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"This child? His name is Kimimaro. Come to think of it, there's a bit of a connection between this child and you, Kagaya-kun. On the night when you and Zabuza attempted to assassinate the Mizukage, the Kaguya clan of Kirigakure also took the opportunity to launch an attack on the entire village, aiming to overthrow it. They failed later, and the entire clan was wiped out. That same night, I came across this child, picked him up, and brought him back. He is the sole survivor of the Kaguya clan."
Orochimaru answered Kagaya's question on Kimimaro's behalf.
Kagaya smiled slightly.
"I see. So there is a connection."
Actually, during his days in Kirigakure, Kagaya had considered whether to seek out Kimimaro. But in the end, he abandoned the idea. Kagaya remembered that Kimimaro would eventually succumb to an incurable hereditary disease of the Kaguya clan, one that even Orochimaru and Kabuto couldn't cure—a condition that was inevitably fatal.
For that reason alone, Kagaya gave up on the idea of taking Kimimaro in.
Everyone has their flaws, and Kagaya's flaw was that he could no longer bear to lose important people. He couldn't endure that kind of pain. For someone like Kimimaro, whom Kagaya wasn't sure he could save, he truly didn't dare get involved.
The deaths of too many important people had already left an indelible shadow on Kagaya's heart.
"Orochimaru-sama, who is this?" Kimimaro asked Orochimaru.
Orochimaru answered.
"His name is Uchiha Kagaya, a missing-nin from Konoha. He's currently a member of the Akatsuki. He is very strong; don't underestimate him."
Kimimaro spoke gravely. "I understand."
In Kimimaro's view, someone described as "very strong" by Orochimaru was likely someone he would find difficult to defeat even if he went all out. Therefore, facing Kagaya, Kimimaro unconsciously showed a degree of respect.
Although Kimimaro's eyes were only for Orochimaru, he still maintained respect for the strong.
However, in reality, without using his Mangekyō, Kagaya would be completely helpless against Kimimaro. Kimimaro's "Shikotsumyaku" (Dead Bone Pulse) offered extremely high defense and attack power, making it almost impossible for Kagaya to find an opening.
Of course, with his speed, Kimimaro wouldn't be able to land a hit on Kagaya either.
After carefully observing Kimimaro, Kagaya turned his gaze to another person—Yakushi Kabuto!
In the entire Otogakure, only three people held Kagaya's interest: Orochimaru, Kimimaro, and Yakushi Kabuto.
Orochimaru went without saying—a character who played a role throughout the entire Naruto series, making it hard not to pay attention. As for Kimimaro, he was likely a Kage-level combatant, placing him among the very strong in the current Naruto world.
And finally, Kabuto...
Kagaya smiled politely.
"And you?"
Yakushi Kabuto. In the original story, he, alongside Obito, instigated the Fourth Great Ninja War and used the Impure World Reincarnation to summon countless powerful figures. It could be said that Kabuto was one of the two major antagonists in the early stages of the Fourth Great Ninja War.
"Yakushi Kabuto."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses and answered Kagaya succinctly.
Kagaya nodded to show he understood.
Orochimaru looked at Kagaya.
"Kagaya-kun, you didn't come to see me just to take a look at my personnel, did you?"
Kagaya denied it.
"Of course not. There's another purpose for this visit."
"Purpose?"
"I was wondering about the progress of your research on that jutsu."
The Impure World Reincarnation technique was still not perfected by Orochimaru. If possible, Kagaya would naturally prefer to revive the people he wanted when the Impure World Reincarnation was as complete as possible.
Orochimaru seemed to have anticipated Kagaya's question.
"Follow me, Kagaya-kun."
Soon, Orochimaru led Kagaya to a laboratory. It was filled with cylindrical glass pillars, each containing a person submerged in a green liquid. Evidently, these were all Orochimaru's test subjects.
Upon entering the laboratory, Orochimaru's first words were:
"I regret to inform you, Kagaya-kun, that the agreement we made—that you would not interfere when I make a move against Sasuke and Itachi—may need to be voided."
Kagaya was unconcerned.
"That has nothing to do with me. Whether it's voided or not, I won't be returning that scroll to you."
Orochimaru smiled.
"Of course. I've already given the Impure World Reincarnation technique to Kagaya-kun; I naturally wouldn't ask for it back. What I mean to say is, I have already found the perfect vessel. It's Kimimaro, whom you saw earlier. I no longer need Sasuke or Itachi."
"And so?"
"Because I've found the perfect vessel, I am now devoting myself entirely to my Fushi Tensei (Living Corpse Reincarnation) technique. As for the Impure World Reincarnation, I currently have little interest in researching it further. I suppose Kagaya-kun isn't familiar with my Fushi Tensei? It's a technique that allows me to transfer my consciousness into another person's body, abandoning my old, decaying form to achieve eternal life. How about it? Are you interested, Kagaya-kun?"
Kagaya closed his eyes and shook his head.
"Not in the slightest."
It seemed Orochimaru had no intention of perfecting the Impure World Reincarnation technique in the near future.
The current Orochimaru believed Kimimaro was the perfect vessel, so much so that he had given up on obtaining the Sharingan of Sasuke and Itachi.
This undoubtedly spoke to the power of Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai, enough to make Orochimaru forsake a Kekkei Genkai like the Sharingan.
Kagaya estimated that Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai was somewhat related to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
After all, Kimimaro's full name was Kaguya Kimimaro, and his Shikotsumyaku bore some resemblance to Kaguya's "All-Killing Ash Bones." Kagaya didn't believe there was no connection.
Moreover, the fact that it had now captivated Orochimaru to the point of abandoning the Sharingan further confirmed that Shikotsumyaku and the "All-Killing Ash Bones" were definitely related.
However, what Orochimaru didn't know was that soon—perhaps in half a year, perhaps a year—Kimimaro would fall ill, afflicted by the Kaguya clan's incurable, hereditary disease. At that time, Orochimaru would turn his attention back to Sasuke and Itachi.
As for now, Kagaya estimated...
"I see. Kagaya-kun isn't interested. However, I must regrettably inform you of something else: I have no plans to invade Konoha for the time being."
Orochimaru spoke these words.
As Kagaya had roughly anticipated, Orochimaru, utterly satisfied with Kimimaro, had given up on Sasuke and Itachi. Consequently, his interest in invading Konoha had waned.
Kagaya smiled, completely unbothered.
"It doesn't matter. Sooner or later, you will want to invade Konoha."
Orochimaru looked at Kagaya in surprise. He could tell that Kagaya seemed very certain he would eventually invade Konoha.
"Why is that?"
"You'll know when the time comes."
This "perfect vessel," Kimimaro, would soon develop a flaw that Orochimaru could not tolerate.