*Drip... drip...*
Inside a cold, damp cave, water continuously dripped down.
"Where... am I?"
A soft, young voice echoed. A pale-skinned boy slowly regained consciousness.
In the dim light, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the nearby puddle. White hair, green pupils, red eye markings, fair skin, and two red dots between his eyebrows—he looked like a boy around ten years old.
"Kaguya... Kimimaro..."
The boy slowly whispered his name, finding it hard to believe.
"Have I transmigrated? The heavens really..."
Kimimaro's delicate face showed a hint of resignation.
In his previous life, he died of a severe illness. Who would have thought he'd be lucky enough to reincarnate, only to end up in a sickly body?
If his memory served him right, this body had a hereditary disease, and he wouldn't live past sixteen. Worse off than in his previous life...
Kimimaro sat up straight and gently shook his head.
Fragments of this body's memories began to surface.
From birth, Kimimaro was recognized as having the strongest ability in his clan—the power of the Shikotsumyaku.
Then he was imprisoned, and that's how it had been until now.
Ten years. Kimimaro didn't know how he had endured these ten years.
Living in darkness all the time, he'd rarely seen the sun.
His overly pale skin had developed as a result of that confinement.
Otherwise, how many ninjas could have skin this pale?
"So, this is... possession?"
Kimimaro muttered under his breath. At that moment, a voice echoed in his mind.
*Ding!* "Possession confirmed. Time Travel Agency Tour Guide, number 9562, at your service. We regret to inform you that due to a time disturbance during this trip, an accident occurred. We deeply apologize for the inconvenience.
We've implemented a backup plan to resolve the issue. As compensation for any losses, the Time Travel Agency will provide appropriate rewards.
To receive your rewards: simply take photos with famous people, locations, or major events in this world.
For people, shake hands. For locations, use a peace sign. To take part in major events, you need to be involved."
Kimimaro blinked as he processed this information.
"Time Travel Agency? Trip rewards? Time disturbance? Possession?"
Once he absorbed the details, Kimimaro was stunned.
What had happened after his previous life ended? Time travel?
Why didn't he remember any of this?
But... isn't this like a cheat code? Great!
The hereditary disease could be cured!
In his past life, Kimimaro had died young. His greatest wish now was to survive!
The longer he could live, the better. Ideally... eternal life!
After enduring sickness, he now understood the value of health.
Nothing excited Kimimaro more than the idea of eternal life without illness.
"The current customer service session is about to end. The next session time is uncertain. Please ask any questions you have quickly."
Kimimaro quickly gathered his thoughts and asked the most pressing question on his mind.
"Is there something in the rewards that grants immortality?"
"No."
Kimimaro was a bit disappointed, but if he could at least cure the hereditary disease, that would still be fine.
"Is there something that can cure my hereditary disease?"
"No."
Kimimaro: "..."
"This service session is now over. We wish you an enjoyable journey. Goodbye."
Kimimaro was left speechless.
What a scam!
How can I enjoy my journey when I'm going to die?
Even the best rewards are useless if they can't cure my hereditary disease! I won't live past sixteen anyway, so what's the point of having the power to destroy worlds?
A fleeting moment of brilliance was not what Kimimaro sought right now.
Kimimaro took a deep breath to calm himself down.
"Stay calm. Just because there's no immortality in the rewards doesn't mean all hope is lost.
The medical knowledge in this world isn't bad either. Kabuto may not have a solution, but Tsunade might. Or perhaps other forbidden techniques could solve the hereditary disease.
Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation is one option. It's like possession, but the side effects are said to be severe, so it's just a backup plan.
There's also Hidan's immortality—if I could figure out his secret, it could work.
Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear offers extended life, though it turns you into a monster.
Sasori's puppet immortality is another option, but it's probably the worst choice."
As information about the ninja world flowed through Kimimaro's mind, he quickly formed a rough plan.
To achieve immortality, he had to cure his disease first.
But survival wasn't enough—he needed to gain enough power as well.
Otherwise, in this world, the weak are nothing but fodder, unable to control their fate or their life and death.
So, this body couldn't be discarded casually.
The Shikotsumyaku was a bloodline even Orochimaru coveted.
In the original story, if it weren't for Kimimaro's terminal illness, Orochimaru himself said Kimimaro would've been the perfect vessel.
For Orochimaru, a fan of the Sharingan, to praise him so highly shows how powerful the Shikotsumyaku is.
What's more, the Kaguya Clan, as descendants of Kaguya Otsutsuki, has the potential to develop the Shikotsumyaku into the immensely powerful All-Killing Ash Bones.
A technique that could instantly destroy even a perfect Susanoo—there was no way he would give that up easily.
Of course, if he couldn't cure his disease, he'd have no choice but to abandon it.
"No matter what choice I make, the most important thing right now is to leave here! Only by escaping this cage can I start my path toward immortality!"
Kimimaro steadied himself and sifted through the memories of this body.
Besides the loneliness, there were only fragments of training.
These exercises had helped him grasp some of his own abilities, like how to control the bones in his body.
Following the motions in his memory, Kimimaro extended his right hand and directed the unfamiliar yet familiar chakra within.
Although the sensation was rough, his body responded instinctively.
Soon, a hole opened in his palm—not with blood, but with white bone emerging from the hole, forming a sharp bone blade.
Kimimaro twisted his right hand, gripping the bone blade as the hole in his palm quickly healed.
This body seemed to have decent regenerative abilities too.
Kimimaro thrust the bone blade into the stone wall beside him. It only penetrated about an inch before stopping.
"Pretty sharp."
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from nearby.
Without thinking, Kimimaro instinctively leaned against the stone wall, pretending to rest as if nothing had happened.
With a creak, the small window used for delivering food opened.
A burly man, dressed similarly to Kimimaro except for his hairstyle, appeared.
In Kimimaro's memories, this man was the human he'd seen most often.
The man grinned, pushing a lunch box through the tiny window, which was only about eight inches high, and placed it in front of Kimimaro.
"Kimimaro, enjoy your meal. Today's lunch is quite the feast. Tonight, you'll be unleashed as the clan's weapon. Make sure you perform well, hehe."
With that, the man turned and left.
But Kimimaro's eyes lit up.
Could tonight be the night of the clan's massacre?
That's great!
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