The dim cave allowed only a few strands of sunlight to filter through, casting broken patterns of light across the bars.
Takizo lit the oil lamp hanging by the cell, and with the flickering glow, a white-haired child could be seen curled up in the corner.
The child wore a gray cloth robe. An iron ring clasped around his waist, with three chains connected to it, the other ends welded firmly into the chakra-forged bars of the cell.
Sensing the change in light, the child slowly raised his head toward the doorway.
His skin was pale to the point of sickliness. A few strands of white hair fell across his forehead, and faintly visible between his brows were two red dots. Beneath them, his green eyes were filled with lifelessness.
This was Kaguya Kimimaro, the only Kaguya to appear in the original story, the loyal servant of Orochimaru.
When he was introduced, he was gravely ill, surviving only with the help of medical devices.
Yet even in that state, Kimimaro could fight at the level of an elite Jonin. During the Konoha Crush, he aided Orochimaru in assassinating the Fourth Kazekage.
Later, during the mission to retrieve Sasuke, Kimimaro, driven only by his devotion, fought Naruto, Rock Lee, and Gaara, all while carrying a failing body.
In the end, just as his bone spear was about to pierce Gaara, his illness overwhelmed him. He collapsed and died. He was only fifteen.
Takizo looked into Kimimaro's eyes, his heart full of sorrow.
Perhaps this was the curse of the shinobi world: the greater the genius, the harsher the fate. Kimimaro's childhood had been one of suffering.
With his white hair and the strongest form of Shikotsumyaku, Kimimaro could freely draw bones from any part of his body to use as weapons.
This terrifying gift made even the battle-hardened Kaguya clan fear him. From a young age, he was imprisoned, treated only as a weapon, until the clan itself met destruction.
Yes, destruction. The Kaguya, too, were destined to be wiped out. Takizo carried the same blade of annihilation above his head, just as the Uchiha once did.
The Uchiha perished because of isolation, oppression, and a failed coup. The Kaguya were different. Their downfall came simply because they were sick in the soul.
The Kaguya were a clan born for slaughter. They felt no pity for life—neither enemy nor their own.
To them, life's meaning was found only in killing.
Either kill others or be killed, and whichever outcome came, it mattered little. As long as there was bloodshed, as long as they could dance among torn flesh and spilled blood, they considered it a perfect life.
In the Warring States era, such madness could be released freely. But once the shinobi villages were formed, the Kaguya were contained.
In times of war, they were thrown onto the battlefield. In times of peace, they were tightly restrained, locked away from Kirigakure.
It must be said—Kirigakure's caution was effective.
Crushed by suppression, the Kaguya eventually chose self-destruction. They attacked Kirigakure blindly, without target, without plan, killing any they saw.
And so, they died with their clan.
Kimimaro's birth marked the beginning of that countdown to extinction.
What tormented Takizo most was that in the original story, the exact timing of the Kaguya massacre was never mentioned. No one knew when the final day would come.
That meant every clan meeting was like a knife-edge. Takizo feared that one lunatic might suddenly declare, "Let's attack the Mist!"—and his life would end there and then.
"Takizo?"
Takizo snapped out of his thoughts.
The cell door had already been opened. Shitaro had rushed inside, happily chattering to Kimimaro, while Kizuki set food on the ground and gave Takizo a worried look.
Takizo smiled back at her, then sat down, rapping Shitaro lightly on the head as the boy bounced around. "Sit down. Time to eat."
Shitaro pouted but obeyed, sitting down while rubbing his head.
At this, even Kimimaro's lifeless face showed the faintest smile. A spark lit in his eyes as he ate quickly, speaking between bites. "Brother, can you teach me a new jutsu?"
"Have you mastered the one I taught you the other day?" Takizo asked.
Kimimaro didn't answer. Instead, he put down his bowl and chopsticks, extended his hands toward the stone wall, and with sharp cracking sounds, ten holes appeared in it.
"Wow! That's the Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!" Shitaro exclaimed.
This technique, exclusive to the Shikotsumyaku, fired hardened finger bones with concentrated chakra.
Takizo rose and examined the depth of the holes. "Well done, Kimimaro. After just two days of practice, you've already pierced half a knuckle deep into stone."
He ruffled Kimimaro's hair. "You really are a genius."
Kimimaro flushed. "It's only because brother teaches well."
Takizo chuckled and glanced at Shitaro. "If my teaching is so good, how come there's still someone here who can't even pierce wood?"
Shitaro's face turned red. "I can go through tree trunks already!"
Then he rattled on about how Kimimaro was six, while he was still under five.
Finally, under Takizo's laughter, he broke down, crying out dramatically and throwing himself into Kizuki's arms. "Sister Kizuki! Big brother bullies me!" Kizuki shot Takizo a reproachful look as she comforted him.
After a round of laughter, Takizo said, "Alright, Shitaro, do you still want to learn a new technique?"
Shitaro's head shot up from Kizuki's embrace, his eyes blazing with excitement. "Yes! I want to learn! This time I'll master it faster than Kimimaro!"
Takizo stretched his body and said, "This time, I'll teach you both a taijutsu technique—Dance of the Willow."
"Dance of the Willow is not just a single attack move. It's a combat method. As I told you before, our bones are alive. We can control our osteoblasts and osteoclasts freely."
As he spoke, Takizo took off his shirt, revealing well-defined muscles. "Like this!"
With a sudden motion, six bone spikes, each thirty centimeters long, burst from his shoulders, elbows, and palms.
He could make them longer, but with his height of one meter forty, thirty centimeters was enough.
"This is a basic Shikotsumyaku technique. I've already taught you both this much. What I'll show you now is a little more advanced." Takizo raised his palm, extending a bone spike toward Kimimaro. "Touch it."
Kimimaro pressed it lightly, and the spike bent under the pressure.
Shitaro's eyes went wide. "It's soft!"
Takizo turned the spike toward him again. "And now?"
"It's hard again!" Shitaro exclaimed, running his hand along it.
Takizo explained, "The Shikotsumyaku doesn't only let us shape bones. We can also control the calcium within them, making them harder or softer at will."
Kimimaro frowned. "I see how making them harder improves attack and defense, but what's the point of making them softer?"
"The simplest use is as a restraint. Soften your bone, bind the enemy, then harden it instantly to lock them in place." Takizo demonstrated, snapping his spike around Shitaro's wrist and trapping it firmly.
After releasing him, Takizo continued, "On a finer level, you can adjust calcium concentration to dissolve bones temporarily. That makes your body more flexible, and with enough control, you can even lighten your weight."
"The Dance of the Willow uses these principles. It has no fixed form. You shift with your enemy's attacks, changing instantly."
"Like willow leaves drifting with the wind—gentle yet decisive. That's how you strike."
Kimimaro raised his hand.
Takizo asked, "What is it, Kimimaro?"
Kimimaro tilted his head. "What's a willow leaf?"