"Fighting is fine, but after this fight, you're not allowed to bother me anymore. I don't want you falling for me," Kimimaro said flatly.
"Ah—don't talk nonsense! I don't like guys!" Naruto stammered. "Sasuke… that's just…"
He suddenly trailed off. Why was he so concerned about Sasuke? His concern for him went far beyond anyone else—even Sakura.
What Naruto didn't know was that this was the legacy of the reincarnations of Asura and Indra—an ancient, inherited bond spanning centuries.
Kimimaro folded his arms. "Whether you love Sasuke or not, you can think about it later. Like I said, if you want a fight, I'll accept it. But if not, I'll have to ask Jiraiya-sama to rein you in."
Naruto glanced back. Jiraiya gave a casual smile. "As for what happened before, Kimimaro was simply repaying Orochimaru. Lady Tsunade has already decided—so long as he doesn't threaten Konoha again, there's no reason to fight him."
Though still frustrated, Naruto couldn't argue. Orochimaru was the real enemy. Even Gaara and Lee had come to respect Kimimaro, despite their past battles.
"Fine. If Granny Tsunade said you're not an enemy… I'll let it go. But I still want a match! If I can vent this frustration, I won't bother you anymore. But if you step out of line again—I will stop you."
"It's a deal."
Everyone else backed away, giving the two space.
Kimimaro stood tall. "Let me warn you. I've recovered and trained hard. If I kill you by accident, don't blame me."
Naruto snorted. "Tch—bring it on!"
Kimimaro smirked. "Last time, I was dying. Back then, I told you I had five signature dances… and you only saw two. But I've improved. I've renamed them. From now on, I call them Bone Release techniques."
He had long wanted to abandon the poetic "Dance of…" names. What was the point? "Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets" was far more direct.
"I don't care what you call them!" Naruto charged. "Take this punch!"
Naruto's taijutsu had come far, but at this point in the manga (before Sage Mode), his techniques were still simple: Shadow Clones, Rasengan, and raw determination. His true strength came from overwhelming tactics, not refined skill.
Kimimaro, by contrast, was a combat prodigy—trained by Orochimaru and strengthened by his kekkei genkai. Even without using his bloodline, he outclassed most genin and chunin in taijutsu.
With a flicker, Kimimaro appeared behind Naruto and landed a precise spinning kick that sent him crashing into a boulder.
"You're strong, but you rely too much on instinct. Your taijutsu's sloppy. In your generation, only Rock Lee has cleaner form. And even Hyuga Neji—who Hanabi says is a genius—is still empowered by his clan's dojutsu like I am."
Even in pure hand-to-hand combat, Kimimaro was dangerous.
Naruto jumped up, rubbing his head. "Fine, then! I'm getting serious! Shadow Clone Jutsu! Naruto Barrage!"
Several clones swarmed Kimimaro, coordinating in a wild flurry.
"Bone Release: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets—Barrage."
Kimimaro extended his fingers. Bone bullets sprayed outward, rotating like a gatling gun. The clones were shredded instantly.
"Tch—you're not afraid of numbers? Then how about this?! Uzumaki Naruto: Thousand Clones Barrage!"
Kimimaro clicked his tongue in annoyance. The field flooded with orange.
"Fine. Let's turn it up."
Kimimaro's skin hardened into bone. His signature kekkei genkai—Shikotsumyaku—fully activated.
"Bone Release: Bone Armor Cover."
Thick white ossification enveloped him like an exoskeleton, reinforcing his body and joints.
"Bone Release: Bone Whip." A long spine-like appendage lashed out from his arm, snapping through multiple clones.
"Bone Release: Spiral Bone Spear." A drill-like spike burst from his palm, piercing another line of attackers.
This was no longer the fragile, dying Kimimaro Naruto had once seen.
This was the revived warrior—armor-clad, relentless, and precise.
But Naruto, even overwhelmed, didn't falter.
"You're strong… but I never give up! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The field erupted with light again.
Kimimaro's eyes narrowed. He's persistent. If he ever masters control, he'll be terrifying… just like Jiraiya said.
Moreover, in his right hand, Kimimaro held a whip fashioned from fused spinal bones—each one harvested from fallen enemies. In his left, he wielded a long, spiraling bone lance modeled after Dance of the Clematis: Flower, the deadly technique of the Kaguya clan.
Naruto's eyes sparkled. "Whoa, that's awesome!"
No boy could resist the cool factor of full-body bone armor, but Naruto grinned even wider. "Heh, this just got way more interesting! Let's go!"
Jiraiya, watching from the sidelines, stroked his chin in thought. "So the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku can be used like that… huh. Looks like I've still got a lot to learn."
Nearby, Hanabi looked up at Karin and asked, "Karin-neechan, why haven't I seen Big Brother fight so passionately before?"
Karin pushed up her glasses, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Maybe… it's because he's fighting Uzumaki Naruto. Something about Naruto seems to fire him up. But—he really is good-looking when he gets serious. So strong and aggressive... I'm not sure I can handle him alone later…"
Lately, Karin had been growing more curious about adult feelings and secretly studying romance—at least in theory. Even if she didn't fully understand yet, her imagination was working overtime.
Hanabi tilted her head, not following most of that, but she still nodded confidently. "That's right! Big Brother is the coolest!"
Fully armored, Kimimaro dashed into the battlefield of shadow clones. His blood boiled—not from illness, but from something more primal. Naruto's energy was infectious.
He lashed his whip in a wide arc, scattering a ring of clones with a single blow.
With his lance, he skewered three more in rapid succession—each clone vanishing in a puff of smoke.
Naruto's punches landed—but bounced harmlessly off Kimimaro's dense bone plating.
"It's pointless," Kimimaro said flatly. "Your taijutsu isn't strong enough to break through my defense. No matter how many clones you make, all you're doing is wasting chakra. Is your strategy just to wear your opponent down?"
Still, he couldn't help but think: Uzumaki Naruto... he really does win through sheer willpower and endurance.
"Hmph," Naruto replied, crossing his arms defiantly. "You're strong, but you can't beat numbers. If a thousand clones aren't enough, then I'll make more—double, no, quadruple! Four Thousand Naruto Barrage!"
Thousands of clones erupted around the battlefield, a sea of orange overwhelming the terrain.
Kimimaro narrowed his eyes from behind his mask of bone. "So you want to play it that way…"
Though his expression was hidden, his voice betrayed his thrill.
"Then let me show you—quantity means nothing before absolute technique!"
He raised his arms.
"It's time I used a true Dance."