Chapter 41 — If There's a Chance, Take It
The Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku was indeed extraordinary—its offensive power was savage, and when paired with the Byakugan's 360-degree vision, it left no blind spots, no vulnerabilities.
From any angle—front, flank, rear—Hyūga Ritsu could strike or counterattack with equal lethality.
Just like on the night he seized control of the clan compound—
That night, Ritsu used the perfect synergy of Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku to block Minato's Flying Thunder God ambush head-on.
Now, these flimsy water clones naturally couldn't enter his eyes.
He didn't even bother to think—he simply bulldozed forward like a runaway battering ram.
One by one, the watery bodies collapsed the instant they touched him, unable to delay him even for a heartbeat.
In the blink of an eye—
Ritsu was already upon the Mist-nin.
His speed was so sudden that the two Mist jōnin didn't even dare attempt to retreat.
They could only grit their teeth and swing their blades defensively.
Steel clashed against bone with a crisp clang—
But they had only two blades.
Ritsu, on the other hand, had eight bone blades sprouting from his body.
With a single passing motion—
Both jōnin were slashed open, deep wounds carved into their flesh, bone exposed beneath the torn skin.
The Shikotsumyaku carved them up like vegetables.
"D-damn it—fall back!"
One jōnin screamed.
"But our men—"
The other turned instinctively toward the subordinates behind them…
Only to discover every single Mist-nin they brought was already lying dead on the ground.
Only one person remained standing—
A young man holding a blood-drenched short sword, its tip dripping fresh scarlet.
At that moment, the youth looked up at them.
Their gazes met for an instant—
He saw those crimson eyes, each glowing with three rotating tomoe.
—Not good!!
Terror echoed inside the jōnin's mind.
But it was far too late.
His consciousness was swallowed whole by the abyss behind those scarlet eyes, body freezing in place, unable to move.
A moment later—
A razor-sharp bone spike pierced cleanly through his chest.
"Pretty brave," Ritsu remarked lightly.
"To think he dared meet Shisui's eyes."
He pulled the bone blade free from the corpse.
The body crumpled to the ground, lifeless eyes reflecting the second jōnin lying dead in a pool of blood.
In the span of mere seconds—
Every Mist-nin present had died at the hands of Hyūga Ritsu and Uchiha Shisui.
"Shisui, your speed's gotten even faster."
Ritsu surveyed the bodies.
Every single one had their throat sliced open—clean, uniform, precise.
As though they had voluntarily extended their necks into Shisui's blade without realizing it.
No wonder the Mist feared him so much…
"Ritsu-senpai, you're the one who—"
Shisui stared at him, watching the bone spikes retract back into Ritsu's flesh.
A thousand questions filled his chest, but they clogged in his throat until finally, after several seconds, he managed:
"Ritsu-senpai…
That technique—was that the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku?
How do you possess that bloodline?"
His eyes were full of bewildered curiosity.
"Think of it as… a bit of a throwback."
"Huh?"
"The Hyūga and the Kaguya share a common ancestor.
Actually, not just us—your Uchiha, the Senju, the Uzumaki… trace the bloodline far enough back and all of us come from the same source."
Ritsu paused, then laughed.
"…All right, all right, just kidding.
I used a Hyūga secret art to steal it from a Kaguya-clan Mist-nin."
Ritsu spoke with a mix of truth and lies—
Everything except the origin of the Kaguya bloodline was real.
The true source of the Chimera Technique was the only falsehood.
"You mean… there's actually a Hyūga secret art that can steal another clan's kekkei genkai?
That's terrifying."
Shisui was genuinely awed.
He didn't take Ritsu's earlier joke seriously, but he fully believed the final explanation.
The Hyūga had a long, ancient lineage—possessing some hidden, forbidden inheritance wasn't surprising at all.
As for why no Hyūga had ever used such a technique before…
Perhaps it was extremely difficult to train in.
Or maybe it had harsh limitations.
Whatever the reason, Shisui accepted Ritsu's explanation without suspicion.
Otherwise—
How else could one explain a Hyūga possessing the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku?
"Hahaha! Shisui, worried I'll steal your Sharingan next?"
Ritsu teased with a grin.
"That, I'm not afraid of.
Ritsu-senpai, you're not the kind of person who harms his comrades."
"Oh?
I never knew I held such a noble image in your heart.
But a word of advice—don't trust your comrades too much.
Fatal attacks almost always come from behind."
"I understand."
Shisui answered casually—
The kind of "I'm saying yes but absolutely not listening" tone that went in one ear and flew straight out the other.
Ritsu could hear it clearly, but he didn't bother arguing.
Instead, he turned toward the Mist-nin gathering along the mountain path and smiled:
"Isn't that the famous Hōzuki Mangetsu and Fuguki Suikazan?
You two sure took your time.
I thought you'd arrive a lot faster."
Konoha and the Mist had fought for long enough that both sides thoroughly understood each other's top fighters.
Unless someone had just arrived from the rear lines, any elite who'd been active on the front for a while had long been documented by the enemy.
On the Mist side—
Fuguki Suikazan, wielder of the great sword Samehada, member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, a seasoned powerhouse.
Hōzuki Mangetsu, a prodigy of the younger generation, standing shoulder to shoulder with Shisui in notoriety.
Likewise, the Mist already had plenty of intel on Shisui the Teleporter and Hyūga Ritsu, the rising anomaly.
"Hyūga Ritsu… where did you get the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku?"
Fuguki stared at him with bulging eyes.
That anonymous letter from Konoha claiming Ritsu possessed Shikotsumyaku had sounded utterly absurd.
But seeing it now—
Seeing bone blades growing from a Hyūga—
He briefly wondered if he was dreaming.
Yet nightmares and reality often blurred.
And sometimes, reality was the more insane of the two.
Naturally, he wanted answers.
Was there a Kaguya who defected long ago?
Did the Hyūga steal a corpse?
What was the origin of this impossibility?
"I have no obligation to answer your questions."
Ritsu shrugged lightly.
"Is that so?
Then after I take you alive, let's see if your mouth stays that tough."
Fuguki raised his hand.
Instantly—
Dozens of Mist-nin emerged from the surroundings.
Counting Fuguki and Mangetsu, over fifty shinobi encircled Ritsu and Shisui.
The letter from Konoha had advised testing Ritsu first, then waiting for a better opportunity to kill him.
But—
Fuguki had no intention of waiting.
If there's a chance, seize it.
If there's no chance, create one.
Ritsu and Shisui had delivered themselves straight into his hands.
And Mangetsu had conveniently wandered over, becoming free manpower.
He intended to break both of Konoha's sharpest blades right here and now.
As for whether this might ruin the plans of whoever sent the letter?
Fuguki didn't care in the slightest.
The more Konoha tore itself apart, the happier he was.
The ideal outcome?
Konoha's own factions killing each other off.