Kimimaro holds up his fingers like a gun.
Would you look at that?
"I've got one too," I point my axe handle at him.
His eyes narrow.
Both of us fire our shots.
Both of us dodge.
And both of us jump onto the side wall and fly towards each other.
My axe and his bone.
It might be as hard as steel, but it's as brittle as bone.
Hiruzen, with another axe, strikes my axe.
The bone breaks and my axe hurls towards its victim.
Kimimaro lets it connect; it lodges itself in the hard armour.
He follows up with another bone blade from the palm.
I dodge it by a hair, but it takes a good chunk of my shoulder.
Hiruzen brings down his axe once again.
Effectively driving my axe across his armour, and I feel the satisfaction of cutting through his collarbones like butter.
Hiruzen is like the third hand I always wanted.
Kimimaro somersaults away.
I attempt to keep the pressure and close the gap again.
"Stop!" Hiruzen orders.
Once again, I stand my ground.
"You… know my kekkei genkai well," Kimimaro speaks for the first time.
He is speaking to Hiruzen.
"I am familiar with it," he answers.
I just stand there like someone passing by as they stare down.
"Give Orochimaru back!" he screams.
"Who are you, child of Kaguya?" Hiruzen asks.
"I am Kimimaro and Orochimaru is my only master," he declares.
"Release Orochimaru-sama and I will make your deaths quick," he threatens.
Hiruzen stays silent.
Seems like it's my part.
"Sorry, I can't," I respond.
Blood splatters and soaks his white kimono.
Kimimaro tightens his jaw in pain.
"Then I will take him from you!!" he screams.
My eyes catch a shadow of chakra forming in Kimimaro's hand.
Whatever he is planning… it's coming fast.
Hiruzen holds his hand in front of me in a "Ram" sign.
!!!????!!!
Water Dragon Jutsu? I don't have enough chakra to even dream about it.
But no time to delay.
I lend him my left hand and go through 80 sequences of seals that seem to come to me naturally like I'm watching some kind of replay.
"Copy jutsu…"
Wow…
So this is how it feels.
I never actually tried copying jutsu like that on the spot.
But it feels amazing.
We went through those seals in 1.75 seconds.
There… were 12 extra seals in between them.
Doesn't matter.
Hiruzen holds my hand and pushes it to my mouth.
I pray to God and push my nonexistent chakra through my thumb and index finger.
Kimimaro by that time went through 3 seals and summons a dragon made out of bone.
Aside from that, something amazing forms in front of my very eyes.
Water forms around my wrist from thin air.
It swirls and reaches my finger as per my command.
Forms a very small lizard.
And it shoots in a spiral.
"Water Release: Water Cutter"
It cuts down the bone dragon into pieces.
Shrapnel of bones whistles past me as the stream of water goes for Kimimaro.
I move the stream slightly and it whips across his chest.
I was sure his torso would be severed.
But he seemed rather intact.
To my horror, he continues to form seals.
Who knows what monstrosity he will summon next.
But Hiruzen… he looks rather relaxed.
On his third seal, blood splatters like a fountain from his torso.
Kimimaro's eyes slide back into his skull as he collapses into his own pool of blood.
"Orochimaru-sama…" he utters his master's name one last time.
He doesn't move, doesn't groan.
I walk towards him. Get down on my knees and check his pulse.
Dead.
"We won, kid", Hairuzen says softly.
The first time I saw Kimimaro… I thought he was a demigod.
But now… he looks so… small.
All it took was a single jutsu.
My heart flutters.
With joy, hope.
Pride.
I've killed someone significant today.
But above everything else.
Gratitude.
I clap my hands and make a solemn prayer.
"Kimimaro!" I scream his name.
Go into a full dogeza.
"Thank you for the victory!!!" I declare.
Thank you for showing me what strength is.
Thank you for showing me what loyalty is.
Thank you for showing me what it feels like to win.
I get up. Turn around.
And leave.
I don't know what kind of face Hiruzen is making.
Probably a funny one.
Funny as it is… I will show my gratitude to those who deserve it.
Pray to my victims for power.
And grow stronger.
"The glaze was justified", i say to Hairuzen.
He chuckles.
"One hand or not..... I am still the god of shinobi" he makes a victory unlike his image.
I raise my fist along with him as we walk away.