A Simple Battle

Ten-Finger Drill!

Clang, clang, clang! Ten tiny finger bones struck Yota squarely in the chest, then bounced away.

"What? How is that possible?!" cried some nameless Kaguya Clan ninja.

Yota casually took out a kunai and threw it back. The air exploded with a bang. Before the Shikotsumyaku ninja could even see clearly, a sharp pain tore through his chest. The kunai shot through him like a sniper rifle, blasting a basin-sized hole through his back.

Dance of the Willow!

A Kaguya Clan ninja darted forward. His soft, fluid taijutsu contained not a single unnecessary movement, and his series of bone-assisted attacks never missed. Metallic clanging rang out from Yota’s body. Then, the ninja stared darkly at the sharp bone spikes covering his body—all of them had been snapped by Yota’s tough physique.

"How is this possible? Why is this happening?!"

Yota casually swung a fist. Cracking sounds rang out, and the Shikotsumyaku ninja’s bones shattered and tendons snapped. He was smashed into a puddle of mush.

Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Camellia!

A Kaguya ninja who looked to be in his forties or fifties, clearly someone of high standing, drew a bone blade from his arm and slashed down at Yota’s head. With a clang, the bone blade shattered into several pieces. Blood flowed from the Shikotsumyaku ninja’s palm, and shock filled his eyes.

"How is that possible? My Shikotsumyaku is harder than steel!"

Yota could no longer be bothered with these Kaguya ninjas who only knew how to shout things like "What? How is that possible?" Activating the Munch-Munch Fruit’s power, he turned his entire arm into a long blade and cleaved the Kaguya ninja in two.

"Lianshan Elder was cut down too!"

"How is that possible? What Bloodline Limit does this guy have? Why is it even harder than our Shikotsumyaku?"

"This guy is practically an evolved form of our Shikotsumyaku! We can’t possibly win!"

The Kaguya Clan had always been hardheaded and stubborn. Normally, even if they died, they would never admit defeat verbally, much less show fear.

Yet Yota’s fighting style was not much different from Shikotsumyaku, while surpassing the Kaguya Clan ninjas in every aspect. The despair of being utterly crushed by an opponent in the area they excelled at most and took the greatest pride in finally made these Kaguya ninjas unable to remain calm.

"Bastard, don’t get cocky!" A burly Kaguya Clan member stepped forward. The surrounding ninjas immediately seemed to find their backbone.

"It’s the Clan Head!"

"Clan Head, be careful! His body is harder than ordinary bones!"

"Hmph!" The Kaguya Clan Head snorted. "The more developed one’s Shikotsumyaku is, the tougher their bones become. There has never been any such thing as an absolute defense! The only reason you couldn’t hurt him is because your bloodlines haven’t been developed enough."

"You bastard, just wait until I break your bones!"

Yota nearly yawned. "Are you done talking nonsense? If you are, hurry up and come at me."

"Damn it! Underestimating the Kaguya Clan comes at a price! Dance of the Clematis!"

The Kaguya Clan Head pulled his own spine out from his back, turning it into a long whip that instantly bound Yota.

Yota neither dodged nor struggled. He wanted to see this Kaguya Clan Head’s ultimate move.

At the same time, his right hand completely transformed into a massive drill, which stabbed straight toward Yota’s chest.

A harsh grinding sound rang out. Yota’s face showed a faint trace of surprise, because the man’s drill had actually pierced one or two centimeters into his steel-like flesh.

Of course, the price was that the entire bone drill had nearly been ground flat.

Such a wound quickly healed completely under Yota’s Sage Body. Meanwhile, the Kaguya Clan Head wore a look as though his entire worldview had collapsed, and he too cried out in disbelief.

"Impossible! How could this happen? Even the Third Raikage was once injured by the Dance of the Clematis!"

Yota’s head filled with question marks. Hadn’t the Third Raikage only ever been injured once by his own One-Finger Nukite? Were these people just trying to flatter themselves?

But the thought only flickered through his mind. Yota sneered. "Is that your strongest move? Why didn’t you use the Dance of the Larch?"

The Kaguya Clan Head’s face instantly turned red. "Bastard, are you mocking me? No Kaguya ninja has been able to use the Dance of the Larch for decades!"

"That pathetic?" Yota curled his lip slightly. Thinking about it, that made sense. Even within the Kaguya Clan, Kimimaro had been regarded as the ultimate weapon. What he could do did not mean ordinary Kaguya Clan members could do the same.

In truth, even the first Kaguya Clan ninja who had fought Yota could be considered an elite. Awakening Shikotsumyaku was even more difficult than awakening the Sharingan. Out of the entire Kaguya Clan’s several hundred members, only a few dozen had awakened Shikotsumyaku.

And only this Clan Head could use the Dance of the Clematis.

After hearing Yota’s mocking remark, the Clan Head seemed so furious that his face flushed crimson, and the drill in his hand grew back.

Yota had no masochistic tendencies. He had only tested his opponent’s strength at first. Now, with a slight exertion of force, a crack rang out as he completely snapped the spine-whip binding him.

As for the bone drill that struck Yota’s chest again, it was blocked by a thin layer of pitch-black Haki. With a crunch, the entire bone drill shattered into pieces.

Not good! The thought had barely crossed the Kaguya Clan Head’s mind when he saw Yota’s fist descend, faintly covered in a layer of black Haki.

Boom! A strange sound rang out as Yota’s fist struck the Kaguya Clan Head in the chest and abdomen. From the front, he appeared unharmed. Yet his entire back had been blown away, bones, flesh, and internal organs all blasted into the air.

"N-No way…"

"The Clan Head was taken out in a single blow."

"Even the Dance of the Clematis and the Clan Head’s Shikotsumyaku couldn’t break through his defenses… We have no chance against him!"

At this point, seeing what had happened, the remaining Kaguya Clan members finally lost all desire to fight.

They could not break through his defenses at all, while he took them down one by one with a single move. Moreover, aside from Shikotsumyaku and taijutsu, these Kaguya Clan members only knew the most basic ninjutsu and had no other methods to rely on.

This was also the weakness of clan ninjas. Compared with the diverse development of ninja villages, clans generally specialized in one area. But once they encountered an opponent who countered them, they often had virtually no ability to resist.

"Go, all of you, go! Run! Escape and spread the news to the other ninja clans! The Fourth Mizukage is going to move against the ninja clans!"

An elderly Kaguya ninja roared and ran forward, standing before Yota.

This old man seemed to hold considerable prestige. After hearing him, the other Kaguya Clan ninjas immediately began to retreat.