After sleeping for four hours, which was enough to restore my strength, I spent the rest of the night examining my own body, which had thrown me such an unexpected surprise in the recent battle.
A couple of simple experiments showed that I really did have passive regeneration and that the structure of my muscle mass was gradually changing to become denser and much more elastic, allowing Kaguya to use her kekkei genkai without damaging her flesh when growing bones from any location — by instinctively contracting the muscles simply move aside, avoiding damage.
So far, I haven't reached this stage of change, but the process is in full swing, although I was expecting slower progress under close observation, but I focused more on controlling the chakra in my bones to prevent involuntary growth and didn't have time for careful observation.
So far, I have only been able to grow the most primitive structures using the natural shape of the skeleton, but this is a matter of experience and control that will come with time, and the new kanpeki ningyo is already working on it. Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) is a very effective and versatile weapon in hand-to-hand combat, but this kekkei genkai has even greater practical potential for an iryonin who knows his body much better than a bunch of bloodthirsty idiots who inherited a treasure and couldn't find a better use for it than to focus almost entirely on attacking techniques, even though they had the potential to become monsters that couldn't be killed in close combat.
I had no intention of repeating their mistakes.
Carried away by growing and devouring bones, I almost missed breakfast, but one of the servants thoughtfully came after me.
During the meal, in the same long hall, I was finally able to determine the approximate number of chakra users living in the temple — about four dozen, and there were two jonin among them, not counting the supreme priestess's guards, and they were two elderly men with reserves comparable to the average jonin from Konoha.
Due to the temple's excellent shielding from sensors, I simply couldn't sense them before, even if I happened to be in the next room.
Besides them, Miroku had thirty-two priests and nine priestesses under his command, which was quite impressive — with their ability to resist demonic chakra, the temple ninja would have a good advantage over the enemy in a direct confrontation, and the threat from the stone warriors would be reduced even without their main weapon, in the form of the high priestess.
The latter, by the way, did not dine with everyone. Considering the imminent war, where we need to defeat the demon to win, rather than slaughter all of his demon worshippers, this could play a decisive role, and I won't have to split myself into several parts to be everywhere at once and end up facing an entire army at the decisive moment because all my allies have been slaughtered.
After fortifying myself with a large plate of buckwheat porridge with milk and a cheese sandwich, which was unexpectedly pleasant after the abundance of rice in home-cooked meals, I retired to my room and sorted through the memories sent by the kage bunshin sent out on the hunt.
On the front line, they managed to destroy ninety-odd golems, completely depriving the Onikuni ninja of heavy support, and cut down more than one and a half hundred enemies, only a few of whom were skilled in combat.
Of course, the copies themselves suffered losses, but thanks to the surprise attack on the camps and the blows to the backs of those fighting, in most cases, there was no one to fight back. Only two of them were scattered by area ninjutsu, while the others simply ran out of chakra.
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