Life was full of uncertainties.
Kimimaro sat quietly in his room, staring out the window as he reflected.
Things with Karin had been progressing well. Though still young and impulsive, she brought color to his days. He had always assumed his first time would be with her.
Though they'd kissed and teased each other, he'd drawn a line—Karin wasn't fully grown, and he respected that. He intended to wait.
But fate had its own ideas. Unexpectedly, it was Kurotsuchi with whom he'd crossed that line.
"A shinobi's resilience really is something," he muttered, still recalling the encounter.
Kurotsuchi had told him she didn't regret it. That helped. Kimimaro certainly didn't regret it either—his concern was what would happen if Kitsuchi or Ōnoki found out. Would the Tsuchikage and his son hunt him down for dishonoring their kin?
Just then, the faint clatter of gravel on his windowsill snapped him from thought.
Kimimaro turned and opened it.
Kurotsuchi was standing a short distance away, waving.
He slipped out silently and followed her through the quiet Iwagakure streets until they reached a high rooftop overlooking the city. They sat side by side, the wind whispering around them.
She was quiet for a long time. Kimimaro finally broke the silence.
"Kurotsuchi..."
"Don't call me that."
"Huh?"
Her cheeks flushed.
"I mean, you don't have to call me Kurotsuchi all the time. When you called me Little Leg, it was... oddly sweet."
"So you're saying I can keep calling you that?"
"Only you."
"Then—do you really think your legs are pretty?"
"Don't push it."
She reached over and covered his mouth. Their eyes met.
Kurotsuchi slowly closed hers, and their lips met again in a quiet, tender kiss.
After some time, she spoke, voice soft.
"Kimimaro, I told you—I don't regret it. Maybe I didn't love you the way Karin did. But I've been thinking... if this hadn't happened, and we kept spending time together, maybe I would have fallen for you anyway. Maybe I already have."
She bit her lip.
"We don't have the luxury of long romances. We're shinobi. If someone makes your heart stir, you hold on. So I've decided... you're the one. You have to take responsibility now."
Kimimaro gently pulled her into his arms.
"I will. I swear."
She hesitated again.
"But... what about Karin? And Hanabi? You know she has a formal engagement arranged by the Hyūga elders. Karin might not care, but I'm different. I'm the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. Even if I accept this... my grandfather, my father, the people of Iwa—they won't."
"Why should I choose?" he said, voice steady. "Only kids make choices. We're adults—we want everything."
Kurotsuchi's face turned crimson.
"You're shameless..."
But her words lacked conviction. After what they'd shared, she didn't feel like a child anymore either. Still...
"Kimimaro, I mean it. Given Hanabi's clan and my own lineage, it's not realistic. This world isn't built for that. Only the Daimyō are allowed multiple wives. Even the Five Kage serve at the Daimyō's pleasure. Strength doesn't change the system."
Kimimaro smiled, shaking his head.
"Little Leg... if I'm strong enough, I can rewrite the system. Didn't Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, create the system of the Five Great Nations, the hidden villages, the Tailed Beast distribution—all of it?"
"We're not the First Hokage."
"Not yet. But why can't we surpass him?"
Kimimaro hadn't thought this far before. But now, sitting beside Kurotsuchi, his resolve was forming like chakra in his core.
"Give me time. I'll change the shinobi world. The balance between ninja and Daimyō, the chains of bloodlines, status, all of it—I'll break it down and rebuild it. Just believe in me."
Kurotsuchi looked at him. His voice didn't waver, and his eyes gleamed with dangerous conviction.
"If you want to surpass the First Hokage... you'll need his power at minimum."
"I already have a piece of it."
He held up his arm. Before her eyes, it changed—mutated into bark, sprouting tendrils of wood.
Kurotsuchi's breath caught.
"Wood Release...? That's..."
"Not just that."
She remembered now—earlier that day, when he built a shelter for her during the rescue, he'd summoned a wooden house in seconds. She'd been too dazed to process it.
"You have Hashirama's cells..."
"More than that. I've survived them. I've mastered them."
Kurotsuchi was stunned. The power to use Mokuton meant he wasn't just dreaming. He had a chance.
And in that moment, she believed—maybe, just maybe, Kimimaro really could change the world.
Kimimaro's arm morphed again, phasing harmlessly through Kurotsuchi's body.
"This… Hydrification? Like the Hōzuki clan's technique?" Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes. "So that's how you defeated that guy. But—how do you possess so many Kekkei Genkai? I thought only Hashirama Senju had true Wood Release, and after him, only Yamato, who was experimented on."
Kimimaro gave a faint, enigmatic smile. "That's nothing, Little Legs. I've also awakened the Byakugan, the Sharingan… even Lava Release like yours, and Guren's Crystal Release. I can even transfer bloodline limits to others—Jūgo already has Crystal Release now."
Kurotsuchi's mind reeled. His Wood Release alone was enough to shake her. "How is that even possible?"
"After coming back from the brink of death… I acquired a certain forbidden technique. I've refined it to make these abilities stable. It's not without limits, but it's real."
Kimimaro calmly repeated the explanation he had prepared.
Kurotsuchi looked at him warily. "You're telling me all this… Aren't you afraid I'll report you to the Tsuchikage? Or have you locked up in Iwagakure?"
Kimimaro leaned in, gently pressing his forehead to hers. "You're my woman now. I won't hide anything from you. And I trust you not to betray me."
Kurotsuchi's expression softened. The storm in her heart gradually cleared. "Thank you. I'm… really glad you trust me like this."
After a moment of silence, she said, "I need to return to Iwagakure tomorrow. You should go do what you have to. I can't go with you yet… but I'll think of you every day. If you need my blood for anything, come find me."
Kimimaro had earlier mentioned that his energy was nearly depleted, and he wouldn't be able to synthesize any new enhancement potions for the time being.
"I'll visit often," he said. "But more than that, I hope once I find a safe place to settle, you'll come join me. We can build something together."
"Hmph. Who's 'we'? Who said I'm living with you?" Her voice was haughty, but her ears were red.
"It's late," she said. "We should head back."
"So soon?"
"Or do you want to stay here and admire the view all night?"
"What's there to admire? You're the best view I could ever ask for."
Kurotsuchi froze for a second, then flushed as she understood the heat in Kimimaro's gaze. "Here… really? Not again…"
"We were in the mountains earlier today," he said, smirking.
"I know where we were!" she snapped, flustered. "It's just… why are you always thinking about that?"
"We're parting ways tomorrow," he said softly. "Can't you leave me another memory? One from when you're fully yourself. Earlier… you weren't."
"I…" Her will wavered. For young hearts who had just tasted something new, the pull of intimacy was hard to resist.
And so…
"Wood Style: Four-Pillar House!"
T/N: CAN I GIVE THE AUTHOR MY MIDDLE FINGER?🖕
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