Jimo VS Orochimaru

As Jimo hurried along the road, he happened upon Kankuro and Temari carrying Kiba Inuzuka and Shikamaru back.

Both of them had been thoroughly beaten, and Akamaru had already lost consciousness.

"It's you?"

Temari recognized Jimo—the oppressive pressure from before was still hard for the two of them to forget.

"You'd better hurry. That kid named Sasuke is already awake."

After handing over the Senzu Beans, Jimo set off again in pursuit, until he left the forest and arrived at an open field.

Kimimaro and Gaara's battle had already reached its climax.

"Need a hand?"

Jimo watched as Gaara struggled to maintain the Shield of Shukaku.

"You'd better go after that kid named Naruto instead! I can sense it—that guy Sasuke's aura has changed."

Gaara stared coldly at Jimo.

"Yeah, Jimo, you should go support Naruto!" Rock Lee chimed in from the side.

"Thanks for that bean!"

Jimo handed out two more Senzu Beans. By now, aside from the unripe ones still at his home, all the Senzu Beans he had brought on this trip were completely used up.

"If you give these to us, what about you?"

Lee tried to return the Senzu Beans to Jimo.

"This guy's no pushover. Don't underestimate him!"

Jimo flashed a smile. "I've got something even better!"

Jimo made his way to the Valley of the End, where the statues of two legendary ninjas faced each other across the waterfall.

Naruto and Sasuke stood opposite each other, one on each side. Both bore varying degrees of injury, though Sasuke was clearly worse off than Naruto.

Seeing Jimo arrive, Sasuke shot him a meaningful glance.

With a fellow Konoha comrade on the scene, he no longer had to hold back as much.

After a round of taunts, Sasuke successfully provoked Naruto, making him impulsively blurt out to Jimo, "Don't interfere."

Red chakra and blood-red slit pupils appeared on Naruto, the chakra he emitted carrying an incredibly powerful aura.

"The Nine-Tails..."

It was Jimo's first time seeing Naruto use this form; he must have been holding quite a grudge.

"Heh heh... Looks like I'm in for another good show!"

A sinister, hoarse voice came from the other side.

A short-haired man stood there, watching the fight between the two with keen interest.

"Orochimaru!"

That cold, dark gaze was unmistakably Orochimaru's, even though his appearance had changed drastically after switching bodies.

"I won't let you take Sasuke back!"

Orochimaru extended his tongue from his mouth, shooting it straight toward Jimo.

"Dammit! This isn't how it should be! Why is Orochimaru here?!"

Jimo dodged, leaping high over the waterfall.

A Kamehameha slowly gathered in his hands.

"Triple Rashomon!"

Three massive gates rose from the earth, and Jimo had to increase the power of his Shockwave to break through them.

"An interesting technique."

Orochimaru stood up from the rubble, seemingly unaffected by the attack.

"His arms! Shouldn't they have been crippled by the Third Hokage's Dead Demon Consuming Seal?" Jimo stared grimly at Orochimaru.

Right now, aside from his raw physical strength and chakra reserves, he had no real way to deal with this slippery snake that just wouldn't die.

"Tch! Should've learned some Sealing Techniques!"

Jimo grumbled, but his hands moved rapidly through hand signs.

"I've never actually used this technique since learning it! Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

A massive water dragon slowly rose from the river's surface and, under Jimo's control, shot toward Orochimaru.

"Double Kaioken!"

"You really are a young man full of secrets! The last time I saw a prodigy like you was many years ago..."

Orochimaru praised the Water Dragon, which was far larger than an ordinary one.

As the two clashed fiercely, Sasuke and Naruto's fight had already ended. Sasuke, able to sprout flesh wings in his Cursed Seal Level 2 state, struck Naruto half a body length ahead. Having already expended much of his chakra during the chase, Naruto collapsed unconscious from the blow.

"Naruto!"

In that moment of distraction, Orochimaru's Kusanagi Sword pierced through Jimo's body.

"This body really is sturdy! If not for that brat, this vessel of yours would have been the best choice."

Orochimaru let out a cold, sinister laugh.

"I hope next time we meet, you can give me even more surprises!"

Orochimaru walked toward Sasuke, and the two of them vanished together at the border of the Fire Country.

When he woke again, it was already several days later.

Jimo lay in Konoha Hospital, his body wrapped in bandages. Anko was slumped beside him, drool soaking her own blanket. Her eyes were red and swollen—whether from tears or drool, it was hard to tell.

"It hurts so much!"

Jimo tried to sit up but couldn't.

The movement startled Anko Mitarashi awake.

"You're awake!"

Anko looked at him, her tone carrying both concern and reproach.

"You idiot, so many people went! Why were you the only one hurt the worst?"

Before long, Tsunade, having heard that Jimo was awake, came to the hospital room.

"That wound on your chest—was it the Kusanagi Sword?"

Tsunade shooed everyone else out.

"Orochimaru came for Sasuke himself... Sorry... I was supposed to be the one backing them up... but I ended up like this..."

Jimo said, dejected.

"How's Naruto... That kid charged in recklessly, and Sasuke didn't even have time to change his attack trajectory..."

He had clearly seen Naruto get pierced through by Chidori.

"You should worry about yourself first! That brat has the Nine-Tails protecting him—his wounds healed up long ago!"

"Tsunade-sama!"

"What?"

"Can you teach me medical ninjutsu? My chakra reserves should be well-suited for learning this technique..."

A flicker of disappointment passed through Jimo's eyes, but it was immediately replaced by resolve.

"Perfect timing—Sakura wants to learn too... You two can keep each other company!"

After Tsunade left, a group of comrades came to the hospital room. Rock Lee and Choji stood at the front, thanking Jimo for arriving in time.

Choza Akimichi, head of the Akimichi clan, also came to thank him for stepping in before Choji could take the Curry Pill.

"Jimo, don't blame yourself. Under those circumstances, you did your best," Kakashi comforted him.

When he arrived, his ninja hound Pakkun had clearly sensed Orochimaru's presence.

"After all... that was Orochimaru. Just surviving is already no small feat," Shikamaru added.

"Is that how you comfort people?" Temari, standing nearby, retorted.

Because Jimo had immediately suggested to Tsunade that the Sand Sibling siblings still in Konoha be sent to help, the reinforcements arrived in time, and Kiba Inuzuka and Shikamaru weren't as badly injured.

This time, the one hurt worst was himself. Thanks to his exceptionally sturdy body, the Kusanagi Sword hadn't cut through his bones...

"Looks like I'll have to spend my time in the hospital until the new Senzu Beans grow."

Jimo smiled, looking at the pile of food on the table.