Success! Obtained a Single Physical Attribute +3 Boost Card!
He succeeded on the first try—a great start!
Qifeng looked at the card in his inventory, unsure whether to be thrilled or regretful.
He was thrilled because it added 3 to a single attribute, and it was specifically a fixed taijutsu attribute, perfectly suited to his needs. He had succeeded in one try with a Yellow Corpse that only had a 30% success rate. Even if every attempt afterward failed, it would not be much of a loss.
What he regretted was that he should have been able to pull something more valuable from this Yellow Corpse.
As a Jonin of the Kaguya Clan, even if he had not awakened the Shikotsumyaku, he should still have carried the clan's bloodline within him. It was only a matter of how diluted it was. Just like the Uchiha Clan corpses Qifeng had searched twice before—although they had not awakened the Sharingan, he had still managed to obtain traces of the Uchiha Clan bloodline.
If he could pull the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai from Kaguya Senjin's corpse, then...
Tsk, tsk.
This was the Shikotsumyaku!
Even someone like Orochimaru coveted this Kekkei Genkai. Once awakened, it could unleash terrifying power. Though it came with the incurable bloodline disease, that did not mean one would definitely fall ill. The key was how the ability was used.
As for Kimimaro, the future wielder of the Shikotsumyaku, to put it bluntly, if he had not been sick and had successfully become Orochimaru's vessel, then even Uchiha Sasuke with the Sharingan could only rank second.
After all, Orochimaru had only chosen Uchiha Sasuke as a replacement because Kimimaro was gravely ill beyond saving.
Just how strong was Kimimaro?
According to Yakushi Kabuto, if Kimimaro had not fallen ill, the plan to assassinate the Hokage would have gone far more smoothly. He had even said, "No one could defeat Kimimaro."
It might have been a little exaggerated, but it was enough to show Kabuto's faith and confidence in Kimimaro's strength.
Even while severely ill, Kimimaro had nearly killed Rock Lee and Gaara, who possessed One-Tails Shukaku, through sheer willpower.
In short, the Shikotsumyaku was powerful! The Shikotsumyaku was ruthless! The Shikotsumyaku was both powerful and ruthless!
Unfortunately, if he could not pull it out, it was all just wishful thinking. No matter how strong it was, it would have nothing to do with him.
Second attempt.
Failure!
"Come on. No matter what, I did have a damn good fight with you in the end, and let you die a worthy death," Qifeng could not help saying.
He was about to start another "friendly" conversation with a corpse.
But after thinking it over carefully, the two of them did not seem to have any connection at all. They had even been enemies. No matter how they talked, they would never see eye to eye.
Forget it.
Getting it was luck. Missing it was fate.
He took a deep breath.
One last chance!
Success! Obtained Kaguya Clan Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai (Medium) {Extremely Rare}!
It... it worked?
Just like that?
Qifeng rubbed his eyes in disbelief as he stared at the glittering golden card in his inventory. Its surface depicted a magnificent Corpse Forest standing unyielding amid streams of blood.
He carefully read the words on the card. "Not a diluted bloodline? A medium-grade bloodline? And a complete one?"
That was something he had never expected.
Then came overwhelming joy.
Worth it!
Using that Quasi-Kage Experience Card had been worth it!
Compared to a one-time Experience Card, something that could be used permanently was obviously far more enticing.
He had heard some rumor in his previous life from who knew where: the Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku combined with the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan could form "All Creation," returning one to the ancestry of Otsutsuki Hamura, much like Senju Hashirama's Sage Body combined with the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.
He did not know whether it was true, and whoever had said it had sounded suspiciously convincing.
After all, Kishimoto, the author of Naruto, was only a manga artist. He did not understand Naruto at all.
But true or not, it was enough to demonstrate the strength of the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai.
If one compared them carefully, only Senju Hashirama of the Senju Clan had awakened the Sage Body. Even the extraordinarily talented Senju Tobirama had not. The Kaguya Clan was the same; only Kimimaro had awakened the Shikotsumyaku.
Furthermore, when Kimimaro used the Shikotsumyaku to pull out his bones, he used bodily cells such as osteoblasts and osteoclasts. The damage caused by extracting the bones healed almost instantly, displaying recovery abilities as formidable as the Sage Body.
Finally, the ultimate secret technique of the Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku, Dance of the Emerging Fern, resembled Senju Hashirama's Wood Release, Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, even in form.
Now, Qifeng had obtained the Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai.
According to the system prompt, what he had obtained was not Kaguya Clan bloodline, but the Kekkei Genkai itself. That meant that after using it, he would most likely awaken the Shikotsumyaku directly.
A Corpse Collector paired with the Shikotsumyaku—it was a perfect match no matter how he looked at it.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he pressed his palm against Kusaribe Yamato.
There was no time to think further. He immediately began searching the corpse.
Midnight was not far off, and he could not waste his attempts.
Failure!
Failure!
Perhaps he had been too lucky before. Despite the Green Corpse's 60% success rate, Qifeng failed twice in a row.
But he was not angry in the slightest. He even felt like laughing.
It did not matter.
It was like having a mountain of gold before him—one dollar lying on the ground suddenly seemed utterly insignificant.
Success! Obtained Flowing Water Sword Technique!
Hm?
A sword technique!
"Not bad, not bad. This makes up for my lack of close-combat options."
As a village renowned for swordsmanship, blade techniques were practically compulsory for every mist ninja in Kirigakure. The Flowing Water Sword Technique was not particularly powerful, but for Qifeng, whose close-combat skills were practically nonexistent, it had arrived at just the right time.
He took out the long sword Kusaribe Yamato had left behind, one of the spoils from this trip.
What man could refuse the chance to become a cool swordsman?
Having read far too many wuxia novels as a child, Qifeng had once dreamed of becoming a swordsman himself, traveling the world alone with a single blade.
Although this was the Ninja World, it did not stop him from having such fantasies.
His favorite ninja was Hatake Sakumo, whose White Fang Blade Technique had shaken the Shinobi World.
"Tsk, looks like digging up Kakashi's ancestral grave is unavoidable. I just wonder where Hatake Sakumo was buried?"
Digging up someone's ancestral grave was an act of grave disrespect toward the dead, and Qifeng would not normally want to do something like that. But he could not just let the White Fang Blade Technique be lost forever, could he?
Hatake Sakumo would understand.
Mm.
He would understand.
He casually used up his remaining attempts on a white corpse that looked somewhat pleasing to the eye. A few minutes later, once midnight had passed, his corpse-searching attempts refreshed.
At last, it was time to enjoy his harvest!
The best things were always saved for last.
He first used the Flowing Water Sword Technique, and a modest yet highly practical collection of sword techniques flooded into his mind.
The next second, the long sword that had felt so unfamiliar in his hand suddenly became perfectly suited to his grip. With a clang, he drew it and naturally swept several silver flashes through the air.
Next came the Single Physical Attribute +3 Boost Card. His taijutsu attribute smoothly increased by 3 points.
As his strength improved and all his attributes rose, an increase of 3 points was no longer so noticeable, but it still felt good enough to make him want to moan.
Finally, it was time for the "Kaguya Clan Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai (Medium) {Extremely Rare}." The words "Extremely Rare" alone showed just how precious this card was.
Qifeng even suspected that the chance of pulling out this card was less than 0.1%, but that was just how freely the lucky lived.
"Hehe."
Grinning foolishly, he slapped the card onto himself.
But in the next instant, Qifeng's expression froze.
"Fuck."
Then his whole body dropped to the ground. Veins abruptly bulged across his forehead, arms, and neck. His fists clenched tightly, his skin split open, and trails of crimson blood flowed from his body.
There had been no preparation at all. The reaction came far too suddenly.
The intense pain was far worse than Kaguya Senjin's punch.
He collapsed to the ground and convulsed wildly, blood spreading all around him.
In the end, he could not endure it any longer. His eyes rolled back, and he completely passed out, yet even then, his body continued twitching.
Before you continue