At noon, at Kirigakure's Third Training Ground.
When people heard that Hozuki Shingetsu, who had recently been enjoying an unprecedented surge in fame, was going to fight the established prodigy Kaguya Hirotoshi, they dropped whatever they were doing—even if they were in the middle of making a baby—and got ready to go watch.
After all, with the village closed off from the outside world, Kirigakure had little in the way of entertainment. People could only make babies, make babies, and make babies. Aside from changing partners, most of them were bored out of their minds.
And since a battle between Jonin was always a rare sight, practically everyone who heard the news came to watch.
Of course, in the interests of keeping combat intelligence secret, not just anyone could attend. After some screening, only people with special status and Jonin were granted permission to watch.
If the Kaguya Clan hadn't wanted to use the fight to put pressure on Hozuki Shingetsu, they wouldn't have let anyone watch—not even Jonin.
Not only did they want to keep their combat intelligence secret, but any shinobi with even a little pride would object to being put on display like a monkey.
"This is a secret medicine for external injuries, passed down by the Kaguya Clan. Please don't hesitate to take it, Clan Head Hozuki. Your son is a prodigy of Kirigakure, after all. If he suffers an injury that causes lingering problems, that would be our clan's fault."
Kaguya Yoshio, the current head of the Kaguya Clan, offered Hozuki Zangetsu a bottle of medicine with what seemed like genuine concern.
How could Hozuki Zangetsu have missed the implication in Kaguya Yoshio's words—that Hozuki Shingetsu was about to lose?
They were both old foxes. What was the point of pretending?
He immediately fired back, refusing to be outdone. "These are secret calcium supplements made by the Hozuki Clan. Once Kaguya Hirotoshi has pulled all his bones out, give them to him to build himself back up."
"Clan Head Hozuki seems very confident in his son. Why don't we make a wager?"
Kaguya Yoshio chuckled. He didn't take offense; instead, he seized the opportunity to make a proposal.
"What are we wagering?"
"If Hozuki Shingetsu wins, Kaguya Hirotoshi will serve him, as long as it doesn't go against the Kaguya Clan's interests. If Kaguya Hirotoshi wins, I won't ask for much—just ten drops of your blood. What do you say?"
Hozuki Zangetsu stared at Kaguya Yoshio in astonishment, unable to figure out what his old rival was up to.
Kaguya Hirotoshi was a prodigy who had become a Jonin at fourteen, and he held a high position in the Kaguya Clan. If all went well, he might even become the next Kaguya elder. And now, this important member of the clan was being offered as a wager?
Was Yoshio really that confident?
What was more, the wager on their side was ten drops of his blood. It wasn't that he was reluctant to part with it. The real question was, what did Kaguya Yoshio want with his blood?
Though the Jashin Cult in Yugakure had little influence, Hozuki Zangetsu had heard of its secret techniques. Could Kaguya Hirotoshi be planning to use some kind of curse?
Unable to make sense of it, Hozuki Zangetsu promptly rejected Kaguya Yoshio's proposal. If he didn't gamble, he couldn't lose. It was a lesson he'd learned after losing his chance to become the Third Mizukage.
"Very well. I'll make another concession. If Kaguya Hirotoshi wins, I'll have him marry a member of the Hozuki Clan. If he loses, a member of my clan will marry Hozuki Shingetsu. How about that?"
A flicker of disappointment crossed Kaguya Hirotoshi's eyes, but he quickly put forward another proposal.
"This..."
To be honest, Hozuki Zangetsu was tempted.
Losing wouldn't be a problem. The real prize was that if they won, the Hozuki Clan would have a chance to bring the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai under its control!
Although the Hozuki Clan was also a Kekkei Genkai Clan, its bloodline limit was different from those of other clans. It was more like a physical constitution—a body better suited to mastering the Hydrification Technique.
If Konoha's Ino-Shika-Cho Clans continued to develop, they might one day acquire a Kekkei Genkai like this, too.
So even if a Hozuki married into the Kaguya Clan, without the Hydrification Technique and guidance from the elders, the chances of the Hozuki Clan's secrets leaking out would be next to none.
But the Shikotsumyaku was different. This physical Kekkei Genkai grew more powerful as its user aged, making it entirely possible for the Hozuki Clan to gain control of it.
After a little thought, Hozuki Zangetsu agreed. However, since his son had always been very independent, he left himself a way out.
If Hozuki Shingetsu lost, they would follow the terms of the wager. But if he won, whether he married anyone would be up to him.
Kaguya Hirotoshi readily agreed. In his view, how could the Hozuki Clan pass up such a rare opportunity to acquire the Shikotsumyaku?
He'd only said it for appearances' sake.
So... "I hope what's written on that stone tablet is true!"
Thinking of the stone tablet Ren had given him, Kaguya Yoshio hoped fervently.
"If even the secret technique recorded on that stone tablet fails, then the Kaguya Clan will eventually become ordinary, worn down by the Kekkei Genkai Disease."
If anyone in the world could truly cure the Kaguya Clan's Kekkei Genkai Disease, it might be the legendary Sage of Six Paths.
As it happened, that stone tablet was a fragment of the legendary Book of the Shinobi World, left behind by the Sage of Six Paths. It described the origins of the Kaguya Clan in detail. That was why Kaguya Hirotoshi believed it.
It was simple. If the tablet hadn't been left behind by the Sage of Six Paths, how could it have accurately recorded the history of the Kaguya Clan? Some of the oldest parts of their history had even been lost to them.
Surely, there wasn't someone who had lived for a thousand years, witnessed the history of the Shinobi World firsthand, and was secretly plotting against their clan?
Likewise, under Black Zetsu's manipulation, Uchiha Madara believed that he had created the stone tablet with his Rinnegan. It was a creation of Yin–Yang Release, combined with the history of the Kaguya Clan that Black Zetsu had secretly provided. That was how this fragment of the Book of the Shinobi World had come to be.
As for why they'd done this... naturally, it was to throw Kirigakure's situation into further chaos, letting them secretly build up their forces and prepare the way for Uchiha Madara's resurrection.
Based on all this, the Kaguya Clan naturally believed the method recorded on the tablet could cure the Kekkei Genkai Disease: using a secret technique to fuse together the flesh and blood of other Kekkei Genkai Clans.
That was exactly why the Kaguya Clan had rebelled in the first place. Only by helping the isolated Ren launch a war against the other Kekkei Genkai Clans could they obtain what they wanted.
So now, with the right moment approaching, the Kaguya Clan planned to arrange marriages with both the Hozuki Clan and the Yuki Clan, creating the false impression that Ren didn't intend to fight everyone, but instead wanted to sit down and talk things through.
Once the other clans had let their guard down enough, the Kaguya Clan would join forces with Ren to purge Kirigakure, taking what they wanted in one fell swoop.
Marriage alliances?
Just another way to lower their guard!
Before you continue