Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Bone Beast

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen are nothing special."

Taketori Nihi said disdainfully, then withdrew the Bone Armor covering his body. It had been the Bone Armor that protected him from the force of Thunder Burial's lightning.

"No wonder four of you were killed by a Konoha Genin during the Third Shinobi World War. You're nothing but frauds."

The bone spikes protruding from Taketori Nihi's body, along with the Bone Whip on his left hand and the Bone Spear in his right, retracted into his body. He returned to his ordinary appearance. In his eyes, the remaining Kirigakure Anbu weren't worth his effort.

Just as Taketori Nihi let his guard down, a massive wind projectile came at him from behind.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere."

Caught off guard, Taketori Nihi had only managed to cover half his back with bone armor when the enormous, high-pressure ball of wind struck him.

"Bang!" The impact sent Taketori Nihi flying like a cannonball. He tumbled dozens of meters before crashing to the ground.

"This taste of blood... Who are you? Have you come to entertain me?" Taketori Nihi licked the blood at the corner of his mouth and stared at the Masked Man before him. The salty tang stirred his desire to fight once more.

"My name is Uchiha Madara. I'm also the village's only Mizukage Aide."

The Sharingan behind the Spiral Mask fixed on his opponent. Ever since Shimura Danzō had moved behind the scenes to seize control of Kirigakure, he had loathed anyone who challenged his authority.

"Even if you've broken through to Kage Level, you won't escape today." Danzō, who had been watching the battle from the shadows, realized that his opponent had grown stronger during their fierce fight. He had crossed the threshold from Elite Jonin to Kage Level.

Under the Sharingan's perception, the chakra inside his opponent was even stronger than his own.

"Surrender, and perhaps the Mizukage will allow your Kaguya Clan bloodline to survive. Otherwise, the Kaguya Clan will vanish from the Shinobi World today." Unsure he could win, Danzō didn't rush into battle. Instead, he hoped to trick his opponent into walking into a trap, though he knew there was little chance of that.

"The Kaguya Clan only dies in battle. We have no cowards who surrender."

As Taketori Nihi spoke, he rose to his feet. At the same time, bone armor once again covered his entire body. Danzō noticed that this was a technique his opponent had only acquired after reaching Kage Level.

"Heh heh heh heh. Come on! Fight me with everything you've got."

This time, Taketori Nihi didn't enter the state of Dance of the Clematis. He had a better idea.

"Since you call yourself Uchiha Madara, you must know that the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan can evolve to its highest level, the Mangekyō Sharingan, and let its wielder attain Kage Level. As it happens, the Shikotsumyaku I inherited can also unlock a new form once I reach Kage Level."

As he spoke, Taketori Nihi's presence surged. Then the exoskeleton covering his body began to twist and change shape.

His torso and limbs stretched until he dropped from an upright stance onto all fours.

His tailbone continued to lengthen and grow, forming a bone tail like a steel whip.

Sharp bone spikes sprouted from his shoulders and elbows, while bone claws grew from his hands and feet.

The bones along his back even pierced through his skin, forming rows of bony barbs.

As bone armor covered his head and formed a ferocious beast's skull, Taketori Nihi rose to his feet again. He had become a bloodthirsty beast encased in white bone.

His entire body was covered in a hard exoskeleton, and sharp bone spikes bristled across him. With his tremendous physical defense and every part of his body turned into a weapon, this form was a nightmare for any close-combat specialist or Taijutsu ninja.

"This is the new form of my Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Bone Beast."

Feeling the explosive strength coursing through him, Taketori Nihi could hardly wait to fight.

"This power..." Even without exchanging blows, Danzō could sense that every strike from his opponent's explosively powerful body would likely be lethal.

His opponent had reached Kage Level, but Danzō himself hadn't awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

It was only with the support of his Three-Tomoe Sharingan that he could barely reach the threshold of Kage Level. He was at a considerable disadvantage in a head-on fight against someone who had advanced to Kage Level by conventional means.

But his opponent wasn't going to give Danzō another chance.

"Come on! Kill me, or I'll kill you!" Before the words had even left his mouth, Taketori Nihi shot forward, charging at Danzō with overwhelming force.

Before Taketori Nihi even reached him, the gust of air kicked up by his charge was already rushing into Danzō's face.

Danzō wasn't an easy target, either. With years of experience, he had already prepared his Hand Seals, and the ninjutsu burst forth almost instantly. "Wind Style: Pressure Damage."

Danzō exhaled a large volume of high-pressure air, trying to slow Taketori Nihi down.

"Too weak! I'll break through!" Taketori Nihi thrust out his two bone claws. Their sharp tips dug into the invisible wall of air before him, and he began ripping it apart by force.

"Has his body really grown this strong..." To withstand a B-rank ninjutsu with his bare body and smash through it head-on—Danzō had seen a lot in his life, but this was a first.

"Wind Release: Shuriken." Danzō infused his shuriken with Wind Release chakra and hurled them at his enemy. Empowered by the wind chakra, the shuriken spun rapidly, sharp enough to slice through rock. He wanted to test whether Taketori Nihi's bones were even harder than stone.

Faced with three Wind Release shuriken, Taketori Nihi didn't try to withstand them head-on. Instead, he unleashed his new ability: "Shikotsumyaku: Tsukumogami."

Countless bone spikes shot from Taketori Nihi's body and assembled into a bone umbrella in front of him, blocking the Wind Release shuriken.

The three rapidly spinning shuriken only sparked against the umbrella's surface. They didn't leave so much as a scratch.

This bone umbrella was harder than rock.

Under such pressure, Danzō used his most destructive technique.

"Summoning Technique: Baku."

"Baku, use Wind Release."

After summoning Baku and using its tremendous suction to restrain his opponent, Danzō quickly moved behind Taketori Nihi and formed Hand Seals at speed. "Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves."

Danzō exhaled a series of sharp gusts resembling sickle weasels. Strengthened by Baku's suction, they could slice through both their target's flesh and the chakra protecting their body. With this combination, Danzō had even broken through Shisui's Susanoo.