i am kimimaro

Under the cover of night, a white figure hurriedly moved along.

"I didn't expect to receive news of Tsunade at a time like this. It seems persistence truly pays off."

This person was, of course, Kimimaro.

After learning Tsunade's whereabouts from a young villager, he immediately set out.

But just as he left the village and stepped onto a small path, he suddenly heard the sounds of a battle.

"What's this…?"

Kimimaro immediately stopped in his tracks and moved to the side.

Not far ahead, several figures appeared.

Leading the group was a girl with dark blue hair. She was already wounded in multiple places, with blood seeping from her injuries.

Behind her were three ninjas dressed in the uniforms of the Hidden Mist's ANBU.

"Damn it. At this rate, I won't be able to escape. They're just wearing me down until I'm too exhausted to resist. I have no choice but to fight!"

The girl muttered under her breath and formed hand signs.

"Crystal Style! Crystal Shuriken Jutsu!"

Pink crystal shurikens materialized in her hands and were immediately thrown.

*Whoosh!*

The shurikens spun through the air toward the three ANBU.

"Scatter!"

With a quick shout, the three Hidden Mist ANBU split up, and the crystal shurikens struck a tree, cutting it cleanly in half.

The power of the attack was impressive.

The three Hidden Mist ANBU surrounded the girl, cutting off all her escape routes.

"Give it up. With your wounded body, you can't escape from the three of us. Hand over Yūkimaru and come back with us to the Mist, and maybe you'll get to keep your life."

One of the ANBU, wearing a dog-head mask, spoke coldly.

"Dream on!"

The girl was resolute and immediately formed more hand signs.

"Crystal Style! Jade Crystal Mirror!"

After completing the signs, she pressed her wrists together, and a circle of red light shot out, transforming into a green crystal mirror.

The girl quickly formed more hand signs.

"Crystal Style! Jade Crystal Clone Jutsu!"

Two identical figures stepped out of the crystal mirror.

The two clones stood beside her, forming a formation to guard against attacks from three directions.

Then, the crystal mirror shattered into dust and disappeared.

"How ridiculous. You think that's enough to defeat us? Since you refuse to cooperate, don't blame us for being ruthless!"

The three Hidden Mist ANBU attacked.

A fierce battle was inevitable.

Kimimaro silently observed the scene from behind a tree.

"Crystal Style? Is that Guren?"

Guren.

The orphan taken in by Orochimaru.

She possessed the rare Kekkei Genkai—Crystal Style.

Though she hadn't been in the Sound Village for some time, as she was assigned to another base, Kimimaro had never met her.

While he had never seen her in person, he had read her file.

Guren was around Kimimaro's age, and her Crystal Style abilities were formidable.

Despite her young age, she already had power close to that of a jōnin.

Kimimaro wondered why this Crystal Style girl was here on the edge of the Land of Lightning, being hunted by the Hidden Mist's ANBU. The situation didn't look good for her.

The three Hidden Mist ANBU were no weaker than her.

One-on-one, Guren might stand a chance, but one against three? It was a near-certain defeat.

Kimimaro quickly picked up on a key piece of information from their conversation.

"Yūkimaru? Could that be the boy who's possibly the Fourth Mizukage's son?"

Kimimaro's memory stirred. He vaguely recalled hearing of such a person.

"This is getting interesting," he murmured, turning his attention back to the battle.

"Crystal Style! Jade Crystal Blade!"

A light-colored crystal blade formed on Guren's right arm, and the same happened with her two clones.

The Hidden Mist ANBU closed in, drawing their long swords.

"Draw and Slash!"

The sound of three swords being unsheathed at the same time rang out with tremendous momentum.

*Clang!*

The crystal blades of Guren's two clones shattered instantly. The long swords cut through the crystal fragments and struck the clones.

The sharp blades pierced through, and the crystal clones met the same fate—shattered into pieces.

Though Guren managed to block the Hidden Mist ANBU's swords from the front, her rear defenses were now completely exposed.

"This is bad!"

Guren shouted, realizing her situation had taken a dire turn. Her chakra had already been depleted significantly during the escape.

Now, she didn't have enough chakra to sustain the Jade Crystal Clone Jutsu, making her clones much more fragile.

Before she could create a chance to escape, her clones were destroyed.

The dog-masked ANBU sneered coldly. "You've lost."

With that, he kicked Guren hard in the stomach.

The force sent her flying, slamming her into a tree.

The impact from behind caused her to spit out a mouthful of blood, her energy rapidly diminishing.

"Is this the end? Damn it, I haven't become Orochimaru-sama's vessel yet. I can't die here."

As memories of a certain figure flashed through her mind, Guren struggled to stand.

Blood seeped from her wounds once again, soaking her green outfit.

"Oh? You still have the strength to stand. Impressive. But you shouldn't have opposed the Hidden Mist!"

The dog-masked ANBU tightened his grip on his sword and slowly approached Guren.

"Let me cut off your arms first, and then we'll see how you resist."

Guren's eyes were filled with defiance, and she continued to form hand signs, though much slower than before.

The dog-masked ANBU sneered as he raised his sword high, ready to strike down.

At that moment, a cold voice echoed through the air.

"Hado #4: Byakurai!"

A white lightning bolt sliced through the night, striking the dog-masked ANBU's sword.

The electric current surged through the blade, almost reaching his body.

Reacting quickly, the dog-masked ANBU let go of his sword and jumped back, avoiding the worst.

"Who's there?"

He scanned the area but saw no one.

Where the lightning had originated, the space was empty.

The other two ANBU, startled, immediately prepared for another attack.

But it was already too late.

Kimimaro had set his sights on them.

"Finger Bullets!"

The cold voice rang out again, and two white bone bullets shot through the chests of the two ANBU.

"Ah!"

Two screams echoed simultaneously, and the ANBU collapsed, revealing the white-clad boy behind them.

It was Kimimaro, now free from his Gaia Foundation disguise.

"Corpse Bone Pulse! You're from the Kaguya clan!"

The face behind the dog mask turned pale.

The Kaguya Clan!

The clan that fought to the death until the bitter end!

The dog-masked ANBU had been present at the night of their clan's massacre.

That tragic scene was something he would never forget.

The sudden turn of events halted Guren's hand signs.

She looked at the white-clad boy standing under the night sky.

"You are indeed well-informed, ANBU of the Mist. But knowing that won't change your fate."

Kimimaro smiled faintly, though the smile brought no warmth to the ANBU. Instead, it sent chills down his spine.

(End of chapter)