Promoting the Konoha threat theory, and talking about the Hidden Mist Belt!

If the Ino-Shika-Cho trio of Konoha continues to develop, they will one day possess this kind of bloodline limit.

Therefore, even if a member of the Hozuki clan were to marry into the Kaguya clan, without the "Water Transformation Technique" and the guidance of their elders, the chances of the Hozuki clan secretly leaving the clan would be extremely slim.

However, the Shikotsumyaku (Corpse Bone Pulse) is different. This type of physical bloodline limit automatically manifests its combat power as the user ages, making it entirely possible for the Hozuki clan to master it.

After a moment's thought, Hozuki Renge agreed, but considering that his son had always been very opinionated, he left an opening.

If Hozuki Shingetsu loses, the bet will be honored; but if Hozuki Shingetsu wins, whether or not to marry him will be up to him.

Hirotoshi Kaguya readily agreed. In his view, how could the Hozuki clan possibly give up such a rare opportunity to obtain the Shikotsumyaku (Corpse Bone Pulse)?

I only said that out of consideration for appearances.

So… “Let’s hope the inscription on that stone tablet is true!”

Thinking of the stone tablet that Ren had given him, Kaguya Yoshio harbored such hopes in his heart.

"If the secret technique recorded on that stone tablet also fails, then under the scourge of the Bloodstain Disease, our Kaguya clan will eventually fade into obscurity."

If there is anyone in this world who can truly cure the Kaguya clan's blood disease, it is probably only the legendary Sage of Six Paths.

As it happened, the stone tablet was a fragment of the "Book of the Ninja World," said to have been left behind by the Sage of Six Paths, which contained detailed records of the origins of the Kaguya clan. This was also the reason why Kaguya Hirotoshi believed it.

It's very simple. If it weren't something left behind by the Sage of Six Paths, how could it have accurately recorded the history and origins of the Kaguya clan? They even lost records of some ancient historical events.

It's impossible for someone who has lived for a thousand years and witnessed the history of the ninja world to plot against their own clan, right?

Similarly, under Black Zetsu's influence, Madara Uchiha would only believe that he created this stone tablet using the Rinnegan—a creation of Yin-Yang Release combined with the Kaguya clan history secretly provided by Black Zetsu, which is the origin of this fragment of the "Book of the Ninja World".

As for their reasons for doing this... it was, of course, to further disrupt the situation in Kirigakure, secretly develop their power, and pave the way for Madara Uchiha's resurrection plan.

Therefore, based on the above information, the Kaguya clan naturally believed in the solution to the Bloodstained Disease recorded therein—using a secret technique to fuse the flesh and blood of other Bloodstained families.

This was precisely the reason why the Kaguya clan betrayed them in the first place. Only by helping the lonely Ren launch a battle against the other bloodline ninja clans could they obtain what they wanted.

Therefore, with the opportune moment approaching, the Kaguya clan not only wants to form a marriage alliance with the Hozuki clan, but also with the Yuki clan, thereby conveying the illusion that Ren does not intend to fight with everyone, but rather intends to sit down and talk things over.

Once the vigilance of the various ninja clans has been worn down, the Kaguya clan will cooperate with Ren to launch a purge of Kirigakure, thereby obtaining what they want in one fell swoop.

Marriage?

It's just a measure to lower their guard!

Chapter 17: The Half-Finished Water Release Chakra Mode

Hozuki Shingetsu, who was preparing for battle, never imagined that this battle would actually bring him a wife.

Right now, he's engaged in a friendly pre-battle trash talk session with Kaguya Hirotoshi on the other side.

"You should feel honored to have the right to fight me. When you are old and frail, I will allow you to proudly tell your children that you have no regrets for wasting your years, nor shame for your mediocrity, because you once fought against the contemporary 'God of Ninjas,' Hozuki Shingetsu."

These words made everyone around him feel their blood boil and they wanted to rush up and beat him up, let alone Kaguya Hirotoshi, who was a battle maniac.

"Corpse Bone Vein·Ten-finger piercing bullet!"

Kaguya Hirotoshi raised her hands, and with a whooshing sound, several white knuckles shot through the air at high speed toward Hozuki Shingetsu. At the same time, Kaguya Hirotoshi rose up and tried to pull Hozuki Shingetsu into her most proficient close combat phase the moment he dodged.

Hozuki Shingetsu smiled slightly as he watched the knuckles hurtling towards him, without dodging, simply waiting for them to arrive.

As the Ten-Finger Bullet struck Hozuki Shingetsu, Hozuki Shingetsu seemed to become like a puddle of water, with ripples spreading across the area hit. The Ten-Finger Bullet then passed through Hozuki Shingetsu's body and continued forward.

As the Hozuki clan's old rival, the Kaguya clan naturally knew how to break the "Water Transformation Technique." Knowing that simple physical attacks were useless against him, Kaguya Hirotoshi activated his bloodline limit after closing the distance.

"Corpse Bone Pulse: Dance of the Camellia!"

Kaguya Hirotoshi drew a bone sword from her left shoulder with her right hand and swung it at Hozuki Shingetsu.

Simple taijutsu is naturally no match for this "Water Transformation Technique," but as a bone sword that extends from one's own body using the Corpse Bone Pulse, it is not only incredibly hard, but also an excellent carrier for transmitting one's own chakra, making it specifically designed to break this "Water Transformation Technique."

"Water Escape·Water Formation Wall!"

Hozuki Shingetsu naturally dared not take this attack head-on, but he did want to test the power of his newly conceived ninjutsu. So, under the cover of the huge splash of water generated by the collision of the bone sword and the ninjutsu, he quietly launched a ninjutsu.

Soon, his face began to turn red, all the exposed skin also began to turn red, and steam even began to rise from the top of his head.

With the aid of this ninjutsu, he felt incredibly strong, and his physical abilities underwent a qualitative leap.

So he immediately lunged forward, attempting to engage in a hand-to-hand combat with Kaguya Hirotoshi.

"Are you seeking death?"

This fighting style was exactly what Kaguya Hirotoshi wanted, but before he could even rejoice, he sensed something was wrong the moment their fists and feet collided.

"This power... Could he be a taijutsu ninja?"

In this state, Hozuki Shingetsu's physical attacks had reached a point where he could no longer ignore them. Therefore, Kaguya Hirotoshi immediately put aside his underestimation of his opponent and began to seriously fight back, move by move.

For a moment, only two people remained on the field, engaged in close combat, their bodies colliding and making constant sounds of impact.

"This ninjutsu seems to be imitating the Lightning Release chakra mode of the Yotsuki clan?"

Many of the Jonin watching from the sidelines had dealings with the Hidden Cloud Village before, and after a brief observation, they all recognized the origin of the Hozuki New Moon ninjutsu.

"However, it is clear that this is a half-finished product. Although it looks powerful, it causes great damage to the body and its duration should be very short, far from being comparable to the Lightning Release Chakra Mode."

"Even so, to be able to create such a ninjutsu at the young age of twelve, Hozuki Shingetsu truly deserves the title of genius of Kirigakure. Given time, he might very well be able to create the complete version of the Water Release Chakra Mode."

Like the Jonin around him, the sharp-eyed Hozuki Zangetsu naturally saw the weakness of this move. However, he was not in a hurry. He believed that his son had more than just this one trump card.

"This water-style chakra pattern I envisioned is still quite far from its complete state! It hasn't even lasted a few minutes, and I already feel my body starting to give out."

Hozuki Shingetsu secretly assessed his physical condition and felt that he could only maintain it for a minute at most; any longer would cause irreparable damage to his body.

Indeed, Hozuki Shingetsu is currently using a Water Release chakra pattern that he conceived himself, which is based on the Lightning Release chakra pattern of Kumogakure.

As a transmigrator, Hozuki Shingetsu naturally knew the principle of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, which is to use tiny electric currents to continuously stimulate his body's cells, greatly increasing cell activity while using electrons to accelerate the transmission speed of nerve signals within the body.

Hozuki Shingetsu possesses three chakra natures: wind, water, and lightning. However, he did not easily attempt to use the lightning chakra mode just because he knew the principle behind it.

Firstly, nerve signals are too sensitive; if he doesn't control the intensity well when converting Lightning Release chakra, he could easily turn himself into an idiot. Secondly, as a secret technique of the Yotsuki clan, it has undergone a long development process from its inception, so Hozuki Shingetsu doesn't think he can easily replicate it.

However, it's still worth trying to create a knock-off version of the Water Release Chakra Mode by drawing on its principles.

The core of Lightning Release Chakra Mode is to give the body faster reaction speed, stronger physical fitness, and more explosive power. Following the principle of drawing the target before shooting the arrow, Hozuki Shingetsu constructed a Water Release Chakra Mode based on this goal, which achieves the same effect by accelerating blood circulation and increasing metabolic rate.

Coincidentally, the Hozuki clan, who possess the "secret technique of water transformation," are able to have 100% control over the liquids within their bodies.

So, despite the setbacks, thanks to the body's decent ninjutsu talent and the transmigrator's active mind, the Water Release Chakra Mode eventually reached a usable semi-finished state.

With the support of this mode, Hozuki Shingetsu was even able to fight Kaguya Hirotoshi to a standstill in terms of physical combat... but it was only a back-and-forth.

Kaguya Hirotoshi, who wanted to end the battle as soon as possible with a clean and efficient approach, could no longer endure the fighting and finally unleashed the second move of the Shikotsumyaku.

"The Corpse Vein: The Dance of the Tang Pine"

In an instant, like a forest bursting forth from the earth, countless bone spurs pierced out from all parts of Kaguya Hirotoshi's body. The bones, gleaming a pale white light under the sunlight, were clearly not something that could be shattered by ordinary attacks.

"The strongest shield of the Corpse Bone Clan..."

As a long-time rival, Hozuki Shingetsu is naturally very familiar with all the abilities of the Shikotsumyaku (Corpse Bone Pulse). He knows that this technique can not only greatly enhance his defense, but the bone spikes it emits are also the bane of taijutsu ninjas.

"Water Release: Water Iron Cannon Technique!"

Hozuki Shingetsu's hand extended in the shape of a pistol, and the tip of his extended index finger transformed into a droplet of water, which shot out towards Kaguya Hirotoshi.

Whoosh!

The attack, accompanied by a whooshing sound, struck Kaguya Hirotoshi's exoskeleton without causing the slightest damage.

"Water Release: Water Ball Technique!"

A vast expanse of densely packed, foamy bubbles, shimmering with iridescent colors under the sunlight, flew toward Kaguya Hiroto.

Developed by the Second Mizukage, this ninjutsu, though called a water bubble, actually contains a significant amount of oil inside, making it remarkably effective at corroding hard objects.

Bang bang bang!

The bubble exploded the instant it made contact with Kaguya Hirotoshi, and the entire area was instantly filled with smoke.

"Invalid?"

Hozuki Shingetsu squinted as he watched the figure slowly emerge from the depths of the smoke, pondering a countermeasure.

"Haha, your attacks can't even break through my defenses, how can you possibly beat me?"

Aside from being covered in dust and having some chakra depleted in the explosion, Kaguya Hirotoshi, who was otherwise unharmed, taunted him with a close face.

He not only wants to win this battle, but he wants to win it spectacularly!

"Corpse Bone Vein - Iron Wire Flower Dance - Vines!"

With a loud shout, Kaguya Hirotoshi's chakra surged rapidly, and the bones in his entire right arm began to grow wildly. Soon, the bones broke through the skin and wrapped tightly around his entire right arm, forming a spiral spear at the fingertips of his right hand.

"Corpse Bone Pulse - Iron Wire Flower Dance - Flower!"

Kaguya Hirotoshi raised her left arm and slowly pulled her spine out from the back of her neck, transforming it into a long whip that she held in her hand.

Thus, Kaguya Hirotoshi is now in a ferocious state, with bone spurs protruding all over her body, one hand holding a whip and the other a spear.

If "Dance of the Tang Pine" is the strongest shield of the Corpse Bone Clan, then "Dance of the Iron Wire Flower - Vine" can undoubtedly be called the strongest spear of the Corpse Bone Clan.

Often on the battlefield, when a member of the Kaguya clan activates the Dance of the Tang Pine and unleashes the Dance of the Wire Flower: Vine and the Dance of the Wire Flower: Flower, it usually means that he has reached the height of his battle and has basically used all his strength.

This combat style, combining the Corpse Bone Pulse with superb physical skills, is often the Kaguya Clan's infallible weapon for defeating their enemies.

And that was indeed the case. With the combination of Tangsong Dance and Iron Wire Flower Dance: Mane, even Hozuki Shingetsu, who had a half-finished Water Release Chakra Mode, was still in a precarious position under Kaguya Hirotoshi's attack, and it seemed that defeat was only a moment away.