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"Damn it, where did that kid go?"
Amidst a forest of endless white bones, Jiraiya was hurrying deeper in with a look of deep concern on his face. He had no idea what condition Kitagawa Gen was in at the moment.
But just one look at his surroundings made even someone like him instinctively swallow hard.
"This cursed thing... is it the Shikotsumyaku? Why is it so powerful?"
Jiraiya had lived through countless wars and battles, so he was certainly no stranger to the Shikotsumyaku. Yet the scale and intensity of what he saw now seemed to defy everything he had known. It was beyond comprehension!
The forest, once lush and vibrant, had transformed entirely into something monstrous.
The tall trees that once towered over the ground had been completely replaced by thick, sharp bone spikes that rose menacingly into the sky. Even under the bright midday sun, a chilling aura hung in the air, seeping into his very bones.
Just moments ago, if he hadn't reacted fast enough and leapt onto Manda's back and then used Manda along with Orochimaru as a landing cushion against the sudden eruption of bone he probably wouldn't be in such decent shape right now.
As for how Manda fared... neither he nor Orochimaru seemed to care in the slightest.
"Kid, you'd better be okay…"
Drawing his gaze back from the skeletal forest, Jiraiya picked up speed again. It wasn't long before, deep in the bone forest, he finally caught sight of Kitagawa Gen, who was making his way out while breaking apart the protruding bones around him.
"Whew…"
At that moment, Jiraiya finally breathed a long sigh of relief. Just a few minutes ago, he could have sworn he felt his heart pounding like a drum.
But soon, his expression grew slightly tense again. He noticed that Kitagawa Gen's clothing was in tatters, ripped open in several places.
"Kid, are you alright?"
He hurried over in a leap, and before Gen could say anything, Jiraiya had already begun examining him.
"Ah, Lord Jiraiya?"
Kitagawa Gen had sensed Jiraiya's approach from earlier, but he hadn't expected such a fuss the moment they met. He gave a wry smile and shook his head lightly.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. There's no need to get so worked up."
"Better to be safe than sorry."
After a thorough check, Jiraiya finally exhaled in relief.
It puzzled him that despite how shredded the boy's clothes were, not a single wound could be found on his body. Still, it wasn't the most important thing right now.
"What happened here? Was it caused by the person you were fighting?"
"Yeah. That guy unleashed a huge surge of chakra just now, and this was the result. I don't know where he went after that."
Kitagawa Gen nodded, not bothering to hide anything.
"And he was quite... peculiar. He could pull bones out of his body and use them as weapons. I think I read about such a trait in a book once. He seems to be..."
"The Kaguya clan. From Kirigakure."
Jiraiya supplied the answer directly, then couldn't help but shake his head.
"But that guy... he was far stronger than any of the Kaguya clan members I've ever encountered. People like him wouldn't be capable of something on this scale."
That much was certain. After all, Kimimaro was feared even by his own clan. At such a young age, he had already been granted a permanent place behind bars.
In Gen's memories, he recalled there was a game where an Uchiha shared a similar fate.
"Now that I think about it, those two clans are actually quite alike."
The Uchiha were notorious for their mental instability, and the Kaguya clan had an equally infamous reputation. If the Uchiha were mad, then the Kaguya were utterly deranged.
Their bloodlust and combative nature had long isolated them, forcing them into the outskirts of their own village. They constantly clashed with other residents and caused unrest.
And in the end, they even attempted a coup, only to be eradicated just like the Uchiha.
One couldn't help but sigh. These two clans truly were a pair of "sleeping dragons and hidden phoenixes."
"If Kirigakure hadn't shut itself off from the world, maybe the Uchiha might have heard of the Kaguya clan's fate and learned a thing or two."
Kitne Gen couldn't help but mock inwardly. Then his gaze turned toward Jiraiya with a curious glint in his eyes.
"By the way, Lord Jiraiya, what about Orochimaru? And how did our mission go?"
"There was such a commotion just now, I was worried about you, so I didn't bother checking on him."
Speaking of Orochimaru, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated and awkward. But the next moment, he let out a chuckle, brushing it all off with a grin.
"Anyway, don't worry about the little details. There may have been one or two tiny hiccups in this mission, but this great toad sage still pulled it off in the end."
"..."
A tiny hiccup?
Kitagawa Gen gave Jiraiya a strange look, then turned to glance back at the vast expanse of bone-covered forest behind them.
That look seemed to say, If you had just listened to me earlier, things wouldn't have turned out like this, would they?
"Do you really have to talk that loud?"
And yet, though Kitagawa Gen had not uttered a word, Jiraiya still felt his old face flush with embarrassment.
Sometimes, silence was even more deafening than words.
"Well then, the mission is complete. Let's get out of here."
"Yeah yeah yeah."
Kitagawa Gen saw no need to argue. From his perspective, regardless of the outcome, both aspects of their mission had indeed been accomplished.
[Side Quest Complete: Jiraiya's Exclusive Mission]
[Brotherhood Demands Two Stabs]
[Reward Obtained: Kimimaro's Special Yang Release Power]
---
"How is Kimimaro?"
"Orochimaru-sama, he still requires treatment."
In another forest within the Land of Hot Waters, Orochimaru was calmly watching as Jūgo continued tending to Kimimaro's wounds.
Jūgo possessed a unique technique known as "Cellular Regeneration Ejection." By transferring chakra-infused cells from his own body into another, he could promote rapid recovery from injuries.
However, there was a crucial condition. The recipient had to possess and be compatible with his Cursed Seal. Otherwise, the technique would be useless.
Truthfully, Orochimaru didn't believe this would make much of a difference. Kimimaro's issues weren't limited to surface wounds. The far more serious concern lay in his bloodline illness.
"That Dance of the Seedling Fern just now must have taken an extraordinary toll on him."
Orochimaru's expression darkened. The Dance of the Seedling Fern was Kimimaro's ultimate technique, a trump card he had hoped would remain unused.
He never imagined Kimimaro would be forced to such extremes. The situation left him more than a little vexed.
It would slow down his plans!
"Still, that little brat is quite the intriguing one."
Orochimaru's gaze remained fixed on the unconscious Kimimaro, but his thoughts drifted elsewhere—to that boy trailing behind Jiraiya, the one he had barely glanced at earlier.
He had not bothered to learn the boy's name, nor had he cared. But now, his interest was piqued, especially in regard to that strange technique the boy had used.
Jūgo had already recounted the details of the battle. The child possessed incredible speed and brute strength.
But most impressive of all was the unique Lightning Release technique he wielded, one that combined three different properties at once.
It was precisely this lightning that had allowed the boy to overwhelm both Jūgo and Kimimaro, even pushing Kimimaro to unleash the Dance of the Seedling Fern.
"To think he mastered both shape transformation and nature transformation of Lightning Release to such a level…"
As a master of ninjutsu, Orochimaru instantly grasped the essence of that violet lightning. He understood better than most what it truly was.
For one so young to create a technique of such sophistication and power, even Orochimaru had to admit, the boy's talent was exceptional.
"And he is under Jiraiya's guidance as well."
Orochimaru licked his lips. Suddenly, a new thought crossed his mind.
"Could it be… another Namikaze Minato?"
With that notion, the interest in his eyes swiftly faded. What had been curiosity now turned to disinterest.
Jiraiya really was an infuriating man!
Shaking his head, Orochimaru cast the thought aside. He had no time to waste on speculation. Right now, the most pressing task was to leave this place.
Who knew whether that bloodhound Jiraiya would sniff his way back here again?
"Fortunately, it seems Jiraiya has taken the bait. Let him deal with the Akatsuki. Let the dogs tear each other apart."
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[Chapter End's]
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