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Naruto met his gaze and smiled as he spoke: "Since you've come to deal with me, shouldn't you show some respect?"
"Don't ask such foolish questions every time. It doesn't make you seem smart."
Kimimaro leaned against a tree, his expression indifferent: "Apologies, I just underestimated your sensory abilities. However, I'm not like those you've encountered before. I'm here on behalf of Orochimaru-sama."
Naruto asked, "To avenge him?"
"Orochimaru-sama hasn't died," Kimimaro shook his head, his tone equally cold. "He simply needs you. It would be best if you willingly come back with me to serve Orochimaru-sama. If not, then I'll have to force you."
Naruto shook his head; there was no way he would agree.
Kimimaro stopped speaking, took out a pill and swallowed it, then leaped from the tree, striking with his palm. The wind roared! He clearly hadn't drawn a blade, yet within his palm, a blade-sharp edge sliced through the air. Naruto raised his blade to counter. The clash rang out with a metallic sound, sparks flying.
In his field of vision, Naruto's movements froze, and he saw clearly what was in Kimimaro's palm. It was a "bone blade," a bone that had pierced through his palm. A Kekkei Genkai?
Kimimaro continued his assault. Not just his palm—bones could suddenly protrude from various parts of his body. Slashes, thrusts, ambushes! Every slight movement could turn into an effective attack. This ability to control "bones" so freely made him a killing machine.
But, after several exchanges, Naruto reached out and grabbed the bone in Kimimaro's palm. Chakra surged, and golden ropes spread along the bone, climbed up his arm, and bound his entire body.
A binding spell without incantation. "Bakudō #4. Hainawa (這縄, Crawling Rope)."
Kimimaro struggled, bones piercing through, but the golden ropes only tightened.
"If this were a performance, I would applaud your dance," Naruto said, pulling the ropes tight and raising his blade. "But this is a battle. This Kekkei Genkai is indeed impressive, but your performance doesn't please me."
Kimimaro was strong, but not strong enough—about the level of "Momochi Zabuza." That guy was indeed a formidable opponent in the past, but to the current Naruto, that level of strength barely qualified to stand before him.
"My strength... is not as great as yours," Kimimaro admitted, but even at this moment, his expression remained calm, his tone gentle. "But the gift Orochimaru-sama left within me... let me show you my true form."
Naruto paused mid-swing. He looked at Kimimaro, eyes widening in surprise. What was this?
From the back of Kimimaro's neck, where the three-tomoe "curse mark" was located, a powerful surge of chakra erupted. But this was not his own chakra. Or rather, it was a completely different kind of chakra from what Naruto had known.
It absorbed the surrounding free energy, refined it through the curse mark, and then fed it back into Kimimaro's body, making his chakra aura even stronger. His appearance also began to change. Black lines spread across his body like veins, but in the blink of an eye, these black lines seemed to bleed out, staining Kimimaro's once pale skin into a dark color. Giant bone spurs emerged from his back, and he even grew a thick black tail.
His entire being became "mutated," with a "sinister and terrifying" appearance. Yet the nature of this power, to Naruto, didn't feel as evil as it looked. It was merely a pure form of energy.
"What kind of technique is this?" Naruto inquired.
Kimimaro clenched his fists: "This is the power granted to me by Orochimaru-sama. Let my final dance be my last contribution to Orochimaru-sama."
He didn't shout in rage, but said this very calmly. The boost from the "curse mark" allowed him to break free from the golden rope's restraints. But he didn't launch a hasty attack. Standing still, he formed a hand seal.
"Bracken Dance!"
A bone spike suddenly drilled up from the ground, sharp and pointed, like bamboo shoots after an early spring rain. The second spike, the third spike followed, growing thicker, taller, and expanding over an increasingly larger area.
Naruto lightly leaped into the air, standing above, letting the bone forest rise beneath his feet.
In the direction of the village leading to Konoha, Aburame Shino suddenly stopped, catching an insect in his hand, and said, "The insects tell me that Naruto seems to have encountered an enemy."
The others walked a few steps ahead before stopping as well.
"Where?" Hyuga Hinata asked.
Shino didn't speak, just pointed in a direction. Hinata activated her Byakugan and looked over.
"What kind of enemy has Naruto encountered?" Inuzuka Kiba asked anxiously.
Hinata's body trembled, and she shook her head: "I... I don't know. I can't see who Naruto is fighting, but that entire forest has been completely destroyed, taken over by bones—huge and numerous bones."
Bones? Destroying the forest?
"That must be a very strong enemy," Kiba said urgently. "Kurenai-sensei, we must quickly go support Naruto!"
Yūhi Kurenai hesitated: "An enemy capable of fighting Naruto?"
"Naruto isn't a rogue ninja; he's just left Konoha," Inuzuka Kiba spoke up, his voice firm. "Even if he's no longer a Konoha ninja, he's still our friend."
"If it weren't for him, Konoha would have been destroyed by Orochimaru during the Chūnin Exams!"
"Kurenai-sensei!"
Kurenai looked at the other two. "What do you think?"
"I…" Hinata clenched her fists. "I want to save Naruto-kun."
The words Naruto said on that day when he stood in the sky not only stung the hearts of Jiraiya and Kakashi but also deeply hurt Hinata.
She had liked Naruto for a long time but never dared to express it openly like Yamanaka Ino or Haruno Sakura to Sasuke.
To put it nicely, she was "shy." But in harsher terms, she was silently watching Naruto's "misfortune."
She didn't dare to comfort him when he was sad, nor did she have the courage to stand up for him when he was bullied.
She was even less effective than Jiraiya and Kakashi. Although they were "late," at least they arrived. But as for herself, she hadn't even taken the first step.
Aburame Shino nodded slightly.
Kurenai took a deep breath and spoke resolutely, "Team 8, temporary mission!"
"Support Uzumaki Naruto."
"Mission difficulty: A-rank."
"Move out!"
The four of them immediately leaped toward the bone forest.
They hadn't gone far from the town; the distance was short. By the time Team 8 arrived, bones were still rapidly growing, with a constant rumbling sound.
The bones had a clear purpose: they were chasing Naruto in the sky.
"What kind of jutsu is this…" Kiba marveled.
From Hinata's description, it was hard to grasp the scale of the "bone forest."
Simply destroying a forest wasn't too difficult.
Kiba himself knew one or two ninjutsu capable of doing that.
He was confident that his two teammates could do it as well.
But...
What he saw now was entirely different from his idea of "destroying a forest."
This was an entire forest covered.
The bones were towering, huge, and blooming, yet hauntingly beautiful.
It was like a "funeral."
"Hinata, Shino," Kurenai was momentarily shocked, but her years of experience as a ninja quickly calmed her. "Locate the enemy."
"Kiba, prepare to support me."
Before she could give further instructions, a voice came from behind her, "No need. An enemy of this level is nothing for Naruto."
Kurenai was startled and turned, gripping a kunai.
Her vision was filled with red hair.
It was the Uzumaki girl who was following Naruto.
She took a deep breath to calm herself.
When did she arrive?
Why hadn't Kurenai sensed her presence?
Wasn't she the genin who didn't even pass the second stage of the Chūnin Exams and failed by forfeit? How had she grown to this level?
Team 8 was known for their sensory abilities.
Shino's insects, Kiba's dog, Hinata's eyes—none of them noticed her approach?
"What do you mean by that?" Kurenai asked.
Karin shook her head and smiled, saying, "In front of Naruto, if you lack the strength to face him head-on and cannot hide your presence, then you are unqualified to fight him."
Team 8 fell silent.
They watched as the bone forest grew taller, shimmering coldly, sharp and menacing.
Even this wasn't enough to face Naruto head-on?
In the sky, Naruto stood firm: "I was expecting you to show me more."
"But is this all?"
"Your curse mark… it's just a bluff, isn't it?"
"How boring."
He formed hand seals, and golden chains surged forth.
One of the chains whipped out, piercing through the nearest bone.
With a loud crash—
The bone shattered, splinters flying everywhere.
But Kimimaro remained unscathed.
His presence moved swiftly through the bone forest, merging with any bone he touched.
The golden chains pursued, crossing and intersecting, piercing through bones, gradually shrinking his area of movement until only one enormous, towering bone spike remained, like a small mountain.
Naruto moved in an instant.
He raised the "Nine-Tails" and pierced through it.
With a twist of his wrist, the bone mountain split in two, crumbling apart.
Kimimaro was revealed, hanging on the blade.
Sunlight shone down.
To the others, the two figures became mere silhouettes.
One stood tall in the sky, lifting a larger opponent with his sword.
Team 8 was silent.
Kimimaro used the last of his strength, the pill from Kabuto keeping him alive for a few moments longer. He raised his hand to grasp the "Nine-Tails" blade and whispered, "Uzumaki Naruto, did I bring you any sense of surprise?"
Naruto didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the back of Kimimaro's neck.
The "curse mark" was the only interesting thing about him.
Kimimaro's head drooped.
He still wanted to meet Orochimaru-sama.
But… there wasn't enough time.