Whipped Like a Spinning Top

The saying goes, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." The Uchiha Clan, facing suspicion, vigilance, and suppression from the village elders, was seen by Hyuga Ritsu as a natural ally. While it was true that some members of the clan had their share of mental quirks, nobody's perfect!

Besides, The Uchiha Clan valued strength above all else.

As long as you were strong enough, you would earn the respect of the Uchiha Clan.

However, Uchiha Shisui wasn't a good person to approach. This top genius and strongest fighter of the Uchiha Clan had been brainwashed by the so-called "Will of Fire." He stubbornly believed that those old guys occupying the high positions truly represented Konoha.

To win over the Uchiha Clan and fight against those old guys in the village leadership, he would need to find other suitable candidates to contact.

Hyuga Ritsu made a mental note of this.

Next, Uchiha Shisui, unable to sit still, went to help clean up the battlefield and repair the defenses. Hyuga Ritsu, ignoring all this, began to train in the earthen fort on the mountaintop, dedicating himself to studying the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai.

Ever since he had acquired the Shikotsumyaku through the Chimera Technique, He had never slacked off in developing this Kekkei Genkai. It was just that the time he had was too short, and with so many things happening in that brief period, his progress in developing the Shikotsumyaku hadn't been significant.

Of course, Both the Shikotsumyaku and the Byakugan were Kekkei Genkai with very high baselines. Once awakened, the inherent abilities were naturally mastered. Diligent training would only expand the depth of those abilities.

For example, When the Byakugan awakened, most people's maximum visual range was only about one kilometer. Through training, they could gradually expand their field of vision, but they wouldn't gain entirely new abilities through training alone.

Of course, The Shikotsumyaku and the Byakugan weren't entirely the same.

The Byakugan itself possessed no offensive capabilities. Unlike the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan, which was the ancestor of genjutsu, it could only be effective when combined with techniques like the Gentle Fist.

The Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai itself possessed both powerful offensive and defensive capabilities. However, the Shikotsumyaku had its own limitations: its solid physical form and short attack range made it lack sufficient versatility. It couldn't develop a wide variety of techniques like Kekkei Genkai based on ninjutsu, such as Wood Release, Magnet Release, Storm Release, or Ice Release.

In the end, the Shikotsumyaku, much like the Byakugan, required coordination with taijutsu techniques to maximize its lethality.

But, There are always exceptions to every rule.

Not to mention the far-reaching killing move "All-Killing Ash Bones," the Shikotsumyaku also possessed the unique skill "Dance of the Early Wither," which overcame the drawback of its short attack range. Combined with its solid physical form, it unleashed incredibly astonishing destructive power.

"The essence of the Shikotsumyaku is, in the end, the manipulation of the generation and concentration of calcium elements. But besides the human body, the soil is also rich in calcium. To generate such a vast expanse of bone forest, relying solely on chakra would consume too much. It must have utilized the calcium elements in the soil..."

"But how can I mobilize the calcium elements scattered throughout the soil?"

Hyuga Ritsu reached out and touched the cold stone beneath him, muttering to himself.

"Senior Ritsu."

Hyuga Ritsu ignored him.

"Senior Ritsu!"

Uchiha Shisui raised his voice.

Hyuga Ritsu rolled his eyes impatiently and said without turning his head, "Shisui, what is it now?"

"Um, Senior Ritsu, how long are we going to stay here?"

Uchiha Shisui looked helplessly at Hyuga Ritsu, who was sitting cross-legged on the stone, appearing quite troubled. It was already their fifth day on Shigushan Mountain. Logically, after stabilizing the Shigushan Mountain defense line and repelling the invading Kirigakure Shinobi, they should have returned to the front-line camp to report.

However, Hyuga Ritsu insisted that their mission was not yet over and that the Shigushan Mountain defense line was not truly out of danger. The original garrison had been decimated, leaving only a handful of remnants who couldn't possibly hold Shigushan Mountain. If they left, a single charge from the Kirigakure Shinobi would pierce through the defense line.

Therefore, Hyuga Ritsu insisted that their mission wouldn't be truly over until the rotation troops arrived at Shigushan Mountain.

"Have the rotation troops arrived yet?"

Hyuga Ritsu asked.

"Not yet."

"Then what's the rush? Didn't we agree to go back and report only after the Shigushan Mountain defense line was completely stabilized?"

Hyuga Ritsu was unhurried and relaxed, showing no signs of urgency.

Why rush back to the front-line camp to report? So that Aburame Ryoma could continue assigning him difficult, tiring, and dangerous missions to train himself?

That was meaningless. Hyuga Ritsu wasn't someone who shut himself away to train for ten years, possessing solid fundamentals but lacking practical experience. His combat experience was already rich enough; he didn't need to hone himself through battles, hoping for a sudden breakthrough during combat.

What he needed was a wider range of combat methods, more powerful means to defeat his enemies.

At this moment, on the western slope of Shigushan Mountain, it wasn't just Hyuga Ritsu sitting on a rock exploring the calcium elements hidden deep within the earth. Looking around, over ten Hyuga Ritsu figures were scattered in different locations, all attempting various things. Some were trying to use Water Release Techniques, some were trying to use Earth Release Techniques, and at the farthest point, two Hyuga Ritsu figures were together, creating a ball of energy—these were all Shadow Clones created by Hyuga Ritsu.

Speaking of which, Hyuga Ritsu's chakra was originally of the single Water Release nature. However, after acquiring the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai, it became dual-natured, Water and Earth, allowing him to study Earth Release Techniques while also researching Water Release Techniques.

In short, Hyuga Ritsu's idea was that instead of rushing back to report and then being ordered to carry out new missions, it was better to delay and use the time to improve his own abilities.

After all, this type of mission didn't have a strict deadline. It was just that most Konoha shinobi were honest and obedient like Uchiha Shisui, constantly thinking about returning quickly to report so they could undertake new missions and contribute more to the village, rather than thinking about whether they could take some time to rest.

"That's what we said before, but Senior Ritsu, if the rotation troops never come, are we just going to stay here?"

"They can't stay away forever, unless they plan on abandoning the Shigushan Mountain defense line."

"That's not what I meant."

Uchiha Shisui's face was full of helplessness, his heart filled with the powerlessness of having strength but no way to use it. He didn't know how to persuade Hyuga Ritsu to change his mind and return with him to the front-line camp to report.

"I understand what you mean, Shisui. You think it's a waste for us to stay here. We should be like spinning tops, whipped and forced to turn endlessly. That's what you think, isn't it?"

Hyuga Ritsu stood up, turned around, and met Uchiha Shisui's gaze.

Without waiting for Uchiha Shisui to say anything, he strode forward. As he brushed past Uchiha Shisui, he said, "Congratulations, Shisui! The rotational troops have arrived. We can continue to fight and kill for the village in the most dangerous places, dancing like spinning tops under the whip!"

The moment his voice fell, all the Hyuga Ritsu figures on the hillside vanished with a "bang," turning into milky white Chakra. The Hyuga Ritsu who was walking faltered slightly, swayed, and then steadied himself before continuing forward as if nothing had happened.