i am kimimaro

Hidden Cloud Village.

One of the five great ninja villages in the ninja world.

After the decline of Konoha, Hidden Cloud grew rapidly.

Its internal unity was strong, with little infighting.

For ten years, not a single rogue ninja had appeared.

Just this fact alone was enough to make the other four ninja villages envious.

Konoha and Hidden Mist, known for their rogue ninja problems, had no comments on this.

Hidden Cloud Village was built atop a mountain, surrounded by mist and frequently echoing with thunder, hence the name Hidden Cloud.

On this day, a young man arrived at the entrance of Hidden Cloud Village.

"So, this is Hidden Cloud Village? It's certainly on a different level compared to the Sound Village, which has only been around for a few years," thought Kimimaro, who had used Gaia Foundation's power.

At this moment, his identity was that of a civilian coming to issue a mission in Hidden Cloud Village.

Originally, he had planned to enter the village as "Mr. Jun," but after some thought, he realized that if he used that identity, the Raikage likely wouldn't let him leave easily.

This time, he intended to come quietly and leave quietly.

If he attracted the Raikage's attention, escaping would be much more difficult.

So, entering the village under the guise of issuing a mission was the most convenient option.

Like Konoha, Hidden Cloud's gates were guarded by two chunin.

Surrounding the gate, barriers extended in all directions.

It was almost impossible to enter Hidden Cloud Village through any other entrance.

"Hello, my name is Gintoki from Pallet Town, and I'd like to issue a C-rank escort mission."

Kimimaro addressed the Hidden Cloud guard.

"Mr. Gintoki, if you want to issue an escort mission, you can do so at the mission hall. That yellow building over there is the mission hall. Once inside, someone will assist you."

"Thank you."

Kimimaro stepped through the gates of Hidden Cloud Village and immediately felt a sensing ability briefly scan over him.

It was the sensory ninjas of Hidden Cloud checking to see if he had chakra within him.

If he were a ninja, they would increase surveillance.

If not, the surveillance would be lessened.

Ninja resources were limited, and they couldn't afford to monitor every outsider who entered the village closely.

The sensory scan passed over Kimimaro, and it was clear the sensory ninja found nothing unusual about him.

Gaia Foundation didn't just disguise appearances—it could also mask chakra fluctuations.

At the moment, Kimimaro was entirely a civilian.

Walking through Hidden Cloud Village, Kimimaro's mind flashed with the map of Hidden Cloud Village given to him by Guren.

Guren had been sent by Orochimaru to Hidden Cloud's base in the Land of Lightning, so her understanding of Hidden Cloud far exceeded Kimimaro's.

This map would save him a lot of trouble.

The yellow building was the mission hall, and the white one was Hidden Cloud's hospital. The medical herb storage area was next to the hospital, heavily guarded and difficult to infiltrate.

Kimimaro's eyes scanned Hidden Cloud Village as if he were a curious tourist, drawing no attention from the locals.

Soon, he arrived at the mission hall, issued his mission request, and paid the fee.

The money was provided by Guren.

"Mr. Gintoki, your mission has been accepted. Tomorrow, we'll assign the appropriate ninja to accompany you to the mission site."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Mr. Gintoki, you're free to explore our village for the day. If you'd like a tour guide, you can apply at the guide office next door. It's only 500 ryo for a full day."

"Uh… I don't think that'll be necessary."

"Alright. It was a pleasure to assist you."

After leaving the mission hall, Kimimaro couldn't help but admire how business-savvy Hidden Cloud Village was.

Having people stay an extra day while waiting for mission arrangements was a clever way to boost the village's tourism.

They even had tour guides ready.

Impressive.

Kimimaro found an inn and settled down for the time being.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he said suddenly.

Kimimaro held up his fingers in a peace sign and quickly took a photo at one of the village's scenic spots.

"Congratulations, tourist! You've completed a photo at Hidden Cloud Village. Your reward: Pokémon Pikachu!"

Upon hearing this, he immediately perked up.

"Pikachu? Pokémon?"

Making sure no one was watching, Kimimaro quickly opened the interface and found the photo he had taken in Hidden Cloud Village.

Behind him in the photo, there was a red-and-white Poké Ball.

He lightly tapped it.

The Poké Ball materialized in his hand.

The newly appeared Poké Ball was only about three centimeters in diameter.

With a gentle touch, the Poké Ball expanded to ten centimeters.

"It really is a Poké Ball."

Excited, he immediately tossed the Poké Ball.

"Alright, I choose you! Pikachu!"

The moment the ball was thrown, it opened, and a burst of white light emerged.

As the light faded, the true form was revealed.

Covered in yellow fur, with long ears that had black tips.

It had large, round black eyes and two red circles on its cheeks.

The most eye-catching feature was its lightning-shaped tail.

This was none other than Pokémon's Pikachu!

"Pika!"

Pikachu softly called out, its face filled with curiosity.

It seemed confused as to why it had appeared here.

It soon noticed Kimimaro standing in front of it.

A sense of familiarity suddenly emerged.

"Pika Pika!"

Pikachu called out excitedly.

"To think it really is Pikachu."

Who wouldn't want their own Pikachu?

Looking at Pikachu's adorable appearance, Kimimaro gently patted its head.

It felt incredibly pleasant.

Suddenly, Kimimaro's eyes narrowed, and he quickly picked up the Poké Ball, returning Pikachu inside. Then, he sat down on a chair.

After completing this sequence of actions, a hidden gaze fell upon his room.

But soon, it disappeared.

"The people of Hidden Cloud Village are certainly cautious. Even after confirming my identity, they still observe me from time to time. If Pikachu were to show up here, it would draw too much attention. I'll have to study it further once I leave."

Kimimaro thought to himself, then began planning his next moves.

"The first step of entering Hidden Cloud Village is complete. Now, I just need to silently locate the herb storage and find where Yūkimaru is being held."

With the information Guren provided, finding these two places wouldn't be difficult. But he needed to complete both tasks in the shortest time possible, so he had to act simultaneously.

There was only one of him, but he had two places to go. The Shadow Clone Technique was the perfect solution.

With Kimimaro's current strength, creating a shadow clone with sufficient combat ability and that could last for some time was no problem at all.

"When night falls, I'll head to the commercial street of Hidden Cloud Village and create two shadow clones. One will return to the inn, and the other will search for where Yūkimaru is being held. My real body will sneak into the herb storage."

A plan was slowly taking shape in Kimimaro's mind.

"Before night falls, I need to scout the area to ensure everything goes smoothly later. A map is just a map, but reality is reality. Only by walking through the area can I ensure nothing goes wrong."

(End of Chapter)