i am kimimaro

"Then why did you come to Mr. Tazuna?"

"There are many strong people protecting Cardo. It would be dangerous for me to go alone. I heard that Mr. Tazuna hired a Konoha team to protect him while he was building the bridge. And he happens to be Cardo's target.

I think if we work together, it should be beneficial to both of us. You protect Tazuna, and I'll deal with Cardo. Mr. Kakashi, what do you think?"

The young man in front of him was no more than two years older than his own students, but he already possessed a wealth of experience. Kakashi couldn't help but admire him.

No wonder he could go out on missions alone.

Of course, this was partly due to the lack of manpower in the Sound Ninja Village, but the excellence of the person in front of him was the main reason.

"Of course. We are actually a bit short-handed against Cardo's men."

Kakashi smiled with his eyes narrowed, looking harmless.

But Kimimaro didn't dare underestimate this seemingly ordinary ninja.

"Happy to cooperate."

Kimimaro extended his right hand.

Kakashi politely shook it.

"Happy to cooperate."

Although he didn't fully trust Kimimaro yet, if there was a problem, keeping him close was easier than letting him hide in the shadows.

If he was really an ally, cooperation would naturally be a win-win situation for both sides.

With this in mind, Kakashi decided to accept Kimimaro's offer of cooperation.

"Congratulations, tourist. The photo was successful. You received a reward: a pupil fragment. Collect seven to obtain a special pupil technique."

Kimimaro was slightly surprised.

Pupil fragment?

Collect seven to be useful?

Like Dragon Balls?

He wondered what kind of pupil technique it would be that required seven fragments to exchange.

In front of Kakashi, Kimimaro could only suppress his doubts and lower his right hand.

"Kimimaro, who were you chasing earlier? Did you catch them?"

At this time, Naruto stepped forward and asked curiously.

"I caught them. It was a young man. He was just collecting herbs, I must have been too sensitive. But he's skilled, not like an ordinary person."

Kimimaro didn't tell the whole truth, but only revealed some key information to them.

"A skilled young man? Could it be..."

Naruto quickly thought of something and looked at Kakashi with a shocked expression.

Kakashi's face was serious.

"Was the young man's hair black? About this tall."

Kakashi gestured to indicate Haku's height.

"Yes. Do you know him?"

"Mr. Kakashi, it must be him. He must have been collecting herbs to treat Zabuza's injuries!"

Naruto said with certainty.

Kakashi nodded slightly.

"If we're not mistaken, the young man you saw is one of our opponents this time.

Last time, we fought a hard battle with Zabuza Momochi, a missing-nin from Kirigakure hired by Cardo. We initially won, but he disguised himself as a Kirigakure ANBU and suddenly appeared, making Zabuza appear dead in front of us and taking his body away.

By the time we reacted, it was too late."

Kakashi explained to Kimimaro.

"If that's the case, Zabuza's injuries must have almost healed. Those herbs are all for treating external injuries."

"After nearly a month, Zabuza's injuries should have healed. Mr. Tazuna's bridge construction has entered the final stage. In this case, Zabuza should join forces with that young man to attack again in the next two days. A tough battle is inevitable."

Kakashi showed a worried expression.

Although he was confident in killing Zabuza alone, the young man's strength was definitely not just that of a genin.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura might not be able to stop him.

He wondered what the odds of winning would be with this Sound ninja boy.

"That's good. The sooner it's resolved, the sooner I can return to the Sound Ninja Village."

Compared to Kakashi's worry, Kimimaro thought this was a good thing.

"Mr. Kakashi, Sasuke and I have both become stronger. This time, we'll definitely teach that Zabuza a lesson!"

Naruto was also very excited.

After the last battle, he was no longer a rookie genin who hadn't seen blood, but an excellent ninja with an unwavering fighting spirit.

His vow of fearlessness, sworn with the blood of his right hand, would never change.

Seeing Naruto's growth, Kakashi felt a sense of relief.

Worthy of being his teacher's child.

"Thank you for your hard work for the sake of the Land of Waves."

Tazuna expressed his gratitude at the right time.

He knew that the reason Kakashi and the others were still here to help him was entirely out of a sense of justice.

This wasn't just lip service about justice, but justice fought for at the risk of their lives.

There weren't many people in this world who could do that.

"You're welcome, Mr. Tazuna. Please arrange accommodation for this Sound ninja friend. He will protect your safety with us tomorrow."

"No problem. Tsunami, clean up a room for this friend to stay in."

"Okay. Ninja-sama, please wait a moment, I'll go prepare it now."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Ninja-sama."

Kimimaro's polite attitude naturally won Tsunami's favor.

She had always heard that ninjas were arrogant, but after interacting with them this time, they seemed to be quite good.

"Kimimaro, are you very strong? How about we spar? I'm a super awesome genin from Konoha!"

Naruto was eager to try.

Kakashi surprisingly didn't stop him from causing trouble, seemingly wanting to test Kimimaro's strength.

No matter how strong Kimimaro was, he could tell something from his fight with Naruto.

"Okay."

Kimimaro didn't refuse because he also saw through Kakashi's thoughts. Hiding his strength at this moment would only arouse suspicion.

He didn't want any unnecessary doubts.

An experienced elite jonin like Kakashi wouldn't trust others easily. Maintaining a certain level of vigilance was the biggest secret to a ninja's survival during missions.

In the courtyard.

Kimimaro and Naruto stood facing each other.

"I'm going to attack, Kimimaro."

Naruto said excitedly.

"Come on!"

Naruto charged forward and punched with his right fist!

The momentum was strong, but in Kimimaro's eyes, this punch was full of flaws.

Kimimaro dodged sideways, and Naruto missed.

But he didn't stop, throwing another punch with his left hand towards Kimimaro's face.

Tilting his neck, Kimimaro dodged again.

Naruto became a little impatient. He sped up his attacks, but his punches became increasingly chaotic, and Kimimaro's dodges became even easier.

"Weak punches! Poor kicks! Sloppy footwork! Slow reactions! Not a single decent move. This taijutsu is a complete mess!"

Kimimaro shouted coldly, then kicked Naruto in the abdomen!

Bang!

This kick sent Naruto flying several meters away, landing awkwardly.

Kakashi showed a surprised expression.

"Such powerful taijutsu, not a single wasted movement. Such taijutsu, appearing in a genin? Has the Sound Ninja Village reached this level?"

(End of Chapter)