Kimimaro finished gathering the necessary provisions for his journey—supplies to ensure a safe trip.
A part of him felt eager to return out into the world after so long. But beneath the exhilaration of action, it was all to ensure that his servitude was perfect for Orochimaru.
Moments later, equipped and ready, he stepped outside and walked along the expanding nature surrounding the hideout. The path was overgrown, mirroring the confusion of his sudden recovery.
It was liberating yet daunting to think about it, so he remained focused to complete the mission assigned to him.
As he pressed onward, he thought of Jūgo, The two had not spoken for some time now. Before today, he was informed that Jūgo was locked in a room, waiting to be cured of his "problem."
Kimimaro reasoned that Jūgo's safety was bound to the investigation, and the thought alone empowered him.
And though Kimimaro was often viewed as simply a weapon or vessel, beneath that hardened exterior was a guardian who would not hesitate to defend those he cared about—especially those who also served Orochimaru.
After traveling for a couple of days, the outlines of the Northern Hideout emerged.
Kimimaro recalled the layout distinctly—the back entrance was well-hidden and only accessible to a select group who occupied high-ranking positions. As such, he decided to make his way there first.
As he neared the entrance, he noted the guards stationed outside. When he emerged from the shadows, their expressions changed from careless to astonishment. One guard even dropped the clipboard he had been clutching.
"Is that… Is it really Kimimaro?" he stammered, eyes wide.
Kimimaro stood tall, squaring his shoulders, saying flatly, "So you've heard of me?"
Their reaction confirmed what he already suspected—they had not believed that he would survive his illness that many in all the hideouts knew about.
The guards scrambled to open the door for him, stepping aside while mumbling congratulations on his full recovery. "It's amazing to see you up and about, sir! We thought—" one of them began till Kimimaro raised a hand to silence him.
The Sound shinobi could sense their flattery meant to placate him. It was clear they'd thought he would die on his sickbed, leaving them to cope with their own vulnerabilities.
"Enough with the pleasantries," he interrupted with a cold voice. "I need every piece of information you have regarding the recent intruder—everything related to the last attack."
"Of course, sir!" they said in unison, scared to comply.
They brought him to the backrooms of the hideout, rifling through documents and files that the other investigators left behind.
He looked around, seeing how long it had been since he'd traversed this hideout. Not much had changed save for the latest innovation and more incompetent watchers around.
Just as the guards returned with a stack of papers, he said, "I'll also need to see Jūgo…"
The guards hesitated and exchanged at the request.
"Well, uh… Jūgo is under strict watch, sir," one attempted to explain, nervously gripping the edge of the papers. "We received specific orders that no one—"
Before the guard could finish, a sharp sound cut through the air. Something had whistled by his head and struck the wall, leaving a neat hole. Embedded within it was a small finger bone.
Both guards become terrified, beads of sweat forming on their faces. The same guard who was inadvertently attacked turned to face Kimimaro, whose hand was slowly being lowered.
The former elite guard regarded them with icy eyes as he said in a low voice, "I'll kill you under suspicion if you disobey me again."
The truth was evident; this was indeed Kimimaro, the same left-hand man who had once served under Orochimaru's elite forces. Their demeanor changed drastically as they fumbled their words.
"Y-yes, sir!"
"We'll take you to him right away!"
Kimimaro's threatening aura subsided.
The guards led him down confusing hallways until they reached a door that stood ominously apart from the rest. It was solid and seemed impenetrable that not even whoever was inside could escape.
The door swung open and Kimimaro stepped into the abnormally dark room. In the far corner, Jūgo lay curled on the floor with a blank look as though caught in a haze between conscious thought and delirium.
As Kimimaro entered, Jūgo's head snapped up, and for a moment, they locked eyes. But Jūgo reacted instinctively, springing to his feet in a frenzy.
"Stay away!" he yelled, primal instinct overtaking reason.
He then lunged at Kimimaro, but Kimimaro was quicker. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned his spinal cord and used it as a whip, catching Jūgo in its grasp. The bone snapped around him before binding him tightly.
"Jūgo…" Kimimaro tried to relay in a firm yet soothing tone. "Calm down. It's me."
Jūgo's frantic eyes darted around before they fell upon Kimimaro once more.
"Kimimaro…?" he murmured in a shaky voice. "Is it really you?"
"Yes, I'm feeling better now," Kimimaro assured, slowly loosening his grip to allow the tendrils of his spinal cord to retract. "You're safe now, and I'd like to talk about what happened."
Jūgo hesitantly nodded as the tension faded. He rubbed his head, and Kimimaro approached him before comforting his friend.
"I can't remember much that day," Jūgo confessed. "The last thing I saw was smoke before everything went dark."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Kimimaro replied. "Just know I'm here to track down who attacked, so I'd like you to remain safe until I do. Got it?"
"I understand… But…"
"But what?"
"I should have fought back harder," Jūgo lamented, looking downcast. "I wasn't strong enough."
"It's not your fault, Jūgo. It was a chance for us both to reassess our strengths." Not only did he state this firmly, but he even made sure to maintain eye contact with Jūgo. "Just trust me; I'll see this through and come back for you."
Because of the confidence in those words, he believed his friend.
With a last glance, Kimimaro exited the room. He later moved through the hideout to gather the needed, follow leads, and ensure he was prepared for whatever might still be out there.
Whether the intruder was in another country or across the continent, he would surely track them down.
The hideout was a lot larger and more complex since the last time he'd visited. Kimimaro began at the eastern edge, where the forest met the rocky cliffs.
He scanned the area for any sign of the intruder—broken branches, footprints, anything out of place. The attack happened more than a week ago, but that didn't mean there still couldn't be any evidence.
As he inspected the ground beneath him, he found nothing. No signs of struggle, no traces of hurried footsteps, not even a hint of the presence that had infiltrated the hideout.
"Clearly the enemy isn't foolish," he said to himself.
He then went from the perimeter to the underground entrance. He made his way towards the concealed hatch known only to a select few inside the hideout. The entrance was essentially a tunnel, partly hidden beneath the overgrowth, but he didn't care; he needed answers.
Pulling it open, he could already smell the rotten stenches underneath. He peered into the alcoves, searching for anything that suggested an intrusion, but again, he came up empty.
It seemed as though the underground had remained untouched. Was it possible that the intruder had not traversed these depths?
If that was the case, then he was running out of options.
This is where his loyalty came into play. So long as he was given a mission by Orochimaru, he would see it through. As such, he refused to concede till he found something useful.
He had two last areas to check: the roof of the hideout and the laboratory. If the former failed, he would resort to asking Jūgo questions about the incident.
Ascending back to the surface, he made his way to the stairs that led to the roof. Once at the top, he stepped onto the rooftop. From this vantage point, he could see for miles.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He inspected the rooftop carefully, searching for any signs that someone had slipped past the guards or managed to scale the structure. He noticed the thoroughness of the design; it was clean, without disturbances. Even the dust bore no witness to an intruder's passage.
He knelt down and examined the edges near the base of the walls. But yet again, nothing. No broken tiles, no footprints, no evidence that anyone had dared to breach this part of their sanctuary.
Whoever had the gall to come here was making this investigation maddening.
Kimimaro stood up, feeling no sense of frustration. He only had more questions to ask himself, like how could something so significant happen within their walls, yet leave no trace?
Whatever had happened was still out there, waiting to be uncovered, and he would find it.
The doors to Jūgo's cells opened once more for Kimimaro to step inside. Jūgo sat slumped against the far wall, a bit more calm than before.
As Kimimaro approached, Jūgo looked up and said, "You came back. Did you find anything?"
"Not yet, but I need to ask you something." He settled onto the floor across from Jūgo, ensuring their eyes met. "Tell me about the smoke you saw before it went dark."
"I remember… It filled the room. I couldn't see anything in particular, but I sensed that someone was there… by there, I mean inside the smoke."
"Someone? You mean the intruder?"
"I think so," Jūgo answered, struggling to recall exactly what happened. "But it was hard to see it clearly, like there was a layer masking whatever the smoke was made of."
"Did you see anything else?" Kimimaro pressed. "Anything that stood out?"
Jūgo shook his head. This information greatly helped Kimimaro in deducing things.
Whoever the intruder was, there were three facts known.
The first was that they had to be an obvious enemy and not an ally. The second was that they had information about the Sound Village; otherwise, they wouldn't have known about Jūgo's presence here.
"What about the third fact?" Jūgo wondered.
Kimimaro wasn't entirely sure if this qualified as a fact, but he was going to assume and work with what he had: "They possess a Kekkei Genkai."
Jūgo had no reason to disbelieve this notion. His sensing capabilities would have easily picked up on just about anyone and anything that dared to enter his chamber. The fact that the smoke was laced with chakra could mean that this was a special blood-related or clan technique unknown to others.
"I'll visit the lab and come back if I have any more questions," Kimimaro relayed.
"Alright… Be careful out there."
"I will."
After leaving, he passed several rooms, but his focus remained staunch until he finally reached the lab where the intruder was stated to have taken items.
Scientists scuttled about—some in white lab coats, others in casual attire—discussing the damages suffered during the attack.
"What do we know?" Kimimaro asked.
A scientist answered, "We're still assessing the damage from the recent attack, sir. But it appears that some vials of important samples have mysteriously gone missing as of late."
"How long ago?"
"We… can't say for certain, but we assume two days ago."
Kimimaro stepped further into the room, scanning the tables filled with various vials. He soon spotted that out of all the vials missing, they were part of a group containing substances used to amplify chakra—ones that could lead to deadly outcomes in the wrong hands.
"Tell me about this," he questioned, pointing to the vacant space. "What exactly was inside it?"
"A mixture of rare herbs and chakra-reactive materials from the rocky terrains just beyond our hideout," the scientist explained. "Those specific ingredients were crucial for our biochemical experiments."
Kimimaro narrowed his eyes to contemplate things.
With that, he last exited the lab, believing his next and hopefully final destination should be the rocky terrains.