"Two other dōjutsu? Which ones?"
"There are no fixed requirements. The Byakugan is one of them. In this world, there are also the Ketsuryūgan and the Chinoike clan's Red Eye—both are native kekkei genkai."
"Native?"
"That's right. The Mangekyō Sharingan, Rinnegan, Tenseigan, and Rinne Sharingan are all evolved or derivative forms of primary dōjutsu. They don't count as native. Rather than worry about going blind, you should focus on how to awaken the Mangekyō after obtaining the Sharingan."
Kimimaro nodded, absorbing the information. He already had a source for the Byakugan. Now, he needed either the Ketsuryūgan or the Red Eye of the Chinoike.
Where exactly were those two? He regretted not paying closer attention to that part of the original plot back then.
Still, having a direction was better than none.
As for awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan… that was truly a headache.
For now, he would take it step by step.
He spent 30,000 units of life energy to activate the Uchiha bloodline gene potion. Now, it was simply a matter of waiting.
Ten months wasn't short, but it was manageable—he had many things to take care of in the meantime.
With the transaction with Orochimaru completed and the Uchiha potion production underway, Kimimaro finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He no longer needed to fixate on obtaining Hashirama's perfect bloodline. For now, mastering the low-tier version was enough.
The group traveled to the Land of Waves and discovered that Zabuza Momochi's Kubikiribōchō had been taken from his grave.
The one who took it was a man named Daikokuten Zen, a local warlord with a private militia numbering in the hundreds.
However, when they investigated, they realized just how weak he really was…
Suigetsu retrieved the Kubikiribōchō single-handedly, with little resistance.
Kimimaro couldn't help but inwardly grumble. As expected, only Suigetsu was truly interested in the blade. Zabuza had been dead for years, yet not a single shinobi had come to claim the sword.
Daikokuten Zen wasn't even a real ninja; the strongest among his subordinates barely matched genin-level fighters.
His castle was solidly built, but its location—between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire—was less than ideal. If it were elsewhere, it might've served well as a temporary base.
Kimimaro's thoughts stirred. He turned to Daikokuten Zen.
"Do you want to live?"
Kimimaro was no idealist like Sasuke—he had no qualms killing enemies. But wiping out what was essentially a bandit group held no appeal, especially since they were too weak to provide significant life energy.
He selected a few leaders and drained them directly. Even so, he only managed to gather about 5,000 life energy—disappointing.
He couldn't kill everyone. He didn't want to be remembered as a bloodthirsty demon.
Daikokuten Zen fell to his knees in terror.
"Spare me!"
"Then remember this: from now on, this place belongs to me. I won't be here every day, but whenever I come—or send someone—you will treat them with respect."
"Understood, sir! From now on, we serve you!"
"Do legitimate business. If I hear you're preying on civilians again, I won't be so polite next time."
"Yes, yes! We'll turn over a new leaf!"
Kimimaro narrowed his eyes. "You're not convinced. I can tell. But I'll make you a deal. If you satisfy me, I might choose some of your people and teach them ninjutsu."
"Really?!" Zen's eyes lit up. At first, he had only been paying lip service. Now, he was genuinely intrigued.
"I don't joke about such things. I know you have ties to the daimyō of the Land of Water and the Land of Waves. You control a sizable force, but no shinobi. If you truly swear loyalty and follow my path, I don't mind training you. But understand—ninjutsu isn't something just anyone can learn."
"Understood! If you're willing to teach us, we'll do anything you say. How can we contact you later?"
"Once your behavior proves you've changed, I'll contact you myself."
At this stage, Kimimaro had no need to leverage Zen's political ties. But keeping the possibility open cost him nothing.
With his current strength, taking over the Land of Waves wouldn't be difficult. However, doing so would quickly attract the attention of the Land of Fire. He wasn't on good enough terms with Konoha to establish control over a small country practically in their backyard.
As for contacting the Daimyō of the Land of Water—completely out of the question. That would be suicide.
Kimimaro's true objective in forming his own force was to venture into the smaller countries in the west, staying temporarily clear of the Five Great Nations.
Daikokuten Zen was just a preliminary move. Kimimaro had laid out some basic instructions for him—if he proved loyal, Kimimaro wouldn't mind nurturing a few capable subordinates from his people.
Since encountering Naruto Uzumaki, Kimimaro had shed much of his hesitation. Confidently, he passed through the Land of Fire, continued through the Land of Waterfall and the Land of Earth, and aimed for the minor countries to the west.
"Why are we still going through the Land of Earth?" Karin asked, puzzled. "Looking at the map, going through the Land of Rain, Land of Birds, and Land of Bears would be shorter, right? Or even going west through the Land of Wind. It's not like we have a fixed destination. Don't tell me you're heading to the Land of Earth to find Kurotsuchi?"
"What, are you jealous?"
"Hmph, as if!"
"Even though the Land of Wind looks closer, we've barely had any interaction with them. I only fought Gaara once during the Chūnin Exams. There's no telling if they'd welcome us. But in the Land of Earth, we actually have connections."
"I knew you were looking for Kurotsuchi! Then why not go through the Land of Rain?"
"…Let's not go there," Kimimaro said, lowering his voice. "There's something you should know—but keep it to yourself. The Akatsuki organization is most likely based in the Land of Rain."
Thanks to Kimimaro's briefings over the past few days, everyone was now aware of how dangerous Akatsuki was. The moment he mentioned them, the group fell silent.
Well, mostly Karin stopped arguing. The others didn't particularly care which route they took.
"How do you know all this?" Guren asked. She had warmed up somewhat after spending time with the group, but her instinctive suspicion toward Kimimaro lingered. "Akatsuki's base is a closely guarded secret, yet you act like you've got access to every classified file in the world."
Kimimaro tapped his temple. "When a person is on the verge of death, they reflect on their entire life. In that moment, you begin to see things you previously overlooked. I came back from that brink—so now I can analyze what I missed before."
It wasn't a complete lie, just vague enough to let them draw their own conclusions. Revealing the full truth was impossible.
Fortunately, Guren had already heard from him that Orochimaru was once part of Akatsuki, so she didn't press further.
Not that she truly doubted him—her instincts simply compelled her to test for cracks in his logic.
As night fell, the group reached the border of the Land of Fire. They began searching for a place to rest.
"Hanabi, what's wrong?" Kimimaro noticed the girl had suddenly stiffened.
"I don't know," Hanabi said softly. "I just… feel a familiar presence nearby."
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