i am kimimaro

After a brief moment of shock, the Dog-Head Anbu quickly regained his composure.

"The Kaguya clan was supposed to have been wiped out in that battle. How is there a survivor? Who exactly are you?"

The Dog-Head Anbu stared at Kimimaro, trying to confirm his identity.

"Does it matter?" 

Kimimaro extended his right hand, pointing his index finger forward. A white bone slowly protruded from his fingertip, but not a drop of blood appeared.

The sight was truly bone-chilling.

The Dog-Head Anbu felt a shiver down his spine. Not caring about Kimimaro's identity anymore, he immediately started forming hand seals to cast a ninjutsu in defense.

"Earth Style! Ear—"

"Binding Spell Number One: Stop!"

Before the Dog-Head Anbu could complete his seals, Kimimaro uttered a low command, and the Anbu's hands, which had been forming seals, immediately clasped together.

The jutsu failed!

"What?!"

The Dog-Head Anbu's eyes widened in disbelief.

It felt as if an invisible force had bound his arms and legs.

At that very moment, the white bone from Kimimaro's right index finger shot forward!

"Finger Bullet!"

*Whoosh!*

The bone shot out!

The Dog-Head Anbu's face was filled with terror, and his chakra exploded in a desperate attempt to break free!

*Boom!*

In the next instant, he forcibly broke through the binding spell.

But it was too late.

The white bone pierced straight through his chest, causing a spray of blood to erupt.

It was too fast!

He stared in disbelief at the hole in his chest before collapsing silently.

Given the Dog-Head Anbu's strength, in a normal fight, there was no way he would have been taken down by Kimimaro so quickly.

However, Kimimaro's methods were too strange. The Anbu hadn't even had time to react before it was all over.

The Binding Spell was practically a hand-seal killer.

Any ninja who needed to form hand seals would have their jutsu interrupted unless they could instantly overcome the spell's power.

Kimimaro retracted his index finger and walked towards Guren, who was still in shock.

Guren immediately showed signs of caution, pulling out a kunai and holding it in front of her.

"What do you want?"

"Don't worry. I only intervened to save you, Guren."

"You know my name?"

"As someone from the Sound Village, it's not surprising that I know your name."

Guren frowned. She hadn't expected Kimimaro to reveal her identity so easily.

And from what he was saying, he was from the Sound Village too?

"Who are you, really?"

"Kaguya Kimimaro."

"Kaguya Kimimaro? That name sounds familiar…"

Guren murmured to herself, still keeping her guard up.

Then it hit her.

"You're the Kaguya Kimimaro that Lord Orochimaru favors so much!"

Guren's eyes widened as she carefully examined Kimimaro.

"I'm surprised you've heard of me."

Of course Guren had.

Although the base she was stationed at was far from the Sound Village, ninjas from the Sound often visited to check in, and it was through them that she had learned of Kimimaro's existence.

Guren had always aspired to become Orochimaru's vessel, so she paid close attention to those around him.

When she learned about Kimimaro, she became deeply curious about him—though mostly, she was jealous.

Why did she have to be stationed at some remote base while he could stay close to Orochimaru and receive such important attention?

That was the treatment she wanted the most, yet Kimimaro got to enjoy it every day.

In Guren's eyes, Kimimaro was an obstacle between her and her goal of becoming Orochimaru's vessel.

So, from the moment she heard about Kimimaro, she had harbored a strong dislike for him.

"I've heard of you. But shouldn't you be in the Sound Village? What are you doing here?"

"I'm on a mission."

Kimimaro said as he slowly walked up to Guren and extended both hands, which began to glow with a faint blue chakra.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm healing your wounds."

The blue chakra touched Guren's injuries, and they immediately began to heal.

Guren felt a tingling sensation as the pain vanished.

She even felt her strength gradually returning.

"He can perform medical ninjutsu?"

Guren was astonished, but she still managed to mutter, "Tha... thank you."

Although she was still displeased with Kimimaro, he had saved her life and was now healing her, so basic courtesy was necessary.

"No need. By the way, why were you being chased by the Mist's Anbu?"

Kimimaro asked as he continued healing her.

"It's Lord Orochimaru's mission; I can't reveal any details."

"Oh?"

Kimimaro hadn't expected her to be so tight-lipped.

Since Guren didn't want to talk, he didn't press the issue.

He didn't have much time to waste here anyway.

Soon enough, all of Guren's wounds had closed, though she would still need a couple of days to fully recover.

Even medical ninjutsu couldn't restore someone to full health instantly.

"Your wounds are mostly healed, but you should avoid fighting for the next couple of days. Otherwise, they could reopen. Any missions can wait until you're fully recovered."

Kimimaro stood up and glanced at the three corpses of the Mist ninjas nearby.

"I have other matters to attend to, so I won't stay here any longer. I've read your file. Your Crystal Release is quite effective for destroying evidence. I'll leave these three to you."

"No problem, leave it to me."

"Good. Then until next time."

Kimimaro said before leaving gracefully.

Guren watched him go, uncertain of what to think.

"I never expected him to save me... Whatever. It's not important right now. The pursuers are dealt with, and now I need to fetch Yukimaru. This is Lord Orochimaru's mission, and I cannot fail. I just hope Yukimaru is safe."

With that, Guren used her Crystal Release to dispose of the three bodies and then departed.

Meanwhile, Kimimaro continued heading toward the town.

"The Mist Anbu mentioned Yukimaru. It seems Guren is looking for him. Interesting. If I didn't have news of Tsunade, I'd consider investigating further."

Kimimaro muttered to himself, and a translucent panel appeared in front of his eyes.

A new card had appeared in his portrait collection.

While healing Guren's wounds, he had taken the opportunity to complete a portrait with her.

"Congratulations, traveler! You've successfully collected a portrait of Guren and obtained the Mirror Clow Card. By infusing chakra, you can use it to copy people or objects. The duration of the copies depends on the amount of chakra used."

"A Clow Card with the ability to copy?"

Kimimaro pondered this for a moment before accelerating his pace, his appearance shifting into that of Doctor Jun.

In the town, Shizune found Tsunade already drunk.

"Tsunade-sama, you're drunk again."

Shizune sighed, covering her face.

"Ah, Shizune, you're back? Have a drink with me."

"Tsunade-sama, you're already drunk."

"I'm not drunk, I can still..."

Tsunade raised her cup, but before she could finish her sentence, she slumped over the table, completely passed out.

Shizune shook her head and, picking up Tonton, carried Tsunade back to the inn.

She was quite used to this kind of situation by now.

(End of the chapter)