[Success! Obtained Single Stat Attribute +3 Enhancement Card!]
A first try success. What a good omen!
Maruyama Shin stared at the new card in his inventory, unsure whether to feel thrilled or regretful.
On one hand, he was excited. A fixed +3 boost to Taijutsu—exactly what he needed. And considering he succeeded on his first try with a mere 30% success rate from a Yellow Corpse, even if all the rest failed, it wouldn't be too much of a loss.
On the other hand, he couldn't shake the feeling that he could have gotten something far more valuable from this particular corpse.
After all, this was a jōnin from the Kaguya clan. Even if the Shikotsumyaku hadn't fully awakened in him, he should still have that bloodline in his body, even if only in diluted form. Just like the Uchiha corpses he'd looted earlier—none had awakened the Sharingan, yet he still extracted the Uchiha clan's faint bloodline traits from them.
If he could extract the Shikotsumyaku bloodline limit from Kaguya Chihaya's corpse...
Tch tch.
This was Shikotsumyaku we were talking about.
A bloodline even Orochimaru coveted, a Kekkei Genkai capable of unleashing devastating power upon awakening. True, it came with the risk of incurable illness, but that wasn't guaranteed. The real value lay in its strength.
If Kimimaro, a future Shikotsumyaku user, hadn't fallen ill and had successfully become Orochimaru's vessel, even Sasuke with his Sharingan would've been a distant second.
After all, it was only because Kimimaro was terminally ill that Orochimaru settled for Sasuke as a backup.
Just how powerful was Kimimaro?
According to Kabuto, if Kimimaro had remained healthy, their assassination plan against the Hokage would've gone far more smoothly. He even said, "No one could defeat Kimimaro."
It may sound like exaggeration, but it still showed how much faith they had in Kimimaro's strength.
Even while gravely wounded, Kimimaro nearly took out both Rock Lee and Gaara, who was hosting Shukaku at the time, relying on sheer willpower alone.
In short, Shikotsumyaku was strong. Shikotsumyaku was brutal. Shikotsumyaku was absurdly strong and brutally dangerous.
Too bad. If he couldn't extract it, all those thoughts were just fantasies. No matter how powerful something was, it had nothing to do with him if it never landed in his hands.
Second attempt.
[Failed!]
"Come on now, I gave you a glorious death after a fierce battle. Isn't that worth at least one drop?"
Shin couldn't help but complain, almost tempted to start chatting with the corpse like an old friend.
But on second thought, they had no real bond, just enemies. Not much to talk about, really.
Whatever.
If he got it, it was fortune. If he didn't, it was fate.
He took a deep breath.
Final chance!
[Success! Obtained Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai (Medium Grade) {Extremely Rare}!]
Wha… what?
Shin rubbed his eyes in disbelief, staring at the golden card now sitting in his inventory. The artwork depicted a dazzling forest of bone, rising from a pool of blood and standing tall.
He looked closely at the text. "Not diluted bloodline? A medium-grade bloodline? And it's complete?"
He hadn't expected that.
Then joy hit him like a wave.
Totally worth it.
This quasi-Kage-level experience card had paid off!
Unlike the single-use experience cards, this one could be used long-term. That alone made it infinitely more valuable.
In his past life, Shin had read somewhere, some obscure little rumor, that combining Shikotsumyaku from the Kaguya clan with the Byakugan from the Hyuga clan would result in "All-Encompassing Creation," a return to the power of Otsutsuki Hamura. Just like combining Hashirama's Sage Body with Uchiha's Sharingan recreated the legendary power of the Sage of Six Paths.
He never knew if it was true. The source said it with confidence, but who knew?
After all, even Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto, was just a mangaka. He probably didn't understand Naruto as well as the fans did.
Still, even if it was nonsense, it said one thing: Shikotsumyaku was undeniably powerful.
In fact, if you looked closer, only Hashirama awakened the Sage Body within the Senju clan. Not even the prodigious Tobirama had done it. The same applied to the Kaguya clan—only Kimimaro awakened Shikotsumyaku.
And when Kimimaro used his abilities, he manipulated osteoblasts and osteoclasts, literally reshaping and regenerating his bones with monstrous speed. His regeneration was nearly on par with Sage Body levels.
His ultimate technique, "Dance of the Seedling Fern," was practically the bone-based version of Hashirama's "Deep Forest Emergence." Even the visuals were similar.
And now, Maruyama Shin had just obtained this very same Kekkei Genkai.
According to the system prompt, he didn't get the bloodline. He got the bloodline limit itself. That meant once he used it, he'd likely awaken Shikotsumyaku immediately.
A corpse collector with Shikotsumyaku... it was the perfect match.
He suppressed his excitement and pressed his palm against Kurisame Yamato's corpse.
There was no time to waste. Midnight was fast approaching. He couldn't afford to leave any daily attempts unused.
[Failed!]
[Failed!]
Maybe he had used up all his luck earlier. Even with a 60% success rate on Green Corpses, Shin failed twice in a row.
But he wasn't upset. He actually wanted to laugh.
It didn't matter.
It was like standing in front of a mountain of gold. Who cared about a couple of loose coins on the ground?
[Success! Obtained Flowing Water Swordsmanship!]
Huh?
Swordsmanship!
"Not bad. Just what I needed for my lacking close-range combat."
In Kirigakure, swordsmanship was a standard discipline. Every ninja was expected to know it. While this Flowing Water style wasn't anything fancy, for Shin, who had almost zero melee skills, it came at the perfect time.
He pulled out the long sword Kurisame Yamato had left behind. One of his hard-earned spoils from the battle.
Let's be honest. What guy didn't want to be a badass swordsman?
Having read tons of wuxia novels as a kid, Shin had always fantasized about being a lone wanderer with nothing but a blade, roaming the world.
Sure, this was a ninja world. But so what? A guy could dream.
His favorite ninja? Hatake Sakumo. The White Fang's blade technique had made him famous across the entire shinobi world.
"Tch. Looks like I'll really have to dig up Kakashi's ancestral grave one of these days. Question is, where exactly is Hatake Sakumo buried?"
Digging up someone's grave was seriously disrespectful. Shin wouldn't normally do something so low. But letting the White Fang Sword Style be lost to time? That would be an even greater tragedy.
Sakumo would understand.
Yeah.
He definitely would.
He spent his remaining attempts on a random White Corpse that looked decent enough. Minutes later, as the clock struck midnight, his daily loot attempts reset.
Now came the moment he'd been waiting for.
The best part was always saved for last.
He used the Flowing Water Swordsmanship card first. A surge of elegant, practical sword techniques flowed into his mind.
The next second, the once-awkward longsword in his hand felt like an extension of his arm. With a crisp shing, he drew the blade and instinctively carved several arcs of silver light through the air.
Next, the +3 Taijutsu attribute card.
Three points added to his physical prowess. With his stats already climbing, three points might not seem like much, but the comfort it brought made him want to moan.
And finally...
The Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai (Medium Grade) {Extremely Rare}.
The words "Extremely Rare" alone said it all.
Shin suspected the drop rate for this card had to be less than 0.1%. But when luck was on your side, nothing could stop you.
"Hehe…"
With a dumb grin, he slapped the card onto his chest.
The very next instant, Shin's expression froze.
"Shit…"
He dropped to his knees as veins bulged violently on his forehead, arms, and neck. His hands clenched tightly. His skin cracked open, and streams of bright red blood began to flow.
He had been completely unprepared. The pain struck like lightning.
It was far worse than taking a punch from Kaguya Chihaya.
He collapsed, convulsing on the floor, a pool of blood spreading beneath him.
Before long, his eyes rolled back, and he blacked out completely. Even then, his body kept twitching.
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Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 450 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!