Kimimaro wasn't stupid.
Even though he had barely interacted with outsiders since childhood and had been imprisoned all his life, he wasn't dumb.
And Akio didn't have Orochimaru's kind of "charismatic manipulation."
So the very first thing Kimimaro questioned was his identity.
"If you're a god, why did you crawl out of the wall? And why do you look exactly like the statue?"
Akio paused, then put on a mysterious expression. "A god can do anything. A god's appearance can change as he wills."
Kimimaro: "…"
No matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem reliable.
"If you can do anything… can you let me out of here?"
"Of course I can. But why should I be the one to let you out?"
Kimimaro froze, then his expression dimmed. "So even a god can't save me…"
Akio shook his head with a soft laugh. "I might not save you, but someone is coming to let you out soon."
In his sensory field, a Kaguya clansman was already charging toward the dungeon.
Kimimaro suddenly looked up, hope shining in his eyes. "Really?"
Before he finished speaking, the dungeon door was pushed open, and blinding sunlight streamed in.
"Kimimaro. It's time."
"I can… leave?" Kimimaro looked at the burly man in surprise, then turned to Akio. "Are you really a god?"
"What god? Who are you talking to? Hurry up!" the man barked.
Kimimaro blinked. "You… can't see him?"
"There's someone else in here?" The man stepped inside, glancing left and right. "There's no one! Move!"
Akio's voice echoed in Kimimaro's ears. "A god can choose whether others see or hear him."
Kimimaro's face lit up with excitement. Step by step, he followed the Kaguya clansman out of the dungeon.
Akio almost burst out laughing.
Pretending to be a "god" was surprisingly fun.
Especially since little Kimimaro fell for it so easily; his stunned reactions were even more entertaining.
As silence returned to the dungeon, Akio stood there for a moment, thinking about why he had actually come.
The truth was, he'd acted on impulse.
He came to Kirigakure without even deciding on a clear goal.
He only remembered one thing from the original timeline: the Kaguya clan rebellion, and Orochimaru appearing to take Kimimaro away…
He couldn't remember the exact sequence of events, and the cause of the rebellion might not be the same here. Other kekkei genkai clans might get involved… and Orochimaru might not even show up.
And even if Orochimaru did come, Akio hadn't thought through what he was going to do.
He wasn't confident he could capture him anyway.
"If I can catch him, great. If not… taking this little kid back with me wouldn't be a loss."
After a moment of thought, Akio decided.
Kimimaro might be part of the Kaguya clan, but it was obvious his emotional ties to them weren't strong.
Taking him back to Uzushiogakure shouldn't be hard.
"And while I'm here, I might as well collect the compensation the Land of Water owes to Uzushiogakure."
Akio's figure vanished from the dungeon.
Outside, within his sensory range, only two chakra signatures remained in the Kaguya compound, Kimimaro and the burly clansman from earlier.
Akio flickered into place before them.
"God! You're here!" Kimimaro greeted him excitedly.
The clansman, who had been speaking to Kimimaro, paused when he heard that, turning toward Akio's position, seeing nothing.
"What god? If there were gods in this world, they would belong to the Kaguya clan!"
Akio curled his lip.
Well… if Ōtsutsuki Kaguya counted, then maybe…
"The god looks just like the statue in the dungeon," Kimimaro insisted.
This time, the clansman's expression grew serious. "The statue…?"
He bowed respectfully toward the empty space.
"Are you the First Clan Leader? Has your spirit descended to protect us?"
Akio froze, almost laughing.
First clan leader?
No wonder the statue looked familiar.
"So it's him, huh… that explains it."
"It really is you?!" The clansman's face twisted with fanatic devotion. He dropped to one knee.
"Your teachings are engraved in our hearts. Yet the Land of Water is full of cowards who surrendered to Uzushiogakure! We will kill them all, seize control, and avenge you and all our ancestors!"
Akio let out a silent sigh.
The clansman barked, "Kimimaro! Keep up!"
Then he vanished with a body flicker.
The appearance Akio used now was that of the Kaguya elder who had led the clan to the Land of Water during the Warring States era.
That elder had sworn vengeance, passing that flame through generations.
But now, with the gap between the Kaguya and the Uzumaki widening, the current generation barely had any power left, Kimimaro was the only one to awaken Shikotsumyaku.
Perhaps hearing that Akio had "returned from the dead" had crushed their last hope for revenge, pushing them to seek death through battle.
A mere twenty-something people could never overthrow the government of the Land of Water.
Akio shook his head. A short distance away, Kimimaro looked at him with hopeful eyes.
Akio chuckled.
"God… what should I do now?"
"Do whatever you want," Akio replied with a smile.
Kimimaro hesitated, then ran toward the outside of the compound. Since the god gave no instruction, he would follow the clansman's earlier orders, to kill the shinobi of Kirigakure.
Akio followed him from behind, maintaining a safe distance.
He was cautious, if Orochimaru appeared unexpectedly, Akio didn't want to accidentally scare him off.
But he didn't find Orochimaru.
Instead, he found two "familiar faces."
Zabuza and Haku.
"Destined to cross that bridge… destined to meet her again, huh?"
Zabuza had once again encountered Haku.
Kimimaro watched them cautiously.
"Are you shinobi of Kirigakure?"
Zabuza placed a hand on the hilt of the sword strapped to his back and shook his head slowly.
"No."
Akio didn't know yet that the rebellion in Kirigakure had been sparked by Zabuza himself. He was already a rogue ninja, of course he wouldn't admit to being part of Kirigakure.
Kimimaro hesitated for a moment, planning to bypass them and continue forward,
but Akio suddenly appeared beside him.
"God? Do you have instructions?" Kimimaro asked.
"God?" Zabuza's face twisted strangely. He repeated the word, then drew his massive blade.
"Quit pretending to be divine. Who the hell are you?"
Akio didn't hide his form.
He glanced at Zabuza's sword and shook his head lightly before turning to Kimimaro.
"He says he's not from Kirigakure and you believed him?"
"The man in front of you isn't ordinary. He's one of the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Zabuza the Demon!"
Kimimaro froze, tensing again, preparing for combat.
Haku looked at Zabuza with admiration.
So… his lord was this strong…
Zabuza: "???"
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