i am kimimaro

**In the Lab**

Tsunade and Shizune were examining a white bone. They were surrounded by various advanced medical instruments, with the bone clamped between them, seemingly undergoing some kind of experiment.

Tonton, the little pig, was peacefully napping in a corner, embodying tranquility.

"Tsunade-sama, I think we did it!" Shizune exclaimed, her face lighting up with joy as she looked at the reaction on the lab table.

They had repeated this same experiment over a hundred times in the past few days, all of which had failed. But this time, hope flickered in Shizune's eyes.

The reaction before her was unlike anything they had seen before.

The energy within the bone was being activated. It vibrated continuously, as if trying to escape the grip of the instruments.

Tsunade's face changed slightly, and she immediately grabbed Shizune, pulling her back several meters.

At first, Shizune didn't understand what was happening, but in the next moment, an astonishing sight unfolded.

The white bone turned gray, and in an instant, both the bone and the instruments around it disintegrated into ash.

"What...?" Shizune was stunned.

The power that had been unleashed was so strong that everything nearby had turned to ash in a mere moment.

"The destruction radius is around thirty centimeters," Tsunade murmured, stepping forward to examine the remains.

The leftover equipment confirmed that the unbelievable event had really happened.

The bone was completely gone, and no trace of the energy remained.

It was as though nothing like it had ever existed.

"Tsunade-sama, the energy in Kimimaro's bones is terrifying. No wonder, even with his medical skills, he couldn't suppress his Kekkei Genkai disease."

Shizune was deeply shaken. If such an event had happened inside Kimimaro's body, not even his ashes would remain.

Tsunade bit her lip, a troubled expression crossing her face.

How could anyone control energy like this once it was activated?

No human body could withstand such power.

To make it gentle enough for a body to accept seemed almost impossible.

How could the Kaguya clan possess such uncontrollable, terrifying energy? Could this disease be a curse carried in their bloodline?

Seeing Tsunade so troubled, Shizune found herself at a loss for words.

If even Tsunade couldn't find a solution, what could she possibly do?

Thinking of the white-haired boy, Shizune felt a pang of regret. Such a kind person, cursed with such a terrible disease.

Just then, Tonton suddenly woke up.

The little pig's nose twitched, as though it had caught a familiar scent, and it became visibly excited.

"Oink oink…"

Tonton's squeals caught the attention of both Tsunade and Shizune.

"You smell Kimimaro? He's here?" Tsunade asked.

Tonton nodded repeatedly.

"Tsunade-sama, I'll go greet him with Tonton."

Tsunade waved her hand, allowing them to go, though the worry on her face didn't fade.

Following Tonton, Shizune soon found Kimimaro, who was gathering information nearby.

"Kimimaro! Over here!" Shizune waved, and Kimimaro quickly spotted them.

"Shizune-nee, this place was harder to find than I thought. Where's Tsunade-sensei?"

"Tsunade-sama is researching your Kekkei Genkai disease. Tonton smelled you, so we came to meet you."

"I see. Thanks for coming. I've brought all the herbs we need," Kimimaro said, patting the bag on his back.

"That's great. Oh, what's this?" Shizune's eyes lit up as she noticed a small yellow head poking out from behind Kimimaro.

Tonton's eyes also sparkled, as though it had spotted something fun.

"I found it on the road. Its name is Pikachu. It wanted to follow me, so I brought it along."

"Pikachu? It looks pretty smart, and cuter than Tonton," Shizune said with admiration in her eyes.

Pikachu's appearance was undeniably charming.

Tonton, on the other hand, let out a disgruntled grunt, clearly unhappy with Shizune's comment.

Pikachu jumped down in front of Tonton, curiously observing the pink pig.

"Pika pika."

"Oink oink."

The two exchanged sounds and quickly seemed to bond.

"Looks like they're getting along," Kimimaro chuckled.

"Yeah, with Pikachu around, Tonton won't feel lonely anymore. Let's go see Tsunade-sama now. She's been working hard on your case these past few days. The experiment just succeeded, but the results were a bit... unexpected. She's probably still wrestling with it."

Kimimaro's brow furrowed.

He had anticipated this outcome, but hearing it confirmed made his heart sink.

Even Tsunade was having trouble? It seemed the situation was more complicated than he had thought.

As Shizune explained what had just happened, she led him back to the lab.

When Kimimaro entered, he saw Tsunade deep in thought, with the damaged equipment around her—evidence of the power within his bones.

He was taken aback. This kind of destruction… it had to be Shikotsumyaku, his clan's deadly Kekkei Genkai.

"Tsunade-sama, Kimimaro is here," Shizune said.

Tsunade looked at Kimimaro's familiar face and sighed.

"You're back? Did you find everything?"

"Yes, I did, and I brought enough to last two years."

Kimimaro opened his bag to reveal the herbs he had gathered over the past few days.

"You work fast," Tsunade said with approval.

"It's my life on the line—I couldn't afford to slack off."

"Unfortunately, things aren't looking great on my end. It'll take more time to find a way to extract the energy in a more controlled way. For now, we'll have to focus on strengthening your body."

Strengthening the body could be done in many ways. Some methods were only effective in the short term and could leave lasting damage, but with medical ninja on hand, any harm could be quickly remedied.

Tsunade handed Kimimaro two sheets of paper.

"One has instructions on how to improve your physical condition, and the other details how to use the herbs. With your medical skills, you should have no problem. For now, work on these."

Kimimaro glanced at the papers, then nodded.

"I understand, Tsunade-sensei."

"Also, leave two more bones for me. I need to continue the research."

After leaving two bones behind, Kimimaro and Shizune were quickly ushered out of the lab by Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama doesn't like being disturbed when she's deep in thought, especially when she's frustrated. It's best we stay out of her way for now," Shizune said.

"Let's hope she finds a solution," Kimimaro said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.

(End of Chapter)