Fierce Battle

At this point in time, Isshiki was still severely wounded and spent most of his time asleep. His Kāma had not yet evolved through natural energy, and Jigen was merely a monk who had lived a little longer than usual.

In other words, wasn't this just giving the protagonist a cheat? Jigen and Isshiki would just have to die.

As the Blood-Burning Secret Art was activated, the Kaguya Clan bloodline within Genji suddenly boiled. His chakra multiplied geometrically, and his aura rapidly grew stronger.

The surging chakra within his body made Genji cough up 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 contend with the Mizukage.

"A technique that burns life force? No, it burns bloodline power." Jigen watched Genji's skin flush from using the secret art and instantly saw through the essence of the Blood Burning Technique.

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

"Die!" Genji roared, shooting toward Jigen as his right foot slammed toward him.

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

Genji's sharp battle instincts saved him. Sensing that something was wrong, he quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding the black rods that appeared where he had just stood.

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

For now, it seems to activate wherever his hands are pointing. Then I'll try this. Genji quickly formed a new battle plan.

Dead Bone Pulse: Dance of the Camellia!

Drawing a bone blade from each arm, Genji charged at Jigen again. Wielding both blades, he moved with exquisite dance steps and launched a fierce assault on Jigen, trying to restrict his hands.

"It seems I'll have to get a little serious. You may be an ant, but you are an ant with a bit of strength," Jigen said calmly.

Jigen activated the Kāma on his body and entered its first state. Black markings spread across his body. His chakra erupted, forcing Genji back. He swung the long black rod he had just manifested and swept it heavily at Genji. Genji hurriedly blocked it, but the immense force still sent him flying backward.

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

Dead Bone Pulse: Dance of the Clematis! Vine!

Genji dropped the bone blades in his hands 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 he lashed it at Jigen, binding his movements with the long bone whip.

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

Dead Bone Pulse: Dance of the Clematis! Flower!

Jigen was unable to dodge while bound. His body was already decayed, and unwilling to take the blow head-on, he erupted with chakra in an attempt to break free. When that failed, he had no choice but to further release the Kāma's power 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 again. This time, he effortlessly broke free of the Dance of the Clematis bone whip.

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

Dead Bone Pulse: Dance of the Bracken!

Countless sharpened bone spikes burst from the earth. Their numbers were immense, and within only a few breaths, they covered nearly the entire ground, like a forest of white bones.

Jigen quickly swung the long black rod in his hand, repeatedly smashing apart the bone spikes growing around him.

In an instant, broken white bones carpeted the ground.

At that moment, Genji shifted his position through an unbroken bone spike behind Jigen and silently appeared at his back.

A white bone drill from the Dance of the Clematis formed on his arm again, stabbing fiercely toward Jigen.

Only when the drill was already close to his body did Jigen react, but by then it was too late. Unable to dodge, Jigen was struck once more.

A point-blank strike containing immense chakra and nearing the limit of the Kage level landed squarely on him. The arrogant Jigen finally suffered a severe injury.

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

"Mortal, you have angered me!" Damage had appeared on Jigen's body, and the consciousness of Isshiki Otsutsuki within him had been stirred and was gradually awakening.

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

With more than half of his bloodline already burned away, Genji struggled to manipulate the bone spikes on the ground for defense. But there were simply too many black rods. His strength had begun to fall, and he could no longer hold them off. Several black rods savagely pierced his body, their tremendous force 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 the ability to fight, Jigen was about to make a move when he suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood. A wave of excruciating pain struck him, and scarlet blood began flowing from his seven orifices, as though all his life force were being drained away in an instant.

Jigen's body had been injured far too severely in the battle just now. This body's life had finally reached its end. Genji had actually forced a mutual defeat.

After Jigen and the Isshiki within his body died, the Kāma automatically entered its reincarnation state. At this time, Isshiki had only engraved a Kāma on Jigen and had not yet had the chance to mark Qing Si with one, so he could only use Jigen's Kāma to reincarnate and revive.

However, because he had reincarnated through an unsuitable vessel and his injuries from a thousand years ago had not healed, Isshiki revived, but not completely. Not only was his strength no longer at its peak, but he had only two days left to live.

Furious, Isshiki wanted nothing more than to kill Genji, this ant. But reason stopped him. Qing Si had not escaped far yet, and he first had to mark Qing Si with a Kāma. Even with only two days left to live, simply cultivating the body of a newborn Otsutsuki 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 his head and extended to the back of his skull like a crown. He had only one eyebrow on his forehead, growing 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.

Genji looked at Isshiki, who had almost become a different person. Having dealt extensively with the Hyuga Clan, he instantly recognized the Byakugan in Isshiki's left eye. When he saw the single horn on Isshiki's forehead, countless speculations arose in his mind.

(At present, this was the period between the First and Second Shinobi World Wars. Jigen's Kāma had not yet evolved through natural energy, and his strength was nowhere near as terrifying as it would be decades later in Boruto. Jigen in his normal state was set to be equivalent to an elite jonin; Kāma State One was equivalent to an ordinary Kage level; Kāma State Two was equivalent to the limit of the Kage level and close to the super-Kage level; and the newly revived Isshiki was still severely injured, his strength greatly diminished to the level of a super-Kage.)