Night slowly deepened.
Takizo ate a simple meal before returning to his room to continue his training.
With the help of Mangetsu's notes and his own natural talent, he had already memorized most of the Water-style techniques—well enough to use them, at least at a basic level.
But to go any further required more than simple practice.
Tonight, Takizo planned to complete the technique he had spent the last three years developing.
He called it the [Bone Vein Circulation].
When Takizo first awakened the Shikotsumyaku, he discovered something unusual.
Whenever he used his ability and bones pierced through his flesh and skin, there was no blood loss.
That meant his muscles and skin cells weren't being torn open—rather, they were actively adapting and shifting to accommodate the emerging bone.
Which made sense. It would be absurd if he had to lose pints of blood every time he went into battle.
That realization led Takizo to suspect that the Shikotsumyaku had hidden properties beyond bone manipulation.
Through countless experiments, he confirmed it.
By channeling chakra into his blood and flesh, he could control the movement of his muscles and even accelerate regeneration.
Of course, this control was far weaker than his mastery over bone—it was mostly passive.
But it opened up a new path for growth.
The chakra pathways.
The first time Takizo used inner vision to observe chakra flowing through his own meridians, he was reminded of the "qi channels" from martial arts novels.
And naturally, the idea of widening them followed.
He had been too young to try back then. But as he grew, his control over chakra—and over his own body—became sharper, allowing him to attempt it.
At the age of six, using his Shikotsumyaku's natural affinity for bodily control, Takizo succeeded.
Except for a few special nodes, he expanded almost every chakra pathway to the limit his young body could handle.
The result was faster chakra flow and quicker jutsu activation.
But that, in turn, sparked another idea.
Since the Shikotsumyaku granted greater control over bone than flesh—what if he replaced the flesh cells around his chakra pathways with bone cells?
Would that bring his chakra control to its absolute peak?
He decided to test it immediately.
And nearly bled himself to death.
Fortunately, the experiment was limited to his left pinky. After slicing off a portion of it, the finger eventually regenerated.
So he adjusted his plan.
Instead of replacing the cells outright, he would coat the chakra pathways with a thin bone membrane—allowing gradual fusion over time.
As his body adapted, bone would slowly replace the flesh, strengthening the pathways without destroying them.
That time, he succeeded in keeping his right pinky intact.
Then he spent the next three years perfecting the process.
The larger meridians required patience and time—something Takizo, ever cautious, had in abundance.
The smaller ones demanded precision, but with his regenerative ability, trial and error was possible.
Even the meridians near his internal organs—though risky—he refined little by little.
Now, only two areas remained: his heart and his brain.
Especially the eyes—filled with strange, delicate channels that made even him hesitant.
He trained his chakra control relentlessly, but eventually hit a wall. It was as if he had reached the limits of human precision.
His battle with Momochi Zabuza finally made him understand why.
His body craved battle, but his mind had been suppressing that primal instinct.
His physical and spiritual energies were in conflict—the yin and yang within him were out of balance.
When he finally accepted his fighting instinct, that barrier dissolved.
Now, Takizo felt as though he could pull out his entire spine without losing combat ability—achieving what Kimimaro once did with the curse mark's power.
His mind was clear. His body and spirit were in harmony. Under the pressure of looming danger, he reached the height of his power.
This was the moment to complete the Bone Vein Circulation.
Carefully, he guided bone cells from the already-fused meridians into the channels that wrapped around his heart...
...
Elsewhere—
Inside a dim cave, Uchiha Obito watched as Kisame Hoshigaki left. Beside him stood the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, under Obito's control.
A low voice rumbled from beneath the mask. "I will free you from this false world. Not just you..."
He stared at his hand and clenched it tightly. Beneath the mask, his Sharingan flashed red. "Everyone will be freed from pain."
"Hellooo~"
A figure half black, half white emerged from the ground. "Tobi~ oh! Lord Madara seems to have a new subordinate! Are we going to be replaced now, hmm, Black Zetsu?"
The white half spoke in a singsong, teasing tone, pretending to act coy.
"Shut up, idiot!" Black Zetsu snapped, wrestling for control of the shared body until it stilled again.
Obito turned to them. "What is it?"
White Zetsu made a zipping motion across his lips as if to say, I'm quiet.
Black Zetsu reported, "We've detected some unusual activity."
"Oh?" Obito's voice grew sharper.
"Concerning Momochi Zabuza and Hozuki Mangetsu's plan to assassinate the Mizukage," Black Zetsu said.
"You already told me that," Obito replied flatly.
"There's been a new development," Black Zetsu continued.
"It's the Kaguya clan!" White Zetsu cut in cheerfully.
Black Zetsu fell silent, clearly exasperated.
"The Kaguya?" Obito asked. "The clan with the Shikotsumyaku? They're involved?"
"Yes. Earlier today, a boy named Kaguya Takizo met with Hozuki Mangetsu. We overheard everything," White Zetsu said. "And when we visited their compound, we found them preparing for war."
Black Zetsu added, "This Takizo is the clan leader's son. Very talented. Only eight years old and already fought Momochi Zabuza. He lost, but managed to break the Decapitating Blade."
White Zetsu giggled. "A prodigy! Just like that 'idiot Kakashi' you always talk about, Tobi."
"Stay on topic," Obito snapped. "Black Zetsu—continue."
"Yes," Black Zetsu said quickly. "The plan is for the Kaguya to start a rebellion, drawing the Mizukage's guards away. Then Zabuza and Mangetsu will strike."
"A crude strategy," Obito said calmly.
"Crude, but effective," Black Zetsu replied. "Especially since the attack is scheduled three days from now."
"In the face of absolute power," Obito said coldly, "all plans are meaningless."
"Shall we make preparations?" Black Zetsu asked.
Obito thought for a moment.
Then White Zetsu spoke again. "Oh, Blacky~ you forgot to mention something important! That Kaguya boy plans to run away!"
Obito's eyes narrowed. "Run away?"
"Yes~" White Zetsu said. "He intends to flee to the Hidden Cloud and rebuild the Kaguya clan there."
"Three days…" Obito murmured. "Then we'll strike first. Tomorrow night, have Ao and Chukichi lead all jonin and most chunin to raid the Kaguya settlement."
"As for the boy…" Obito paused. "Send Kisame and a team of Anbu to the northern coastline. Capture or kill him there."
Black Zetsu hesitated. "Such a large movement won't go unnoticed. Zabuza and Mangetsu will seize the chance to attack the Mizukage. You—"
"They're nothing but a band of fools," Obito interrupted, his tone sharp. "With me and the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, it'll be more than enough."
White Zetsu tilted his head. "A band of what?"
__________
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