isshiki, who had become almost a completely different person, Genji immediately recognized the Byakugan in Isshiki's left eye, as he was very familiar with the Hyuga Clan. When he saw the single horn on Isshiki's forehead, countless speculations arose in his mind.

(This was the period between the First Great Shinobi War and the Second Great Shinobi War. At this time, the "Karma" on Jigen had not yet evolved with the aid of Natural Energy, so his strength was not as terrifying as it was decades later in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. In this setting, Jigen in his normal state was equivalent to an Elite Jonin; Karma's first state was equivalent to an ordinary Kage-level; Karma's second state was equivalent to the limit of Kage-level, nearing Super Kage-level; and the newly resurrected Isshiki was still severely injured, with his strength greatly reduced, making him equivalent to Super Kage-level.)