Jigen

At the time, Qing Si had yet to awaken the memories of his past life and had no idea what the Ōtsutsuki bloodline he had awakened truly meant.

Meanwhile, in an unnamed temple somewhere in the Shinobi World, a young man dressed like a monk sat in meditation. He wore a white haori, his hair gathered atop his head with a long braid trailing down his back. The Roman numeral IV was tattooed beneath his left eye, and a black mark rested on his chin. He wore a red neck guard and red wristbands, black nail polish, a red belt around his waist, and red earrings.

The monk was named Jigen. He had lived during the ancient era a thousand years ago, an age even more distant than that of Ninshū.

In ancient times, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and Isshiki Otsutsuki had arrived on the planet of the Shinobi World as partners to plant the Divine Tree. Originally, one of them was meant to be sacrificed to it.

Isshiki Otsutsuki was slightly stronger than Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Thus, in the Otsutsuki Clan, where strength ruled above all else, Kaguya was supposed to become the sacrifice.

But unwilling to be sacrificed, Kaguya made a desperate final stand on the eve of the ritual and launched a surprise attack on Isshiki. The sacrifice failed, and Isshiki suffered grievous injuries that were difficult to recover from.

At that moment, a monk named Jigen happened to pass by in the distance. Seeing a sliver of hope, Isshiki Otsutsuki used his dojutsu, Sukunahikona, to shrink himself and infiltrated Jigen's body.

Thus, Isshiki gained a chance to catch his breath. After recovering a trace of his strength, he gradually turned Jigen into his puppet and eventually carved his own Kāma mark onto Jigen's body.

Just as Qing Si awakened the Dead Bone Pulse and began giving off an inexplicable aura, Jigen, who had been meditating in the temple, abruptly stopped. His body changed involuntarily, strange black markings appearing across his body and face—the initial stage of the Kāma.

"The aura of a newborn Otsutsuki Clan member. After a thousand years, an Ōtsutsuki bloodline has actually appeared in this world once again, though it is still incredibly weak!"

That faint yet pure Otsutsuki aura jolted Isshiki Otsutsuki awake from his slumber. His somewhat excited voice came from within Jigen's body. "And this is the aura of that bitch Kaguya! It seems to be her descendant."

"This is simply marvelous. A body bearing the Ōtsutsuki bloodline—though it is only the most rudimentary kind—can already be used to bring about my resurrection!" Isshiki's emotions surged.

Jigen had gained his long life only because Isshiki had carved a Kāma into him, making him the vessel for Isshiki's resurrection. However, Isshiki's power was far too immense for a native of the Shinobi World. Jigen was merely an ordinary monk of the Shinobi World, completely incapable of serving as a qualified vessel for Isshiki Otsutsuki's full resurrection. He could not even wield Isshiki's power for an extended period.

Therefore, throughout the long years, Isshiki had constantly been troubled by his inability to find a suitable vessel, preventing him from completing his reincarnation smoothly.

Now that he had suddenly sensed Qing Si's aura, it was no wonder Isshiki was so excited.

After all, this was a body with the Ōtsutsuki bloodline. Though the bloodline was weak, it already had a foundation. Its weak bloodline also meant weak strength, making it the most suitable body for Isshiki in his current state. If it had been someone whose bloodline had fully evolved, or a complete Otsutsuki Clan member like the Sage brothers of old, or Indra and Asura, Isshiki would certainly have stayed as far away as possible.

The aura he sensed came from the distant far east. Jigen returned to normal, slowly rose to his feet, and set out to find Qing Si.

At this moment, after driving away the two Jonin, Genji returned to Qing Si's room with a complicated expression. Looking at his son, who was still unconscious on the floor, his resolve gradually hardened.

I thought that in such a harsh environment, his body would never be able to support awakening it. I never expected his talent to be so high. Genji thought to himself. It seems he was destined to become a ninja after all!

"Ugh!" Qing Si slowly opened his eyes and rubbed his groggy head. "Father, what happened to me?"

"Now that you're awake, come sit down." Genji's calm voice carried no trace of emotion.

Qing Si slowly climbed up from the floor, and the events that had just occurred gradually returned to him. He walked over to Genji and sat down with difficulty. The complete depletion of his chakra left him extremely uncomfortable.

"Can you still use that Ten-Finger Bullet from earlier?" Genji asked.

"Ten-Finger Bullet?" Qing Si asked in confusion. "What is that?"

"It is the ninjutsu you used to shatter the wall just now. A technique that fires high-speed, piercing bone bullets from your fingertips to attack." Genji explained.

"I'm sorry, Father. I only saw bone spikes emerge from my fingers, and then I passed out." Qing Si answered awkwardly, looking slightly embarrassed.

"That makes sense. A weak body, combined with a Dead Bone Pulse that had only just awakened." Genji was not surprised. "Still, to instinctively use Ten-Finger Bullet the moment it awakened, your talent far surpasses mine."

"Enough for now. Go rest and recover some chakra. We can discuss any questions tomorrow." With that, Genji rose and left Qing Si's room.

"Yes, Father." Qing Si answered respectfully, suppressing his urgent desire to learn the details. Since Genji understood what had happened to him, there was no need to rush.

"Dead Bone Pulse... is that the name of the ability my body has produced?" Qing Si wondered curiously. With a mixture of unease and curiosity, he slowly drifted into dreams and fell into a deep sleep.

In this remote region, Qing Si's sleeping body gradually became covered in a layer of divine light, once more releasing that inexplicable aura. Other than Isshiki, who had sensed the Otsutsuki aura, no one knew that a young man in a secluded corner of the Shinobi World had, while awakening his bloodline limit, also begun reverting to his ancestral bloodline and become a newborn Otsutsuki Clan member.