Watching the explosion of dust and thunder in the distance, Shikamaru felt a chill crawl up his spine.
He knew Kaito was strong, but this… this is on another level.
Tayuya had been pressuring him moments ago, yet Kaito had ended it all with a single punch.
Judging by the aftermath, if she wasn't dead, she was at least crippled. Shikamaru figured the odds of her surviving were slim.
"Well, whatever. At least I'm still alive," he muttered, exhaling in relief.
"Think you can walk back to Konoha on your own? …Forget it. I'll take you," Kaito said as he created another shadow clone. The clone hoisted Shikamaru onto its back and dashed off.
---
Elsewhere, in the middle of a wide clearing, Rock Lee and Kimimaro clashed with fierce intensity.
Unlike in the original timeline, Rock Lee's leg injury had been prevented by Ayanami Kaito. There was no need for Tsunade's surgery—Lee was still at his peak.
He had already opened five of the Eight Gates. His body radiated intense pressure, his skin flushed red as surging chakra swirled around him.
On the battlefield, Lee's movements were like lightning. His afterimages flickered across the grass, too fast to follow.
One, two, dozens—his form blurred across the field, fists crashing forward with speed that tore the air itself.
BOOM! BOOM!
Each strike created shockwaves that forced Kimimaro onto the defensive. Some blows he deflected, others exploded beside him, leaving the field cratered with deep pits.
Though both fighters were taijutsu specialists, Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku gave him a sharp edge.
His kekkei genkai allowed him to manipulate his bones as deadly weapons, harder than steel. It forced Lee to constantly guard against sudden spikes and projectiles even in close range, weakening Lee's advantage.
Worse, Lee couldn't use his signature techniques—the Front Lotus or Reverse Lotus—without risking impalement. If he tried to grapple, Kimimaro's bones would pierce him mid-attack.
Lee's original strategy had been to open five gates, blitz Kimimaro, and finish it with one decisive Lotus technique. But the moment he did, Kimimaro activated his cursed seal.
Now in Cursed Seal Level One, Kimimaro's power had skyrocketed. He wasn't stronger than Lee's Five Gates form, but he was close enough to make it a brutal stalemate.
Lee resorted to ranged shockwaves, but Kimimaro tanked through them without faltering.
Finally, the gate's power began to fade. The backlash hit.
Lee staggered back, pale and drenched in sweat, his body trembling from the toll.
"Has your forbidden technique worn off?" Kimimaro murmured, calmly stepping forward.
WHOOSH!
He moved like a blur, appearing in front of Lee in an instant.
In his hand, his spine had been drawn out and reshaped into a whip. He swung it at Lee with deadly force.
Lee's pupils narrowed—he could feel the lethal aura radiating from that white whip.
At the last second, Lee rolled away using the momentum of his fall, barely dodging the blow.
Panting hard, he sat slumped against a rock, body on the brink of collapse. He looked up.
Kimimaro was already in front of him.
The bone in his hand morphed into a sharp spear, aimed directly at Lee's abdomen.
"You were a worthy opponent," Kimimaro said quietly. "Goodbye."
Lee's eyes widened in terror. He couldn't move.
This is it…!
WHOOSH!
Lee vanished from the spot just as the bone spear lunged forward.
Kimimaro looked at the empty air with an unreadable expression. "Reinforcements?"
"Kaito! You're here!" Lee exclaimed as he reappeared behind him, clutching his chest.
That had been too close.
Kaito formed a shadow clone and ordered it to take Lee to the Konoha Hospital.
Then he turned, staring calmly at the white-haired shinobi.
"You must be Kaguya Kimimaro," Kaito said coolly.
Kimimaro's eyes narrowed. "How do you know my name?"
"You don't have much time left, do you?" Kaito replied without hesitation.
Kimimaro froze. "How do you…?"
"The Kaguya clan bloodline has always carried a terrible cost. The more you use Shikotsumyaku, the more your body decays. I saw the way you coughed up blood earlier. You plan to die in battle, don't you? To bring Sasuke back for Orochimaru?"
Kimimaro didn't speak.
He didn't have to. It was all true.
Kaito sighed. His voice was solemn.
"I respect your strength… but I pity you more."
He remembered Kimimaro's tragic story. Born a child soldier, locked in a cage by his own clan. Used as a living weapon.
When the Kaguya clan attacked Kirigakure, Kimimaro was released—but the clan was wiped out. He survived and was taken in by Orochimaru.
Brainwashed. Devoted. Used.
Even now, knowing his body was failing, Kimimaro had chosen to die in battle… just to bring Orochimaru his next vessel.
He reminded Kaito of Haku. Another soul born to be used.
"You've never lived for yourself," Kaito said quietly.
He clenched his fists. "So go ahead. Show me everything you've got. I won't hold back, and I'll make your death swift."
Kimimaro's face tightened.
This pressure—he hadn't felt anything like it since he stood before Orochimaru-sama.
With no hesitation, he activated Cursed Seal Level Two.
"AHHHHH!"
The markings of the curse mark spread rapidly across his skin, crawling like black vines. His skin darkened, and a thick, sinister chakra surged around him.
Cold. Malice. Rage. Despair.
A storm of purple-black chakra exploded outward from his body, shaking the air.
CRACK!
The ground beneath him split apart. Jagged fractures spread in all directions, spiderwebbing across the clearing.
Above them, dark clouds began to gather, shrouding the sun.
The light was fading. And the battle had only just begun.
---
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