Shikotsumyaku (Seeking Collection and Recommendation)

Success! Obtained a Single Physical Attribute +3 Boost Card!

First try was a success—a good start.

Qifeng stared at the card in his inventory, unsure whether to be thrilled or regretful.

Thrilled because a single attribute boost of +3, and specifically a fixed physical attribute, suited his needs perfectly. Plus, the Yellow Corpse with its thirty-percent success rate had paid off on the first try. Even if everything else failed, it wouldn't be too much of a loss.

Regretful because, from this Yellow Corpse, he should have been able to pull something far more valuable.

As a jōnin of the Kaguya Clan, even without awakening the Shikotsumyaku, his body should still carry that bloodline—just a matter of how diluted it was. Much like the Uchiha Clan corpses from his first two attempts; they hadn't awakened the Sharingan, but he could still extract traces of the Uchiha bloodline.

If he could pull the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai from Kaguya Senjin's corpse, then...

Tsk, tsk.

This was the Shikotsumyaku!

A Kekkei Genkai coveted even by someone like Orochimaru. Once awakened, it unleashed devastating power. Sure, there was the incurable bloodline disease, but it wasn't guaranteed to strike—it all came down to how the ability was used.

And as for Kimimaro, the future awakener of the Shikotsumyaku? To put it bluntly, if he hadn't been sick and had successfully become Orochimaru's vessel, then Second Pillar with his Sharingan would've been relegated to second place.

After all, it was only because Kimimaro was terminally ill that Orochimaru chose Second Pillar as a substitute.

How strong was Kimimaro?

In Yakushi Kabuto's words, if Kimimaro hadn't fallen ill, the plan to assassinate the Hokage would've gone much smoother. He even said, "No one can beat Kimimaro."

That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it showed just how much faith they had in Kimimaro's strength.

Even gravely wounded, Kimimaro nearly took down Rock Lee and Gaara, who had the One-Tails Shukaku.

In short, the Shikotsumyaku was strong! The Shikotsumyaku was fierce! The Shikotsumyaku was both strong and fierce!

Too bad—if he couldn't pull it, it was all just wishful thinking. No matter how strong, it had nothing to do with him.

Second try.

Failed!

"Come on, at least I gave you a good fight in the end, let you die a worthy death," Qifeng couldn't help muttering.

He was about to start another "friendly" chat with the corpse.

But after a moment's thought, there was really no connection between them. They were enemies. No common ground for conversation.

Forget it.

Getting it was luck; not getting it was fate.

He took a deep breath.

Last chance!

Success! Obtained Kaguya Clan Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai (Medium) {Extremely Rare}!

Did... did it work?

Just like that?

Qifeng rubbed his eyes in disbelief, staring at the golden card in his inventory. It depicted a dazzling Corpse Forest, standing tall amidst gushing blood.

He looked closely at the text on the card. "Not a diluted bloodline? It's a medium bloodline? And complete?"

That was unexpected.

But then came sheer ecstasy.

Worth it!

This Quasi-Kage Experience Card was worth every bit!

Compared to a one-time experience card, something that could be used long-term was far more captivating.

Back in his past life, he'd heard some rumor—no idea where—that the Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku combined with the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan could form "All Creation," reverting to Otsutsuki Hamura, much like Senju Hashirama's Sage Body paired with the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.

He didn't know if it was true, but the person who said it sounded pretty convincing.

After all, Kishimoto, the author of Naruto, was just a manga artist—he didn't really understand Naruto.

True or not, it still showed how powerful the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai was.

If you really compared them, only Senju Hashirama among the Senju Clan had awakened the Sage Body. Even the brilliant Senju Tobirama hadn't. The Kaguya Clan was the same—only Kimimaro had awakened the Shikotsumyaku.

Also, when Kimimaro used the Shikotsumyaku to pull out his bones, he relied on osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and other body cells. The damage healed instantly, showing a regenerative ability as formidable as the Sage Body.

Finally, the ultimate technique of the Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku, "Dance of the Emerging Fern," was much like Senju Hashirama's Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, even in form.

Now, Qifeng had obtained the Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai.

According to the system prompt, he hadn't gotten the Kaguya bloodline itself—just the Kekkei Genkai. That meant after using it, he would likely awaken the Shikotsumyaku directly.

A Corpse Collector paired with the Shikotsumyaku—how perfectly they complemented each other.

Suppressing his excitement, he pressed his palm onto Kusaribe Yamato's body.

Without time to think further, he started looting the corpse directly.

Midnight wasn't far off; he couldn't afford to waste any attempts.

Failure!

Failure!

Maybe he'd been too lucky before—Green Corpse had a sixty percent success rate, but Qifeng failed twice in a row.

He wasn't angry at all, though. He almost wanted to laugh.

It didn't matter.

Like having a mountain of gold in front of you—a single coin on the ground seemed utterly insignificant.

Success! Obtained Flowing Water Sword Technique!

Huh?

Sword technique!

"Not bad, not bad. This just fills the gap in my close-combat options."

As a Kirigakure shinobi with a specialty in swordsmanship, blade techniques were practically a required course for every Mist Ninja. The Flowing Water Sword Technique wasn't anything impressive, but for Qifeng, who had zero close-combat skill, it came at just the right time.

He pulled out the long blade left behind by Kusaribe Yamato—one of his spoils from this fight.

After all, what man could resist becoming a cool swordsman?

Having read too many martial arts novels as a kid, Qifeng had once dreamed of being a swordsman—one man, one blade, wandering the world.

Even if this was the Ninja World, it didn't stop him from having that fantasy.

His favorite ninja was Hatake Sakumo. The White Fang Blade Technique had shaken the entire Ninja World.

"Tch. Looks like digging up Kakashi's ancestral grave is a must. I just don't know where Hatake Sakumo is buried."

Digging up someone's grave was a serious desecration of the dead. Qifeng wouldn't want to do it by nature, but he couldn't let the White Fang Blade Technique die out, could he?

Hatake Sakumo would probably understand.

Yeah.

He'd understand.

He used the remaining attempts on a White Corpse that looked decent enough. A few minutes later, as midnight passed, his corpse-looting attempts refreshed.

Finally, the exciting moment of reaping his rewards had come!

The best was always saved for last.

First, he used the Flowing Water Sword Technique. A modest but practical set of blade skills flooded into his mind all at once.

The next second, the long blade that had felt unfamiliar in his hand suddenly became perfectly natural. With a clang, he drew it, tracing a few silver arcs through the air with effortless grace.

Next, he used the "Single Attribute +3 Boost Card," smoothly adding 3 points to his taijutsu stat.

As his strength grew and his stats climbed, a 3-point increase wasn't as noticeable anymore, but it still felt satisfying enough to make him want to groan.

Last of all came the "Kaguya Clan Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai (Medium) {Extremely Rare}." Just those two words—"Extremely Rare"—said everything about how precious this card was.

Qifeng even suspected the odds of pulling this card were less than 0.1%, but the lucky dog did whatever he wanted.

"Heh heh."

With a goofy grin, he slapped the card onto himself.

But the next instant, Qifeng's expression froze.

"Holy crap."

The next moment, he dropped to his knees. Veins bulged suddenly on his forehead, arms, and neck. His fists clenched tight, his skin cracked, and streams of crimson blood began seeping out of him.

No preparation at all. The reaction came out of nowhere.

The searing pain far surpassed the punch from Kaguya Senjin.

He collapsed to the ground, convulsing wildly, blood pooling around him.

In the end, he couldn't hold on. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out completely. But even then, his body kept twitching, jerking in spasms.