Truthfully, neither of them could be blamed. Kimimaro's performance was simply too dazzling.
Kazuyama Gekkō already knew of his strength, which made him treasure the boy all the more. Orochimaru, on the other hand, analyzed him with his own eyes, running deduction after deduction. The more he calculated, the more excited he became.
Just a kid, yet his strikes were merciless—and then there was that unique ability. Orochimaru had seen it himself: bone blades extending from the boy's hands. A Kekkei Genkai.
A raw gem. A gem with a unique Kekkei Genkai.
On the battlefield, Kimimaro continued his slaughter, expression unchanging no matter who his opponent was. Each swing of his blade stirred up a mist of blood.
His Kekkei Genkai granted him the ability to manipulate his bones. Though far from fully developed, it was more than enough to cut down his enemies.
"Tsk, tsk... what a peculiar Kekkei Genkai."
"The Shikotsumyaku of the Kaguya clan..."
"Sensei, won't you reconsider giving this child to me?"
Kazuyama Gekkō was at the stage where he simply couldn't pass up a promising prospect. Whatever caught his eye, he wanted.
But unfortunately, this time Orochimaru wasn't backing down.
"Hehehe, Kazuyama, I know you too well after all these years."
"The more you desire something, the more precious it is. And that makes it all the more impossible for me to hand this child to you."
"Besides, look closely—there's no light in his eyes."
"That means he was meant for me. Lonely souls need a harbor. Hehehehe..."
Orochimaru shamelessly glorified himself.
Kazuyama Gekkō couldn't stand listening and cut him off.
"Enough already. Focus on what's in front of us. Do we take him now, or wait for the battle to end?"
"I don't think the Kaguya can last much longer."
Though the fighting raged, it was clear their offensive was weakening. More and more Mist ninja were pouring in, and the tide of battle was shifting.
"Wait until it's over."
"That child will survive. I can feel it."
Kazuyama Gekkō glanced at him in surprise. Intuition? Well, he had to admit, Orochimaru's intuition was rarely wrong.
Since Orochimaru had made his choice, so be it.
After all, from what he knew of the story, Kimimaro was destined to break free of the siege alone anyway.
As predicted, the battle played out that way. The Kaguya clan's early advantage came only from catching Kirigakure off guard. Once the village responded, the outcome was decided.
"Ah, I can't watch this any longer."
"The Kaguya are fools. I'll grab the brat."
"Then we retreat?"
Orochimaru still meant to wait, but in the next instant Kazuyama Gekkō was gone from his side. He shook his head helplessly, murmuring:
"After all these years, still so impatient. Hehehe."
"But fine. Watching this battle really is dull."
In the chaos, Kimimaro kept killing, without a single thought in his head.
Locked up, let out, fighting, killing—this was all he knew.
Just like Kazuyama Gekkō had once said of Haku, Kimimaro was a blank slate. The foolish Kaguya clan saw him only as a weapon, never as a being capable of thought.
Perhaps to them, a weapon had no need for thought.
As Kimimaro drove a bone blade through another foe, a figure suddenly appeared before him.
But unlike the others, this one didn't strike. With a wave of his hand—
What? Can't move?
Bound in crystal, Kimimaro's eyes filled with confusion. His body refused to respond. Instinctively, the bones within him began to surge.
Bones harder than steel pressed against the crystal, on the verge of breaking free.
"Tsk tsk, kid. Don't resist. I'm here to take you away."
"The battle's already over."
Kazuyama Gekkō's gaze swept across the battlefield. The Kaguya rebellion had all but collapsed—most of them were already dead.
Kimimaro hesitated, then turned to look. Sure enough, one by one, the familiar figures around him were falling, just like those he himself had cut down.
The next moment, his surroundings shifted.
"Huh? Sensei, you're back?"
"Yo, Haku. We're back."
"Sensei, who is he?"
Kazuyama Gekkō had used the Flying Thunder God twice in succession, bringing Kimimaro and Orochimaru back to the mountainside from earlier.
The instant they landed, Haku noticed them.
He had been absorbed in shaping a small house from his ice shield. To be fair, the little structure was impressive.
Kimimaro's eyes were also drawn to it.
Ice? Looks cold.
"Hey, Sensei, this kid's yours now."
"Mm. Hehehe, what a fine child."
For some reason, that laugh and those words made Kazuyama Gekkō's skin crawl.
Still as creepy as ever, even after all these years.
"Kid, what's your name?"
"....."
"Relax, I'm only asking. The one behind you is the one taking you in. But since I pulled you off the battlefield, shouldn't you at least tell me your name?"
Kazuyama Gekkō folded his arms, eyeing Kimimaro with amusement.
He had to admit, the boy wasn't bad-looking. But those two red dots at his brow... were those eyebrows or what?
"Kimimaro..."
"Hm?"
"My name is Kimimaro."
His face was calm, his voice clear, his eyes fixed on Kazuyama Gekkō without a trace of emotion.
This irked Haku.
He could tell this was the boy his sensei had rescued. So what was with that attitude?
"Hey! My sensei saved you. Shouldn't you at least say thank you?"
"...Who are you? Do you want to fight?"
"Huh???"
Haku glared at him, while Kimimaro dropped straight into a fighting stance.
The two locked eyes, neither backing down.
"Hmph! Don't think you're so great. Careful, or I'll turn you into an ice pop!"
Anger rose in Haku as he stretched out his hands, cold surging at his fingertips.
In the next moment, the freshly formed ice spikes looked ready to fly straight at Kimimaro.