Studying is dull.
But with the help of the Calm Talisman, Kimimaro's academic journey became incredibly smooth.
While he was busy reading, Suigetsu wasn't idle either.
He never wanted to stay with Orochimaru in the first place, and now that Orochimaru was gone, he naturally continued his escape plans.
The threats Orochimaru left behind before departing didn't hold much weight for him.
For the past two days, Suigetsu had been wandering around the Sound Village, looking for an opportunity to escape.
But he quickly realized that the defenses in this place were so tight that it didn't resemble a village at all—it was more like a prison.
"This is insane. What kind of crazy place is this? They should rename it the Sound Prison instead of Sound Village."
Suigetsu ranted endlessly.
After three days of frustration and realizing escape wasn't an option, he could only stew in his own annoyance.
"No, this can't continue. If I can't find a chance to leave for now, I'll focus on getting stronger! If I get stronger, my chances of escaping will increase. My first goal: defeat that guy, Kimimaro!"
Suigetsu silently made up his mind.
In reality, the Hōzuki clan had a pretty good win rate against the Kaguya clan.
After all, the Hydration Technique had a significant advantage against the Dead Bone Pulse.
Whether the Hōzuki clan could win came down to whether they could break through the Kaguya clan's defenses.
As long as the Hōzuki clan's chakra didn't run out, the physically reliant Kaguya clan would find it difficult to defeat them.
"It's been two days, and aside from eating, that guy has been holed up in his room. I wonder what he's been up to. Could he be secretly training?"
Suigetsu grew curious.
Inside the room, Kimimaro closed the hundredth book and massaged his temples.
In three days, except for sleeping, he hadn't taken a break and had read one hundred books in a row. He was exhausted.
The Calm Talisman certainly boosted his learning efficiency, but he wasn't a machine—everyone has their limits.
"Looks like I need to balance work and rest. But at least I'm done. That's enough for today. Tomorrow, I'll seek out senior Oto to begin the next phase of learning."
Just then, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Hey! Kimimaro! What are you doing in there? You don't come out, and you don't make a sound. You're not doing something weird, are you?"
That annoying voice could only belong to Suigetsu.
Kimimaro stood up and stretched.
"I was just thinking about taking a break, and now here comes a punching bag delivered right to my door."
Seeing no response from the room, Suigetsu suspiciously peered through the door crack.
At that moment, the door opened.
"Oh, you're here. I thought you ran away. What've you been busy with these past few days?"
Suigetsu gave an awkward but polite smile.
"Reading."
"Reading? A brute from the Kaguya clan actually reads?"
Suigetsu's voice raised with surprise, his face full of disbelief.
The image of the Kaguya clan as mindless brutes was deeply ingrained.
"What did you call me?"
Seeing Kimimaro's cold expression, Suigetsu gulped, remembering the fear of being overpowered by him.
"Heh, boss, I was just kidding. Don't take it seriously, okay?"
Suigetsu immediately surrendered.
What else could he do if he couldn't win?
"Come with me."
"Where? What for?"
"The training grounds. To do what brutes do."
"Huh?"
Suigetsu was dumbfounded.
"I'm going to practice taijutsu, and you'll be my sparring partner."
"Boss, why not just say you want to beat me up?"
Suigetsu complained.
"Fine, I want to beat you up."
Suigetsu: "..."
Kimimaro dragged the reluctant Suigetsu to the training grounds in the Sound Village.
Over the past three days, after eating, Kimimaro had wandered around and, through his interactions with senior Oto, gained a clear understanding of the Sound Village's layout.
The training grounds were where the ninjas of Sound Village trained.
The Sound Village's method of training ninjas was somewhat similar to Konoha, but on a smaller scale and with much harsher methods.
In simple terms: cruel and efficient.
Each month, a certain number of deaths occurred among the ninjas training in the Sound Village.
Some died from the high difficulty of the training, while others were killed by fellow ninjas.
Here, the law of the jungle prevailed: only the strong survived.
If you were weak and got killed, Orochimaru wouldn't care.
However, Orochimaru had implemented a three-month protection period for newcomers.
During this time, veteran ninjas were not allowed to kill newcomers.
This gave the newcomers time to grow and also an opportunity to find protection.
To survive, you either had to be strong enough or find a protector.
Orochimaru was teaching them the way of survival.
The Sound Village didn't support the weak.
Orochimaru didn't have the time to guide each person individually.
This method of training was most suitable for the current Sound Village.
Kimimaro dragged Suigetsu to the training grounds.
Unlike the luxurious and well-equipped Konoha, the Sound Village only had one training ground.
However, it was well-equipped.
It had lakes, sand, rocks, forests—most of the terrain types seen in the ninja world were available here.
You could practice fighting in any environment you liked.
It was also vast, capable of hosting battles with over a hundred participants.
As soon as Kimimaro and Suigetsu arrived, they immediately drew attention.
"Kenmicchi, look, aren't those the brats that Lord Orochimaru brought back three days ago?"
"Yes, it's them. They've finally appeared. I thought they were dead since we didn't see them for three days."
"Why are you so interested in them? What do you want to do?"
"Of course, I want to teach them a lesson. They're just newcomers, yet they've gained Lord Orochimaru's favor. I'll defeat them and show Lord Orochimaru who really deserves his attention."
"They're still under the protection period; don't do anything rash."
"I'm not going to kill them. But breaking their arms or legs is still within the rules."
Kenmicchi sneered, a cruel smile tugging at his lips, as he headed toward Kimimaro and Suigetsu.
Meanwhile, Suigetsu was negotiating with Kimimaro.
"Boss, go easy on me. I may not look it, but I'm actually pretty fragile."
"Okay."
Suigetsu was now filled with regret. He shouldn't have bothered spying on Kimimaro.
He hadn't gained any useful information, and now he was about to get beaten up.
Just then, Kimimaro's brow furrowed. The sound of a fist cutting through the air reached his ear. He immediately turned and extended his right palm.
*Thud!*
A fist the size of a sandbag slammed into his right palm.
It packed a lot of power.
Kimimaro locked eyes with his assailant—it was Kenmicchi.
Kenmicchi was shocked that Kimimaro had caught his punch so easily.
Kimimaro gripped Kenmicchi's fist tightly and then kicked out with his leg.
The sudden kick prompted Kenmicchi to bend his right knee.
*Thud!*
Knee and foot collided.
Kenmicchi used the momentum from the clash to retreat several steps.
The fight quickly caught the attention of everyone nearby, who stopped what they were doing to watch.
"What are you trying to do?"
Kimimaro's face was cold.
(End of Chapter)