Chapter 167 - 167

Words : 1158 Updated : Oct 10th, 2025

Just then, a massive bone spike suddenly erupted from the ground, stretching wildly and thrusting Kimimaro forward toward the group in an instant. His face was twisted with madness as he shouted, "For Orochimaru-sama! I will give everything! That is the meaning of my existence!!!" His arm transformed into a giant bone spear, which he thrust viciously toward Kakashi and Guy. Guy immediately activated the Sixth Gate, raising his hand to firmly catch the bone spear, halting its advance. But in the next second, the force behind the spear vanished. Looking at Kimimaro again—he had died on the spot, frozen in an attacking stance! "This..." Everyone was silent, staring at Kimimaro, unable to shake off the feelings in their hearts. Tenten whispered, "Why? Why would he go so far for someone like Orochimaru? Even... even to this extent..." No one could understand. To them, Orochimaru was nothing but a vile, venomous snake—someone they wished they could kill a hundred times over. Yet for some people, Orochimaru was like a god, someone worth sacrificing everything for without hesitation. Sasuke stared at Kimimaro for a long while before finally saying, "Kimimaro, huh... You were a true warrior. I will remember you." Neji also looked at Kimimaro, still wondering if the Kaguya clan had any connection to the Hyūga. But now that the man was dead, there was no one left to ask. As for collecting samples from Kimimaro's body—Neji would never do something so disrespectful to the dead. Especially since Kimimaro was a worthy opponent. "...Forget it. If we ever meet another with Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse), we can ask them then." Neji sighed internally—but little did he know, Kimimaro was the last of his bloodline. The group left and found a quiet place to rest. Sasuke and Guy's wounds were simply bandaged—they had no medical ninja with them, so they had to make do. Tenten quietly sent a paper message to Natsuki: (Tenten) Natsuki, it's safe here. Kimimaro is dead. (Natsuki) I'm glad you're all okay. (Tenten) Natsuki, I don't understand. Why would Kimimaro give his all for Orochimaru? (Natsuki) Hmm... remember Team 7's mission in the Land of Waves? Why did Haku die for Zabuza? Tenten was stunned for a moment. Of course she remembered that mission—Naruto had bragged about it endlessly, only to be thoroughly roasted by Natsuki afterward. But she had also been deeply moved by the bond between Haku and Zabuza. Now, looking at Kimimaro... maybe she could understand. Some people may be terrible by society's standards, but to one person, they are a lifeline, a hope, even a belief. To Kimimaro, Orochimaru must have been such a person—someone he was willing to die for, no matter what. It was hard to understand, yet somehow felt inevitable. Maybe only those who've experienced something similar could truly comprehend it. (Tenten) I think I get it now. Natsuki... if it were for you, I might do the same. (Natsuki) Silly girl, I don't want you risking your life for me. You need to protect yourself. We still need to get married, have kids—our good days are just beginning. (Tenten) You're right. We'll both live well! Kakashi, not far away, glanced at their exchange and quietly activated the Sharingan. He knew it—they were using Flying Thunder God to send love notes again. But he didn't bother intervening. It was their private couple matter, after all. The next day, both squads received a message from Tsunade and immediately rode Birdra back to the village. Kakashi patted the eagle's back and sighed, "Having a flying summoning beast is really convenient—fast, efficient, and no effort." Guy beamed, "See how foresighted my student is? It was thanks to Tenten that we could rush to help in time without wasting energy on travel." Hearing that, Sasuke silently stroked the eagle's feathers. He'd always wanted to contract a powerful summoning beast, something like Orochimaru's snakes. But a giant eagle that could travel fast... that was quite handy too. He'd ask Natsuki about it later—he probably wouldn't say no. Of course, Sasuke didn't want to always be in Natsuki's debt—he'd have to think about how to repay him. Tenten smiled, "If Kakashi-sensei wants to contract a mountain eagle too, that's fine. I have the scroll here. You can sign anytime." But Kakashi waved it off, "No, no... Pakkun and the others would get jealous." Summoning beasts get jealous? Tenten blinked, then thought of clever little Pakkun and figured... he might actually get jealous. So she dropped the subject. In less than a day, the two teams arrived safely at the village. Everyone sighed in relief. A month of border duty had been boring, but facing real enemies had been nerve-wracking. Now, all they wanted was rest—but first, they had to report in. After finishing the re-entry procedures, the six of them headed straight to the Hokage's office. Tsunade and Shizune were visibly relieved to see everyone return safely—even Ton-Ton gave a soft grunt of welcome from Shizune's arms. But after hearing Kakashi's report, both Tsunade and Shizune looked at Tenten with very peculiar expressions, making her feel a bit awkward. This girl... really is something else. Using Flying Thunder God to send long-distance love messages was one thing, but that money move? That just broke their brains. If throwing exploding tags counted as a ninjutsu, then yes, Tenten was indeed exceptional. The girl was rich—she carried over 100,000 tags with her—and she could use Flying Thunder God to send 613 of them directly to the enemy and detonate them. It actually sounded very high-level. But still... wasn't that just burning money? Tsunade and Shizune seriously suspected that Tenten had been corrupted by Natsuki. But at the same time, she was so strong with her explosive tactics that they couldn't say she was wrong. It just felt... weird. Everyone else understood the same thing—they had the exact same feeling. "Ahem, well, anyway—good job." Tsunade cleared her throat. "This mission was originally ranked B-Class. But since you encountered and defeated Orochimaru's forces, it dealt a heavy blow to his ambitions and thwarted his plot to capture Sasuke. That's a major achievement. I'm upgrading the mission to A-Class." "Thank you, Tsunade-sama!" Everyone was thrilled. A-Class missions weren't easy. Normally, only special jōnin or elite jōnin had the qualifications to take them. They were dangerous—but also offered great rewards. And those rewards weren't just money. They included merit points, which could be exchanged at the Hokage's office for valuable things—like ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, and even things like chakra batteries. Very useful, in short. (End of Chapter) [Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/zaelum] [+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter] [Thank You For Your Support!]

Chapter 167 - 167

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