"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Focus on training your soldiers. If you can cultivate a group of elite troops truly loyal to Haruna—and to me—I'll personally select the best among them and grant them power beyond the ordinary."
"Lord, may I be among them?"
"Of course."
"I will not disappoint you, Lord!"
At this time, Jūgo had already been sent to the Land of Claws and the Land of Fangs—chaotic border nations frequently plagued by war and rogue ninja activity—to recruit promising individuals. These regions, being outside the influence of the Five Great Nations, were havens for missing-nin and wandering shinobi.
But the Land of Birds remained untouched. Unlike the Land of Claws, it was a peaceful but weak nation with no established hidden village—ideal for covert recruitment. Kimimaro decided to handle this one personally. On the way, he could also pass through the Land of Bears and investigate the Star Ninja, known for using chakra-enhancing meteorite fragments.
Before departing, he left some final instructions.
"Hanabi, be good and focus on your training while I'm away."
Hanabi pouted, "But why does Karin-neechan get to go with you?"
Karin stroked Hanabi's cheek with a gentle smile. "Because I don't feel comfortable letting Kimimaro go alone. If something happens, I can at least offer support."
"I can help too," Hanabi insisted.
"You're still young. This isn't a leisure trip—it's a mission. There could be danger."
"I'm not that young anymore! I've already passed my ninth birthday. That makes me ten! I can beat most genin now!"
"Uh…"
Karin was momentarily speechless. Bringing Hanabi would complicate things—especially since intimacy with Kimimaro on the road would be awkward with a child around.
Kimimaro walked over, picked Hanabi up, and kissed her cheek. "Be good. We don't have many people at home. We still need someone strong to protect Haruna-neechan and help your older brothers and sisters. That's a big responsibility."
From the side, Haruna rolled her eyes. If not for her official duties as ruler of the Land of Vegetables, she would've joined too. In her eyes, this looked suspiciously like a honeymoon trip for Kimimaro and Karin.
Kimimaro handed a small scroll to Hanabi. "This is the Bone Dragon summoning scroll. I'm entrusting it to you."
The bones collected during his last visit to the Land of Snow hadn't been used to reinforce the old Bone Dragon—instead, he had forged a new one. This new creation had power comparable to a mid-tier chunin. Even with enhanced materials, it couldn't match a jōnin's full strength. It lacked independent thought and required talismans and special ninjutsu to control—skills he had already taught Hanabi.
After being kissed, Hanabi blushed furiously, her young mind gradually beginning to understand the emotions behind such gestures. Feeling the weight of responsibility, she finally nodded and agreed to stay.
Kimimaro never brought more than one person on missions these days. The reason was simple: a shortage of capable manpower.
Suigetsu and Guren, his main combat support, had to stay back and protect their base.
Ranmaru and Karashi, while gifted, weren't yet strong enough to operate solo.
Karashi, in particular, was devoting himself to both chakra cultivation and the development of Life Curry—a nutritional supplement infused with life energy. Recently, he had obtained many rare ingredients and was now researching how to preserve Life Curry long-term. Constantly making it fresh wasn't sustainable.
Karin had a point: bringing Hanabi would be risky. Neither Karin nor Hanabi had the strength to face enemies like Sasori, and taking both meant Kimimaro would be too distracted to defend them.
As for whether Sasori might attack the Land of Vegetables while he was away—Kimimaro wasn't overly concerned. Most high-level shinobi in the Naruto world, especially S-rank types like Sasori, had their pride and rarely targeted enemies in such underhanded ways.
And even if Sasori did come, Kimimaro had already explained his abilities to his comrades. With Guren's Crystal Release, Suigetsu's water techniques, and Ranmaru's dojutsu-enhanced Lightning Blade, they had a fighting chance. Water and lightning, in particular, countered puppets well by corroding their mechanical parts and short-circuiting their inner systems.
Once everything was arranged, Kimimaro and Karin departed.
To reach the Land of Birds from the Land of Vegetables, they had to pass through the Land of Demons and the Land of Bears. Though it was possible to detour through the Land of Earth, that would delay their visit to Hoshigakure, the home of the Star Ninjas. Their chosen path was thus: Land of Demons → Land of Bears → Land of Birds. On the return trip, they could swing through the Land of Earth and the Land of Snow to visit Kurotsuchi and Koyuki Kazahana.
As they crossed into the Land of Demons, the air became heavier. Unlike the lush, orderly Land of Vegetables, the Land of Demons had an austere, sacred atmosphere. Though relatively peaceful on the surface, rumors of unrest spread by traveling merchants told another story.
Kimimaro remembered this place from fragmented memories of his past life—specifically the Naruto Shippuden: The Movie, where the Miko named Shion had once predicted Naruto's death.
He murmured, "The instability might be tied to the Miko…"
Karin, who overheard, asked, "What's a Miko?"
"She's the spiritual leader of the Land of Demons. You can think of her as their monarch. Traditionally, the Miko possesses sealing techniques powerful enough to suppress a demon called Mōryō."
Karin grinned mischievously. "Is she pretty?"
"I've never met her."
Karin wrapped her arms around his neck, half-joking, half-serious. "If you win her over, does that mean the Land of Demons would also be under your control?"
Kimimaro raised an eyebrow. "You're getting ahead of yourself. I'm not even thinking that far. And here you are plotting already."
Karin licked her lips. "After that time with Haruna, I have to admit—it was more thrilling than I expected. Maybe we could try something like that again… with someone else."
Kimimaro felt a wave of heat rise within him as he recalled how Karin had shifted from shy to wild in that moment. But since they were still sitting in a public restaurant, he quickly activated a brief pulse of Ice Release to cool down his chakra and regain composure.
"Anyway," he said, changing the subject, "the Land of Demons isn't our main priority. We'll head for the Land of Bears first."
"Hmph, I'm doing this for you, you know," Karin teased, resting her chin in her palm. "You should treasure a woman as considerate as me."
She's definitely considerate… when it comes to clothes, Kimimaro mused inwardly. As always, he kept those thoughts locked in his original inner language—one no one in this world could understand.
Suddenly, Karin perked up, her eyes narrowing toward a figure approaching from the road.
"Eh? Kimimaro, look over there. Isn't that Hanabi's older sister?"
She abruptly stood and waved. "Hinata! You're here too?"
Kimimaro turned his head and studied the girl. At a glance, she did resemble Hinata—soft facial features, lavender-tinted eyes—but her hair…
"Take a closer look. Hinata has dark hair with a faint bluish hue," he pointed out calmly. "This girl has snow-white hair. They're not the same."
"Oh… oops. My mistake, my mistake," Karin said with a sheepish grin. "But aside from the hair, she really looks like Hinata."
Of course she did. Kimimaro had already recognized the girl—there was no mistaking her. This had to be Shion, the priestess of the Land of Demons.
In his past life, there had been online chatter that Shion was like a mirror image of Hinata. Not just in appearance—they even shared the same awkward fondness for Naruto. But Shion's feelings had always seemed a bit forced to him.
Then again, it wasn't just her. Many of the female characters introduced in the anime's filler arcs or original movies seemed to fall for Naruto rather abruptly—usually right after being saved or emotionally disarmed by him.
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