Late at night.
Outside the Hospital, Kimimaro carefully hid in the bushes.
"This is it."
Having already scouted the location, he quickly found where the medicinal herbs were stored.
But there were two Chūnin guards at the entrance. It was impossible to sneak in undetected; he had to wait for an opportunity.
Just then, a medical ninja walked out of the herb storage room and left.
It seemed like they had finished their work for the day and were heading home.
Kimimaro narrowed his eyes, knowing his chance had come.
He quietly followed the person, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Medical ninjas typically don't have high combat ability, so it was easy for him to knock them unconscious. He then hid them in a secluded spot.
With a quick transformation, Kimimaro took on the person's appearance.
The fearsome power of the Gaia Foundation became evident.
Anyone with the power of the Gaia Foundation could infiltrate anywhere, as long as people were present.
After transforming, Kimimaro boldly walked toward the herb storage room.
The Chūnin guards at the door didn't stop him at all; they even respectfully bowed.
It was clear that the medical ninja Kimimaro had dealt with held a high status.
The herb storage room was deserted in the middle of the night.
"Infiltration, successful."
Kimimaro smirked slightly as he began searching for the herbs he needed.
He quickly found the last two ingredients.
However, he didn't just take those two herbs. He also took some unrelated but valuable ones.
This way, even if someone discovered the theft, the people of Yun'in wouldn't know the thief's true intentions.
After gathering a sufficient amount of herbs, Kimimaro took out a storage scroll and sealed them inside.
Storage scrolls were considered a luxury in the ninja world, and most ninjas couldn't afford them.
The one in Kimimaro's possession had been acquired from Guren.
It was his reward for helping her.
Kimimaro wasn't particularly close to Guren, so he made sure to get some benefit for his efforts.
As the leader of the Otogakure base in the Land of Lightning, Guren had quite a few valuable items.
"With the herbs secured, next up is taking away Yūkimaru. I wonder if my shadow clone has found the exact location."
Kimimaro put away the storage scroll and casually left the herb storage room, ready to meet up with his shadow clone.
Elsewhere, his shadow clone had already found the Yun'in prison.
"Yūkimaru should be held here. If I want to rescue him, I'll need to be smart about it."
The shadow clone observed the area for a while, gathered enough information, and then dispelled itself.
The moment it vanished, all the information the clone had collected flooded into Kimimaro's mind.
"Found him? Perfect timing—time to start the rescue plan."
Kimimaro arrived at the prison entrance. The Gaia Foundation's power activated again, and he transformed into the likeness of Yugito Nii.
At the same time, he created another shadow clone to keep watch.
At the prison entrance.
"Lady Yugito? What brings you here?"
The guarding ninjas were shocked to see Kimimaro disguised as Yugito Nii.
"The boy I brought in—he's still here, right?"
"Yes, Lady Yugito. We've made sure to handle him with care."
"Good. Lord Raikage wants to see him. Bring him out; I'm taking him away."
"Yes, Lady Yugito."
One of the guards went inside while the others continued to stand at attention.
"Lady Yugito, Big Brother B recently mentioned planning another concert. Are you going to attend?"
The guard seemed relaxed and struck up a conversation.
"No talking during work. If Lord Raikage finds out, you'll be in big trouble."
Kimimaro wasn't in the mood for chatting. The more they talked, the higher the chance of making a mistake.
Hearing that, the guard immediately went silent.
Kimimaro waited at the entrance, feeling increasingly tense as time passed.
The longer it took, the worse it would be for him.
Fortunately, his watchful shadow clone hadn't sent any warning, indicating that the area was still safe.
Five minutes later, Yūkimaru was brought out.
He looked drowsy, clearly having just been woken from sleep.
"Lady Yugito, the boy is here."
"Good. You can return to your duties now. I'll handle it from here."
"Yes, Lady Yugito."
Kimimaro grabbed Yūkimaru by the hand and quickly led him away.
"Lady Yugito sure is busy, working for Lord Raikage even this late."
"Yeah, Lady Yugito and Big Brother B are both the pride of our Yun'in Village."
"I wonder who that boy is, to have both Lady Yugito and Lord Raikage take such interest in him. Taking him for research at this hour?"
"Must be some powerful bloodline limit user."
"Probably."
Once they were out of sight, Kimimaro immediately changed course, heading toward the main gate of Yun'in Village.
With the target in hand, the last hurdle was leaving the village.
He had prepared for this, too.
Guren wouldn't have dared to infiltrate Yun'in Village alone without some advantage.
Her greatest confidence came from her knowledge of Yun'in Village.
The map she had provided was one.
Her understanding of the village's defensive layout was the other.
"Where are you taking me? I want to find Sister Guren."
Yūkimaru looked at the "woman" holding his hand and spoke up.
"Be quiet for a bit, and maybe I'll consider your request."
Yūkimaru quickly covered his mouth and fell silent.
Before long, Kimimaro arrived at the village's main gate.
The gate guards had changed shifts, and it wasn't the same faces from the daytime.
"Lady Yugito, heading out this late?"
"I have some business to attend to. I'll be back in an hour."
"Understood. Could you please show your pass, Lady Yugito?"
"Sure."
Kimimaro reached into his ninja tool pouch, as if to pull something out.
But at that moment, his gaze suddenly sharpened!
"Look out!"
Kimimaro shouted as he stepped in front of the two gate guards.
*Clang! Clang!*
A pair of kunai deflected two crystal shuriken that had been thrown.
"Who's there?!"
Kimimaro looked toward the direction the crystal shuriken had come from, but the attacker was already gone.
"Enemy attack!"
The two gate guards panicked.
"Hurry, notify the Anbu!"
"No need, I'll handle this. I've been itching for a fight. You two stay here, and if there are more attackers, notify the Anbu immediately."
"Yes, Lady Yugito!"
Kimimaro, still disguised as Yugito, immediately took Yūkimaru and ran after the fleeing enemy.
"Lady Yugito sure enjoys a good fight. But can she really treat this as a game? Should we notify the Anbu now?"
"I don't think so. If Lady Yugito finds out, she'll beat us up. Better to wait."
"True... let's hold off for now."
Because of Yugito Nii's usual behavior, the guards didn't suspect anything.
Yugito had always been carefree, even in dangerous situations. Otherwise, she wouldn't have blocked the exit and fought Hidan and Kakuzu head-on in the original story.
If she had called for backup, she might not have been beaten so badly.
(End of chapter)