Naruto: Uchiha Survivor Forced to Save the Shinobi World

Land of Lightning.

Kimimaro, weary from his travels, was trudging through the endless snowy mountains.

In such harsh conditions, even shinobi found it difficult to survive, which made this area, stretching for miles, rarely visited by anyone.

Trailing ten miles behind Kimimaro, Kabuto Yakushi kept a vigilant watch on his surroundings.

He knew more about the Akatsuki than most.

After all, he was Orochimaru's personal assistant, and Orochimaru had once been a member of the Akatsuki, having seen the leader with the "Sage Eyes."

Pulling his robe tighter around himself, Kabuto thought, "What kind of test would the Akatsuki arrange in such a place?"

He didn't think it strange that the Akatsuki had chosen such a desolate location for their test.

On the contrary, knowing the terrifying nature of the Akatsuki, he subconsciously believed that their test should be something nearly impossible or beyond comprehension.

He adjusted his glasses and thought, "I really hope the examiner isn't Uchiha Itachi!"

If there was one person in the Akatsuki he feared most, it was undoubtedly Uchiha Itachi.

Kabuto had been present when Orochimaru attacked Itachi, and he had witnessed firsthand how Itachi had subdued Orochimaru with just a genjutsu.

If even a formidable person like Orochimaru couldn't withstand Itachi's Sharingan, then Kabuto certainly stood no chance.

Just then, he saw Kimimaro, who had reached the mountain peak ahead, suddenly stop, as if he had discovered something.

Realizing that the Akatsuki's examiner was likely at the summit, Kabuto quickly crouched down and hid behind a tree.

"Who could it be?"

He kept his eyes on the peak while speculating internally.

Since Orochimaru's defection, many powerful individuals had joined the Akatsuki.

Among them were members like Moryo and Shennong, who had mysterious backgrounds, as well as three S-rank missing-nin temporarily labeled as 'A,' 'B,' and 'C' by the Five Great Shinobi Villages. He couldn't guess who the Akatsuki examiner at the summit might be.

Boom!

Suddenly, a loud explosion came from the peak.

Then, a black figure fell from the mountain and crashed heavily down.

Seeing the falling figure, Kabuto froze, realizing it was Kimimaro, who had just reached the peak.

As he hesitated about whether to take action, another figure swiftly descended from the summit.

"The Akatsuki examiner has appeared!"

Kabuto immediately suppressed his urge to act and looked towards the descending figure. To his surprise, the person wasn't wearing the Akatsuki's red cloud robe but was instead dressed in a black haori and wielding a long sword.

"A samurai!?"

He was taken aback, and then focused his eyes, noticing that there seemed to be writing in the figure's eyes. However, the distance was too great, and without a dojutsu Kekkei Genkai, he couldn't make out what the inscription was.

At that moment, the two individuals, one in pursuit and one being pursued, began to battle fiercely on the snowy mountain.

Kabuto's face darkened, his confusion turning into astonishment.

He knew Kimimaro's strength better than anyone.

Although Kimimaro was only nine years old, his abilities were already on par with those of a jōnin. If he used his "Shikotsumyaku" recklessly, even an average jōnin would be no match for him.

Moreover, Kimimaro's power lay primarily in his taijutsu. Even Kabuto himself wouldn't want to compete with Kimimaro in close combat.

Because of this.

When Kabuto saw the haori-clad samurai who had chased Kimimaro down the mountain peak, attacking with overwhelming speed and strength, it was impossible for him not to be shocked.

Shwip, shwip, shwip!

At that moment, Kimimaro activated the Kekkei Genkai "Shikotsumyaku" in his bloodline, and the sharp whistling of bone projectiles breaking through the air echoed across the snowy peak.

However, the haori-clad samurai used only his long sword to easily deflect all of Kimimaro's bone projectiles. His movements were skillful and composed, leaving an indelible impression.

In the instant that Kabuto was slightly distracted, the haori-clad samurai moved swiftly, closing in on Kimimaro, and delivered a clean slash across Kimimaro's body.

"What!?"

Kabuto was shocked and could no longer care about being exposed. He rushed forward.

Shwip, shwip!

He threw two kunai, each tied with explosive tags, while pulling the bleeding Kimimaro back.

Without even looking, the haori-clad samurai swung his sword, cutting the incoming kunai into several pieces.

However, his strike triggered the explosive tags tied to the kunai, instantly detonating them in a massive explosion!

Using the explosion as cover, Kabuto finally managed to pull Kimimaro away from the haori-clad samurai.

Only then did he have time to check Kimimaro's injuries, finding that while the sword wound looked gruesome, Kimimaro's "Shikotsumyaku" had protected his vital organs with bones.

As Kabuto treated Kimimaro, he asked, "Are you alright?"

Kimimaro struggled to his feet, shaking his head. "I'm fine!"

Kabuto asked, "Who exactly is that samurai?"

"I'm not sure. He was just standing there when I reached the summit," Kimimaro said, catching his breath. "Then he suddenly attacked me."

Kabuto was puzzled. "Is he the Akatsuki examiner?"

"I'm not certain either." After a pause, Kimimaro added, "But he's strong! I've never faced an opponent like this!"

Kabuto knew that if Kimimaro called someone strong, they were certainly no ordinary person.

By now, the dust from the explosive tags had begun to settle, and a figure emerged from the smoke.

Kabuto squinted and his face fell.

At that moment, he finally saw what was inscribed in the man's eyes—one eye had the word "Upper Moon," while the other had the word "One."

"Upper Moon One!?"

Kabuto instantly realized the situation had taken a turn for the worse.

He had heard about the Akatsuki members whose eyes bore the "Upper Moon" inscriptions.

It was said that even the weakest among them had the strength of an elite jōnin.

During the battle on the long street, it had been an internal conflict between the Akatsuki's Upper Moon members and another faction of the Akatsuki. The members who had appeared at the time were Upper Moon Five and Upper Moon Six.

And those two were already on par with the Mangekyō Sharingan-wielding Uchiha.

Therefore, it wasn't hard to imagine the level of the person before them, Upper Moon One. His strength had likely surpassed that of a jōnin and reached Kage level.

Facing such a powerful enemy, Kabuto had no confidence at all.