i am kimimaro

A warm, comforting sensation wrapped around his entire body as Kimimaro slowly came to a stop.

He had no idea how far he had run, but now, all he could feel was exhaustion, as if he couldn't muster even an ounce of strength.

The blood on the two bone swords he held tightly in his hands had already dried.

Kimimaro's legs gave out, and he sat down on the ground.

"*Cough, cough...*"

After the exhaustion came an overwhelming thirst.

Luckily, the one thing the Land of Water wasn't lacking was water sources.

Kimimaro struggled to his feet and walked over to a nearby stream. He plunged his head into the cool water, leaving the bone swords stuck in the ground beside him.

He greedily savored that first sip of freedom.

Lifting his head, he shook it, sending droplets of clear stream water flying from his white hair.

The droplets scattered, and even his white hair seemed to revel in the joy of freedom.

"I did it," he murmured to himself, a sliver of joy rising in his heart.

He was free!

This new world had finally opened its arms to him.

For a moment, he felt new energy surge through his exhausted body.

The weariness of the night seemed to fade away.

Kimimaro tore off a piece of his shirt, soaked it in the stream, and gently wiped the blood off his bone swords.

Once the blood was gone, the swords returned to their original, pristine white.

In that moment, both the boy and his swords were pure and untainted.

However, even though the bone swords were clean, it was easy to see several nicks and cracks on them, while the boy himself had been reborn.

"It seems these bone swords are no longer usable."

Kimimaro muttered to himself, tossing the clean bone swords into the lake.

As the swords sank, the boy bid a final farewell to the Hidden Mist.

Now, he had a free body and soul.

Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Kimimaro exhaled heavily.

In his mind, a transparent interface only he could see appeared in front of him.

It displayed his information:

**Tourist**: Kimimaro 

**Age**: 10

**Innate Ability**: Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse)

At the top was a simple character introduction, and below it, the screen was divided into three sections.

Each section had several small boxes.

The three sections were labeled: **Scenic Photos**, **Character Photos**, and **Event Photos**.

In the Scenic Photos section, there was a picture of Kimimaro with the place where he had been imprisoned, with the words "Kirito Swordsmanship" written underneath.

In the Character Photos section, there were two pictures: one of Kimimaro shaking hands with Haku and another with Zabuza. Below them were written: **Water Body Flicker Technique** and **Silent Killing Technique**.

The Event Photos section was still blank.

As Kimimaro looked at it, he suddenly noticed a "1" flashing on the Event Photos section.

"What is this...?"

He reached out and tapped the flashing "1" in the air, and immediately, a line of text appeared.

**"The tourist has experienced the Kaguya Clan massacre. Check-in complete. Received Clow Card: 'The Sword.'"**

A cold, electronic voice rang out, and a new picture appeared in the Event Photos section, showing Kimimaro's heroic figure during the previous battle.

Unlike the Character and Scenic Photos, the Event Photos only appeared after the event had concluded.

Kimimaro's expression became rather intriguing.

"Clow Card? Like from *Cardcaptor Sakura*?"

This... was interesting.

The back of the photo showed the image of the Clow Card he had just received.

At the top of the card was the word "Sword," and below it was an image of a long sword bound by chains.

The Sword Card possessed the power to cut through anything and could be infused into any weapon.

Its strength depended on the user's willpower—the stronger the mind, the sharper the sword would become.

Kimimaro extended his right hand, and a brand-new bone sword emerged from his palm.

With a thought, the power of the Sword Clow Card flowed into the bone sword.

*Enchantment!*

Kimimaro tightened his grip on the sword and lightly slashed it across a large stone beside him.

*Crack!*

A sword mark appeared on the stone.

"This power..."

Kimimaro was surprised. He hadn't even used much strength, yet the sword had left such a deep mark on the stone.

If he put his full strength into it, the power would be even more terrifying.

It was similar to the effect of Wind Release chakra infusion, but the Sword Card's power was tied to his will, meaning its potential far exceeded that of Wind Release.

And it consumed very little energy.

Satisfied, Kimimaro withdrew the Sword Clow Card, and the bone sword returned to its original state.

"Not bad at all. If the bone sword had been this sharp during the last battle, my efficiency would have been much higher."

Kimimaro thought to himself, then leaned against a nearby tree and closed his eyes to rest.

After a night of fighting, he was nearly out of stamina and desperately needed rest to recover his strength.

If he encountered enemies again, he wouldn't even have the chance to fight back.

Resting now would also allow him to escape faster later.

Sharpening the sword doesn't delay the work of chopping firewood. Even though it was risky, this was the best course of action for now.

The bone sword was planted in the ground next to him, within arm's reach. If anything happened, he could draw it instantly to fight.

About fifteen minutes later, Kimimaro opened his eyes, a look of caution on his face.

He could sense someone approaching!

Whoever it was, they weren't trying to hide their presence, clearly unafraid of being detected.

Kimimaro immediately drew the bone sword from the ground and looked toward the source of the presence.

"Heh, so you're here after all."

A man in a pale yellow kimono with ghostly pale skin and chilling snake-like eyes approached.

Orochimaru!

It was him!

From the way he spoke, he had been looking for Kimimaro.

So, I was being watched all along? Kimimaro's mind raced with thoughts.

First, he felt a sense of relief.

At least he didn't have to worry about being hunted by the Hidden Mist anymore. With Orochimaru here, even if Mist Shinobi showed up, they wouldn't be a problem.

Second, Orochimaru had definitely set his sights on him.

Joining Orochimaru's camp?

Kimimaro wasn't entirely against the idea.

Orochimaru was one of the few truly "good" teachers in the world of *Naruto*, and if Kimimaro wanted to understand the world's power systems more deeply, joining his side would save him a lot of trouble.

The only real issue with joining Orochimaru was personal safety.

But that didn't concern Kimimaro much.

His kekkei genkai disease was his greatest safeguard. Until Orochimaru found a way to cure it, he wouldn't do anything to harm Kimimaro.

Once that problem was solved, Kimimaro was confident he could gain enough power to challenge Orochimaru.

Lastly, the rewards from the Time Travel Bureau made it clear that there was no direct cure for his kekkei genkai disease or immortality. So, the medical ninjutsu of this world was Kimimaro's best option.

If he could solve his disease without using forbidden techniques, that would be the ideal outcome.

Medical ninjutsu, first choice: Tsunade.

But even if Kimimaro could find her, why would the granddaughter of the First Hokage heal a rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist?

Not very realistic.

Below Tsunade, Kabuto was the second-best medical ninja.

Although Kabuto hadn't cured Kimimaro in the original series, that didn't stop Kimimaro from wanting to learn medical ninjutsu from him.

Kabuto's medical expertise owed a lot to Orochimaru's resources.

In any world, growth depended on access to resources.

Moreover, Orochimaru's experiments all required medical knowledge; otherwise, they wouldn't have been possible.

So, Orochimaru definitely had a system for learning medical ninjutsu.

That was the main reason Kimimaro wanted to join Orochimaru's camp.

Learn medical ninjutsu, understand the root of his disease, and then treat it.

No other option made more sense than staying by Orochimaru's side.

But following the original plot to join Orochimaru's camp wouldn't work.

He had escaped on his own, without showing any desperation to be wanted or needed.

Forcing himself into the role might make Orochimaru suspicious.

Although Orochimaru would probably still take him in, the treatment would likely be different.

If that's the case...

"Who are you?"

Even though he had recognized Orochimaru, Kimimaro didn't reveal that.

There was no need to show unnecessary flaws.

Now, he had to create a new persona for himself.

One better than a mere tool.

"Heh heh, who I am doesn't matter. What matters is you. As a member of the Kaguya Clan, you fled from battle. Isn't your clan known for its love of fighting?"

Orochimaru's lips curled into a mocking smile, but there was a hint of admiration in his eyes.

He had always been someone who valued life.

The Kaguya clan's decision to fight on despite knowing it would lead to their death seemed utterly foolish to him.

In contrast, someone like Kimimaro, who used every ounce of his will to survive, was someone Orochimaru truly admired.

"Fighting may be the Kaguya clan's purpose, but it's not mine. To me, living has meaning, while death is worthless."

Kimimaro coldly said this, making Orochimaru's eyes gleam with interest.

"Heh, what an interesting guy. But now that you've betrayed your clan, you're nothing more than a wandering soul without a place in this world."

"A place to belong..."

(End of chapter)