The sun was dipping below the horizon, draping the landscape in a dim, amber glow.
A young boy, no older than four or five, was darting around, frantically searching for something. His eyes finally locked onto a silhouette perched high in a distant tree. He skidded to a halt, wiped the sweat from his face, and broke into a wide grin.
"Takizo!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Hey, Takizo!"
High up in the branches, Takizo Kaguya was hanging upside down, completely zoned out. His attention was laser-focused on a tiny sculpture balanced on his fingertip. It was no bigger than a fingernail, made of bone, yet it perfectly captured the likeness of the Eight-Tails, the Ox-Octopus.
As Takizo channeled his chakra into it, the bone carving began to shift. It sprouted a ninth tail. Tiny, intricate fur textures appeared on its surface. It was morphing into the Nine-Tails right before his eyes.
Sizzle.
With a soft sound, a sharp bone spike suddenly erupted from Takizo's shoulder, piercing through his skin.
Takizo frowned. He let the sculpture drop and closed his eyes, turning his focus inward to watch the flow of energy through his pathways.
"Inner Sight."
Or "Bio-Scan," if you preferred. It was the only "cheat code" Takizo had acquired since waking up in this world eight years ago.
Unfortunately, unlike the protagonists in those fantasy RPGs he used to play, this ability didn't come with a strategy guide, a skill tree, or a library of secret techniques. It just let him "see" inside his own body.
Still, Takizo wasn't complaining. It was a massive advantage.
---
In the world of Naruto, combat capability basically boiled down to three variables. Takizo liked to categorize them simply as: Stats, Arsenal, and Control.
Stats referred to raw physical specs. Since chakra is a blend of physical and spiritual energy, a stronger body meant a bigger gas tank for chakra.
Arsenal covered the holy trinity of ninja combat: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu. It was your toolkit for hurting people.
Control was the finesse—how efficiently you could manipulate chakra, manage its form, and alter its nature.
Born into the Kaguya Clan, Takizo hit the genetic jackpot with the Dead Bone Pulse bloodline limit. This gave him top-tier physical durability (Stats) and a built-in set of lethal techniques (Arsenal).
His Inner Sight filled in the final gap. It allowed him to micromanage his chakra flow with surgical precision, compensating for any lack of natural "Control."
Thanks to his massive chakra reserves and this perfect control, he had mastered water-walking and tree-climbing way earlier than his peers. He even invented "Bone Sculpting"—a training method where he practiced shaping his bones into intricate forms to refine his chakra usage.
At eight years old, with his Stats, Arsenal, and Control all balanced, Takizo was already fighting on par with your average Mist Village Chunin.
---
Takizo snapped the bone carving off his fingertip and crushed it into dust.
"Still a little off," he muttered to himself. "I need to wait a bit longer for the bone cycle to fully stabilize."
"Takizo!" The voice came from the base of the tree again.
Takizo flipped down, landing lightly on the grass. He smiled. "Hey, Ishitaro."
Ishitaro Kaguya was panting heavily, his face flushed red from running. "Kigetsu already made dinner! She's waiting for us. Kimimaro must be starving by now."
Takizo ruffled the kid's hair, messing it up.
Ishitaro swatted his hand away, annoyed. "Stop it! If you rub it too much, it won't grow! I need it long so I can tie a proper warrior's topknot later!"
Takizo laughed and started walking back toward the Kaguya settlement, with Ishitaro tagging along.
"By the way," Ishitaro said, pouting, "two families in the village got into a brawl today. It was crazy. There was blood everywhere. Even their three-year-olds were throwing hands!"
Takizo pinched Ishitaro's cheek. "You're barely out of diapers yourself. Who are you calling a kid?"
Ishitaro's face turned red again. "I'm four and a half! Basically five! But the point is the fighting! They've been at it constantly this month."
Takizo sighed internally.
This was the Kaguya Clan. If the Uchiha Clan were genetically predisposed to being emotional wrecks, the Kaguya were genetically predisposed to being adrenaline junkies. Combat was their religion. Killing was their purpose. They would fight until the day they went extinct.
As they got closer to the settlement, Takizo's expression grew colder. Ishitaro mimicked him, tightening his lips and looking serious.
In the Kaguya Clan, smiling was a weakness. Even for children. Parents expected their offspring to be cold, emotionless weapons before they even hit puberty.
The only reason Ishitaro could still smile was that he didn't have parents to beat it out of him.
---
The settlement was built against a mountain. Bathed in the dying light of the sunset, the place looked lifeless.
Near the entrance, a figure was waiting. Ishitaro's serious mask cracked, and he grinned.
"Kigetsu!"
Kigetsu Kaguya walked over to meet them. She was eight years old, same as Takizo, with pale skin and hair tied back practically. She wore rough, simple clothes and carried a food container. Like Ishitaro, she was a war orphan raised by the village to do menial labor.
"Hey, Takizo," she waved.
"Thanks for doing this, Kigetsu," Takizo said warmly.
"Don't worry about it," she waved him off. "Let's hurry, or the food will get cold."
Instead of heading into the main residential area, the group took a sharp turn toward a secluded corner of the compound.
There, a massive stone cave loomed, swallowing the light. It gave off a creepy, damp vibe. This was the Kaguya Clan's special prison. Two guards with the signature clan topknots were lounging near the entrance.
Before they even reached the door, a voice roared from inside.
"I'm gonna starve to death in here! You gatekeeping bastards!"
The guards ignored the screaming. When they saw Takizo approaching, they stood up, nodded respectfully, and stepped aside.
As soon as Takizo stepped into the cave, the screaming started again.
"You bastards are late! When I get out of here, I'm gonna kill—"
The voice cut off abruptly. The prisoner recognized the footsteps. Chains rattled violently from the cell nearest the entrance.
A face pressed against the heavy metal bars.
"Heh... hehe... it's Takizo," the prisoner rasped. "I heard the Patriarch talking. They say you can already beat the clan's lower-ranked ninjas. You're a real genius, aren't you?"
The face contorted into a twisted grin.
"Fight me. Come on, fight me! If I win..."
His bloodshot eyes darted to the two children standing behind Takizo.
"...I don't even need you to let me out. Just let me kill those two. That'll be enough."
The group walked past him as if he didn't exist, heading deeper into the cave.
Seeing Takizo ignore him, the prisoner started to panic.
"It hurts, doesn't it?!" he screamed after them. "You're a genius of the Dead Bone Pulse! Don't tell me you don't feel it? That feeling like maggots are chewing on your bones from the inside out?!"
Takizo's footsteps faltered for a split second.
The prisoner caught it. "You feel it, right?! I'll just kill one! Just let me kill one of them! Come on, fight me! You can kill me if you win! You can kill me!"
Ishitaro tugged nervously on Takizo's sleeve.
Takizo squeezed the boy's hand and kept walking.
"Come on," he said quietly. "Kimimaro is waiting."
They hurried deeper into the dark, leaving the hysterical screams echoing behind them.