He said, "I am a good child"

Before Shikamaru could finish his sentence, Naruto suddenly pulled out a long sword from somewhere, leaping directly in front of Kimimaro, speaking in a tone he had never used before, one filled with seriousness.

"I'll block that guy. You all go after him."

"Naruto, you..."

"It's fine, I'll be back soon." Naruto interrupted directly. "You guys go quickly."

Kimimaro's face was expressionless, and without hesitation, he crossed his arms and activated Curse Mark 1. His entire body was covered in bones, resembling a demon that had crawled out of hell.

While Shikamaru was horrified, he also knew deep down that if they didn't leave now, it would be too late.

"Let's go!" Shikamaru led the way.

The other four followed quickly, their movement forming four curved trajectories as they leaped away. Normally, no matter how terrifying Kimimaro was, he couldn't stop all four of them while facing Naruto.

This was knowledge already taught at the Ninja Academy—escape trajectories during battle.

*Shikotsumyaku: Tsubaki Dance*

Kimimaro's speed suddenly increased, his bone blades emerging from his arms, charging toward the five who were about to escape. Naruto didn't hold back, slapping his palm and directly activating the Diamond Lock technique through the system.

Thick golden chains shot up from the ground, blocking every direction Kimimaro tried to chase. The chains spread like vines with eyes, continuously encircling Kimimaro in an overwhelming bind.

This sealing technique, originally designed to seal the Nine-Tails, was completely excessive for dealing with Kimimaro.

"Just now, what was that?" Choji and the others, who had successfully shaken off Kimimaro, were still shaken. "Will Naruto be okay?"

"Who knows." Kiba's face was more serious. "It should be something Naruto did. Rather than worrying about him, we should worry about ourselves."

The five of them sped off in pursuit of the Sound ninja, with Shikamaru gritting his teeth.

"Naruto should be able to handle it. Let's move faster and make sure we catch Sasuke!"

On the other side.

Realizing that he might not be able to escape the chains surrounding him, Kimimaro quickly entered Curse Mark 2 and activated Shikotsumyaku: Early Fern Dance.

Countless bones began to grow from the ground, more numerous than the chains of the Diamond Lock. In an instant, the dense forest was covered with sharp, white bones, turning it into a forest of bones.

Naruto knew well how terrifying Kimimaro's strength was and had never intended to engage him in close combat. He immediately launched a powerful technique to make Kimimaro passively consume chakra.

Early Fern Dance was Kimimaro's strongest technique when in Curse Mark 2, but it also accelerated the decline of his already frail body.

Kimimaro, like White, was willing to give everything for his master.

With his body covered in bones, Kimimaro was lifted up, as though born from a throne of bones. His face was cold, and his right hand transformed into a giant bone spear, aiming mercilessly at Naruto, who was trapped by the towering forest of bones.

Before the mission started, Kimimaro's condition was already close to that of a corpse. Now, he was merely burning his last life force, offering his final value to Orochimaru.

*[Nine-Tails' Recognition 19.8%]*

In the forest of bones, dark red chakra erupted, shattering the surrounding bones within a hundred-meter radius in an instant.

"Melting Release!!"

Naruto hadn't transformed into his tailed beast form but forcefully activated the two-tailed form, maintaining most of his sanity. With the support of a large amount of Nine-Tails chakra, molten lava quickly covered the entire bone forest ground, stopping the bones from continuing to grow.

Kimimaro's strongest bone spear shattered into pieces as soon as it touched the Nine-Tails' chakra cloak, crumbling inch by inch. Being harder than iron didn't mean it was invincible, it was just untested against stronger forces.

Naruto had no qualms—when it came down to it, he could just throw the Nine-Tails chakra as a shield.

It had eaten his chakra, taken his energy, and that's what it was there for.

But that was only a move to preserve his life when facing greater threats like Itachi or Orochimaru. Against Kimimaro, he didn't need to rely on the Nine-Tails for a fight.

With the strongest bone spear shattered, Kimimaro's life reached its end, and his body froze in place.

Surrounded by a sea of molten lava, Kimimaro was left with only a narrow strip of bone forest, like an island in a sea of lava. Kimimaro, lifted into the air, lowered his head, his posture one of impending death.

"Kimimaro."

"You know my name?" Kimimaro didn't raise his head. He could no longer control any part of his body.

His heartbeat slowed, and his breathing became faint.

"Ah, you're about to die." Naruto said indifferently. "Such a shame, Orochimaru should have valued you highly."

"I don't fear death. I only fear dying without any value," Kimimaro's voice was emotionless, as if he felt no pain from death. "If my death can bring value to Lord Orochimaru, then it's worth it."

"Such a fanatic, such a terrifying disciple." Naruto sighed, removing the Nine-Tails chakra.

"Lord Orochimaru walks ahead, and he always looks back to check if I'm keeping up. If I fall behind, Lord Orochimaru will stop until I appear again." Kimimaro's voice finally showed some emotional fluctuation.

"I have no purpose in life. I... I'm just a thief."

"I only secretly shared... Lord Orochimaru's reason for living."

"That sounds pretty good." Naruto said dismissively, like an old hunter waiting for his prey to expire.

He wasn't looking for danger; he had plenty of time. He didn't care whether Sasuke would be taken. He was like an evil god, continually coaxing Kimimaro to speak, hastening his death.

"What's your... name?" Kimimaro asked.

"Inuzuka Kiba," Naruto said without hesitation, even though he knew there was no point in hiding anything from someone on the verge of death.

But... if Orochimaru were to perform the Reincarnation of the Impure World, he just hoped they wouldn't come looking for him.

"Inuzuka Kiba..."

Kimimaro muttered the name, and despite being completely unable to move, he somehow lifted his head. Not far away, Naruto even heard the sound of bones cracking, but there was no trace of pain on Kimimaro's pale face.

He hid it well—or perhaps, at this moment, he was happy.

Because Kimimaro was smiling.

"Thank you. You... made me remember something happy. I'm about to die, and I'm glad because... because..."

The voice of the boy, covered in bone spikes, grew weaker and weaker, almost inaudible.

Not far away, Naruto pulled out the Grass Cutter Sword. His blue eyes were as deep as the sea. He didn't understand emotions; he would wait until Kimimaro exhaled his last breath before delivering the final blow. The God of Death treats every child equally who doesn't deliver a finishing blow, dragging them into hell.

Naruto was clear-headed and brutal, but he still heard Kimimaro's final words.

The bloodstained lips parted slightly, almost in a whisper.

"Orochimaru-sama said... I am a good child."

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