In terms of research, Orochimaru was naturally more skilled, so Kimimaro entrusted most of the research tasks to him.
This allowed Kimimaro to free up more time for training and furthering his studies on the art of immortality.
Now that matters with the Akatsuki organization had mostly been dealt with, he needed to consider his own future direction.
First and foremost was the main objective: immortality.
He had conducted thorough research on all the immortality techniques he could access, and the next step was to apply that research to himself.
This would be a long process, taking years or even decades, which was entirely normal.
There was no rush, as long as each stage was completed appropriately, the goal of immortality would naturally be achieved.
Next was power.
Without sufficient strength, even if he gained an immortal body, he could still be killed.
Thus, strength was indispensable.
Kimimaro's strength mainly consisted of two parts:
One was the skills he gained from his own ninja training, and the other was the random assortment of abilities from the system.
In fact, his knowledge might even surpass that of Orochimaru in terms of breadth.
Therefore, he needed to organize everything he knew, consolidate it, and confirm his primary focus.
In terms of taijutsu, he had the Kaguya-style taijutsu, Kirito's sword techniques, Three Thousand Worlds, Scattering Soul Iron Claws, Gentle Fist techniques, and Azure Dragon Break, as well as the Eight Gates technique he learned while healing Rock Lee.
The training methods of the first five gates of the Eight Gates could be incorporated into his Sage Mode, allowing him to unleash even greater power. However, this would be a major project requiring time.
Still, the physical training methods of the Eight Gates were worth referencing.
Since the Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) was already a taijutsu-based kekkei genkai, it complemented the Eight Gates technique.
With this, Kimimaro's training would be even more effective.
The Clow Cards were more support-based abilities.
They didn't require much training, only a large amount of chakra and a strong will to unleash their astonishing power, making them the most convenient to use.
His most frequently used ability was Hadō (Path of Destruction), as it was not only highly effective but also looked impressive.
This was something worth practicing more.
In terms of speed, he had Shunpo (Flash Step), which just needed to be honed to its limit, allowing him to dominate the ninja world.
The two strongest techniques Kimimaro had were the God's Thunder Hall and the Eight Cups of Sake, both of which he rarely used.
One was a large-scale lightning attack, with power comparable to the Almighty Push of the Deva Path.
The downside was that it took time to set up—three hundred lightning crystals and about a minute to prepare.
Pikachu almost collapsed from exhaustion while making those crystals, and afterward, it looked at Kimimaro with clear resentment.
The other technique, Eight Cups of Sake, was a single-target attack. When pushed to its limit, it could affect time itself, a terrifying ability.
The Light Magatama and Ice Fang Magatama were consumable items that Kimimaro rarely used, and he planned to save them for use on a giant puppet.
Or, if he awakened the Tenseigan in the future and gained a power similar to the Susanoo, he could use them then.
As for the Courage and Friendship Medals, Kimimaro hadn't figured out their use yet. He assumed that when the time was right, their secrets would reveal themselves.
So, he wasn't in a hurry to waste time on them.
"I'll train my body using the Eight Gates technique, cultivate my soul with the Spirit Transformation Technique, and improve my speed with Shunpo. These three things are my current priorities," Kimimaro quickly decided.
It was now time for him to focus on improving his strength.
The later it got, the more powerful he would need to become to support his goals.
One month later, in a cave.
Sasori of the Red Sand was watching Kimimaro's impressive skills in amazement.
Kimimaro's hands moved rapidly, modifying a puppet with new weapons in a very short time.
"Sasori-senpai, try out this new puppet," Kimimaro said, handing over the modified puppet.
Sasori attached his chakra threads and began controlling it.
The puppet faced off against Deidara, who wasn't far away.
"Deidara, give it a try."
"Sure thing," Deidara replied enthusiastically as he stepped forward.
The puppet immediately unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks, mercilessly attacking Deidara with taijutsu.
Though Deidara was a long-range fighter, his taijutsu wasn't bad, and he narrowly dodged the attacks.
Suddenly, the puppet pulled back and raised its right hand.
There was a clicking sound, and several gun barrels emerged from the hand.
The dark barrels aimed at Deidara, and then fire spewed from them.
"Hey, hey, hold on!" Deidara's face changed, and he hurriedly dodged.
He narrowly avoided being hit.
Thankfully, Sasori had controlled the puppet carefully, so it didn't actually hurt him.
After testing the new puppet's power, Sasori's eyes lit up with excitement.
"This is amazing!"
"Kimimaro, I didn't expect you to be skilled in puppet modifications as well. How did you come up with these mechanisms? Just adding explosive tags to the technique has increased its power so much," Sasori exclaimed in excitement.
A month earlier, Kimimaro had returned to the group, and both Sasori and Deidara had been happy to welcome him back.
During his free time, Kimimaro had remembered his God Hand ability.
Its primary use wasn't for healing, but for crafting intricate weapons and body modifications.
Feeling inspired, he had experimented with Sasori's puppet.
The results were excellent.
"Must be talent," Kimimaro said nonchalantly.
Sasori, who was known as a genius puppet master, didn't know how to respond.
Though he felt slightly competitive, Sasori also admired Kimimaro's abilities.
"Kimimaro, next time you're modifying Sasori's puppets, don't use me for testing. I nearly ended up with a few extra holes in me," Deidara complained.
"Got it, next time I'll be more careful, haha," Kimimaro replied without much sincerity, causing Deidara to roll his eyes.
"Sasori-senpai, when you make a giant puppet in the future, I can help modify it. I've got plenty of ideas," Kimimaro said.
"Of course! Together, we'll create the strongest puppet in the world!" Sasori said, already imagining their collaboration.
Kimimaro, however, had other ideas.
In fact, Sasori's current body was perfect for conversion into an artificial human.
If the opportunity arose, Kimimaro would love to give it a try.
Suddenly, countless sheets of paper flew into the cave and gathered to form Konan's figure.
"Konan-senpai?"
Seeing her sudden appearance, all three of them were surprised.
"Kimimaro, the organization has a new assignment for you. Your new teammate has arrived, so come with me now," Konan said.
After a brief reunion, it was time for another parting.
Kimimaro knew the new teammate Konan mentioned was probably Suigetsu.
It had taken a month, which was decent progress.
Under the reluctant gazes of Deidara and Sasori, Kimimaro left with Konan.
"Konan-senpai, where are we going now?"
"To the Hidden Rain Village. Before you meet your new teammate, there's something you need to do."
"Am I meeting the leader?"
"Exactly. The leader has a friend who lost both legs in an explosion and needs medical attention. I know you're skilled in medical techniques, so I recommended you for the task," Konan explained calmly.
"I see."
Kimimaro remained expressionless on the surface, yet his heart was as clear as a mirror.
The "friend" that Konan referred to must be Nagato.
No wonder he was previously asked to treat that man whose legs were blown off by explosive tags; it was all preparation for this matter.
All the prior testing must have been for this too.
What a well-calculated plan.
Treating Nagato wasn't a difficult task for Kimimaro at this point.
It was just a matter of blown-off legs. Even if he needed to rebuild them, he could do it.
However, what he needed to consider was whether he *should* treat Nagato.
What benefit was there in having a strong Nagato?
Thus, Kimimaro contemplated this question during the entire journey.
The fact that they allowed him to come to Amegakure to treat Nagato meant that Konan and Nagato had begun to trust him to some degree and were fully prepared.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have taken the risk.
They referred to him as Pain's friend and not his true form, implying they didn't intend for Kimimaro to know that secret.
Therefore, he absolutely couldn't act like he knew.
Otherwise, things could turn hostile in an instant.
One by one, plans surfaced in Kimimaro's mind, being simulated, dismissed, and then revised.
He needed to find the optimal solution.
A few days later, led by Konan, Kimimaro arrived at Amegakure.
The village of Amegakure in the Land of Rain was perpetually shrouded in light rain.
What once was a purely natural weather phenomenon now carried Nagato's chakra within the rain.
**Rain Tiger at Will Technique!**
A technique derived from the Rinnegan: as long as unfamiliar chakra entered the village, Nagato would detect it through the rain.
Additionally, he could gauge the intruder's strength by the intensity of their chakra.
It was an extremely practical sensory ninjutsu.
Without knowledge of this technique, no one could escape the rain's detection.
The drawback was that it required constant rainfall, which wasn't enjoyable for those who disliked the rain.
Luckily, the people of Amegakure were quite accustomed to it by now.
Nagato had turned Amegakure into his stronghold, so he was extremely cautious about everything here.
It was Kimimaro's first time in Amegakure. Walking down the village streets with Konan, he noticed the respectful gazes from everyone around.
From time to time, people even greeted Konan.
However, they didn't call her by her name, but instead referred to her as "Angel."
Konan merely nodded slightly in response without saying anything.
From his observations, Kimimaro realized that the living conditions in Amegakure weren't bad at all.
The village was filled with tall buildings, various shops were well-stocked, and the people were simple and pure. The villagers even wore smiles on their faces.
Since Pain took control of Amegakure, the standard of living in the village had steadily risen.
These civilians, who once lived in extreme hardship, now had stable lives.
To them, Pain was a god who could bring happiness, and Konan, who delivered messages on Pain's behalf, was seen as the messenger of God.
"This village is quite unique."
Kimimaro spoke softly.
He was surprised.
It wasn't an easy feat for Nagato to develop Amegakure to this level in just a few short years.
This ability surpassed the capabilities of many Kage.
"That's all thanks to Pain. He's the one capable of bringing peace to the world."
Konan chimed in.
"I'm becoming more and more curious about your leader. Behind his immense strength, he possesses extraordinary management skills. That's truly rare."
"Being able to stabilize a village that's been plagued by war for so long is no simple task."
Kimimaro's tone was filled with admiration.
Nagato's life had been tragic.
As a child, he had witnessed the cruelty of war firsthand, even seeing his parents brutally killed by shinobi right before his eyes.
Later, he wandered for many years until meeting Jiraiya, which finally changed his situation.
He was someone who had truly endured suffering.
Because of that, he understood what these people needed, what they wanted, and what he could provide.
Only by immersing himself among the civilians could he achieve this level of understanding.
The leaders of other villages were mostly born into noble shinobi families. Even if they understood the civilians' hardships, they hadn't experienced them personally, so they couldn't fully empathize.
Even the Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, was no exception.
Though Naruto had endured hardships, they were of a different nature.
It was hard for someone born in peacetime to fully grasp the suffering brought by war.
Likewise, those born into noble families struggled to relate to the war-torn orphans who barely survived in the shinobi world.
Seeing the admiration on Kimimaro's face, Konan remained icy on the surface but was inwardly quite pleased.
Pain wanted to test Kimimaro's temperament, which is why he had Konan take Kimimaro on a walk through Amegakure to see the state of the village.
Based on Kimimaro's reaction, they could gauge his attitude toward peace.
If his attitude was positive, it meant he was someone worth deepening relations with.
But if he showed disdain for peace, Pain would have to reconsider the extent of their cooperation.
Kimimaro's response certainly satisfied Konan, though Kimimaro himself had no idea that he had just gone through another test.
Soon, with Konan leading the way, they arrived at a room.
Inside the room, a gaunt man with red hair lay on a sickbed, while Pain stood nearby.
"He's here."
After Konan spoke, she moved to stand on the other side of Nagato.
"Leader."
Kimimaro greeted politely, his eyes then falling on Nagato.
At this moment, Nagato's face was half-covered by his red hair, completely hiding his Rinnegan.
He sat there silently, looking like nothing more than a sick patient.
"Kimimaro, this is Nagato, a jonin of Amegakure. About ten years ago, his legs were blown off in an Explosive Flame Formation."
"Due to the lack of timely medical treatment and chakra exhaustion, his legs became disabled. I've heard your medical skills are exceptional, so see if there's a way to restore his ability to walk."
Pain gestured toward the bedridden Nagato as he spoke.
Kimimaro thought to himself, as expected, they brought him here to heal Nagato's legs.
"Understood, Leader."
With that, Kimimaro stepped forward to examine Nagato.
The horrifying burns had nearly destroyed all the flesh, leaving only charred bones. It was a ghastly sight.
Kimimaro frowned slightly. This wasn't an easy wound to treat.
The bones would need to be broken and regrown, while the shriveled flesh would require new vitality.
The treatment would be extremely difficult.
"How is it?"
Konan couldn't help but ask, while Pain's expression remained as cold as ever.
"It's possible, but it will be troublesome and will take time."
(End of Chapter)