Kimimaro was clearly stronger than Karin, which piqued Fū's interest.
"We're leaving. This is where we part ways," he said plainly.
Fū's eyes darted mischievously. "I wasn't planning on staying either. Let's go together. How did you two get here?"
Kimimaro chuckled. "We have transportation."
He leapt a short distance away, pulled out a scroll as a distraction, and covertly used Wood Release.
A wooden boat rose from the sea's surface, smooth and elegant.
"You carry a boat around with you?" Fū raised a brow in surprise.
It wasn't a massive ship, but at over twenty meters long with two tiers and private rooms, it was clearly luxurious for casual travel.
Kimimaro gave a small, triumphant smirk. If Yamato could build cabins with Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique, then so could he—except he could now create larger and more refined structures.
The three boarded the boat and began drifting toward the shore.
"Don't we need to steer it?" Fū asked.
"It's guided with Water Release," Kimimaro replied calmly, placing an arm around Karin's shoulders. "Miss Fū, feel free to pick any room. The accommodations are simple, but it should be good enough for a night."
Once inside their room, Karin whispered, "Why'd you go through the trouble of making a boat?"
"To make it easier for her to try something," Kimimaro replied. "And if she attacks on the sea, it'll be harder for her to retreat without revealing herself."
"You're being too cautious," Karin frowned. "She did seem a little odd at first, but when we talked, she asked if I was from the Uzumaki clan. Her chakra felt similar, so we ended up chatting normally."
"Silly girl. She might not mean you any harm, but her interest in me isn't innocent," Kimimaro said, then described Fū's earlier behavior.
"She tried to seduce you?" Karin sprang up. "Unacceptable! Wait, you're calling that malicious intent? When did you become such a saint?"
"You wouldn't get it. Just wait—you'll see a good show tonight."
Later that night, with Karin sound asleep, Kimimaro sensed movement outside.
He silently got up and stepped onto the deck.
Fū was leaning on the railing, red hair fluttering in the breeze. Under the moonlight, with her graceful figure, it was a beautiful sight.
"Still awake, Miss Fū?" he asked evenly.
"The view's nice, and I'm a bit lonely. Unlike you, I don't have someone like Karin to sleep beside."
"You could always find someone of your own."
"Oh? Then… would you accompany big sister tonight?" she said playfully.
Kimimaro shook his head. "You're joking. I have a girlfriend."
Fū scoffed lightly. "Men always say that. If you were really that faithful, you wouldn't have come out here."
"Heh. You're not wrong," he admitted, rubbing his nose awkwardly.
Fū stepped forward, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Want to taste big sister's flavor? What kind of kiss do you like?"
"You should ask what position I prefer."
"Naughty boy. You want quite a lot."
"Or maybe… big sister only kisses and keeps the rest pure?"
"What do you think?" she whispered as her lips neared his.
But Kimimaro pushed her back.
"What's wrong? Afraid Karin will see? We can go to my room."
"Big sister," Kimimaro said calmly, "you're not being honest. This is a fake body."
Fū's eyes widened, and she cautiously took a few steps back. "How did you know?"
"Doesn't matter. But if you're looking for some company, show a bit of sincerity."
He stepped forward and touched her shoulder. "I don't kiss mud clones."
"Tch..." Fū narrowed her eyes—then smiled seductively. "Didn't expect to run into a real expert tonight. But that only makes me more interested in you."
For chakra of four elements… I'll take the risk, she thought.
Her body collapsed into a mud doll, but her hair floated in midair. From that red hair, her real body emerged.
"Tonight's your lucky night. My true body has never been touched by a man before."
"Is that so? Then I'd better test that claim."
Fū approached again, cupping his face and leaning in. Their lips touched.
Kimimaro instantly felt something was wrong—his chakra was being drawn from him in rapid torrents.
Fū's expression was one of triumph. Finally. After all that teasing, even giving away my real first kiss… This chakra—so rich, so powerful…
But then, her eyes widened in shock.
She felt a strange energy rapidly draining from her body, flowing directly into Kimimaro's hands as they made contact with her.
It wasn't standard chakra—at least, not entirely. It felt like something more primal, more fundamental—almost like life force itself.
Alarmed, Fū severed her chakra link with Kimimaro and tried to leap away, but his grip tightened. She couldn't even trigger her Flying Swallow or Body Flicker to escape.
"Big Sister Fū," Kimimaro said with a faint smile, "you have to return what you borrow."
"Who are you? What kind of technique is this?" she snapped.
"Maybe just a bit more refined than yours," he said calmly.
"Let me go!"
"I'm afraid I can't. I still need to teach you a lesson."
By the time he stopped, the system notified Kimimaro: he had absorbed 5,000 units of life energy—roughly one-tenth of Fū's total.
Her vitality was indeed impressive, more than most Jōnin. As a Jinchūriki and someone with partial Uzumaki lineage, her life force was naturally high.
Still, it didn't compare to Karin's. Despite her lack of combat ability, Karin, a pure-blooded Uzumaki, had a life force rating of 50,000—equal to Fū's, but with greater healing properties.
Suddenly, Fū's expression changed. She had activated a jutsu—Kimimaro's body briefly stiffened.
"Body Bind Technique?" Kimimaro murmured. "I forgot how versatile you were."
He had known Fū could use all five basic chakra natures—a rarity—but hadn't expected her to use genjutsu or supplementary techniques so adeptly.
Still, would genjutsu work on Kimimaro?
Only if it came from a Mangekyō Sharingan-level user.
Sure enough, Fū's face fell as her body locked up, completely unresponsive.
"My genjutsu… did it backfire?"
"Yes," another voice said sharply. "Using genjutsu on Kimimaro is just asking for trouble."
"Karin?" Fū turned her head slightly in surprise. "When did you…?"
Karin stepped forward, arms crossed, eyes cold. "Kimimaro said you might try to charm or ambush him. I thought he was being paranoid. Guess I was wrong."
Fū let out a soft sigh. "I misjudged you both. I didn't think anyone was more of a generalist than me—five elements and genjutsu too. What do you want to let me go?"
Kimimaro replied with a single word: "Surrender."
Fū's eyes narrowed. "I already pledged myself to someone else. And he's not the kind to let subordinates go without a fight. If you force me to defect… he'll come for you."
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