Hoozuki’s Hydrification Technique

This is the pinnacle of Water Release that was created by the Hoozuki Clan of the Land of Water. It allows their entire body to liquefy and solidify at will, literally transforming them into a mass of water bound by chakra. They can turn parts of themselves into liquid while the rest remains solid, control their water body just as naturally as they control their human body and even change the consistency of the liquid to grant it sticky, oily or even semi-solid qualities.

Being essentially made from water allows them to use their own body for their techniques like a Water Clone such as firing a water droplet faster than the speed of sound using enormous pressure pierce through the enemy. Or gathering and compressing water into a single limb like an arm to give rise to a superhuman strength capable of cutting through both rock walls and steel doors.

Of the Land of Water’s clans without a kekkei genkai, the Hoozuki are undoubtedly considered the greatest. Its inventor was one of the greatest masters of Water Release in shinobi history and it was only through their genius and thorough understanding of water chakra that they discovered a way to transform their own body into an elemental substance. They passed down their affinity for water and this hijutsu to their offspring who learned it from a younger age, used it throughout their lives and then passed it down to their descendants, so on and so forth. Thus the Hoozuki Clan was born like so many others.

The Hydrification Technique is the very first ninjutsu taught to every member of their bloodline once they learn to harness their chakra. This is a common practice among ninja clans with their hijutsu anyway but the Hoozuki have two very compelling reasons to do so.

The first is because of the difficulty of the technique; it may not be nearly so hard to learn the technique as it was to invent it, but it takes time to use it effectively. The second is because the user is immune to harm from physical attacks – and quickly reform themselves when struck – when it’s active but are as vulnerable as anyone else when it isn’t. By mastering this ninjutsu to the highest level, it becomes possible to maintain it near indefinitely as long as they have enough chakra so that they become incredibly difficult to kill or even hurt. In this state, their body stays solid until they choose to liquefy or a physical impact makes them lose cohesion.

But when struck by a powerful enough force, the feedback from having their body so violently dispersed can leave them unconscious in a semi-solid state like jelly. It wouldn’t cause permanent damage but they are incapacitated for a time. And because liquid bodies make them highly conductive, the usual effects of lightning techniques are significantly amplified which causes them incredible pain and the inability to properly liquefy their bodies.

Another unfortunate consequence of the constant use of this technique and the liquid nature of their body typically means that they can suffer from relatively low stamina as they literally evaporate from heat and exertion. The effect is reduced depending on the strength and skill of the Hoozuki but the best counter to the problem is water. It is standard practice for them to keep themselves hydrated with water bottles carried on hand. Otherwise they can function in a cold, wet climate far better than a hot, dry one.

On the other hand, a Hoozuki near a large enough source of water is practically unstoppable as they can make that water part of their own body and use it as a extension of themselves. Few things can stop a Hoozuki by a river, lake or sea. Only the ice-wielders of the Yuki Clan were willing to challenge them on such terrain during the Warring Clans Era and the animosity between these two clans was almost as famous as that between the Senju and Uchiha. It was unfortunate given how powerful a union between those clans could have been.