"The food today is unexpectedly plentiful, and it even has meat~"
Xiao Kimimaro joyfully ate his dinner with meat. He had been imprisoned for years, and every day, besides counting mosquitoes, he ate and slept, with no other forms of entertainment.
On this day, after finishing his dinner, Xiao Kimimaro boredly picked up a bone knife and drew on the ground. This was his only form of entertainment every day.
He had no parents, who might have died in a great war. He was raised by his clan from a young age, and as soon as they learned he had awakened Shikotsumyaku, he was locked in the dungeon.
On one hand, it was to prevent him from overusing his abilities and developing a bloodline disease. On the other hand, it was to suppress the madness that existed in his bloodline.
Suddenly, a strange voice came from the cell door:
"Are you Kimimaro?"
Xiao Kimimaro was still a cute boy at this time. He opened his pure eyes and looked at Uchiha Nagi, then replied curiously, "I am Kimimaro, may I ask who you are?" Uchiha Nagi looked at those pure eyes, devoid of any impurities. No wonder Orochimaru was so successful at luring children; their worldview and outlook on life hadn't yet solidified. If he instilled his ideas in them from a young age, it would be strange if they didn't pledge their lives to him when they grew up… Coupled with Orochimaru's brainwashing skills, which deeply inherited the essence of his teacher Sarutobi, Sarutobi was a grandmaster who had successfully brainwashed even Itachi and Shisui, so Orochimaru was always spot on.
This child even apologized politely when he mistook Zabuza and Haku for someone else.
"My name is Uchiha Nagi."
Clang!
After a metallic clang, the lock of the dungeon was directly cut open by Uchiha Nagi.
Uchiha Nagi walked up to Kimimaro and extended his hand to him… Years later, Kimimaro would deeply remember this scene.
"Come with me. I'll take you to see the outside world, to see the vastness of the stars and the sea."
Young and inexperienced, Kimimaro naturally didn't know what "the vastness of the stars and the sea" meant, but he had long yearned for freedom. However, constrained by habit and his lifelong living conditions, he didn't know where to go after escaping the clan.
As a young child, he relied on the clan for food. If he were to escape the Village by himself, he wouldn't know how to survive, let alone where to go. So, even though he was locked in the dungeon by the clan head, he never thought of escaping.
Uchiha Nagi's handsome appearance gave Kimimaro a sense of security. Thus, the innocent and naive Xiao Kimimaro was successfully taken away by him without Uchiha Nagi needing to say a second word.
Because his body was too small and slow, Uchiha Nagi simply carried him with one arm.
[Such a warm embrace. Is this what an older brother or father feels like?]
Some other children in the Village had a father or some other support. The young and naive Xiao Kimimaro just felt that if he had a father or an older brother, it would probably be like this.
Uchiha Nagi wasn't thinking that much. The age, appearance, and name all matched up. Since he had successfully lured him, it was time to retreat—
Originally, everything was going smoothly, but as expected, an unexpected event was about to occur.
Uchiha Nagi was very fast. Holding Kimimaro, he reached the outskirts not long after leaving their clan's territory… Suddenly, Uchiha Nagi frowned and put Xiao Kimimaro down, because not long after leaving the Kaguya Clan's territory, he felt like he was being followed.
Closing his eyes, Uchiha Nagi silently sensed his surroundings.
[Beast Breathing, Seventh Form ~ Spatial Perception]
It must be said that Xiao Zhuzhu Inosuke's Spatial Perception was incredibly useful, allowing Uchiha Nagi, a non-sensory Ninja, to find hidden enemies. One must know that some sensory Ninja in the Ninja World can detect enemies thousands of meters away.
The Second Hokage, a character strengthened by Kishimoto after the later arcs fell apart, could even sense the aura of powerful individuals hundreds of miles away.
"Come out, you who are hiding in the dark." Uchiha Nagi calmly called out towards a large tree.
The evening breeze gently blew, and only the chirping of insects could be heard. It seemed as if nothing was hidden behind the large tree, so even the insects didn't notice and continued to chirp.
Uchiha Nagi's body remained unchanged, but his three-tomoe Sharingan activated, staring intently.
After a while, a magnetic, charming, and hoarse voice came from behind the large tree.
"Impressive. How did you find me? I can't boast about other things, but I'm very skilled at stealth. You should know that when I left Konoha back then, countless Anbu couldn't find me."
Indeed—
A person in a kimono walked out, with white skin, dark hair, purple eyeshadow, and those unique snake-like eyes. It was one of the Sannin, Orochimaru—
When Uchiha Nagi used Beast Breathing's Spatial Perception, he noticed that the other party's aura was very evil and chilling, giving off the feeling of a venomous snake.
"Orochimaru, is there something you need from me?" Uchiha Nagi's lips began to curl slightly. Although he wanted to trade with Orochimaru, this venomous snake might turn on him if he traded before showing sufficient strength… just like a certain Fourth Kazekage who sincerely wanted to cooperate with him, but was pitifully killed, and his face was even skinned to create the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
"I can't believe it. In just a few years, the Uchiha Clan was annihilated, and Nagi-kun has grown to this extent. Konoha was indeed a cage that bound you." Orochimaru praised.
Uchiha Nagi's Dead Demon Consuming Seal from back then naturally came from Orochimaru. The reason was that he exchanged two pairs of two-tomoe Sharingan for it.
For Orochimaru, getting Sharingan was certainly not difficult, but he was very interested in an Uchiha who proactively sought him out, probably thinking that he might become a useful pawn in the future, so he agreed.
After a cautious transaction, Uchiha Nagi successfully obtained this jutsu that neither sensory Ninja nor summoned beasts could detect.
"Long time no see, Orochimaru. It seems you have business in Hidden Mist Village." Uchiha Nagi smiled.
"That's truly disheartening, Nagi-kun. You used to call me Lord Orochimaru, but now you call me by my name. I wonder why that is?" Orochimaru's hoarse, magnetic voice was very pleasant to hear, giving a sense of mystery and deadliness, but the killing intent on him grew stronger.
Orochimaru coveted his body… "You'll know the answer to that very soon, won't you?" Uchiha Nagi smiled at Kimimaro and said, "Kimimaro, go hide far away—"
Orochimaru also smiled without speaking, quietly watching Kimimaro jog towards the river. Because this time he came to Hidden Mist Village, he was, of course, looking for suitable subjects. After several observations, he had set his sights on this child from the Kaguya Clan, the one with the greatest potential.
Unfortunately, before he could make a move, Uchiha Nagi directly broke into the dungeon and took him away. Orochimaru was very speechless.
After seeing Kimimaro hide far away, Orochimaru pervertedly licked the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with excitement. "Come, let me see your true measure, Nagi-kun."