Chapter 2: Kirito's Sword Skills

"Freedom, tonight. The biggest issue now is how to leave here safely. The original Kimimaro could rely on his excellent battle instincts to escape alive, but can I, as I am now, do the same?"

Kimimaro felt a bit unsure.

After all, he was just a teenager from a peaceful era. Although he had experienced death, he had no experience with life-and-death combat.

Jumping straight into a fight to the death—how much power could he exert with this unfamiliar body? He wasn't sure.

As Kimimaro worried, a cold, robotic voice sounded.

"Ding, a tourist spot has been detected: Kimimaro's place of captivity. Would the tourist like to check in?"

Kimimaro's eyes lit up when he heard this.

You can check in here? 

That's great! 

Maybe there's something good to be had.

"Check in!"

Kimimaro immediately posed with the classic peace sign for tourists, showing a forced smile.

He heard a click next to his ear, followed by the robotic voice again.

"Check-in complete. Tourist's photo pose was poor; please improve next time."

Kimimaro: "..."

"As this is the tourist's first check-in, rewards are doubled. You have received Kirito's sword skills."

In an instant, a full set of sword techniques appeared in Kimimaro's mind.

These sword skills were like game abilities, directly etched into his skill menu, ready for immediate use, though he'd have to improve his proficiency on his own.

Kirito's sword skills, from *Sword Art Online*'s protagonist Kirigaya Kazuto, also known as Kirito, the king of cheats.

His sword techniques...

Kimimaro couldn't help but smile with joy.

There's hope! 

Most of his worries vanished instantly, and hunger hit him hard.

Being held captive here, Kimimaro only received one meal a day. By this time, his body naturally felt hungry.

"Let's replenish my strength first."

Kimimaro opened his lunch box, and the smell of food wafted out.

Inside the box was a serving of rice, two chicken legs, some beef, and greens.

Compared to the meals he remembered, this was a major improvement.

"This looks like a last meal before execution... but whatever, I'll eat first."

Kimimaro quipped and immediately began to eat.

His still relatively healthy body and the delicious meal made him feel a long-lost joy.

"Awesome!"

Since his bedridden days in his past life, Kimimaro hadn't enjoyed food like this in a long time.

After eating, he rested for a while before preparing to practice the sword and physical techniques that had come to mind.

The sword techniques were Kirito's, and the physical techniques belonged to the Kaguya clan.

Both were close-combat abilities. Kimimaro had already mastered them, but he wasn't yet familiar with them.

He needed to fully synchronize with this body, as well as these techniques.

This would take time.

But what he lacked most right now was time.

So, he had to practice as much as possible.

The place was dark and damp, and even the guards didn't want to stay inside. They always remained outside the cave, so Kimimaro wasn't worried about being discovered doing something odd.

Taking a deep breath, he extended his right hand, and under his mental control, a bone sword slowly emerged from his right palm.

It was about a meter long and two fingers wide. Kimimaro gripped it, gave it a light swing, and found it to be extremely handy.

"This Shikotsumyaku is convenient. I'll never run out of weapons in the future."

If you're going to practice swordsmanship, you need a sword.

And for the Kaguya clan, the strongest weapon was their own bones. Using bones as swords was the perfect fit.

With a focused mind, Kimimaro began swinging the bone sword according to the movements that appeared in his mind.

Diagonal slash! 

Horizontal slash! 

Vertical slash! 

Furious counter! 

Whirling shield!

...

Kirito's sword techniques continuously replayed in Kimimaro's hands, becoming more and more refined.

In the dark cave, pale sword shadows flashed repeatedly, stirring up a murderous aura.

The Kaguya clan loved combat, and practicing sword techniques seemed to have awakened Kimimaro's battle-hardened genes.

But he didn't care; at this moment, he was fully immersed in his sword training.

The entire afternoon passed quickly.

At nightfall, the cave became even more silent.

Kimimaro stopped training, panting heavily after delivering his final slash.

"That's enough for now. I need to save some energy and chakra."

The time for battle was drawing closer, and he needed to prepare himself physically and mentally.

Time ticked by slowly, and by around midnight, Kimimaro had almost fully recovered.

At that moment, he heard commotion outside.

"Is it starting?"

Kimimaro murmured softly, recognizing the familiar sound of footsteps.

The big man was here again.

Unlocking the chains and opening the cell door, the man grinned savagely.

"Kimimaro, it's time to show what you can do. Come with me."

Kimimaro got up and followed the Kaguya man, leaving the cave that had imprisoned him for nearly ten years without any hesitation.

Outside, the moonlight bathed the scene in a pale glow, with a faint tinge of red.

In the distance, a bonfire blazed, far brighter than the moonlight.

Over a hundred members of the Kaguya clan were gathered in one place, and among them, one man stood out—none other than the clan leader.

Once Kimimaro and the big man arrived, the Kaguya clan was complete.

"My fellow clansmen, the Fourth Mizukage has been attacked by an unknown individual and is seriously injured. The people in the village are in a panic. Now is our golden opportunity to strike back!

"Attack the village! Let the Fourth Mizukage and the Mist leadership know the true strength of the Kaguya clan! Hahaha! Kill! Fight! My warriors!"

The Kaguya clan leader grinned savagely, raising his arm high in a call to battle, full of reckless bravado.

No battle plan. 

No troop deployment. 

Just one command: fight.

A ragtag bunch of soldiers.

Even though Kimimaro didn't know much about warfare, he couldn't help but cringe.

Fight like this? 

Win?

If they were all Kage-level fighters, maybe.

But from what he could see, that clearly wasn't the case.

No wonder the entire clan was wiped out.

Kimimaro glanced around. There were about a hundred men, no women.

"Looks like the Kaguya clan's women have been taken somewhere safe. Maybe the Kaguya clan left some kind of legacy after all."

Kimimaro thought to himself but didn't dwell on it.

As a traveler from another world, why would he care about the Kaguya clan's legacy?

Even the original Kimimaro wouldn't have cared.

Right now, all he was thinking about was how to leave this place.

This was the Kaguya clan's secret base, less than a kilometer from the Hidden Mist Village.

The Mist Village had been systematically exterminating bloodline clans for some time.

The Kaguya people before him had already been oppressed for far too long.

Their bodies, filled with combat instincts, were itching for a fight.

The killing would begin tonight!

Looking around at his clansmen, who were brimming with fighting spirit, Kimimaro felt the same warlike genes stirring within him.

"So, this is the terrifying combat instinct rooted in the Kaguya clan?"

Kimimaro shook his head, suppressing the crazed battle desire for now.

He needed to stay calm, not let this boiling blood control him.

Escaping and gaining freedom—that was what he needed to focus on now.

(End of Chapter)