"Let's wait for the Star Fragment Bugs to hatch again, then find an opportunity to approach Deidara. I probably don't even need to scheme against him, Deidara himself will be interested in the Star Fragment Bugs."
Deidara pursues fleeting explosive art, and the Star Fragment Bugs undoubtedly fit his taste perfectly.
Kimimaro felt that he only needed a little trick to turn Deidara into Star Fragment Bug food.
And Deidara would even thank him for it.
After dealing with the Star Fragment Bugs, Kimimaro began practicing the Spirit Transformation Technique.
It was also quite a magical thing. Ever since he started using the soul-training method within the Spirit Transformation Technique, Kimimaro discovered that the power of his Kidō also increased.
At this rate, once the Spirit Transformation Technique was fully mastered, both the speed and power of his Kidō would be greatly enhanced.
Seeing this effect, his motivation to practice the Spirit Transformation Technique became even stronger.
An hour later, Kimimaro finished his training and walked out of the cave.
"It's still early. Let's go to the nearby town for dinner before meeting up with Kakuzu."
Wearing a black robe with red clouds, Kimimaro was quite conspicuous wherever he went.
On his shoulder stood the long-unseen Pikachu.
From now on, he didn't need to hide his identity anymore, so Pikachu didn't have to stay in the Poké Ball.
"Little guy, you've been wronged these days."
Kimimaro stroked Pikachu's little yellow head, enjoying the feeling.
"Pika!"
Being able to breathe the free air outside, Pikachu was naturally very happy too.
Walking into the town, Kimimaro quickly sensed something was amiss.
The atmosphere here was very similar to the Land of Waves back then.
The people in the town were lifeless, looking like walking corpses.
Suddenly, mournful music sounded, accompanied by bursts of crying.
"Is this... a funeral?"
Kimimaro looked ahead and saw four people carrying a coffin, crying as they walked.
"These guys are really strange."
Shaking his head slightly, Kimimaro didn't pay much attention. His gaze fell on the restaurant signs on the street.
"This town is really shabby, is there only one curry shop?"
With no other choice, Kimimaro walked into the curry shop.
"Welcome."
The owner of this curry shop who greeted Kimimaro was named Granny San Sho.
"Hello, do you have any recommendations?"
"Our specialty here is curry. The most recommended is our signature dish, Life Curry. It's not only delicious but also quickly restores stamina. The only downside is that this curry is too spicy, not something ordinary people can handle."
"Life Curry that can replenish stamina?"
Kimimaro raised an eyebrow, instantly interested.
There were many strange things in this world, so he didn't doubt the authenticity of this curry.
"Then please give me one serving, thank you."
"Alright, just a moment! It'll be ready soon!"
Seeing Kimimaro choose the Life Curry, Granny San Sho immediately became excited.
Life Curry was her masterpiece, but because it was too spicy, not many people appreciated it.
Finally encountering someone who knew how to appreciate it, she naturally wanted to show off her skills.
Soon, a plate of black, bubbling curry rice was placed in front of Kimimaro.
"This..."
Even Kimimaro was surprised.
He had inherited Liu Maoxing's culinary skills, so his ability to judge food had also improved dramatically.
This curry in front of him, in terms of both color and aroma, could be judged as unqualified.
This was simply dark cuisine.
"Young man, give it a taste."
Granny San Sho looked expectant.
Pikachu jumped onto the table, sniffed it, and quickly covered its nose.
"Pika Pika!"
Its face was full of rejection.
Seeing this, Kimimaro rubbed Pikachu's head, then picked up a spoon, scooped up some curry rice, and under Pikachu's worried gaze, put it into his mouth.
Explosive spiciness upon entry!
Kimimaro's expression changed slightly.
This level of spiciness was indeed a bit outrageous.
However, it was still okay.
After accepting this spiciness, the taste of this Life Curry was actually quite good.
He moved his teeth slightly, gently chewing the curry rice in his mouth. Soon, he felt a surge of power flowing into his body.
The fatigue from the day was actually slowly disappearing, and the consumed chakra was also recovering faster.
It really worked!
Surprised, Kimimaro, under Granny San Sho's delighted gaze, quickened his eating pace.
Not long after, the entire serving of Life Curry entered his stomach.
The fatigue and consumed chakra were completely swept away!
"How does it taste?"
"Not bad."
After swallowing the last bite, Kimimaro continued, "This Life Curry being able to have such spiciness and effect must be related to the ingredients. But I haven't eaten this kind of ingredient before. Boss, can you tell me what it is?"
Kimimaro looked at Granny San Sho with curiosity.
"Young man, your tongue is quite good. You could even taste that. Then I'll tell you, I put this thing in it!"
Granny San Sho placed a black chili pepper in front of Kimimaro.
"What is this?"
"Found it on the mountain, don't know its name, I call it Black Blood Pepper."
"Black Blood Pepper?"
Kimimaro muttered, broke off a piece of the Black Blood Pepper, and put it into his mouth.
The Black Blood Pepper was even spicier than the Life Curry just now, but the effect was also better.
"Good stuff. If this Black Blood Pepper is used to make soldier pills, one pill could instantly restore most of the chakra and stamina."
Kimimaro thought to himself, even more surprised. He didn't expect such a good thing to exist in such a remote place.
"Boss, can you sell this Black Blood Pepper to me?"
"It's not something valuable, if you want it, I'll give it to you. It's rare to meet someone like you who appreciates it. Unfortunately, this is also the last one. If you want more, you'll have to go pick them on the mountain."
"Which mountain?"
"The mountain right outside the town. But you can't go there now, it's too dangerous."
Granny San Sho sighed.
"Dangerous? Are there ferocious beasts there?"
"Alas, you don't know. Three months ago, a ninja who could control lightning came here. He directly occupied our town's mine and captured all the young and strong men in the town to help him mine.
That's not even the worst part. The worst part is that this person loves holding funerals, so he has to kill someone every day, hold a funeral for them, and then mourn himself.
The mountain you want to go to is where he lives now. If you go there and encounter him, I'm afraid he'll hold a funeral for you too. So, you'd better give up."
The ninja world was a chaotic place.
Things like this, while not common, weren't rare either.
A ninja who loved holding funerals was quite peculiar.
Kimimaro suddenly thought of something and placed a photo on the table.
"Boss, is the person you're talking about this guy?"
"Yes! It's him! How do you have his photo? Do you know him?"
Granny San Sho immediately became alert.
"I don't know him, but I've heard of his name."
"Is this guy famous?"
"Sort of. His bounty is 30 million Ryo."
Kimimaro smiled.
"30 million Ryo?"
Granny San Sho was startled.
She couldn't earn that much even if she sold curry her whole life.
"Thanks for the meal, I'll be taking my leave."
Kimimaro put down the money for the meal and got up to leave.
"Where are you going?"
"To kill and gather herbs."
(End of Chapter)