Kimimaro

Outside the Kaguya Clan's territory, the Land of Water is in the forest.

A white-haired child leaned against a tree, his green eyes emotionless, with red eyeliner framing them.

"Once again, I'm all alone."

From birth, he had been isolated in a cage, with his only reason to leave being for battle.

After each battle, Kimimaro felt a deep emptiness. He didn't know what the purpose of his life was.

Kimimaro wandered by the lake, pondering the meaning of his existence.

By the lake, Kimimaro suddenly recognized the place.

Back then, he found a flower blooming in the swampy weeds.

Kimimaro took a few steps toward the direction of the flower.

Sure enough, the flower was still blooming in this lonely, desolate place.

The flower was pure white and delicate, with a few dewdrops on it. The gentle breeze made it sway lightly.

Kimimaro stared at the white flower for a long time: "Why are you blooming here?"

Suddenly, he became angry: "Why don't you answer me? Are you ignoring me too?"

"In this place, where no one can see you!"

He held a bone blade, ready to destroy the flower as if he wanted to destroy himself.

"Don't do that."

A voice came from behind.

Kimimaro turned abruptly, realizing someone had approached unnoticed.

"Living doesn't necessarily have meaning, but by staying alive, you might find something meaningful."

Natsuki paused.

"Just like you found that flower, I found you."

Natsuki strolled to Kimimaro's side and touched his face.

Kimimaro's face turned visibly red.

Orochimaru was a master of manipulation; copying his words was much faster than thinking up his own.

"Come with me."

Shadows moved in the forest, and Kyoko Kurita landed, holding Haku, followed by Kisame Hoshigaki.

Natsuki waved to Kimimaro, signaling him not to be alarmed.

"They're companions."

"I'm Uchiha Natsuki, this is Kyoko Kurita, that's Kisame Hoshigaki, and this is Haku."

Natsuki introduced them and then asked, "What's your name?"

"Kimimaro."

Natsuki smiled, "From now on, we are companions."

Kimimaro nodded, his gaze shifting to Haku.

Even though Haku had changed clothes and cleaned up, Kimimaro could see his frailty and the light in his eyes.

Behind them, Kisame's shark eyes seemed to be glaring at everyone.

Ding! Congratulations to the host for significantly altering Kimimaro's life trajectory.

Congratulations to the host for acquiring Dance of the Early Fern x1

Ding! Successfully recruited Kimimaro.

Congratulations to the host for acquiring Battle Intuition.

Wow... Natsuki was amazed. This was a dream talent for taijutsu practitioners.

Taijutsu involved close combat, where every second was extremely dangerous.

Some unique secret techniques were so fast that you could die instantly if you couldn't react in time.

This was why pure taijutsu users were rare; people like Guy were exceptional anomalies.

The guy didn't have Kimimaro's bone armor, so one mistake in close combat could mean death.

With this talent...

Natsuki squinted thoughtfully, wondering if a specific plan could succeed.

He hadn't expected Kimimaro to bond quickly with Haku. Perhaps it was because both had experienced similar loneliness.

Kimimaro had been locked up in a dungeon for so long that he didn't even know his age.

His bones didn't reveal his age, but considering he died at fifteen in the previous life, the same age as Haku, Natsuki guessed Kimimaro and Haku were about the same age.

However, Kimimaro was half a head taller and healthier than Haku.

In the dungeon, he at least got food, whereas Haku had been wandering and starving.

Natsuki tested Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku bloodline limit, which is ideally suited for combat.

Kimimaro hadn't received formal training, so his attacks were unstructured.

But that unpredictability made it hard to anticipate where he would strike.

After all, Kimimaro could pull bones out from anywhere on his body.

Kimimaro's knowledge of his clan's various "dances" surprised Natsuki. Who had taught him those?

Despite the Kaguya clan using bones for combat, Kimimaro's unique Shikotsumyaku was unmatched.

Kimimaro said the dances appeared in his mind automatically, not taught by anyone.

This confirmed to Natsuki that the Kaguya clan descended from Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

Kimimaro was a throwback, exhibiting traits of their ancestor.

This throwback phenomenon must have occurred before, hence the name "Shikotsumyaku."

Kimimaro's traits resemble those of assembled Kaguya, from his Shikotsumyaku to his looks and pale skin.

The current Kaguya clan members looked rather unattractive, making Kimimaro an outlier with his aloof and cold appearance.

Kaguya, after consuming the Chakra Fruit, transformed into a deity-like being.

A deity's view of humans was like humans viewing animals.

Hence the perceived coldness.

Kimimaro's grown-up aura perfectly reflected this ancestral trait.

If the Uchiha and Hyuga eyes represented the Sage's eyes and the Uzumaki chakra represented the Sage's body, Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku represented the Sage's bones.

Unfortunately, descendants couldn't handle such powerful bloodlines. Most throwbacks couldn't survive the genetic mutations.

Uchiha and Hyuga eyes were stable genetic traits, requiring a gradual breaking of bloodline shackles to reach ancestral power.

However, even the Mangekyō Sharingan had drawbacks, leading to side effects.

Powerful bloodlines carried significant risks.

The Byakugan didn't pose risks because it didn't evolve.

If a method to evolve the Byakugan into the Tenseigan were found, it would likely carry risks.

Hashirama's extraordinary healing abilities remain a mystery.

Natsuki speculated that perhaps Hashirama died from cellular energy depletion due to excessive cell division.

Kimimaro faced a similar dilemma, so Natsuki planned to send him to Orochimaru soon.

Orochimaru has made significant progress in his research over the past two years.

He might have a way to help Kimimaro withstand the genetic mutations.

If Kimimaro could endure, his Shikotsumyaku's final evolution would be like Kaguya's All-Killing Ash Bones.

In the past life, Orochimaru's senjutsu research focused on Jūgo's curse mark, a diluted form of senjutsu with severe side effects.

Natsuki intended to have everyone capable of senjutsu learn it. When the Ōtsutsuki clan arrived, they would use senjutsu to overwhelm them before discussing anything further.