Kimimaro shook his head. "Kazuma, you overestimate yourself. I never thought you'd be tied down by your son. Subduing Sora was just incidental. But you were right about one thing—I don't shy away from villainous methods. Bringing Sora here wasn't to unite us. It was to spite you. You kept hesitating, so I gave you a reason to move."
Kazuma was momentarily taken aback by Kimimaro's bluntness. But he quickly understood—Kimimaro didn't waste time with pleasantries, especially not with someone like him.
"I understand. Don't worry. I've made up my mind—I'll help you. But at first, I can only reach out to a select few. Your true strength hasn't been publicly revealed yet. Only those who, like me, are obsessed with world unity will be moved by my persuasion."
"I don't care about your process. I only want results," Kimimaro replied, turning to leave. "Reach out to your allies if you must. But don't interfere with my operations. If your little schemes expose me to the Five Great Nations, I won't be lenient."
Kazuma was no Jiraiya.
Jiraiya was a free spirit. Even if he knew Kimimaro's goals, as long as his friends were unharmed and Konoha stood strong, he would observe from the sidelines.
Kazuma, however, was a planner. Once he set his sights on something, he took action—and if unchecked, his actions might do more harm than good.
Jiraiya and Naruto lingered for a few more days after Kimimaro's return, then left.
Though brief, Kimimaro had come to respect Naruto's charisma.
This kid really could befriend almost anyone—as long as their ideals didn't completely clash.
In a few short days, Naruto was on casual terms with Jūgo, Suigetsu, Guren, even Fudō and Fūen. Naturally, Kimimaro too.
However, Naruto and Kimimaro often argued—mostly about Sasuke.
Before parting, Kimimaro asked, "We're friends now, right? So tell me—if one day Sasuke and I fight, what will you do?"
"Why would you fight Sasuke?"
"There could be many reasons. Maybe he's too arrogant and I can't stand him. Or maybe he'll stand in my way. You know better than anyone what Sasuke's like."
Naruto thought for a moment and smiled. "It's okay. I don't think you two will end up as enemies. Sasuke and I used to fight all the time too, but I still think of him as my most important person—hey! Don't take it the wrong way, he's like a brother to me. A really good brother. If you two fight, as long as it's not to the death, I'm sure it'll be fine. Besides, Sasuke's really strong—you might not beat him. If I see him again, I'll tell him you're my friend. We don't need to fight."
Kimimaro let out a rare smile.
This kid… either naïve or just absurdly optimistic. But maybe that's exactly why he has such a pull on people. Maybe that's how he turns enemies into allies—with that ridiculous "Talk no Jutsu."
A little over a month after Jiraiya left, a letter arrived on Kimimaro's desk.
Haruna, seated beside him, opened it. "It's a joint invitation from Konoha and Sunagakure. They're hosting Chūnin Exams together."
"I remember the Fifth Hokage mentioning this while I was in Konoha. Did they give a date?"
Haruna passed him the letter. "Not yet. It's a preliminary notice—to inform other nations and gauge participation. For an event of this scale, with confirmations and prep time, I'd say it'll be at least three months out."
"Makes sense," Kimimaro nodded, setting the letter aside. "Tsunade mentioned it earlier. We'll show our goodwill—send a few participants."
"Won't it be too much pressure for them? The Five Great Nations will all be there."
"They won't," Kimimaro said flatly. "Only the Land of Fire and Land of Wind will attend."
"Why?" Haruna asked, puzzled.
"Joint Chūnin Exams are a political statement—proof of strength and cooperation. Konoha and Sunagakure both recently changed leadership and suffered internal unrest. They're trying to project stability. But Kumogakure and Iwagakure won't play along. They don't want to be seen following someone else's lead. As for Kirigakure—they're still cleaning up after years of civil strife. No chance they'll send genin into foreign territory."
Haruna covered her mouth and chuckled. "Doesn't Iwagakure have your little lover? You could have her show up, and then send your people in through that, couldn't you?"
Kimimaro pinched her cheek lightly. "No need for that. I'm not running errands for Konoha. I'll send people myself—it'll double as a field test for my subordinates. But if too many Genin from the Five Great Nations show up, it'll interfere with the training value."
"Who are you planning to send?"
Kimimaro thought for a moment. "Have Karashi lead a two-man cell. His Life Curry project has stabilized enough that he can step away for a while and gain field experience. I'll also assign two smaller squads to observe the environment. Besides the Land of Vegetables, I want the Land of Bears involved too. Heichuan's squad and Subaru's team should both be ready. By then, integration of the Star Village should be mostly complete."
The Land of Bears was progressing smoothly. Subaru and Hokuto handled public affairs, while Hiki, Nanto, and Taketori Shizuka worked from the shadows, restructuring Hoshigakure's foundation and suppressing remaining loyalists.
Karashi's Life Curry had already been refined into a portable variant. While its effects weren't on par with fresh preparation—its vitality regeneration was lower, and it lacked the temporary life-force expansion—it was a solid contingency item. Production had begun, but scaling it up was limited by several rare ingredients with strict growing conditions. The scientific team from the Land of Vegetables was still experimenting with sustainable cultivation.
Once fully developed, portable Life Curry could become a mission staple—akin to military ration pills, though considerably rarer and more valuable. Ninja would likely carry only one at a time. After all, ration pills sustain stamina, but Life Curry could literally restore life force and accelerate recovery.
Kimimaro's deployment orders were issued swiftly.
He didn't bother with Genin from the Land of Snow. Their strategic role was covert support—low visibility, silent development. Drawing attention would go against their function.
Truthfully, Kimimaro viewed the Chūnin Exams merely as controlled trials. He never cared for promotions or ranks handed down by institutions. Strength spoke for itself. Anyone truly powerful had no need for Kage recognition.
He had considered sending dozens of Genin cells just for the combat exposure, but such a move would be too conspicuous. Even Konoha rarely dispatched more than twenty or thirty teams for the Exams.
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