"Orochimaru," a sharp voice interrupted from the doorway. Sasuke walked in, his almost adult face etched with arrogant disdain, accompanied by Kabuto. "All of your little toys break way too easily." The Uchiha made no effort to hide his utter lack of respect, speaking to the legendary Sannin as if he were merely an inconvenience.
Sasuke's dark eyes immediately shifted to the newcomer standing in the room. The distinctive pale hair and stark bone-white features matched the exact description of the strong, Jugo so reverently talked about.
"Let me test him," Sasuke thought. Before anyone could react, Sasuke unleashed a wave of high-level Genjutsu directly at Kimimaro, aiming to paralyze his mind instantly.
Kimimaro didn't even hesitate. With incredible internal precision, he manipulated his Kekkei Genkai, sprouting microscopic bone needles directly inside his body. The tiny calcium spikes pricked his internal cartilage, muscle tissue, and tendons just enough to flood his nervous system with sharp pain, instantly shattering the Sharingan: Genjutsu. He retracted the miniature bones spoking just as quickly, his expression entirely unbothered.
"You are undeniably strong," Kimimaro remarked, his tone completely neutral as he calculated the the teen his Lord coveted. "I'd place you right below Neji's level."
However, Sasuke took that as an insult as he tightened his jaw. To him, Neji Hyuga was little more than a distant footnote... a boy who had managed to hold his own against Naruto during the Chunin Exams, and Rock Lee called him a rival. He had no reason to hold him in high regard. And here Kimimaro is comparing him to that Neji
Even Orochimaru and Kabuto paused, as intrigue took over their faces. For Kimimaro... to hold Neji in such high esteem piqued their curiosity.
"So... you consider yourself stronger than me?" Sasuke sneered in arrogance and disdain.
"You can try using your strongest genjutsu and ask me that again," Kimimaro replied, staring into the red glow of Sasuke's Sharingan without dodging his eyes.
Sasuke didn't need further prompting; he was never one to back down from a challenge. Disregarding the place they were in, his fingers blurred through a rapid sequence of hand seals: Ox, Hare, Monkey.
"Chidori Stream!"
A surge of lightning erupted from Sasuke's entire body, crackling madly through the air. Instead of a direct thrust, he drove the electrical discharge into the ground, letting the current ripple wildly through the ground, racing towards Kimimaro. The blinding attack struck Kimimaro's bone armor head-on, engulfing him in a tempest of sparks and rising white smoke.
Sasuke let out an arrogant smirk, stepping back. "Not so strong after all, I guess."
As the haze drifted away, Sasuke's smile vanished. Standing in the center of the scorched ground was Kimimaro, the dense bone of his White Knight form was unscathed. Not a single scratch was etched onto his armour.
"Maybe you should try that again in your Second State Curse Mark," Kimimaro said, his voice as matter-of-fact. "That might actually do something."
Slowly, the brutal reality of the gap between them began to sink in, twisting into a knot of frustration. At this rate, Sasuke thought to himself, his teeth grinding together, "I'll never be strong enough to kill Uchiha Itachi."
"Don't put yourself down too much," Kimimaro consoled Sasuke, turning his gaze away. "You should still prove somewhat useful against the upcoming Akatsuki threat."
Sasuke snapped his head up as he narrowed his eyes. "You speak as if you know a great deal about the Akatsuki."
"I know enough," Kimimaro answered. Turning his back on the Sasuke, he began walking toward Kabuto, his demeanor shifting back to his primary concern: Lord Orochimaru's well-being. "Kabuto, where were you loitering when Lord Orochimaru needed you? You should have been at his side, tending to him."
"DO YOU KNOW OF ITACHI UCHIHA?" Sasuke barked, his voice with desperation as he tried to force Kimimaro back into the conversation.
Kimimaro paused, letting out a soft huff. "So, you're still consumed by your revenge? Let me enlighten you: you are nowhere near his level. He is considered one of the strongest, even within the Akatsuki. I have only seen a silhouette of him, but I could tell instantly from the look in his eyes... he could have killed me ten times over. And here you are, unable to put a single scratch on me."
Sasuke didn't utter another word. He turned on his heel and walked away into the shadows of the corridor, his fists clenched tightly.
With Sasuke gone, Kabuto stepped closer to Orochimaru, addressing his master directly. "Sasori contacted me regarding your location, Lord Orochimaru."
Kimimaro raised an eyebrow, about to ask for clarification, but Kabuto continued. "I am acting as a double agent for Sasori. He placed a mind-memory seal which Lord Orochimaru removed and we are maintaining the link to him if it would be of any use."
A snake-like grin spread across Orochimaru's pale face. "I'd like to test something. Give him the location of our abandoned hideout to the west. This time, I might just capture him... I've always wanted to experiment on how he achieved his version of immortality."
The word immortality seemed to jog Kimimaro's memory. "Lord Orochimaru, there is also a new recruit in the Akatsuki," he recalled. "His name is Hidan. According to Kakuzu, he is an immortal being. He might prove far more useful to your research."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "It seems today is my lucky day." He glanced over at Kabuto, his voice dropping to a commanding tone. "Kabuto, once this current situation is settled, resume your search for Kimimaro's cure immediately. Tsunade has already managed to stabilize his condition; it is only a matter of time before we replicate it."
A spasm racked Orochimaru, sending him to his knees as he spewed a pool of blood across the stone floor. Kimimaro and Kabuto lunged forward instantly. "Lord Orochimaru, are you alright? speak to us!" Kimimaro pleaded, his usual calm cracking with rare worry.
Orochimaru could only cough harder, choking on his own bile as his body revolted.
"His vessel is failing," Kabuto snapped, pulling a prepared syringe from his pouch. "Phase three has hit early... this wasn't supposed to happen for another three months."
Kabuto drove the needle in Orochimaru's hand, injecting the stabilizer to ease the straining veins. Slowly, Orochimaru's agonized shudders quieted into a shallow breaths.
~~
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