Chapter 17: Supplementary Provisions
[Successfully integrated Kaguya Clan Shikotsumyaku (Medium) {Extremely Rare}. Body transformation complete. Taijustu +10!]
Time is a funny thing when you're unconscious. Could've been minutes, could've been years—my brain wasn't exactly keeping track while my body was busy rewriting its own instruction manual.
When I finally clawed my way back to consciousness, I felt like I'd been hit by a freight train driven by another freight train. Every muscle ached with the bone-deep exhaustion of someone who'd just run a marathon while being electrocuted, but underneath that fatigue was something else entirely—a humming energy that made my cells feel like they were throwing a party.
I reached up to pat my head, checking for any obvious external damage. "Well, shit. No manual for this experience."
The whole thing had blindsided me completely. If I'd known what I was signing up for, I might've actually hesitated before slapping that card onto myself like some kind of demented sticker.
The pain had been... well, calling it "excruciating" would be like calling the ocean "damp." But looking around at the blood-splattered morgue—my blood, decorating the walls and floor like some abstract art installation—I had to admit the results were worth discussing.
Time to check the damage. Or rather, the improvements.
[Character: Maruyama Qifeng]
Age: 13
Chakra Nature: Fire, Earth
Strength: Chunin
Kekkei Genkai: Shikotsumyaku (Medium)
Taijustu: 38
Chakra: 25
Ninjustu: 24
Genjustu: 19
Control: 27
Fuinjustu: 22
Taijutsu: Flowing Water Blade Technique
Ninjutsu: Basic Three, Fire Style - Great Flame Flower, Earth Style - Rock Concealment, Earth Style - Mud Wall, Fire Style - Flame Bullet
Items: Uchiha Clan Rare Bloodline Cards (2/3), Houshi's Obsession...
"Holy shit."
My Taijustu had skyrocketed from 25 to 38 overnight. Even accounting for the +3 enhancement card, that was still a 10-point jump courtesy of my new skeletal upgrades. The other stats looked positively anemic by comparison.
But the real prize was right there in black and white: Kekkei Genkai: Shikotsumyaku (Medium). I'd actually done it. I'd gone from bog-standard corpse janitor to walking bone factory in the span of a few agonizing hours.
Time for a test drive.
I held up my hand, focusing on the strange new sensations flowing through my body. I could feel my cells responding, dividing and multiplying with purpose. There was an odd tingling in my fingertips as the bones began to... shift.
Then came the pain—sharp, immediate, and completely unavoidable as five neat holes opened at my fingertips. Five bullet-sized finger bones shot out like organic bullets.
*THOCK! THOCK! THOCK!*
They buried themselves in the morgue wall with satisfying impacts. Meanwhile, the wounds on my fingers sealed themselves as if they'd never existed.
I walked over to examine the damage, digging one of the bones out of the surprisingly deep crater it had created. "Jesus. That's basically a gun that uses my skeleton as ammunition."
The bone itself was fascinating—tap it with a knife and it rang like metal. Harder than steel, and I'd just *grown* it.
But that pain... I looked at my fingers with new respect. "Kimimaro, you absolute madman."
Watching him casually yank bones out of his body in the anime had made it look effortless, but the reality was considerably more masochistic. Every use of this ability meant deliberately hurting myself for tactical advantage. No wonder most Kaguya clan members never awakened it—you'd have to be genuinely unhinged to find this appealing.
"Still, it's not just about the weaponized skeleton..."
I tested the other benefits, running a knife blade along my forearm just deep enough to draw blood. Within seconds, the wound was closing, skin knitting itself back together like it was on fast-forward.
"Enhanced physical durability, accelerated healing, and cellular manipulation." I nodded with satisfaction. "The holy trinity of 'hard to kill.'"
The math was beautifully simple: super-hard bones + instant healing = basically immortal. Short of complete decapitation or total body destruction, I was looking at a significant upgrade in survivability.
"Perfect for the corpse collection business," I mused. "No more worrying about AOE attacks or collateral damage. Just walk through the carnage and pick up the pieces."
After cleaning up the blood-splattered morgue—couldn't have people asking awkward questions about my midnight renovation project—I was ready to head back to bed when something nagged at me.
The experience cards. I still didn't understand why Miura Ikko's had only 50% compatibility while Akagi Tsukasa's hit 70%. Time to do some digging.
Opening the system interface, I spent a solid thirty minutes hunting for answers before finally spotting an almost-invisible button labeled [Appendix]. Clearly, someone didn't want me finding this.
What I discovered was a rabbit hole of bureaucratic nonsense that would make the IRS weep with pride.
**[Supplementary Provisions]:**
*[1. Host mortality events are not covered under system warranty. No liability accepted.]*
"Well, that's comforting," I muttered. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
Most of the regulations were legalese garbage, but eventually I found what I was looking for:
*[136. Experience card compatibility is calculated based on: chakra attributes, combat preferences (taijutsu/ninjutsu/genjutsu specialization), physical appearance, weapon proficiency, attribute distribution, behavioral patterns, psychological profile, desire intensity, and other factors.]*
*[137. During active experience card usage, base attributes may be modified based on user adaptation, compatibility rating, thought patterns, and self-improvement efforts. Specific mechanics are intentionally vague to encourage experimentation.]*
"So Akagi Tsukasa was probably an earth-style specialist with a similar fighting philosophy," I reasoned. "Plus whatever psychological quirks we apparently share."
The implications were interesting. If I could game the compatibility system—adjust my fighting style, mindset, maybe even appearance—I could potentially squeeze more power out of future experience cards.
Though honestly, experience cards were starting to feel like training wheels. Useful now while I was still relatively weak, but the real value was in learning techniques permanently. Like how I'd managed to pick up those B-rank earth jutsu from Akagi's memories, even if the A-rank stuff was still beyond me.
"And speaking of training wheels," I yawned, feeling the accumulated exhaustion of the past few days finally catching up with me. "Time to get some actual sleep."
Dawn was already painting the sky in soft pastels, but that was fine. I had the perfect excuse to hole up in the morgue for the next few days, claiming I needed time to recover from my "injuries."
The comfortable life of a professional corpse enthusiast was calling, and I was more than ready to answer.
Besides, I had a lot of experimenting to do with my new skeletal superpowers. The morgue was the perfect place for that kind of research.
Quiet, private, and already decorated in exactly the right aesthetic.
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