i am kimimaro

In the stands, the Third Hokage watched Kimimaro with curiosity.

"This Otogakure genin's strength is remarkable. Even with his eyes covered, he can still accurately avoid every one of Hinata's attacks. His hearing is exceptional, or perhaps, he possesses some kind of superior sensory ability."

The Otogakure genin's few attacks left the Third Hokage with a feeling of astonishment.

The first three Otogakure genin alone had already reached the top level of Konoha genin.

And Suigetsu and Kimimaro further demonstrated strength far exceeding that of a genin.

This newly established Otogakure village was able to cultivate so many outstanding genin, it was indeed worth paying attention to.

On the field, after Kimimaro calmly dodged Hinata's entire set of basic Gentle Fist, he noticed an interesting change happening to his eyes beneath the black eye mask.

Hinata's Gentle Fist techniques were being copied by his eyes.

It was as if a video recorder had appeared in Kimimaro's mind, recording all of Hinata's movements.

As long as he wanted, he could replay them at any time.

Was this... the ability to copy?

It was the copying ability of the Mirror Card and the Double Card!

Comparable to the Sharingan's copying eye, it could completely replicate the opponent's techniques.

As for whether or not he could learn them, it depended on whether he had the corresponding learning conditions.

Back then, there were so many Sharingan, but only one Copy Ninja emerged.

It turned out that the abilities of the Mirror Card and the Double Card hadn't completely disappeared, but had merged into one, becoming one of the Byakugan's abilities.

Realizing this, Kimimaro was overjoyed.

If this was the case, then this mission not only had no losses, but was instead a huge gain.

The images of Hinata performing the Gentle Fist flashed through his mind, and Kimimaro even felt that he could replicate them right now.

But he suppressed this urge.

If he used the Gentle Fist here, it would be hard to explain.

The Third Hokage was watching from above, and he didn't want to be invited for tea by the Hyuga clan or Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Force.

Taking a deep breath, Kimimaro suppressed his excitement and dodged Hinata's attack once again.

Hinata had finished her basic Gentle Fist and now used the Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists.

Kimimaro accepted them all, replicating them one by one with his Byakugan.

If he wanted to maximize the Byakugan's power, he couldn't avoid learning the Hyuga clan's training methods.

The millennia-old supporting taijutsu naturally had its significance.

The Byakugan and the Gentle Fist complemented each other.

Improving the Gentle Fist would also enhance the Byakugan's power.

However, Hinata's strength was still too weak for Kimimaro to grasp the true power of the Gentle Fist.

If he wanted to experience the true Gentle Fist, he would probably have to rely on the current head of the Hyuga clan, Hiashi Hyuga.

Otherwise, even Neji wouldn't be qualified.

After all, he was still too young.

After a whole set of combos, Hinata showed signs of fatigue.

She had also gone through tough battles in the Forest of Death these past five days, and her current condition wasn't good.

The battle had reached its limit here.

Seeing that it was about time, Kimimaro didn't waste any more time. He extended his right hand, spreading his five fingers, revealing white bone.

"Five Finger Bullet Drill!"

White bones shot out from his fingertips!

The speed was so fast that Hinata couldn't dodge at all.

Five bones hit her simultaneously.

Her wrists, ankles, and forehead were all hit!

But Kimimaro clearly held back, the power of this Five Finger Bullet Drill was less than 10%.

The hit areas were only bruised, not injuring her muscles or bones.

Even so, it deprived her of the ability to continue fighting.

Hinata fell weakly, and Kimimaro moved his feet, supporting her body.

"You've worked very hard. But the battle ends here."

Kimimaro's voice rang in Hinata's ears.

Although she didn't want to lose, she had to admit defeat now.

"The winner, Kimimaro."

The Third Hokage watched as Kimimaro carried Hinata down, a solemn look appearing in his eyes.

"Just now, that was... the Shikotsumyaku? Could he be from the Kaguya clan? What kind of genin are these in Otogakure? The Suigetsu from earlier was from the Hozuki clan, and now there's someone from the Kaguya clan. Could Otogakure be Kirigakure's hidden force?"

Thinking of this, the Third Hokage had to take it seriously.

If this was really the case, Kirigakure's ambitions were not simple.

The Bloody Mist of these years might just be a smokescreen.

Behind the scenes, Kirigakure didn't know how many things it had done.

Was this low-key Kirigakure about to make a big move?

The Third Hokage's thoughts raced.

Kimimaro had already brought Hinata to Team 8's rest area.

"Thank you for holding back earlier, otherwise Hinata wouldn't be able to stand up now."

Kurenai Yuhi, as the leader of Team 8, expressed her gratitude to Kimimaro.

"It was just a competition, there was no need for a life-or-death struggle. I admire Hinata's fighting spirit. She is a respectable opponent."

"To receive such praise from you, Hinata's efforts weren't in vain. Hinata, you need to show the same attitude in your next battle."

Kurenai Yuhi looked at Hinata and smiled.

"I will, Kurenai-sensei."

This battle had also given Hinata a lot of gains.

"I heard that Kurenai-senpai is a genjutsu expert. If there's a chance, I hope to learn some genjutsu from you."

Kimimaro suddenly said.

"Hmm? You're also interested in genjutsu? Judging by your fighting style, you should be a taijutsu-type ninja, right?"

Kurenai Yuhi was surprised.

"It's always good to have more skills."

"Kurenai-sensei, Kimimaro's genjutsu is very powerful. In the Forest of Death, his sound genjutsu knocked all three of us out."

Shino spoke up at the right time.

"Sound genjutsu?"

Kurenai Yuhi was even more surprised.

Being able to use sound genjutsu to simultaneously take down three genin meant he had already achieved some level of mastery in genjutsu.

Although the Otogakure genin Kin earlier also used sound genjutsu, it could only be considered beginner level.

"It seems I underestimated you."

"It's just a small trick, nothing compared to the fame of the Yuhi clan."

"Hehe, you're so young and already have such good genjutsu skills, your future achievements are limitless. If you have time these days, we can exchange some knowledge."

"That would be wonderful, thank you, Kurenai-senpai."

Kimimaro extended his right hand, and Kurenai Yuhi naturally shook it.

"Congratulations, tourist, the photo was successful. You have received a photo reward: The Clow Card of Illusion. It enhances all genjutsu."

Kimimaro's lips curled into a slight smile, his goal achieved.

He also knew that Kurenai Yuhi was just being polite and might not actually teach him genjutsu.

After all, they weren't from the same village, and it was unrealistic to expect her to teach him.

But he didn't mind, he wasn't really looking to learn from Kurenai Yuhi in the first place.

On the competition field, the next round had already begun.

Gaara vs. Rock Lee.

The peak battle of this round of exams had begun.

Rock Lee used several moves in a row, but couldn't break through Gaara's defense.

Finally, with Gai's silent permission, Rock Lee was ready to go all out.

"I will uphold my ninja way here! Even if I only know taijutsu, I can still become a powerful ninja! Neji, watch closely! This is the technique I've been training to defeat you! First Gate, open!"

A powerful aura erupted from Rock Lee.

At this moment, everyone was shocked.

They originally thought he was just a comedic character, but it turned out he was a hidden powerhouse.

(End of Chapter)