Hiruzen persuaded me to die

"This hairstyle..."

Hyūga Naraku's eyes narrowed as he examined the Kaguya clan ninja before him.

That hair... it reminded him of something from the original world.

"This resemblance... it's like the ancestral homeland."

His gaze shifted to the two symmetrical crimson dots marked on the Kaguya shinobi's forehead.

Much like the twin white markings worn by Ōtsutsuki Kaguya herself.

A coincidence?

Or was it intentional—ancestral homage?

Even more curious were the similarities between the Dead Bone Pulse and All-Killing Ash Bones of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.

Could the Kaguya Clan carry Ōtsutsuki blood?

The truth was buried. Most records on the Kaguya were vague, and their history, chaotic.

Just like the Gold and Silver Brothers of Kumogakure—rumored to possess the Sage of Six Paths' blood—no one could prove it.

And during the Warring States era, even the elusive Hayi Clan of the Fire Country had bloodlines lost to time.

"Hey, Orochimaru," Naraku said calmly, ignoring the encroaching Kaguya.

"Have you studied the Kaguya Clan's origin?"

"This... I've long been interested." Orochimaru licked his lips, eyes glinting. "But I've found little written."

His real reason for infiltrating Kirigakure? The Dead Bone Pulse.

To him, of all Kirigakure's kekkei genkai—Ice Release, Boil Style, Lava Release—only the Dead Bone Pulse was worth his time.

"You two bastards ignoring us?!"

The Kaguya patriarch bellowed with fury.

Naraku and Orochimaru—chatting idly in the middle of battle—as if the Kaguya clan were beneath them.

"Treating us like insects?!"

Naraku tilted his head and slowly unsheathed the Kusanagi sword.

"Well then, let's test the legend."

He eyed the Kaguya ninja curiously, blade gleaming.

"You arrogant fool!" the patriarch roared. "You dare use a sword against our Dead Bone Pulse?!"

"Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!"

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!

A salvo of phalanx-shaped bullets exploded through the air toward Naraku.

"Decent speed," Naraku murmured.

He swung the Kusanagi with eerie precision, his blade weaving like silk in the wind.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Each bone bullet deflected—not shattered, but knocked aside, their trajectory altered.

Naraku's brow lifted.

"Strong... and dense."

One ricocheted into a massive tree and bored straight through the trunk.

"And sharp too."

Meanwhile, Orochimaru lunged at another Kaguya ninja—but a bone spike burst from the target's back, blocking the strike.

"Amazing defense," Orochimaru chuckled, retreating a step. His excitement grew.

The Dead Bone Pulse wasn't just offense—it was a natural armor, grown on instinct.

Even a backstab was countered by instantaneous skeletal protrusion.

It was like an organic Absolute Defense, rivaling the Hyūga's Rotation.

"Are these two... testing the Kaguya clan?" Terumi Mei wondered grimly.

Though the clan had rebelled, they were still once Kirigakure's pride.

Yet Naraku and Orochimaru examined their abilities like bored examiners.

Terumi herself was barely holding the line. Her enemies surged like waves.

Only Naraku's and Orochimaru's presence kept her from being overwhelmed.

She had already fired a flare.

All she could do now was wait for reinforcements.

Then—Naraku vs. the Kaguya Patriarch.

Steel clashed with bone.

The patriarch's deadly Tsubaki Dance was fast—but Naraku was faster.

Far faster.

"Quit dodging and fight!" the patriarch snarled, his fists and bones cracked from failed strikes.

He looked down at his splintered forearm bones—chipped by Naraku's blade.

"I must admit," Naraku said, sword raised. "Your bones held up longer than expected."

The praise felt like mockery.

Usually, enemies were horrified by the Kaguya's bone strength. Naraku sounded disappointed.

The patriarch's pupils trembled in rage.

Flash!

Naraku vanished.

Behind you.

A cold whisper in the wind.

Boom!

A punch crashed into the patriarch's back—bone spiked out reflexively to block it.

Crack!

The bone caught the blow—but a hairline fracture appeared. Even more impressive, the raw impact launched the patriarch across the field.

"Gah!" he coughed, staggering up from the dirt.

Fast. Too fast.

If his bone hadn't blocked that...

"You're insane! You punched the Dead Bone Pulse head-on?!" the patriarch shouted, voice cracking.

Naraku's expression sharpened.

"Then let me show you what I've just learned."

He wove Water Style and Fire Style chakra together.

"Boil Style: Strange Power Technique."

A shimmering mist of corrosive chakra enveloped him.

With explosive speed, Naraku charged like a cannonball, body radiating heat.

A boiling pressure saturated the air.

"Dead Bone Pulse is the strongest defense!" the patriarch roared, forming a bone shield layered like a fortress.

He reinforced his right arm, preparing to strike once Naraku was stopped.

But—

CRACK!!

The moment Naraku's fist connected—the shield didn't resist.

It crumbled.

No. It shattered like dry bark.

"What—?!"

The patriarch's eyes widened in horror.

The Dead Bone Pulse, said to be impenetrable, broke like sand.

Naraku's blazing punch pierced the bones and slammed directly into his chest.