Chapter 411: Before the Memorial Stone

Chapter 411: Chapter 411: Before the Memorial Stone

"Kimimaro should be the last surviving member of the Kaguya clan, right?"

Hyuga Kagami’s gaze gradually settled on the white-haired child with two conspicuous red dots between his brows.

Because Kagami had spent very little time in Kirigakure before, and had devoted most of that time to browsing the various secret techniques and historical documents stored in Kirigakure’s classified archives, he hadn’t spoken much with Yagura Karatachi. Naturally, he had no idea that the Kaguya clan still had a rogue ninja named Renge roaming freely outside the village.

But even if Kagami had known about Renge’s existence, Kimimaro would still have been his best candidate for obtaining living cellular tissue from the Kaguya clan.

In the original timeline, Kimimaro didn’t have many notable battle records. Setting aside the questionable battle against the Fourth Kazekage, the fight that best demonstrated Kimimaro’s talent and strength was undoubtedly his battle against Gaara.

At the time, despite being gravely ill and already on the verge of death, he first defeated Lee and then nearly killed Gaara, who would soon become the Fifth Kazekage.

Although Kimimaro did have the advantage of being older, there was still no questioning his talent or strength. He was the kind of dazzling prodigy who, as long as he lived to adulthood, would inevitably step into the Kage level!

Perhaps sensing Kagami’s gaze, the expressionless Kimimaro suddenly raised his head and looked toward the distant tree where Kagami was standing.

At that moment, Orochimaru, who was among the group from Otogakure, also turned his gaze in Kagami’s direction. The corner of his mouth then curled slightly into an ambiguous smile.

Kagami thought to himself, "Pretty sharp, huh?"

Meeting Orochimaru’s gaze, Kurenai frowned. "What a disgusting look!"

Yugao instinctively moved her hand to the hilt of the short sword at her waist. She couldn’t explain why, but her instincts were telling her that the Otogakure ninja below was extremely dangerous.

Hayate leaned closer to Kagami and whispered, "Captain, that Oto ninja is strong."

Kurenai gave a soft snort. "And that white-haired brat too. He’s just a ninja from some newly established little village, yet he’s putting on such a cold and arrogant expression. It’s really irritating!"

Hyuga Kagami smiled without saying anything, because he knew that Kimimaro was the kind of person who only ever showed different expressions toward Orochimaru.

At that moment, the village personnel responsible for receiving the Otogakure delegation arrived as well.

By sheer coincidence, Anko happened to be one of the people assigned to receive them. Right now, she was casually boasting about Konoha’s strength to Orochimaru, who was disguised as an Otogakure ninja.

Clearly, as time passed, she had gradually emerged from the shadow cast over her by Orochimaru’s defection.

Orochimaru, meanwhile, wore an amused expression as he listened to Anko’s boasting with great interest.

Watching the Otogakure group gradually disappear into the distance, Kagami recalled a research document he had read in Kirigakure’s classified archives concerning the chakra natures of the Kaguya clan. According to the document, nearly every member of the Kaguya clan possessed chakra primarily aligned with the Wind nature.

It was much like how the chakra of virtually every member of the Uchiha clan was primarily aligned with the Fire nature.

This indicated that, just like the Uchiha clan, the Kaguya clan was a Kekkei Genkai clan whose bloodline power was both extremely potent and stable. At the same time, it indirectly demonstrated just how powerful the Kaguya clan’s bloodline truly was.

"If the Kaguya clan really is one of the bloodlines descended from Otsutsuki Hamura, then cultivating a Wind Release clone using Kimimaro’s cellular tissue actually seems like a pretty good choice."

Rubbing his chin, Kagami silently contemplated the possibility.

If his speculation was correct, and he cultivated a Wind Release clone from Kimimaro’s cellular tissue, then it would essentially mean that his Yin Release true body possessed Otsutsuki Hamura’s Sage Eyes, while his Wind Release clone possessed Otsutsuki Hamura’s Sage Body.

On top of that, his Fire Release clone possessed the genes of the Uchiha clan, which was equivalent to possessing the power of Otsutsuki Hagoromo’s Sage Eyes lineage. As for the Yang Release clone he planned to develop in the future, he would inevitably choose either the Senju or Uzumaki clan as its genetic source. Therefore, his Yang Release clone would inevitably possess the power of Otsutsuki Hagoromo’s Sage Body lineage.

In that case, through his Yin Release true body, Wind Release clone, Fire Release clone, and Yang Release clone, he would be able to assemble the complete Sage Body and Sage Eyes lineages of both brothers—Otsutsuki Hagoromo and Otsutsuki Hamura.

At this thought, Hyuga Kagami couldn’t help but laugh.

"If I actually manage to pull this off, then once the final fusion is complete, wouldn’t the resulting body—at least in terms of bloodline—already be approaching Otsutsuki Kaguya?"

...

At a secluded training ground in Konoha.

"Huff... huff..."

Kakashi panted heavily as he wiped the sweat from his cheek.

He could no longer remember how long it had been since he had trained this obsessively, to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep.

As a child, because of his extraordinary talent, he had graduated early from the Ninja Academy without needing to put in much effort. Later, at only eleven or twelve years old, he became a Jonin and independently developed the A-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu, Chidori.

Even in a village as overflowing with talent as Konoha, Kakashi had been an incomparably dazzling genius at the time.

Compared to Kakashi, every one of his classmates at the Ninja Academy had been reduced to little more than background characters, existing only to highlight just how exceptional his talent was.

Hyuga Kagami and Obito were no exceptions.

However, after experiencing the successive tragedies of losing his father, Sakumo Hatake; his teammates, Obito and Rin; and finally his sensei, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, Kakashi gradually began to sink into despair.

Yet even then, despite becoming dispirited and listless, he remained one of the very best of his generation.

He was still an elite among Jonin.

He was still a genius in everyone’s eyes!

Because of that, he had never felt much of a sense of urgency. Simply drifting along and taking each day as it came had become his way of life. Aside from occasionally revealing his edge during missions, most of the time he seemed more like an ordinary, unremarkable person.

But all of that had been shattered during the assault on Amegakure.

After witnessing the clash between the leader of Akatsuki and the leader of Kamigami, Kakashi finally realized just how small and powerless he truly was.

A long-lost drive to improve himself surged up from within his heart. It was precisely because of this that he had resolutely chosen to join the Special Tactical Squad.

After gathering up the ninja tools scattered across the ground, Kakashi slowly left the training ground.

He had originally intended to head home and rest, but for some reason, as he continued walking, he eventually found himself standing before the Memorial Stone.

"How did I end up here again...?"

Kakashi didn’t think much of it and merely muttered under his breath.

Whenever he was on leave, he would often wander aimlessly until, before he knew it, he had arrived at the Memorial Stone. And once he came here, he would sometimes remain for the entire day, standing before Obito and Rin’s graves and telling them about all the things he had seen and experienced.

Kakashi slowly walked over to Rin’s grave and, out of habit, prepared to clear away the weeds growing around it.

But the moment he crouched down, he discovered a bouquet of flowers resting in front of Rin’s gravestone.

The flowers were still remarkably fresh and delicate.

It seemed they had only been placed there a short while ago.

Kakashi immediately swept his gaze across the surroundings and murmured in confusion, "Who was just here?"

In the nearby woods, a lone figure leaned against the trunk of a tree, silently watching Kakashi before the gravestone...