Naruto: I am Uchiha Fugaku

"Tch"

With a thought, Uchiha Fugaku extended his palm forward.

A bone spike instantly extended from his palm, growing to several centimeters in length.

Its tip was sharp, and the base thick; the bone was an ivory white, resembling ivory itself.

Clink!, clink!

He tapped it lightly, and it had a metallic feel to it, as if he were striking metal.

Taking out a kunai, he clashed it with the bone spike. A loud noise echoed, like metal striking metal.

After the clash, he looked at the bone spike and found that there wasn't even a scratch on its surface.

The fact that the bone spike, made of bone, didn't get scratched even after clashing with a kunai made of metal, showed just how strong the bone structure was. It was no weaker than metal used to make kunai.

The bone was as hard as metal—this was not just a metaphor but a fact.

"Disintegration—"

Uchiha Fugaku thought, and the bone spike began to disintegrate, starting from its tip. It shattered like weathered rock.

In the end, the entire bone spike completely disappeared.

The Shikotsumyaku (Corpse Bone Path) was a Kekkei Genkai that allowed control over all the bones in the body. It could not only manipulate bone growth but also control bone disintegration and hardening.

It could even absorb the components that made up the bones back into the body, recycling some chakra and reducing the chakra consumption when using Shikotsumyaku.

However, Fugaku wasn't planning on doing so. After all, any bone that extended outside the body would be susceptible to bacteria or even the blood and tissue of enemies, which could easily lead to infection.

"The middle-aged man's Shikotsumyaku was only slightly weaker than Kimimaro's. He had exhibited nearly Kage-level strength."

"Now that I've fused the body of this middle-aged man and learned the corresponding Shikotsumyaku techniques, my power just from using Shikotsumyaku can reach close to Kage-level."

"However, Kage-level strength is still a bit insufficient for me!"

Uchiha Fugaku unsealed another body from the storage scroll.

This was the body of a young man in his twenties. It belonged to a member of the Kaguya clan, whose strength was close to that of an elite Jonin.

While his Shikotsumyaku was slightly weaker than the middle-aged man's, it was still considered quite good among the Kaguya clan.

The Uchiha clan wasn't one where everyone could awaken the Sharingan. In fact, most members of the clan could not. Similarly, the Kaguya clan was also mostly made up of individuals who couldn't awaken the Shikotsumyaku due to insufficient bloodline purity.

"Hm—"

The pattern in Fugaku's left eye, the Mangekyo Sharingan, began to spin rapidly as he activated the body fusion technique. A black vortex appeared.

He threw the young man's body into the black vortex, and the second fusion of the Shikotsumyaku began.

A white, bone-like substance flowed from his left eye, spreading throughout the body. It pulled toward the bones, like magnets attracting each other, and integrated with the skeletal structure.

Crack!, crack!

Once again, the sound of bones snapping like frying beans filled the air as Fugaku's bones underwent another enhancement and fortification.

His bones grew denser, harder, and more resilient than before.

Even the activity of his bone cells grew stronger.

After a short while, the fusion of the young man's body was completed, and his skeletal transformation ended.

Fugaku felt some changes within himself.

If he were to extend another bone spike, it would surely be sharper and harder than before.

"After fusing two bodies with strong Shikotsumyaku abilities, I wonder if relying solely on Shikotsumyaku strength can achieve Kage-level power?"

He pondered but quickly realized that such a guess was unnecessary.

He had already fused many Kaguya clan bodies. Even if the strength from the Shikotsumyaku didn't reach Kage level from just two bodies, fusing more bodies would definitely push it to that level.

After fusing more than ten bodies from the Yuki clan, his strength reached Kage level. If the power from the Shikotsumyaku didn't reach that level after fusing so many Kaguya bodies, that would indeed be strange.

"My chakra is sufficient, I'll continue fusing!"

He continued to use the body fusion technique, fusing more Kaguya clan bodies.

Again and again, his bones were enhanced with each fusion.

By the time his chakra reserves were running low, he had fused twelve Kaguya clan bodies.

The exact hardness of his bones, after twelve enhancements, was immeasurable, but it was safe to assume that they were stronger than most metals.

"Now, if I just master the Shikotsumyaku techniques, my strength in using them will definitely reach Kage level!"

He thought to himself.

Even the first fusion, the middle-aged man's body, had allowed him to reach Kage-level strength with Shikotsumyaku. With the subsequent fusion of eleven more Kaguya bodies, it was certain that his Shikotsumyaku would now allow him to reach the Kage level without a doubt.

"I'm sure that my Shikotsumyaku is now stronger than Kimimaro's!"

He thought confidently.

Had Kimimaro not died early, he might have reached Kage level himself. But now, after fusing twelve Kaguya bodies, Fugaku's strength in using Shikotsumyaku would far surpass an ordinary Kage.

When it came to the strength of his Shikotsumyaku, he was confident it was now superior to Kimimaro's.

"The power of my Shikotsumyaku might even surpass the power of the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai!"

His face showed signs of excitement.

Though both were formed through the fusion of bodies from a similar bloodline, the twelve Kaguya clan bodies Fugaku fused had much better quality.

Five of them possessed particularly high Shikotsumyaku ability.

So, in terms of bloodline strength, his current Shikotsumyaku was superior to the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai.

"I still have plenty more Kaguya bodies left to fuse, and I can perform hundreds of additional enhancements. How strong will my Shikotsumyaku be after the final enhancement?"

He couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect.

Once he fused all the Kaguya clan bodies he had, his Shikotsumyaku would undoubtedly reach an extremely powerful level.

When he finally perfected the Shikotsumyaku and began using its techniques, it was possible that it would surpass the Mangekyo Sharingan and become the most powerful Kekkei Genkai at his disposal.

This wasn't impossible. After all, his Mangekyo Sharingan hadn't yet evolved into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, so it hadn't yet reached its full potential.

On the other hand, after fusing all the Kaguya clan bodies, the Shikotsumyaku would likely reach the full potential of the bloodline.

"I wonder... can I evolve my Shikotsumyaku into the Kaguya's Bone Path?"

His gaze became filled with anticipation.

The Shikotsumyaku originated from the Otsutsuki Kaguya, and if his guess was correct, the final evolution of the Shikotsumyaku would likely be the Kaguya's Bone Path.

It was a terrifying bloodline that transcended the Kekkei Genkai and reached the level of a Kekkei Tota, possessing powers on the level of the Six Paths.

This thought excited him further.

If he fused all the Kaguya clan bodies, could the Shikotsumyaku evolve into the Kaguya's Bone Path?