i am kimimaro

Watching Gaara frantically recounting his past sufferings, Kimimaro couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy.

Compared to Naruto, Gaara was even more unfortunate.

He was abandoned by his own father and treated as a tool for training. From the age of six, he was constantly targeted for assassination.

When he accidentally killed Yashamaru, the only person who cared about him, he completely fell into darkness.

If it were Naruto, being tricked into killing Iruka, and then having Iruka say it was all a lie, that he only approached Naruto because he wanted to kill him, even Naruto would turn dark.

The Fourth Kazekage was a complete fool!

Only a "genius" like him could come up with such a way to train a jinchuriki.

Looking at the enraged Gaara, Kimimaro reached out his right hand and stroked his hair.

Gaara was momentarily stunned.

He felt a long-lost tenderness from this gesture.

It was the feeling of Yashamaru.

"I am not qualified to lecture you, I can only wish you sweet dreams."

Gaara's pupils shrank, and he felt infinite happiness in these words.

Sweet dreams...

What a luxury for him.

He could count on one hand the number of times he had slept since he was a child, let alone having good dreams.

Kimimaro waved his left hand, and his figure disappeared with a flash.

"Go back. Tomorrow is the final exam, and after this exam, I think you will find a new way of life."

Gaara glanced at Kimimaro, knowing that as long as he was there, he couldn't kill anyone.

And from the moment Kimimaro appeared, he lost most of his interest in Rock Lee.

The sand returned to the gourd on Gaara's back, and he walked to Kimimaro's side.

"I will kill you in the Chunin Exams!"

With that, Gaara left without looking back.

"Kimimaro, this guy is too dangerous, should we tell the teachers?"

"No need. He's from the Sand Village, neither your teacher nor mine can control him. Just tell Sasuke to be careful."

"I haven't seen Sasuke in a month. I wonder what he learned from Kakashi-sensei."

Speaking of Sasuke, Naruto hung his head with mixed emotions.

Kimimaro walked over to Rock Lee and checked him.

He was recovering well and was almost back to normal.

Time passed day by day, and the final Chunin Exam was about to begin.

The Konoha Crush plan was progressing smoothly.

Orochimaru, disguised as the Fourth Kazekage, was on his way to Konoha.

Kabuto, who remained in Konoha, collaborated with Baki from the Sand Village, finalizing all the plans for the day and completing the deployment.

The third round of the Chunin Exams arrived amidst great anticipation.

"It's finally starting. I heard there are many terrifying geniuses in this Chunin Exam. The Hyuga, Kaguya, Uchiha, Aburame, and Chinoike clans all have participants. This is definitely going to be exciting!"

"That's right! But how did the Kaguya and Chinoike clans become ninjas of the Sound Village?"

"Well, that's all because of the Fourth Mizukage's mistakes."

The audience entered the venue.

Every spectator was eagerly looking forward to this round of matches.

The stands quickly filled up.

"The genin this year are all excellent. I wonder who will come out on top."

Asuma sat next to Kurenai and spoke.

"I'm not sure about the others, but Kimimaro from the Sound Village is definitely a strong contender. I can't see through this person."

Kurenai's gaze fell on Kimimaro in the arena.

"This young man is indeed unfathomable. In the second round of the exams, he didn't even use his full strength. Although Hinata's strength is average, he made it look too easy."

"Maybe we'll see his true strength when he faces the Hyuga genius, Neji."

"Yes. This will be an exciting match."

Elsewhere, Rock Lee, who had almost recovered, also arrived at the scene with Gai's help.

"The first match is Neji and Kimimaro. I wonder who is stronger between them."

Rock Lee looked at the people standing in the competition arena with envy in his eyes.

He originally thought he would be able to stand there too, but now he could only be a spectator.

"Lee, you need to watch this battle carefully. This could very well be a battle between the top talents of the younger generation."

"Gai-sensei, who do you think will win?"

"Although I'm very optimistic about Neji's strength, his chances of winning against Kimimaro are very slim."

Rock Lee was surprised to hear this.

"Kimimaro is that strong? Even Neji doesn't have much of a chance?"

"Yes, his strength has far surpassed the level of a genin."

Meanwhile, Orochimaru, disguised as the Fourth Kazekage, had already met with the Third Hokage.

"What a rare guest, Kazekage-sama. You must be tired from your journey."

The Third Hokage greeted him with a smile.

"Haha, not at all. Fortunately, the exam is held in Konoha. If it were in the Sand Village, Hokage-sama would have had a tiring journey.

I see that Hokage-sama is getting on in years. Shouldn't you consider retiring? Or is it that after losing the Fourth Hokage, Konoha can't find a suitable person to succeed as Hokage?"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Orochimaru's words were filled with hostility.

The Third Hokage chuckled and said, "Konoha has plenty of talent, but these old bones of mine still want to work for another five years. Let them wait a little longer."

"Hokage-sama is truly vigorous in old age. You might become the first Hokage to die of old age."

"Haha, Kazekage-sama needn't worry about that. It's about time, let's begin."

With the Third Hokage's announcement, the Chunin Exams officially began.

In the competition arena, the participants for the final round had gathered.

The proctor, Genma Shiranui, was a special jonin of Konoha and a former bodyguard of the Fourth Hokage.

"The rules of the match are simple. Fight in this arena, using any means necessary. The match is only decided when one side dies or surrenders.

Of course, to avoid unnecessary casualties, I will stop the match when I deem the outcome to be clear.

Now, except for Kimimaro and Hyuga Neji, who will be in the first match, everyone else please go to the spectator area to rest."

"Kimimaro, good luck!"

Before leaving, Naruto cheered for Kimimaro.

The vast arena was quickly left with only three people.

In the stands, Hiashi Hyuga sat in the audience with Hanabi Hyuga.

"Watch carefully, Hanabi. Neji is a genius who perfectly inherited the Hyuga bloodline. His strength is far superior to yours and Hinata's."

"Then compared to Kimimaro?"

Hanabi asked curiously.

"You'll see as you watch."

Hiashi Hyuga's refusal to answer made Hanabi even more curious.

On the field, Neji assumed the Gentle Fist stance and said coldly, "Don't compare me to weaklings like Hinata. Although we are both from the Hyuga clan, I am much stronger than her. If you're not careful, you'll lose miserably."

"I never underestimate my opponents, you can rest assured about that."

A gust of wind blew, carrying leaves into the sky.

"The match, begins!"

(End of Chapter)