"Amaterasu's Shield!"
The Amaterasu blade in Uchiha Shin's grasp morphed into a swirling black inferno, forming an impenetrable barrier before him.
The bone spears and spine whips that lunged at him disintegrated upon contact, consumed by the eternal flames.
Observing this, Uchiha Shin gained insight into the power of the Shikotsumyaku.
Not only did it grant an inhuman level of skeletal hardness and lethality, but it also accelerated cellular regeneration to monstrous levels.
Though not potent enough to regenerate lost limbs, superficial wounds were mended almost instantaneously.
A regenerative ability of this caliber was nearly on par with the godlike resilience of Senju Hashirama.
"Unfortunately, the Shikotsumyaku's enhancements focus heavily on bones and physical endurance.
Despite its vast chakra reserves, it lacks the ability to refine chakra efficiency."
Having completed his analysis, Uchiha Shin hovered in the air, his gaze locking onto Jūmaru.
"It's time to end this."
But Jūmaru, his eyes ablaze with an insatiable thirst for combat, paid no heed to Shin's words.
His body had transformed grotesquely—bone protrusions covering him like armor, forming an abominable skeletal demon.
"Come on! Again! AGAIN!!!"
Jūmaru roared with manic ecstasy, reveling in the agony of battle.
"Eight Extremities Sword Flash!"
Shin's fingers formed a blade, his toes barely grazing the air before vanishing in a blur.
In an instant, his form became a living sword, his speed surpassing Jūmaru's comprehension.
CRACK!
The reinforced bone armor crumbled like brittle clay.
The lethal strike surged deeper, unrelenting, aimed straight for Jūmaru's heart.
SPLURCH!
Shin's entire arm burst through Jūmaru's chest, his flesh rupturing like an obliterated fortress wall.
Even in death, Jūmaru attempted resistance, but the unholy flames of Amaterasu engulfed him.
"Assimilate, record, and imprint."
Shikotsumyaku—the prized Kekkai Genkai—became part of Uchiha Shin's very essence.
His dark hair gained streaks of ashen white, his bones undergoing a profound metamorphosis—denser, sharper, unbreakable.
Bones formed the foundation of the body, and this transformation elevated his physique to a new pinnacle.
Uchiha Shin lifted his right hand, directing his palm toward Yagura Karatachi below.
A jagged, gray-white bone javelin erupted from his hand, streaking toward the Fourth Mizukage with deadly precision.
At that moment, Yagura felt the shadow of death looming over him.
He attempted to evade, but an overwhelming force descended from above, pinning him to the earth.
SPLAT!
Before the watching shinobi, the bone lance impaled Yagura's palm.
Most spectators remained unfazed, still captivated by Shin's next move.
But Yagura himself shrieked, his expression twisted in horror as he clutched his hand.
"AAARGH! What… what's happening to me?!"
Excruciating pain coursed through him, and his mind barely withstood the agony.
The flesh surrounding the wound began to corrode, dissolving into nothingness.
Despite his desperate attempts to halt the decay with chakra, it was futile.
Gritting his teeth, Yagura made a ruthless decision—he severed his left hand with his own teeth.
His detached palm disintegrated into ash before it even hit the ground, blood gushing from the stump.
But at least the decay had ceased.
"Did I just replicate the Kaguya's All-Killing Ash Bones?"
Uchiha Shin stroked his chin before dismissing the notion.
"No… I haven't reached that level yet."
The reason Yagura's hand had been annihilated wasn't due to All-Killing Ash Bones.
Rather, the invasive power within Shin's cells consumed and dismantled foreign tissue on a molecular level.
Only immediate amputation could halt its spread.
If he had used this technique against an Edo Tensei reanimation, it would have been utterly ineffective.
"The true power of the All-Killing Ash Bones bypasses even Yin-Yang Release regeneration. I'm still far from that."
He clenched his fingers, his mind racing.
"But even as a lesser version, it's still a formidable technique. Any shinobi of my caliber will have to sacrifice flesh if they're hit."
Yet, the thought gnawed at him—against an opponent at the Kage level or beyond, the loss of a limb was a minor inconvenience.
"Pointless. This technique only works against weaklings."
Thankfully, the primary gain from Shikotsumyaku wasn't the attack itself, but the immense physical augmentation it granted.
Shin flexed his fingers, feeling an undeniable fluidity in his chakra control.
"Technically, I've refined my Ōtsutsuki lineage, but it's still incomplete.
The bloodline of this world has weakened through generations. It's a mere fragment of the original Ōtsutsuki might."
Casually, he plucked a strand of his gray-tinged hair, watching as it instantly reverted to black.
His gaze drifted skyward, hunger gleaming in his eyes.
If he sought a pure, untainted Ōtsutsuki bloodline, there were few options.
Isshiki Ōtsutsuki remained elusive, and the invaders—Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki—had yet to arrive.
That left only one potential source: the remnants of Hamura's descendants on the Moon.
If he could assimilate their genetics and reconstruct the purest bloodline, he could reclaim the true power of the Ōtsutsuki.
"If I can't reach the Moon yet, I may have to risk another approach—using the celestial pathways."
Shin could feel his body's capacity to endure the vacuum of space.
Even without sustenance, his chakra alone could sustain his body indefinitely.
His contemplation was interrupted as he turned to see Yagura, still fighting to remain conscious despite the agony.
The Mizukage's resilience was impressive.
Despite the searing pain, Yagura forced himself to form hand seals with a single hand.
Though sluggish, he completed the technique.
"Water Style: Water Mirror Jutsu!"
A perfect water mirror manifested before him, reflecting Uchiha Shin's image.
From within the mirror, a watery doppelgänger of Shin emerged.
This was the secret technique of the Hidden Mist—a clone that mirrored the enemy in every aspect, down to their abilities.
But the technique had its limitations.
Even if Yagura poured all his remaining chakra into it, the replica barely possessed a fraction of Shin's strength.
"Pathetic."
Shin didn't bother to attack.
He merely exerted his spiritual pressure.
BOOM!
The watery clone shattered instantly, dissolving into mist.
Yagura collapsed to his knees, despair consuming him.
There was no comparison.
Uchiha Shin wasn't just an opponent—he was a force beyond reason.
Even his battle with Jūmaru had been nothing more than an experiment, a means to claim the Shikotsumyaku for himself.
How could such a monster exist in this world, effortlessly usurping others' bloodline limits at will?
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Bonus Chapter - 100 Power Stones